[Note 3] GPS Hardware Fix [Pics] [Instructions] [Potentially any Note 3 model]

SchecterRocker · Apr 24, 2014

_____________________________________________

!!! 25+ ESTIMATED SUCCESSES!!! (Either reported or from thanks on this post)
_____________________________________________

For TL;DR - start at [[ WILL THIS HELP YOU? ]]

This ABSOLUTELY fixed my AT&T Note 3's GPS. However:

:::: DISCLAIMER :::: I had an unusual chain of events leading up to this fix. I hope it fixes your Note 3's GPS, but there's really no way to tell - unless you decide to try it. It may not help you at all. So, what have you got to lose? Well, take a look at [[ WILL THIS HELP YOU? ]] and [[ RISKS ]].

[[ INTRO ]]

If you're here, most likely your Note 3's GPS doesn't work, and you're desperate like I was for a fix. Here's the chain of events that led to my fix:
1. Got AT&T Note 3 - **out of the box** it had the 'blurry' camera issue, but outstanding GPS (consistent 3 second satlock).
2. Sent Note 3 in for Samsung Warranty Repair to fix the 'blurry' camera.
3. Samsung fixed the camera.
4. Disappointingly, Samsung broke the GPS (by bending the 'leaf' pin circled RED in my pic below, I assume inadvertently during reassembly).
5. Got Note 3 back - camera fixed, GPS broken by Samsung.
6. After observing an iFixit teardown, I followed this chain of logic: A - Since Samsung replaced my camera, and B - the camera is separate from the main board that the GPS is on, then C - Samsung must have only replaced the camera, and left the GPS alone. D - Therefore, Samsung did not replace my exceptional GPS, that, sadly, is now broken. E - Something else must have broken the GPS. F - I read a thread suggesting that tightening the 12 screws on the back fixes the GPS, then G - I decided it's time to check on the leaf pins after looking at the iFixit teardown. Below is what I found.

[[ WILL THIS HELP YOU? ]]

Hopefully. I have no idea. Maybe. Decide if the [[ RISKS ]] are worth it to find out if one of your 'leaf' pins are bent or damaged (mine was bent by Samsung Warranty Repair, as explained above).

[ 1 ] Yes, if one of the 'leaf pins' is bent, dislodged, or otherwise not making contact.
[ 2 ] Yes, if one of the contacts that the leaf pins touch is oxidized. (Remove oxidation by scraping it off.)
--- Thanks to evilpotatoman for reporting this fix! ---
[ 3 ] Yes, if one of the 'leaf pins' is squished and is not pressing hard enough against the contact. (Bend "leaf pin" outward to make tighter contact.)
--- As suggested by evilpotatoman ---
Also, perhaps adding a small piece of stock paper under the offending leaf pin will make it keep contact better. ( !!!! Be careful - don't add too much paper, which could stress the pin or contact !!!! )
--- As suggested by superdookie67 ---
[4] Yes, if a screw is loose. This may happen if you remove the back cover frequently, which loosens the screw that keeps a solid connection between the leaf pin and contact near the back cover fingernail hole.
--- As suggested by yedidi2006 ---

Let's be honest: since Samsung Warranty Repair dislodged my Note 3's leaf pin, isn't it plausible that a maybe even a few Note 3's shipped with bent leaf pins?

I'M WILLING TO BET YES. So please reply and let everyone know if this fixes it.

[[ RISKS ]] (Honestly, this is a pretty basic procedure. But here goes)

1. Potentially voiding warranty, though I have no idea how it can be proven (put some new Loctite on the screws afterward if you're paranoid.)
2. (Only a risk for those who are completely careless) Potential damage to internal equipment.
3. Losing 30 minutes of your life. Personally, I love tearing stuff apart whenever I have an excuse, so for me this wasn't a risk.

[[ INSTRUCTIONS ]] (See attached pics for details)

1. See your favorite teardown site for even more details. Remove the back cover, stylus, SIM, and microSD.
2. Remove the 12 Phillips screws on the back. They are sealed with Loctite, so don't damage your phone with too much force.
3. !!!Carefully!!! remove the inner plastic shell (clipped in).
3a. !!!Only lift up!!!, perpendicularly from the screen to avoid damaging the leaf pins.
3b. !!!Take your time!!! Gently open around the edges until all edges and clips are loose.
4. Observe the leaf pin locations shown below.
5. Samsung bent my leaf pin circled in RED below. This one is clearly related to the GPS, because bending it back restored my GPS to perfect functionality.
6. !!!!Extra Carefully!!!! bend the leaf pin back into position, if you find a dislocated leaf pin.
7. Replace the inner plastic shell, making sure to not damage the leaf pins.
8. Replace the 12 screws (with new Loctite, at your discretion).
9. Obviously, replace the SIM, microSD, stylus, and back cover.
10. Fire it up.

11. MOST IMPORTANTLY, reply back if this helps - maybe this is a fix for many of the Note 3's that shipped with terrible GPS reception.

________________________

altrikdout21 · Apr 25, 2014

Nope, I looked in and my 'leaf' pins were all properly shaped. I even slightly bent it to look more like yours, and still having GPS issues.

SchecterRocker · Apr 25, 2014

Sorry to hear that didn't fix it for you. Thanks for posting your results though.

If someone is feeling ambitious (and somehow doesn't care about their warranty), the other thing I was thinking is to clean off / polish the contacts that the leaf pins touch, but that's almost certainly a warranty-voider. Not to mention it could possibly damage or ruin the contacts.

Sent from my SM-N900A using xda app-developers app

altrikdout21 · Apr 26, 2014

Switched my rom back to stock NB4 rooted, having no gps issues now (if I remember, it worked just fine on NB4 before). Bent pins may be a problem for others though.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

SchecterRocker · Apr 26, 2014

Interesting, well at least it's working again.

I'd be stoked if someone else fixed their GPS because of a bent leaf pin, since it's such an easy and decisive fix.

Sent from my SM-N900A using xda app-developers app

jay185 · May 5, 2014

wish i had seen this earlier. I had mine done just like what you did plus the pins from the backside of the motherboard. mine wont lock unless i am outside and had clear view of the sky (no signal if inside the car). and had to conclude that its the hardware and not the software. after doing all of those pins. i got lock in less than 3 secs!

damn note 3.

also, i had to spray those pins with an electronic contact cleaner before I put them back together

SchecterRocker · May 5, 2014

jay185 said:
wish i had seen this earlier. I had mine done just like what you did plus the pins from the backside of the motherboard. mine wont lock unless i am outside and had clear view of the sky (no signal if inside the car). and had to conclude that its the hardware and not the software. after doing all of those pins. i got lock in less than 3 secs!

damn note 3.

also, i had to spray those pins with an electronic contact cleaner before I put them back together

Fantastic, glad to hear it worked :good: Thanks for posting your results.

hp79 · May 8, 2014

Is there a fix for the compass not working correctly? Sometimes when I'm driving, it makes it look like I'm traveling sideways. This is on GoogleMap. My GPS has been working fine since the first day.

SchecterRocker · May 9, 2014

hp79 said:
Is there a fix for the compass not working correctly? Sometimes when I'm driving, it makes it look like I'm traveling sideways. This is on GoogleMap. My GPS has been working fine since the first day.

My guess is that this fix should work for any subsystem that uses one of the leaf pins (of course only if said subsystem has a bent leaf pin).

We'd have to determine where the compass is located and if it uses the pins. Otherwise, I'm not aware of a compass fix. Mine has exhibited that behavior too. I'll report back if I find anything.

Sent from my SM-N900A using XDA Free mobile app

evilpotatoman · May 16, 2014

Thanks!

I was suffering from little to no GPS fix. Opened it up per your instructions to find that my gps pin wasn't bent, but the terminal to which it contacts was oxidized. I bent the pin up to ensure a tight fit and I marred the terminal with a razor to remove the oxidation. My GPS works flawlessly now.

jay185 · May 16, 2014

would anyone know among those pins, where exactly is the gps antenna connected to?

ok nevermind. i figured it out. its the 2 pin at the top right (where the volume keys are)

K-alz · May 17, 2014

SchecterRocker said:
For TL;DR - start at [[ WILL THIS HELP YOU? ]]

This ABSOLUTELY fixed my AT&T Note 3's GPS. However:

:::: DISCLAIMER :::: I had an unusual chain of events leading up to this fix. I hope it fixes your Note 3's GPS, but there's really no way to tell - unless you decide to try it. It may not help you at all. So, what have you got to lose? Well, take a look at [[ WILL THIS HELP YOU? ]] and [[ RISKS ]].

[[ INTRO ]]

If you're here, most likely your Note 3's GPS doesn't work, and you're desperate like I was for a fix. Here's the chain of events that led to my fix:
1. Got AT&T Note 3 - **out of the box** it had the 'blurry' camera issue, but outstanding GPS (consistent 3 second satlock).
2. Sent Note 3 in for Samsung Warranty Repair to fix the 'blurry' camera.
3. Samsung fixed the camera.
4. Disappointingly, Samsung broke the GPS (by bending the 'leaf' pin circled RED in my pic below, I assume inadvertently during reassembly).
5. Got Note 3 back - camera fixed, GPS broken by Samsung.
6. After observing an iFixit teardown, I followed this chain of logic: A - Since Samsung replaced my camera, and B - the camera is separate from the main board that the GPS is on, then C - Samsung must have only replaced the camera, and left the GPS alone. D - Therefore, Samsung did not replace my exceptional GPS, that, sadly, is now broken. E - Something else must have broken the GPS. F - I read a thread suggesting that tightening the 12 screws on the back fixes the GPS, then G - I decided it's time to check on the leaf pins after looking at the iFixit teardown. Below is what I found.

[[ WILL THIS HELP YOU? ]]

Hopefully. I have no idea. Maybe. Decide if the [[ RISKS ]] are worth it to find out if one of your 'leaf' pins are bent or damaged (mine was bent by Samsung Warranty Repair, as explained above).

Let's be honest: since Samsung Warranty Repair dislodged my Note 3's leaf pin, isn't it plausible that a maybe even a few Note 3's shipped with bent leaf pins?

I'M WILLING TO BET YES. So please reply and let everyone know if this fixes it.

[[ RISKS ]] (Honestly, this is a pretty basic procedure. But here goes)

1. Potentially voiding warranty, though I have no idea how it can be proven (put some new Loctite on the screws afterward if you're paranoid.)
2. (Only a risk for those who are completely careless) Potential damage to internal equipment.
3. Losing 30 minutes of your life. Personally, I love tearing stuff apart whenever I have an excuse, so for me this wasn't a risk.

[[ INSTRUCTIONS ]] (See attached pics for details)

1. See your favorite teardown site for even more details. Remove the back cover, stylus, SIM, and microSD.
2. Remove the 12 Phillips screws on the back. They are sealed with Loctite, so don't damage your phone with too much force.
3. !!!Carefully!!! remove the inner plastic shell (clipped in).
3a. !!!Only lift up!!!, perpendicularly from the screen to avoid damaging the leaf pins.
3b. !!!Take your time!!! Gently open around the edges until all edges and clips are loose.
4. Observe the leaf pin locations shown below.
5. Samsung bent my leaf pin circled in RED below. This one is clearly related to the GPS, because bending it back restored my GPS to perfect functionality.
6. !!!!Extra Carefully!!!! bend the leaf pin back into position, if you find a dislocated leaf pin.
7. Replace the inner plastic shell, making sure to not damage the leaf pins.
8. Replace the 12 screws (with new Loctite, at your discretion).
9. Obviously, replace the SIM, microSD, stylus, and back cover.
10. Fire it up.

11. MOST IMPORTANTLY, reply back if this helps - maybe this is a fix for many of the Note 3's that shipped with terrible GPS reception.

________________________

Where did you go? To an AT&T store or bestbuy?
My phone had no GPS issues at all until a couple of days ago after I dropped it flat on its back (with a thin cover on it) and picked it up with no scratch on it. Now I have NO GPS at all (I'm not sure it is because of the fall or something else. It fell several times before and it didn't mess my GPS). I tried every single GPS fix app in the Play Store that used to actually solve my GPS issues and nothing. I downgraded from KK to JB thinking it might have been KK that was causing the problem and also nothing. Now when I try to use my GPS, it hangs on "searching for GPS" forever. I'm thinking of re-flashing stock and un-rooting to take It back to them (I need your advice on where I should go, please). I don't want to start disassembling my phone first.
Thanks man.

from my 3rd beast of a phone..!!

SchecterRocker · May 17, 2014

I'm genuinely glad to hear this has helped at least 2 or 3 others! It was such an annoying issue for me that I hoped it would help someone else.

evilpotatoman said:
Thanks!

I was suffering from little to no GPS fix. Opened it up per your instructions to find that my gps pin wasn't bent, but the terminal to which it contacts was oxidized. I bent the pin up to ensure a tight fit and I marred the terminal with a razor to remove the oxidation. My GPS works flawlessly now.

Great news! Let's just say that your MJ5 restoration thread has saved me more than once, so I'm glad if I can pay it forward in any way. :good: I'll modify the instructions to suggest checking for oxidized contacts like yours were. Thanks!

jay185 said:
would anyone know among those pins, where exactly is the gps antenna connected to?

ok nevermind. i figured it out. its the 2 pin at the top right (where the volume keys are)

Thanks for reporting this. I actually bent the top left pin (where the power key is) to fix mine, so it would appear that either the top right or left pins could be causing issues for people.

K-Alzwayed said:
Where did you go? To an AT&T store or bestbuy?
My phone had no GPS issues at all until a couple of days ago after I dropped it flat on its back (with a thin cover on it) and picked it up with no scratch on it. Now I have NO GPS at all (I'm not sure it is because of the fall or something else. It fell several times before and it didn't mess my GPS). I tried every single GPS fix app in the Play Store that used to actually solve my GPS issues and nothing. I downgraded from KK to JB thinking it might have been KK that was causing the problem and also nothing. Now when I try to use my GPS, it hangs on "searching for GPS" forever. I'm thinking of re-flashing stock and un-rooting to take It back to them (I need your advice on where I should go, please). I don't want to start disassembling my phone first.
Thanks man.

from my 3rd beast of a phone..!!

I shipped my Note 3 to be repaired by Samsung Warranty Repair somewhere in Texas (free of charge, since it's still under warranty) (if that's what you're asking - I didn't get it repaired at AT&T or BestBuy). I am by no means an expert on this, but from what you've described my first guess is one of your pins got dislodged somehow (presumably from the fall). Honestly this procedure isn't overly difficult, but I understand if you don't want to crack open your phone. Until I did open my phone though, I was having nearly identical issues as you are (hanging on "searching for GPS" , the GPS Status app could only find 2 or 3 satellites instead of the usual 12-19, etc, etc, etc).

Samsung Warranty Repair bent my GPS pin, causing it to malfunction. While I sincerely want to recommend that you send it to Samsung to fix, just be aware that things can go wrong - I speak from experience.

Thanks again for everyone's responses!

K-alz · May 17, 2014

SchecterRocker said:
I'm genuinely glad to hear this has helped at least 2 or 3 others! It was such an annoying issue for me that I hoped it would help someone else.

Great news! Let's just say that your MJ5 restoration thread has saved me more than once, so I'm glad if I can pay it forward in any way. :good: I'll modify the instructions to suggest checking for oxidized contacts like yours were. Thanks!

Thanks for reporting this. I actually bent the top left pin (where the power key is) to fix mine, so it would appear that either the top right or left pins could be causing issues for people.

I shipped my Note 3 to be repaired by Samsung Warranty Repair somewhere in Texas (free of charge, since it's still under warranty) (if that's what you're asking - I didn't get it repaired at AT&T or BestBuy). I am by no means an expert on this, but from what you've described my first guess is one of your pins got dislodged somehow (presumably from the fall). Honestly this procedure isn't overly difficult, but I understand if you don't want to crack open your phone. Until I did open my phone though, I was having nearly identical issues as you are (hanging on "searching for GPS" , the GPS Status app could only find 2 or 3 satellites instead of the usual 12-19, etc, etc, etc).

Samsung Warranty Repair bent my GPS pin, causing it to malfunction. While I sincerely want to recommend that you send it to Samsung to fix, just be aware that things can go wrong - I speak from experience.

Thanks again for everyone's responses!

I appreciate it, man. I heard from some friends that it could be this http://www.androidpolice.com/2014/0...-services-are-experiencing-outages-right-now/
So before shipping my phone, I'm going to wait a little bit longer to see if this is the issue. I still have a long while on the warranty

AlCalavicci · May 20, 2014

I would like to say this fixed my GPS on my AT&T Note 3.
I didn't have to un-clip the complete back, just the top left section enough to see the two antennas.
Now my GPS works normally.

Funny thing is my Note 1 had the same problem, which I fixed in the same way over 2 years ago..

What I am guessing is that when we put pressure on the phone we squish the antennas down so when the pressure is relieved they are no longer in contact.

Seems to be a design flaw in all generations of the Note phone.

Samsung should change how this connection is made, as the flaw will continue to occur.

thank you for the post!

ko9pora · Jul 9, 2014

Itworked but only for a few minutes

SchecterRocker said:
For TL;DR - start at [[ WILL THIS HELP YOU? ]]

This ABSOLUTELY fixed my AT&T Note 3's GPS. However:

....

[[ INSTRUCTIONS ]] (See attached pics for details)

1. See your favorite teardown site for even more details. Remove the back cover, stylus, SIM, and microSD.
2. Remove the 12 Phillips screws on the back. They are sealed with Loctite, so don't damage your phone with too much force.
3. !!!Carefully!!! remove the inner plastic shell (clipped in).
3a. !!!Only lift up!!!, perpendicularly from the screen to avoid damaging the leaf pins.
3b. !!!Take your time!!! Gently open around the edges until all edges and clips are loose.
4. Observe the leaf pin locations shown below.
5. Samsung bent my leaf pin circled in RED below. This one is clearly related to the GPS, because bending it back restored my GPS to perfect functionality.
6. !!!!Extra Carefully!!!! bend the leaf pin back into position, if you find a dislocated leaf pin.
7. Replace the inner plastic shell, making sure to not damage the leaf pins.
8. Replace the 12 screws (with new Loctite, at your discretion).
9. Obviously, replace the SIM, microSD, stylus, and back cover.
10. Fire it up.

11. MOST IMPORTANTLY, reply back if this helps - maybe this is a fix for many of the Note 3's that shipped with terrible GPS reception.

________________________

Unfortunately it didn't work... I also found that my note 3 is a little different to your photos where the two leaf-pins are mounted side by side.
I followed your procedure, found what I think must be the same leaf pins you refer to, but they didn't seem to be bent or misshaped. I bent them up slightly anyway,since I'd gone to so much trouble to tear it down, before reassembling the device.
When I first switched it on I thought I'd had a win: Using the 'GPS Status' app I quickly acquired 4/ 23 satellites, where normally I see 0/23 (or 0/xx) the xx number varies.
That soon increased to 11/ 19 and I thought yes its fixed AT LAST!!
For once I was even able to locate my device in Google Android Device Manager too - it rarely ever works. The only one that does is 'Where's My Droid' as it can find it using the WLAN and the mobile phone towers that my SIM is connected to. It appears that Google's ADM MUST use GPS only, because whenever Where's My Droid finds it via GPS (which isn't too often), Android Device Manager also works (finds it ok)... It was this constant failing of ADM which eventually brought me to the conclusion that the problem is to do with GPS (I've tried EVERYTHING to fix this over several months) and how I eventually found your post, which unfortunately doesn't seem to have helped me.

It does seem a bit odd though, that it worked for a few minutes after firing up the phone.

I just wonder if some component is failing once it reaches a certain temperature?
If so, I might was well forget it (warranty void - had to remove a sticker that was over screw # 12) and buy a new phone, but NOT a note 3!

superdookie67 · Jul 11, 2014

I checked this with the recent gps trouble I've had with my tmobile version. I noticed mine were smashed down as low as they could be. Pulling them back up a bit, my gps does seem to be better now. I was wondering, would sticking some stock paper or anything under them help to keep them raised and connected to the other side?

And thanks so much for this post, I had been working on this problem forever.

ko9pora · Jul 15, 2014

ko9pora said:
Unfortunately it didn't work... I also found that my note 3 is a little different to your photos where the two leaf-pins are mounted side by side.
I followed your procedure, found what I think must be the same leaf pins you refer to, but they didn't seem to be bent or misshaped. I bent them up slightly anyway,since I'd gone to so much trouble to tear it down, before reassembling the device.
When I first switched it on I thought I'd had a win: Using the 'GPS Status' app I quickly acquired 4/ 23 satellites, where normally I see 0/23 (or 0/xx) the xx number varies.
That soon increased to 11/ 19 and I thought yes its fixed AT LAST!!
For once I was even able to locate my device in Google Android Device Manager too - it rarely ever works. The only one that does is 'Where's My Droid' as it can find it using the WLAN and the mobile phone towers that my SIM is connected to. It appears that Google's ADM MUST use GPS only, because whenever Where's My Droid finds it via GPS (which isn't too often), Android Device Manager also works (finds it ok)... It was this constant failing of ADM which eventually brought me to the conclusion that the problem is to do with GPS (I've tried EVERYTHING to fix this over several months) and how I eventually found your post, which unfortunately doesn't seem to have helped me.

It does seem a bit odd though, that it worked for a few minutes after firing up the phone.
I just wonder if some component is failing once it reaches a certain temperature?
If so, I might was well forget it (warranty void - had to remove a sticker that was over screw # 12) and buy a new phone, but NOT a note 3!

I have to take it back... It worked!
When I wrote the above reply, I didn't realize that I was too far inside my house (under it's steel roof). As soon as I went outside or even near a window it all worked great and still does, but I guess no GPS works too well when its effectively shielded under an iron roof...:laugh:

SchecterRocker · Jul 17, 2014

superdookie67 said:
I checked this with the recent gps trouble I've had with my tmobile version. I noticed mine were smashed down as low as they could be. Pulling them back up a bit, my gps does seem to be better now. I was wondering, would sticking some stock paper or anything under them help to keep them raised and connected to the other side?

And thanks so much for this post, I had been working on this problem forever.

Glad to hear it worked! I agree, perhaps sticking a little paper under the pin that's causing trouble may help it keep contact. I'll add that suggestion into the original post.

ko9pora said:
I have to take it back... It worked!
When I wrote the above reply, I didn't realize that I was too far inside my house (under it's steel roof). As soon as I went outside or even near a window it all worked great and still does, but I guess no GPS works too well when its effectively shielded under an iron roof...:laugh:

Good deal! I'm in the same situation - under a steel roof. Basically, my house similar to a Faraday cage, blocking out almost all radio communication (cell, AM/FM, TV, you name it.)

Sounds good, looks like we've got about 5 successes so far!

adbyerly · Jul 25, 2014

YES! I had absolutely no GPS, popped open the phone - the leaf was already bent back as in your "after" picture, but I just propped it up to get better connection, and now I finally have a GPS signal, 13/25 satellites within 30 seconds of my first test. Thank you so much for posting this.

[Note 3] GPS Hardware Fix [Pics] [Instructions] [Potentially any Note 3 model]

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Member

New member

Member

New member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Similar threads

Top Liked Posts