With the help of the GPS(Global Positioning System) feature, you don’t have to be good at byhearting roads, streets, and alleys to be a good driver. Do you want to go somewhere? Just type in the destination on your Google Maps and Google Maps will take you there with proper voice instructions and path guidance. All is well as long as your GPS is all good. What if your GPS decides to take a day off? To make it even worse, what if it happens in the middle of nowhere, when you are all alone and have no clue where in the world you are? Well, that’s your nightmare, so is it everyone else’s!
So, what do you do when your GPS goes on a strike all of a sudden? Get frustrated or think of ways to get it resolved? Well we, definitely, second the latter! In this article, we have detailed all the possible solutions that you can try to get your GPS back to its working state. Hope you find the article beneficial.
Note: Please note that we have used a Samsung Android device to explain the steps in our article. Based on your phone’s model and version, the screenshots and the steps might slightly vary. Should you have any queries regarding the same, please reach out to us through the comments section.
Solution 1: Turn Off GPS and Turn it Back On
Obviously, this might be the first solution you might have tried. But if you haven’t yet, try turning your GPS off and then turn it back on.
Step 1: To turn off the Location feature in your Android device, pull down the notifications panel and then click on the Location icon. After you click, it should turn grey as shown in the screenshot below.
Step 2: Once the GPS feature is turned off, wait a minute, and then turn it back to the on state. To turn it on, simply click on the Location icon one more time. It should turn green now.
Check if your issue is resolved or not.
Solution 2: Improve the Accuracy of your Location Services
Step 1: Pull down the notification panel and long press on the Location icon to go to the location settings options.
Step 2: On the Location settings screen, make sure the toggle button is turned to On state for the Location services.
As next, click on the Improve accuracy option.
Step 3: On the screen that follows, turn the toggle buttons corresponding to the options Wi-Fi scanning and Bluetooth scanning to On State.
Hit the back button at the top to go back to the previous screen.
Step 4: When you are back at the Location screen, check if the Google Location Accuracy toggle button is turned on or not. If it is turned off, click on the Google Location Accuracy tile and turn it to the On state.
Solution 3: Disable Power Saving Mode or Charge your Device
When your device is running low on power, it can mess up almost anything, including GPS functionality. So if you are facing GPS issues, and your phone is low on charge, try disabling power saving mode or charge your phone and check if your issue is resolved or not. You can also try disabling the power-saving mode on your Android device if it is turned on.
Solution 4: Try Changing your Device’s Position
Sometimes the issue could be happening simply because a proper connection cannot be made with the GPS satellites. If you are near metallic objects, move away from them. Or if you are standing next to tall objects, like maybe a wall, move away from them too. Also, if you can get a clear sky above you, that definitely would make things better. Try checking if your GPS issue is resolved or not once you have tried out these methods. If you’re still facing the issue, head on to the next method.
Solution 5: Check your Internet Connectivity
Most of the applications for GPS need your device to be connected to the Internet. So if you feel like your GPS is not working, you should definitely check your Internet connectivity. If you are on a Wi-Fi network, try switching to a different one. Or try connecting to mobile data. If you are on mobile data, try switching to a Wi-Fi network.
Solution 6: Try Turning Off Airplane Mode and then Turn it Back On
Step 1: Just like in the previous solution, pull down your notifications panel and then click on the Airplane mode icon. Once it is turned on, it will turn green in color.
Step 2: Wait a minute before you turn off the Airplane mode. Once it is turned off, check if your issue is still present or not.
Solution 7: Reboot your Android Device
If none of the above solutions worked, now is the time to restart your device. Long press the power button to see the power options and click on the Restart option to restart your device straight away. Once your device boots back, check if your issue is still present. If yes, head on to the next solution.
Solution 8: Uninstall Google Maps Updates
In this solution, let’s try uninstalling Google Maps updates. This will reset your Google Maps application to its factory version. Don’t worry, in the next solution, we will update your Google Maps to the latest version available.
Step 1: Locate the Google Maps application from your applications drawer and then long-press on it. From the pop-up menu that expands out, click on the App info option as shown below.
Step 2: On the App info screen, click on the 3 vertical dots icon at the top right corner of the screen.
Step 3: As next, click on the Uninstall updates option.
Step 4: You will now get the following confirmation window that says your Google Maps will be reset to its factory version if you proceed with the Uninstall updates operation. Go ahead and click on the OK button. Wait for the updates to get uninstalled.
Check if your issue is resolved or not. You can update your Google Maps to the latest version available, by following the next solution.
Solution 9: Update Google Maps to the Latest Version Available on the Play Store
Now let’s get your Google Maps updated to the latest version available in Google Play Store.
Step 1: Open the applications drawer, locate and click on the Play Store icon to launch Google Play Store.
Step 2: Click on the Search bar at the top of the Play Store screen.
Step 3: Search with the keywords Google Maps and then hit the Update option against Google Maps application, as shown in the screenshot below.
Once Google Maps updates are installed, check if you are still facing the issue.
Solution 10: Install a GPS Diagnostic Application
Google Maps is a GPS application that has a very user-friendly interface. The GPS hardware in your device would pass Google Maps some raw numbers/coordinates and these raw numbers are translated by Google Maps, effectively providing you with an interface that’s easier for you to read and understand. However, when the GPS hardware has some faults, it is very difficult to diagnose whether it is the Google Maps or the GPS hardware that is causing you trouble.
It is exactly in such situations that you can install a GPS diagnostic application in your device, to diagnose and isolate your issue. Some of the GPS diagnostic applications that you can download from the Play Store are GPS Status and Toolbox, GPS Test, GPS Locker, etc. If you have access to one more device, you can install the same application on both the devices and check if the application is giving the same results in both. If it is giving the same results, it means that there is no issue with your GPS hardware. Try using some other GPS application other than Google Maps in that case. But if the application is giving considerably different results on both the devices, then there could be something wrong with your GPS hardware.
Please tell us in the comments section which method fixed the issue for you. Hope you found the article useful.
Stay tuned for more amazing and useful technical tricks, solutions, tips, how-tos, and hacks! Happy Geeking!