GPS Broken in Phone?

[SweetErika]

I have a ZTE Supreme phone, and it's been pretty good to me over the past year or so, but a couple of weeks ago, the GPS stopped working across apps. I reinstalled Waze, for instance, and it's still giving me a "GPS Not Found" error. Everything else seems to be working OK.

When the GPS problem started, the phone was restarting itself randomly A LOT. Like every few minutes for a day. Then I got a BLUE SCREEN, though it was too fast and tiny to decipher.

I DL'd a GPS Test & Repair app and followed the instructions, but it couldn't get a lock on any GPS either.

Any ideas on what might be going on? Mapping is one of the main features I use, so it's pretty critical that I get this fixed (or get a new phone, but I hate to do that when nothing else is really broken).

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Windows phone?

Probably have a virus. Or a hardware problem.

 

[SweetErika]

No, Android. ZTE is just a lower cost Chinese brand.

I doubt it's a virus (I don't really even check email on it, no porn, no iffy foreign sites, no oddball apps, etc.). It could be software, but I'm guessing it's more likely to be hardware-related since it's my phone and it gets thrown in my purse and dropped once in awhile. And I never did get around to ordering a case for it (that's been the only downside to having a no-name phone). Maybe something got disconnected in there?

 

[mark_j]

Take it to your carrier and have them run a diagnostic on it. At least that way if there is a problem with the hardware you have a paper trail on it. Makes it handy if you have to do warranty return/exchange.

 

[SweetErika]

Take it to your carrier and have them run a diagnostic on it. At least that way if there is a problem with the hardware you have a paper trail on it. Makes it handy if you have to do warranty return/exchange.

The carrier is Virgin Mobile, so there's no place to take it to really. And it's long out of warranty. My husband said, "A year or 18 months is about as long as most phones last now, so just get a new one." But I hate to do that when nothing else is wrong with the phone! I guess I can give it to the kiddo as a mini-tablet.

Is it worth trying a factory reset first? Is it pretty easy to backup to PC, then DL back to the phone? This phone is running Android 4.1.2 (jelly bean).

 

[mark_j]

The carrier is Virgin Mobile, so there's no place to take it to really. And it's long out of warranty. My husband said, "A year or 18 months is about as long as most phones last now, so just get a new one." But I hate to do that when nothing else is wrong with the phone! I guess I can give it to the kiddo as a mini-tablet.

Is it worth trying a factory reset first? Is it pretty easy to backup to PC, then DL back to the phone? This phone is running Android 4.1.2 (jelly bean).

In light of all that I would backup and do a factory reset. Be sure to pull the SIM card (if you can get to it) out and put it back in.. sometimes those things get unseated (I know they say it isn't supposed to happen but it does). Worse comes to worse you still have an operational phone minus the GPS.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Too bad Virgin doesn't have any service locations...although they do sell through Radio Shack, where you might take it to see if they can check it out before you do anything that you really don't want to do.

 

[lovecraft68]

Okay...ready for this....ready?

learn your way around like drivers did for the 65 or so years without a GPS.

These days, people can't add, they can't remember a phone number, they don't know how to get anywhere.....they don't even have to know how to drive anymore with the newest cars.

If the world went into a blackout today no one under the age of about 35-40 would be able to survive.

 

[knottywifenhub]

Did you take a software update recently? It's either a bad software update (be it a driver or the OS bits themselves or the hardware. Not much you can do of it is a hardware issue unless you're really good with a soldering iron. For the software issue, you may try to see if ZTE has a tool to flash an earlier version of the phone's software, I would visit their site. Just make sure you get the software bits that are for your phone. I only recommend flashing since you said there's not much to lose. Good luck .

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Okay...ready for this....ready?

learn your way around like drivers did for the 65 or so years without a GPS.

These days, people can't add, they can't remember a phone number, they don't know how to get anywhere.....they don't even have to know how to drive anymore with the newest cars.

If the world went into a blackout today no one under the age of about 35-40 would be able to survive.

I still remember my home phone number from back in the '60s.

And have the time I have to tell the cashier, when they mess up and don't punch in how much I gave them, what my change is, but hey what do we expect from out dumbed down kids. After all that's what the DOE is after, dumb adults.

 

[SweetErika]

Okay...ready for this....ready?

learn your way around like drivers did for the 65 or so years without a GPS.

These days, people can't add, they can't remember a phone number, they don't know how to get anywhere.....they don't even have to know how to drive anymore with the newest cars.

If the world went into a blackout today no one under the age of about 35-40 would be able to survive.

I could. Until about 2008, I didn't have a smartphone and I used a Thomas Guide or I printed out directions before I left home.

The streets around here are often nonsensical (I live on a street that changes names 3 times in a mile, for instance), and that makes it harder to navigate.

I could live without it, just as I could live without a computer or tv? Absolutely, and I'd be fine. I actually do know how to get myself places with paper maps and good directions, but I prefer the convenience of a mapping app.

 

[Learin]

You could reboot your phone to a date before which the GPS seems to have been working. It's better than a factory reset, if you have personal data stored on your smartphone.

I rarely use GPS, so it's never been a problem for me. Maybe a software upgrade to Android 5 (Lollipop) will fix it. An upgrade to the latest software usually fixes glitches in the system that have stopped working.



Good luck.

 

[SweetErika]

I think I'll backup my stuff and try the factory reset, then go from there. That'll give me a better idea of whether or not it's hardware (which I strongly suspect it is, since none of the GPS detecting apps can get any signal) and reassure me about getting a new phone (even though it'll be another middle-of-the-road model).

I could start a new thread for this, but I'll try here first:
I'm considering switching to MetroPCS when I'm ready to get a new phone. It'll save me $5/month and I won't have to deal with Sprint's overloaded network anymore. I'm sure T-mobile's has its own issues, but it also has better coverage than Sprint in the PNW.

Anyway, MetroPCS will let me bring my own unlocked phone, if I want to do so. I probably will, since I'm not thrilled with any of the choices and I hate the bloatware that comes with proprietary models. Any suggestions on getting an unlocked phone? I didn't see anything good on NewEgg, but Amazon has a dizzying array of choices, and I'm sure there are tons of other sites I'm missing. I wish Google had already come out with its new modular pick-your-preferred-parts phone!

 

[Learin]

I think I'll backup my stuff and try the factory reset, then go from there. That'll give me a better idea of whether or not it's hardware (which I strongly suspect it is, since none of the GPS detecting apps can get any signal) and reassure me about getting a new phone (even though it'll be another middle-of-the-road model).

I could start a new thread for this, but I'll try here first:
I'm considering switching to MetroPCS when I'm ready to get a new phone. It'll save me $5/month and I won't have to deal with Sprint's overloaded network anymore. I'm sure T-mobile's has its own issues, but it also has better coverage than Sprint in the PNW.

Anyway, MetroPCS will let me bring my own unlocked phone, if I want to do so. I probably will, since I'm not thrilled with any of the choices and I hate the bloatware that comes with proprietary models. Any suggestions on getting an unlocked phone? I didn't see anything good on NewEgg, but Amazon has a dizzying array of choices, and I'm sure there are tons of other sites I'm missing. I wish Google had already come out with its new modular pick-your-preferred-parts phone!

I'd recommend this smartphone for you. Offers features and the same (or even better) bang for buck as the flagship smartphones that cost double its price.

Although, it's not easy to buy one. You need an invite from someone who has already bought it, or win a contest they organise on Amazon.

 

[SweetErika]

I'd recommend this smartphone for you. Offers features and the same (or even better) bang for buck as the flagship smartphones that cost double its price.

Although, it's not easy to buy one. You need an invite from someone who has already bought it, or win a contest they organise on Amazon.

It looks pretty comparable to this one on Amazon, no? It looks pretty good (and at least I'd be sticking with a 13MP camera) for around $150. I hate to spend even that much, but it looks like a phone that might last awhile (especially since it COMES with a silicone case and screen protectors)!

 

[Learin]

It looks pretty comparable to this one on Amazon, no? It looks pretty good (and at least I'd be sticking with a 13MP camera) for around $150. I hate to spend even that much, but it looks like a phone that might last awhile (especially since it COMES with a silicone case and screen protectors)!

It all boils down to what you want in a smartphone.

Personal speak: I need good battery, good hardware, good camera...er, good everything. I prefer to splurge once and stick to a smartphone for 3-4 years. I'm pretty sure this one will last a good 5.

I don't trust anything beneath ₤100 (US $150, I think?) to last that long. Even if they have listed awesome specs out there, the hardware is usually low quality. I don't know...I just can't look at that price range without squinting at the phone in suspicion.

BTW, if you're interested, you should look at the Xaomi range of smartphones. Awesome specs, and price is around the same range you're looking for.

 

[SweetErika]

It all boils down to what you want in a smartphone.

Personal speak: I need good battery, good hardware, good camera...er, good everything. I prefer to splurge once and stick to a smartphone for 3-4 years. I'm pretty sure this one will last a good 5.

I don't trust anything beneath ₤100 (US $150, I think?) to last that long. Even if they have listed awesome specs out there, the hardware is usually low quality. I don't know...I just can't look at that price range without squinting at the phone in suspicion.

BTW, if you're interested, you should look at the Xaomi range of smartphones. Awesome specs, and price is around the same range you're looking for.

True. I don't need my phone for that much, and I tend to lose track of it, so cost is a bigger factor for me. My husband uses his phone ALL the time, so budget isn't a huge issue (well, for his company).

Xiaomi isn't available in the U.S.. I know lots of people who could get me one in China or Taiwan, but that could be a big headache. Plus, I need a phone that's made to work here, on my carrier's 4g LTE frequencies (700/1700/1900, I think I read), and isn't loaded with foreign bloatware and malware (can be an issue with unlocked phones sold on "marketplace" sites like Amazon).

 

[Learin]

True. I don't need my phone for that much, and I tend to lose track of it, so cost is a bigger factor for me. My husband uses his phone ALL the time, so budget isn't a huge issue (well, for his company).

Xiaomi isn't available in the U.S.. I know lots of people who could get me one in China or Taiwan, but that could be a big headache. Plus, I need a phone that's made to work here, on my carrier's 4g LTE frequencies (700/1700/1900, I think I read), and isn't loaded with foreign bloatware and malware (can be an issue with unlocked phones sold on "marketplace" sites like Amazon).

Is an Unlocked Phone the same as a Rooted Android?

That's usually an AWESOME feature some smartphone freaks try to incorporate in their phones. That usually means pure android experience. You can switch off irritating ads (I rooted my phone just for this feature) and do a lot of customising. You just have to download a SuperSU app, and you're good to go.

Just don't buy it 2nd hand or from an unauthorised dealer. That's very risky.

Xiaomi offers models in 4G variant (like Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G for instance, I'm sure there might be others). I think it's available on Amazon.com

You could also see Moto E, if you like.

Don't trust me, though. I'm no expert on smartphone. I'm just rattling off names that I happen to know are good.

 

[stellarmuse]

Is an Unlocked Phone the same as a Rooted Android?

An unlocked phone means you can use a SIM card from any carrier. A rooted phone gives you super user access.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

One good thing about not having the GPS working...the NSA can't track you.