By 
The Samsung Vibrant and Captivate are all around great phones — the Galaxy S phones in general are — except for one teensy weensy little problem. The GPS has been known to go a bit bonkers, give inaccurate location, or just plain not work from (most of the) time to (most of the) time. A software update fix was issued to help resolve the problems, but if for whatever reason your GPS is still failing you on the Galaxy S handsets from T-Mobile and AT&T, Samsung has provided some helpful tips to get you through.
Check out the guides for more info on solutions, such as the use of GPS Restore.
Guide: Samsung Vibrant
Guide: Samsung Captivate
[via MobileBurn]
I’m still inclined to believe that there is a problem with the gps chip. Seeing as how the nexus s just got a new gps chip in it
No such program on Market Place
its there gps restore but it doesnt work it tells me to go to open sky and try again LOL Samsung you suck
Doesn’t get a fix on my Captivate. This is all sorts of hilarious. Do better Samsung.
Yeah, this is a joke… first of all they give the wrong instructions for finding the app: you have to search for “GPSRestore”, not “GPSSamsungRestore”. Secondly, all this does is restore the LBSTestMode settings back to the factory default, and beleive me, we’ve already tried that! To add insult to injury, there are so many typos in this document, it’s impossible to take Samsung seriously.
alex: it got a new antenna, not a new chipset. but it also got a new antenna for the wifi radio, which works perfectly fine in the galaxy s series, so it doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s a problem with the hardware.
by all accounts, the gps works fine after a master clear, but progressively gets worse as you stay on the same rom. It really sounds like some sort of software issue, though restoring back to the stock gps settings is kind of retarded so the app is pointless.
Any updates on the Epic, or are we left to hang and dry?
Ever since the update to JI6, gps has worked fine. Though I have to admit at intersections, if its not a strong enough lock, it gets a bit wonky.
This is exactly why i don;t want a samsung tablet. I can’t believe they are still fumbling with this.
my Galaxy S Showcase (SCH-I500) GPS works great.. Sometimes if it doesn’t immediately lock on, all I do is hit back then go back to navigation and it locks instantly. I think most of the times the reason for this is I forget to turn GPS on prior to opening Navigation though
Just so glad I didn’t get the ugly Captivate. Waiting till next year for DUAL Core processor Android device hopefully it will come to AT&T.
Fail. Release a fix that actually does something other than restore the settings back to the original ones that didn’t work in the first place. Utter failure Samsung. Take this phone and give me a Windows Phone 7 replacement.
I love Android don’t get me wrong but Windows Phone 7 looks sweet!
gps appears to work but, for me at least, once im about 2/3 to my destination the gps craps out, starts spinning and showing me in the middle of fields, parking lots, etc..and becomes generally useless. Getting me 2/3 of the way there and leaving me in the mddle of the road is worse than not starting at all. All I want to know is how did this get past testing? I want to like samsung, indeed there is a lot to like. But this is an utter deal breaker. Cant wait until im off tmobile so i have some better options.
Thakn you for your intrest in Samasung product. At this timm there is no nown problem with GPS. We apreziate ur moneys.
The only thing this app does is to reset your GPS information to Factory Default.
Funny thing is, my gps never worked since the first day it came out and after trying what was given…it finally works! For the first time I actually got to use it and drive around without having any positioning issues.
GPS is broken on the Fascinate as well. The major reason I dumped the Fascinate.
Still shows me sitting in my neighbor’s garage. I really like my Vibrant, but this is just ridiculous.
I’m just glad I never bought the Captivate.
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Mine worked fine on the Captivate last night.
Again, another useless article saying that Samsung has fixed it. Please, try out the app yourselves before making an article about it. have you tested the time to first fix? have you tested it while MOVING? Prob not.
This fix may have improved the time to first fix but it did not improve the accuracy. For those who claim “mine worked”….did you actually use it and try to get from point A to B?
The fix won’t even run completely on my Cappy :(
I am on my FOURTH Vibrant…This has been the absolute bane of my long-term relationship with T-Mobile. The GPS on none of my devices (original plus 3 replacements) nor my wife’s have ever worked. Sure, I may get a lock…sometimes…and may even be able to use Navigation…sometimes…but those times make up literally less than 10% of the attempts. Placing me 3 miles away, showing me turning around and driving backwards on interstate ramps, and turning while I’m actually sitting stopped at a light happen consistently when I actually do get a lock.
T-Mobile blames Samsung (when the technicians are actually the ones intelligent enough to understand “try a full reboot” doesn’t work). Samsung has told me for 2 months “a fix is in the works…it will be released to US Galaxy S phones by the end of November.”
I finally had enough. I called T-Mo and told them to disconnect all of my accounts…following a supervisor’s requests to help me remain a loyal customer, my new, free replacement (MyTouch 4G) gets here this week.
Samsung: go to hell. I will never purchase a device from your thieving, lying, deceptive, non-committed, customer support-lacking, faulty-equipment supplying, “10 million units by 2011” sorry asses again.