Do you find the GPS on your Google Pixel 2 XL is not working?

Then you’ve come to the right place.

Global Positioning System or “GPS” is a technology that provides your geolocation and time information. Now initially, yes, GPS was a satellite-based system. It was super expensive but mobile communication networks providers since then found a way to use their cell site towers instead. This is how it has worked for the past decade. 

GPS issues are probably one of the most common issues to occur for smartphones and is normal. This may happen for a variety of reasons such as if you’ve recently downloaded an app that is no longer supported, travelling from one location to another, or simply just a bug in the system.

In this guide, we will show you how you can fix your Google Pixel 2 XL’s GPS issues.

Let’s dive right in.

How To Fix Google Pixel 2 XL GPS Issue: 8 Ways

1. Check the Network Connectivity.

First and foremost, you need to ensure that your Pixel is able to connect to the Wi-Fi or cellular data network properly. 

If you are not connected to either one of them, your GPS application will not work properly. Make sure that your signal strength is high for better GPS reception.

2. Tweak the Settings.

One of the main causes for the GPS issue on your Google Pixel 2 XL may have been running that the GPS application has been running for a very long time without any stoppage. You might be jumping for cell site to a cell site, which probably explains why your Pixel was not able to get the most accurate GPS information. This is especially case if you’ve been traveling often.

In order to resolve this, you’ll have to divert your attention to your Pixel’s location settings and we will show you how to get there below. But before you do that, make sure to refresh the GPS application. Here’s how you do it:

1. On your home screen, swipe down from the Status bar to bring up your settings pane on your Pixel.
2. Next, find and tap on the Settings icon.
3. Now, scroll down till you find the Location option and tap it.
4. Great! Next, toggle the Location switch to disable GPS and then wait for 5 seconds.
5. Once the 5 seconds is up, toggle the Location switch back on again to enable GPS. You may go back to your home screen.

Once you’ve reset the Location feature on your Pixel, you’ll now have to change the settings for high accuracy. Here’s how you do it:

1. On your home screen, swipe down the Status bar again to bring up your settings pane on your Pixel.
2. Find and tap the Settings icon again, then Location.
3. Find and Tap on Mode.
4. Select High Accuracy.

Now that your GPS application is on high accuracy, your device will make the GPS application as one of the top priority processes and should work to resolve the GPS issue.

3. Boost GPS Application Accuracy.

A good GPS coverage is not something that can be consistently obtained all the time. Google’s location services have the majority of the places covered but some areas are still not covered or may be poorly covered. GPS Status and Toolbox is a third party application that uses other available networks and devices to help you out with GPS location. It is an app that helps provide an extra boost your GPS accuracy whenever you have poor GPS coverage

You can download it here from the Google Play Store.

4. Clear Cache on Google Maps Application.

Cached files are stored data used by applications to provide faster data retrieval. It also plays a vital part in maintaining the user experience just like in the Google Maps app. That means that common data relevant to your inquiry will be accessed locally and via the internet. However, sometimes, the data here are not kept updated.

You can update the data by deleting the cached files. By doing so, it will download the updated data from the application’s server.

Here’s how you can do it: 

1. Open up your Pixel’s Settings and then tap on Apps.
2. Next, scroll down and find the Maps on the list of applications. Tap on Maps.
3. Now, choose and tap on Storage, then tap Clear Cache.
4. Once finished, restart your Pixel. 

5. Update Android to the Latest Version.

It is important that your Pixel’s Android is always kept up to date. Your current version of Android may have bugs that would need to be fixed and if you’ve been putting off an Android OS update for some time, then chances are Google may have already fixed the bug. 

To update your Android OS to the latest version, follow the steps below:

1. Make sure that your device is plugged in for charging. You don’t want to run out of power in the middle of the update process.
2. Connect your device to the internet using a Wi-Fi network.
3. Go to Settings, then System, then tap on System Updates.
4. Find and tap Check for Update.
5. If a new version is available, tap Download.
6. Once the update installation is complete, restart your device.

You are now running the updated version of the Android OS and your GPS should work with no issues.

6. Reboot Device to Safe Mode.

According to Google’s support team, you can check if other applications might be affecting your GPS application to not work properly. You can reboot your device to safe mode. In this way, only default applications are loaded and not the downloaded ones.

Here’s how to reboot your device to safe mode:

If you would rather follow the step-by-step instructions:

If your phone is turned ON:

1. Press and hold your phone’s Power button.
2. On your screen, touch and hold down on Power off. If needed, tap OK.
3. Your phone starts in safe mode. You’ll see “Safe mode” at the bottom of your screen – which means you’ve entered safe mode and you’re ready to boot it.

If your phone is turned OFF:

1. Press your phone’s Power button.
2. After the Google logo shows on your screen, when the animation starts, press and hold your Volume down button. Keep holding it until the animation ends and your phone starts in safe mode. 
3. You’ll see “Safe mode” at the bottom of your screen – which means you’ve entered safe mode and you’re ready to boot it.

To leave the safe mode and return to normal mode, restart your phone.

1. Press and hold the Power button for a few seconds.
2. On your screen, tap Restart. If you don’t see “Restart,” continue holding the Power button for about 30 seconds, until your phone restarts.
3. After you leave safe mode, you can put back any removed Home screen widgets. You can learn how to add widgets here.

If the issue goes away in safe mode, then that means a recently downloaded or updated app was likely the cause of the problem. Here’s what to do next:

1. You’ll have to restart your Pixel first.
2. Next, one by one you will need to remove recently downloaded apps. You can learn how to delete those recently downloaded apps here. 
3. Now, this may be a little tedious. After each removal of an app try and restart your phone normally. This is to identify if whether an app that you may have recently downloaded is causing the issue. If you’ve downloaded a lot of apps recently, then try removing all of them and then restart and see if the GPS issue is fixed. Unlike other app ecosystems, a lot of apps that you may encounter or may have downloaded could be no longer be supported by the developer and hence can cause issues if left not updated.
4. After you remove the app that caused the problem, you can add back the other apps that you removed that do not affect your GPS.

You can make a list of the apps as a reference in order to reinstall them. If this does not resolve the GPS issue on your Google Pixel 2 XL, you can check the next method.

7. Reset Device to Default Factory Settings.

There is also a possibility that an untraceable setting or application is affecting your Pixel’s GPS functionality. Thus, in order to diagnose and remove such hindrance, you will have to reset your Pixel back to its default factory settings.

Now, of course, this will erase all of your Pixel’s data because you’ll be resetting your Pixel to how it was when you first got it.  So make sure to backup your Pixel beforehand. According to Google support, the best way to prepare for the factory reset process is to do as follows:

• Make sure you have the security information before you reset your phone. Open your phone’s Settings app, tap Accounts and look for the Google Account username.
• Be sure to know the password associated with the username as well. You can check this by signing in using your computer or any other devices. If you cannot remember the password, you can ask for sign-in help. If you recently reset your Google Account password, you will have to wait 24 hours before performing a factory reset.
• If you’ve set a screen lock, be sure that you know your phone’s PIN, pattern, or password. If you can’t unlock your phone, then learn what you can do.
• A factory data reset will erase your data from the phone. You can sync your apps with your Google Account and back up your data.
• Make sure that you have plugged in your Pixel and is properly charging. This is because sometime the reset process may take up to an hour. Hence, it is safer to avoid any power interruptions during the restore process by charging your Pixel. Also, make sure you are connected to a stable internet connection using a Wi-Fi or mobile data network.

Once you’ve the above preparation steps, here’s how to reset your Pixel 2XL into its default factory settings:

1. Firstly, go into your Pixel’s Settings app.
2. Next, find and tap System, then Advanced, and then Reset options.
3. Following that, find and tap Erase all data (factory reset), and then Reset phone. If needed, enter your PIN, pattern, or password here.
4. Now, tap on Erase everything to erase all data from your phone’s internal storage. There’s no turning back at this point to obtain any of your data if you have not backed it up.
5. You’re almost done. When your Pixel has finished resetting, choose the option to restart.
6. Lastly, set up your Pixel with the introductory steps and restore your backed-up data. Google has created a splendid guide on how to restore the backed up data here: Learn how to restore the phone’s data here. 

Now you have a newly restored device, check if your GPS can now work properly. If you still experiencing the same issue, you will need to proceed to the next step.

8. Go to Google Pixel Certified Repair Partner.

If after all the steps above did not resolve the issue, there is a possibility that you have defective hardware. You can check for an authorized pixel repair partner near you. They check the device if it can be repaired or needs a replacement.

You can also check your Google Pixel 2 XL phone for warranty coverage. If your phone is under warranty, you can contact Google support about your claim.

If your phone was fixed by an authorized pixel repair partner, make sure to test out the phone before leaving. The same thing applies if they provided you with a replacement Pixel. You might want to make sure that the phone is not having the same issue.

And this wraps up our guide on How to Fix Google Pixel 2 XL GPS Issue guide. We hope this helps resolve the issues with your pixel phone. If you have other questions, please feel free to leave a comment below.

If this guide helped you, please share it.

The post How To Fix Google Pixel 2 XL GPS Issue appeared first on Saint.