Question Nokia 1+ GPS fault? App fault? Or Phone Fault? Anyone suggest a better GPS Map App?

brymbo76

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Hello.
I just bought a Nokia 1+ phone and I've been having problems trying to use the phone as a GPS Sat Nav for walking/hiking and driving purposes.

My last phone was a Huawei Y5 and I was able to use Google Maps in default mode fine with just a GPS signal.

My Nokia 1+ has Google Maps Go built in and you need to be connected to the internet via a mobile data connection or Wi-Fi signal which defeats the purpose of having a phone with GPS built in.
I downloaded the normal Google Maps app and was able to use it on one occasion while I was out walking but the next few times it stopped working and don't know what happened to it to make me unable to use it again.

I went to the Google Apps store and found one called Komoot.
This has worked a few times but also failed a couple of times too even when I had open sky above me so I don't know if it's not finding the satellites or if there's a fault on the app but it's not finding my location. Sometimes it will show I am somewhere where I definitely know I'm not and sometimes (like Google Maps) my location is a grey dot, not a blue dot and is unable to determine my location.

From what I have wrote, does anyone know if I could have a (GPS) fault on my new phone? (Bought from EE shop on PAYG), if so, what should I do?
Or could there be a fault on the App?
Or could there be some setting I need to change so that the app is only interested in the GPS signal and not mobile data or Wi-Fi signal?

Has anyone tried Komoot?
And would anyone recommend another app that is more reliable and more detailed specifically for walkers/hikers?
And what about as a car Sat Nav? Which app would you recommend for car use?

Hope to hear some suggestions soon.
Thanks.
 
So anyone with any ideas please?
This is a tech forum after all and just about everybody has a mobile phone these days so I thought surely at least one person must be able to answer some of my questions.
Hope to get a reply soon.
Thanks.
 
Well it's 24 hours since I posted this.
I'm interested to know if the nearly 70 people who have looked at this message simply don't know the answers to any of my questions or were simply curious to see my post and clicked on the link?
Are there ANY technical experts on this site or what? Surely SOMEONE must know???
 
Well it's now 48 hours since I posted this.
Not much of a forum if people look at posts in the forum but can't be arsed to reply!
Or perhaps I'm right and maybe there aren't any mobile phone technical experts here.
Waste of my bloody time posting this!!!
 
Waste of my bloody time posting this!!!

You don't think that's because you have quite an attitude in your posts? You aren't goint to win many friends with petulant posts like the above.

And why would you think enthusiasts would have or be interested in a bargain basement phone like the Nokia 1 Plus?

Have you checked that GPS is on correctly, with "improve location accuracy" ticked?


Have you tried emptying the Google and Google Maps cache?

Have you tried a google search of possible issues?

For example:

I have contacted Nokia Chat and they solved this issue for me. In the settings revoke all permissions for all apps. After that you need to authorize apps again, but it did solve the issue for me.


Ultimately, it's a very cheap phone with a mediocre Mediatek processor, they aren't known for having good GPS performance even if working properly.
 
It is a very long post in order to extract the relevant information and even then I am still unsure

I would try:

- calibrating the Google maps GPS
- turn on high accuracy mode for GPS
- delete cache and data or reinstalling the app can be an option as above
 
Android GO is a limited version of Android and it may not have certain functions. It definitely doesn’t have all the apps. It’s made for a very small budget.

GPS does often use data in order to help gets its position, hence you get better results when you have GSM data and WiFi switched on.

You can switch off this need by disabling high accuracy and use device only mode in the GPS settings. However it could take a long time before it gets a GPS signal and even longer before that signal become accurate. It is just how it works.
 
Well personally I think it's other people on here that have an attitude to not be willing to help others so there's no point in joining this website and looking at my message if you're not going to consider replying and suggest something that may be helpful.
I also don't consider it a bargain basement phone. I paid £70 for it but I could've got a cheaper one though the GPS may have been more basic again. I don't know what GPS features my Huawei Y5 had.
Also, this phone according to the specifications for the GPS says it has A-GPS and GLONASS). It doesn't have the same GPS features as more expensive phones (GALILEO, BDS). I would've considered a Samsung Galaxy A20e or a Motorola One Macro which were both £100 and both featured GALILEO and BDS positioning but I didn't want a phone too big. This Nokia 1+ is bigger than the Huawei and felt that was big enough. I don't know the difference between any of these different positioning systems. I don't know whether you need all 4 systems or if just 1 or 2 systems will suffice for normal use.

And Yes I have definitely checked I have switched on Location Accuracy. Someone told me about an app called GPS reset and I've tried it and so far seems to have worked but I noticed it can still take a little while to pinpoint my location.
 
Okay have you also tried calibrating the GPS location within the Google maps app itself

Also I am fairly certain @Bl4ckGryph0n is saying this is a budget handset within the context of the entire smartphone market. That is not the same as saying £70 is insignificant :cool:
 
Well I uninstalled Google Maps and installed Komoot instead.
I can try reinstalling Google maps and try doing as you suggest.
And to me I still think this isn't a bargain phone. Obviously if you got paid £100,000 a year or something then it is.
But on my wages it isn't. I'd say it's more mid-range.
 
When people are helping you and explaining how things work I don’t think it makes sense to have a go at them or at the website.

Regardless of what it is in context to your wages, this is running Android GO. It is the budget version of Android and not a full version. It is by definition not mid range.

And as I explained earlier, when you switch on high accuracy then you need to have data and WiFi switched on as well. That is just how it works. If you don’t want that then you need to switch the GPS to device only.

I’m sorry to state the obvious, but people are trying to help you and explain it. If you don’t like the message then please don’t have a go at the people, it is just how the technology works.
 
Well there's not much point in me switching on Wi-Fi if I'm somewhere remote outdoors and likewise no point in switching on Data if my phone can't pick up a mobile phone network signal.
So would anyone be able to explain the differences between GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO and BDS and as to which is the least accurate and most accurate?
 
And to me I still think this isn't a bargain phone. Obviously if you got paid £100,000 a year or something then it is.
But on my wages it isn't. I'd say it's more mid-range.

Problem there is we aren't using our own opinions of what's a bargain phone, it was the cheapest phone made by Nokia (now discontinued and superseded by the Nokia 1.3).

It isn't an insult, but simply that any sub-£100 phone is from the bargain basement end of the market.

Mid-range in the context of Nokia phones would probably be the Nokia 7.2 (price range from £200). High/flagship range from around £500 upwards, for Nokia it would be the Nokia 9.
 
Well there's not much point in me switching on Wi-Fi if I'm somewhere remote outdoors and likewise no point in switching on Data if my phone can't pick up a mobile phone network signal.
So would anyone be able to explain the differences between GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO and BDS and as to which is the least accurate and most accurate?
The point is that it utilises the data channel to augment the signal. Even if you think you have no signal you’d be amazed how that still helps. If not for at least being able to pick the location of the satellites which helps with getting an initial fix and location. And ofcourse also with downloading the mapping content.
If you want totally indecent GPS of good quality then there are lots of standalone devices which are opitimised and specific for that purpose. That is why they still exist and sell whilst nearly everyone has got a smartphone. Smartphones need a little help with that and then they are good. But will not be better than those specific devices.
 
I have a cheap xiaomi phone that I use just for sat nav, I have a three 321 SIM card in it, 1 pence per mb, you’d be surprised how little data it uses, from Staffordshire to Newport South Wales is 16pence, I would just put a SIM card in it, plus it’s very rare for it to lose a signal for google maps , you’re not going to be surfing the web, but will work, can only think of 2 or 3 times, google maps didn’t work. Not sure if it’s free or £8.99 from EE to unlock your phone.
 

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