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Fix for iPhone 3G GPS problems: turn off 3G

Fix for iPhone 3G GPS problems: turn off 3G

Ben Wilson

Several users have reported in an issue in which the iPhone 3G's A-GPS unit fails to properly discover physical location. As described by Apple Discussions poster "Zlog":

"GPS in particular was a problem i had with my wife's 8GB, as it located us in texas. We're in Oregon."

The same user subsequently tested a variety of configurations for his iPhone 3G's networking, with the following results:

  • 3G: Off
  • BT: Off
  • Wifi: On
  • Does GPS work?: Yes

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  • 3G: Off
  • BT: On (and paired w/ headset)
  • Wifi: On
  • Does GPS work?: Yes

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  • 3G: On
  • BT: Off
  • Wifi: Off
  • Does GPS work?: NO

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  • 3G: On
  • BT: On (and paired w/ headset)
  • Wifi: off
  • Does GPS work?: NO

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  • 3G: On
  • BT: On (and paired w/ headset)
  • Wifi: ON
  • Does GPS work?: NO

As such, it appears that, as in the case of several other iPhone 3G problems (e.g. Bluetooth echoing), turning 3G network off can result in elimination of GPS accuracy issues.

Readers have reported, however, that turning 3G networking off, pegging a location, then turning 3G back on results in persistence of the accurate results.

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