Edited 30/1/2012: My GPS 100% fixed (21/4/11 PICS ADDED)

Search This thread

sxi200

Senior Member
Oct 18, 2010
1,510
449
Melbourne
EDIT: 30/1/2012.

Just a follow up on this fix. Well, got sick of constantly having to replace the tape under the battery cover. Over time it flattens, so since I now use the S2 as my daily phone I decided to open it up.

First I found the GPS connection on the motherboard. It connects to / touches a small metal piece on the inside of the rear housing. It's like a U shaped connector so I decided to lift it up with my fingernail.

For a little while it worked great but the problem returned. So I decided to open it up again and lift the connector even higher. Unfortunately I broke it leaving only a flat bottom metal piece on the motherboard side. There was now no way for the 2 pieces to touch so I screwed it completely.

So I then decided to solder a small bit on the rear housing side. I did that and put it back together. Ever since then the GPS has truely been 100% fixed. It hasn't missed a beat over the last 3 or so months of trying.

END EDIT.

NOTE: This is a hardware fix for those whose GPS is completely busted (NO sat views & lock). It is NOT a fix to improve tracking or lock or make an already working GPS better.


After flashing every modem, fw and kernal version I had completely given up on my galaxy s GPS. It had to be a hardware fault.

Back when I first got it, it was OK but a few months later became useless. This fix is hardware related and takes only minutes to diagnose and fix.

It's also probably more useful for pre-October models (i9000 international) which had this fault.

I do not take credit for finding out the fix. Credit for that goes to member 'allottios' (who heard about it from 'cbdrift') for bringing it to my attention on another forum topic.

The fix is simple. Remove the back cover and to the right of the speaker is the GPS antenna. It is covered by what looks like some sort of soft plastic tape.

Now open a GPS test app and then apply light pressure to the very top of the antenna with your finger. NOT the middle or bottom - that makes it worse.

If, like me your GPS shows instant improvement then you have just worked out your problem.

Simply attach a small piece of double sided tape or similar to the top of the antenna so that when you put the back cover on again their is pressure on that spot.

Hope you get the same results I did.

Edit: PICS ADDED: 1ST PIC - AT THE TOP RIGHT CORNER, YOU CAN SEE A WHITE STRIP WHICH IS THE DOUBLE-SIDED TAPE I ATTACHED TO THE TOP OF THE GPS ANTENNA. I DID NOT PEEL THE TOP LAYER FROM THE TAPE SO IT WOULDN'T STICK TO THE BACK COVER.

IMG_0268.jpg, IMG_0270.jpg

Edit (03/05) - If this fix doesn't help, you may also want to try out another fix posted by 'stockie78' (post 209).

There is also a link below for more detail, including pics for this fix.

It is not as simple as the above fix and it involves removing the housing. I have not tried / tested this myself and am not responsible if you break your phone.

"stockie78

Unfortunately the g-spot trick did not work for me, so I decided to look a little closer and removed the plastic housing.
Another guy installed on the metal thingys there a cable and I did some test, too. Again no improvement with different cables and lengths.
But while fiddling around with the metal connector I thought maybe lifting it could help and indeed this was the trick for me. Improved my gps dramatically!
So instead of something pushing the antenna tighter, the metal connector now pushes harder and improves the signal quality.
Maybe a solution for some of you too..."

Link: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=878970

Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App
 
Last edited:

Toss3

Senior Member
May 13, 2008
2,305
704
Stockholm
I can confirm that this works for me! Got a lock in two seconds and the arrow followed my path perfectly while I was on the bus, a feat that seemed impossible before! Thanks a million! :):):)

If I let go of the antenna the gps loses it signal straight away..
 
  • Like
Reactions: sxi200

Toss3

Senior Member
May 13, 2008
2,305
704
Stockholm
Seriously this deserves a bump! Got a lock on 12 Satellites(!) when putting pressure on the top of the antenna and lost it as soon as I let go. :eek:
 
  • Like
Reactions: sxi200

shvedski

Member
Dec 23, 2010
8
1
I`m seriously impressed. Tested on Sygic Aura, iGo and CoPilot and they localyze me immediatly !!!! THANKS A LOT !!!!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: sxi200

Davith

Senior Member
Apr 11, 2010
452
39
I did something similar a while back by taking the phone appart to access the interior parts of the phone. I then bent the connector for the GPS up so that more pressure would be applied. It worked great at first then started to get worse after some time. I'm guessing this is because the connector reverted back to its original position (kind of like an elastic).

I suppose this is a similar trick, but instead of applying more pressure from the connector, it does it from the cover. I'll try to get hold of some tape to try this.

By the way I have a Galaxy S from July, and GPS sucks badly on mine.
 

jguilhas

New member
Dec 1, 2010
1
1
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!!

My jam just dropped. I just got gps lock within seconds... in my living room, where I had occasionally one sat in sight.

Just applied a small piece of that blue sticky stuff on the very top of the gps antenna and voilà. Cover on and lock is a go go.

Thanks for sharing this
 
  • Like
Reactions: sxi200

Toss3

Senior Member
May 13, 2008
2,305
704
Stockholm
Getting a lock as soon as I start GPS Test! :D No more jumping around in Google Maps either! This is THE best fix for the SGS yet! Finally I'll be able to use my phone as my primary GPS navigator!
 

flex420

Senior Member
Nov 6, 2010
264
31
Cologne
Getting a lock as soon as I start GPS Test! :D No more jumping around in Google Maps either! This is THE best fix for the SGS yet! Finally I'll be able to use my phone as my primary GPS navigator!

same here too, wtf if i knew that before ... i would not have so many gray hairs :D
thanks for sharing :)

p.s.: connection stays good without any further pressure here, put the cover on again, gps still great
 
Last edited:

Twinsis

Member
Dec 30, 2006
38
5
Sofia
I can't believe this all these months, kernels modem and all kind of fixes and the solution is a duct tape, wow!

Thanks works for me!
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: sxi200

Toss3

Senior Member
May 13, 2008
2,305
704
Stockholm
Is it possible for someone to post picture of area that needs to be pushed! Thanks!!!

You should see an elongated rectangle shape on the rightmost part of your phone after removing the back cover(just to the right of your speaker and sim card) - just apply some pressure on the top part(for me it takes a fair bit for it to work) and voila you're done. I'll try to post pics soon!

gpsantennafix6ma6.jpg

gpssatelliteslockpu6n.jpg


Second pic taken while indoors on a cloudy day!
 
Last edited:

Asterix040

Member
Mar 12, 2009
32
2
Zagreb
You should see an elongated rectangle shape on the rightmost part of your phone after removing the back cover(just to the right of your speaker and sim card) - just apply some pressure on the top part(for me it takes a fair bit for it to work) and voila you're done. I'll try to post pics soon!

That would be most appriciated. I'am visual person! ;)
 

kospan

Member
Sep 9, 2007
14
2
This actually works!!! I bought the galaxy s back in july and the last few months I have been unable to get a gps fix no matter what I tried! After reading this thread I went outside and pushed the top of the antenna. In a few seconds i got 5 meter accuracy and 8 satellites in use! Now I have to find a way to keep the antenna pressed! Thanks a million for the tip! :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: sxi200

qsec

Senior Member
Apr 5, 2010
1,039
192
This must be the sweet spot?

Edit: ops, to late ; )

/qsec
 

Attachments

  • gps-antenna.jpg
    gps-antenna.jpg
    72.3 KB · Views: 5,914
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: sxi200

Lukeenho

Senior Member
Aug 25, 2010
54
4
Well guys, I would like to try it, but my display seems to stop working as I remove the back cover?! Anyone has same issue? What could be wrong?
With backplate cover on, everything works just fine, but without....black screen. Although that phone seems to be responding
 

Top Liked Posts

  • There are no posts matching your filters.
  • 42
    EDIT: 30/1/2012.

    Just a follow up on this fix. Well, got sick of constantly having to replace the tape under the battery cover. Over time it flattens, so since I now use the S2 as my daily phone I decided to open it up.

    First I found the GPS connection on the motherboard. It connects to / touches a small metal piece on the inside of the rear housing. It's like a U shaped connector so I decided to lift it up with my fingernail.

    For a little while it worked great but the problem returned. So I decided to open it up again and lift the connector even higher. Unfortunately I broke it leaving only a flat bottom metal piece on the motherboard side. There was now no way for the 2 pieces to touch so I screwed it completely.

    So I then decided to solder a small bit on the rear housing side. I did that and put it back together. Ever since then the GPS has truely been 100% fixed. It hasn't missed a beat over the last 3 or so months of trying.

    END EDIT.

    NOTE: This is a hardware fix for those whose GPS is completely busted (NO sat views & lock). It is NOT a fix to improve tracking or lock or make an already working GPS better.


    After flashing every modem, fw and kernal version I had completely given up on my galaxy s GPS. It had to be a hardware fault.

    Back when I first got it, it was OK but a few months later became useless. This fix is hardware related and takes only minutes to diagnose and fix.

    It's also probably more useful for pre-October models (i9000 international) which had this fault.

    I do not take credit for finding out the fix. Credit for that goes to member 'allottios' (who heard about it from 'cbdrift') for bringing it to my attention on another forum topic.

    The fix is simple. Remove the back cover and to the right of the speaker is the GPS antenna. It is covered by what looks like some sort of soft plastic tape.

    Now open a GPS test app and then apply light pressure to the very top of the antenna with your finger. NOT the middle or bottom - that makes it worse.

    If, like me your GPS shows instant improvement then you have just worked out your problem.

    Simply attach a small piece of double sided tape or similar to the top of the antenna so that when you put the back cover on again their is pressure on that spot.

    Hope you get the same results I did.

    Edit: PICS ADDED: 1ST PIC - AT THE TOP RIGHT CORNER, YOU CAN SEE A WHITE STRIP WHICH IS THE DOUBLE-SIDED TAPE I ATTACHED TO THE TOP OF THE GPS ANTENNA. I DID NOT PEEL THE TOP LAYER FROM THE TAPE SO IT WOULDN'T STICK TO THE BACK COVER.

    IMG_0268.jpg, IMG_0270.jpg

    Edit (03/05) - If this fix doesn't help, you may also want to try out another fix posted by 'stockie78' (post 209).

    There is also a link below for more detail, including pics for this fix.

    It is not as simple as the above fix and it involves removing the housing. I have not tried / tested this myself and am not responsible if you break your phone.

    "stockie78

    Unfortunately the g-spot trick did not work for me, so I decided to look a little closer and removed the plastic housing.
    Another guy installed on the metal thingys there a cable and I did some test, too. Again no improvement with different cables and lengths.
    But while fiddling around with the metal connector I thought maybe lifting it could help and indeed this was the trick for me. Improved my gps dramatically!
    So instead of something pushing the antenna tighter, the metal connector now pushes harder and improves the signal quality.
    Maybe a solution for some of you too..."

    Link: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=878970

    Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App
    7
    Hard to believe that Samsung is so dumb that they could not have done this fix at factory level or it may be a conscious decision not to have the gps signal powerful enough.

    My i9003 was not having any gps locking issue but earlier it worked only outdoors & would lock in 15-20 sec with 10mt-50mt accuracy.

    I took kitchen foil & folded it few times to make 1cm area of antenna cover with it...................................cant believe the gps NOW works indoors & locks in 10-15 sec with 7-8 satellites in view. I tested indoors with 1 floor above & 2 floor above. In a multi story building it locks perfectly in a drawing room, in small rooms you take it near windows & it locks perfectly............................amazing.

    Outdoors it locks instantly within 2-3 sec under clear sky with constant 5mt accuracy to 11-12 satellites.

    So I took the gps on a 800kms drive & after extensively using it now I am confident that I can fully depend on it, one downside is that gps using sucks battery fast so gps constant use need a car charger which now I need to buy.

    Samsung route 66 shows navigation perfectly with 5mt inaccuracy, on the way I could locate restaurants, petrol pumps etc well in advance in a new cities which otherwise I didn't have any clue about.

    Here are few screenshot I took at various location as proof, now I constantly get 30-40SNR in gps test with constant 5mt accuracy.

    This post has images showing how pressing that area with tape helps the gps signal wire underneath.
    http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=13190989&postcount=4
    3
    Samsung should buy you more than one beer!

    How much money did they spent to fix that issue?

    Thanks man!
    3
    I am glad it helps sxi200! Thanks for the credit. I got the idea by reading this post by cbdrift so a lot of credit should go to him too!

    http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=9426709&postcount=120
    3
    Hi,

    Unfortunately the g-spot trick did not work for me, so I decided to look a little closer and removed the plastic housing.
    Another guy installed on the metal thingys there a cable and I did some test, too. Again no improvement with different cables and lengths.
    But while fiddling around with the metal connector I thought maybe lifting it could help and indeed this was the trick for me. Improved my gps dramatically!
    So instead of something pushing the antenna tighter, the metal connector now pushes harder and improves the signal quality.
    Maybe a solution for some of you too...

    Br stocki

    Sent from my GT-I9000 using Premium App