GPS Not Working? Try These 12 Fixes

GPS is one of the electronic gadget’s most used and essential features. Maps with the help of GPS have helped millions of people to reach their destinations. It has also aided in alerting weather and traffic, tracking lost phones, and others. If such a convenient feature stops working on your device, it will probably make you anxious. 

Such problems arise due to different causes such as bugs or changes in the phone settings. However, it can be easily fixed by rebooting the device or toggling the airplane mode. 

So, without wasting time, let’s see the causes and fixes you can try for this particular topic. 

Why Is My GPS Not Working?

How to Fix GPS Not Working on My Device

You can easily fix such an issue by yourself unless your device is physically damaged. Here I’ve covered some easiest options you can use with less hassle. 

Connect to the Internet

You need an internet connection to fully capitalize and use location service on certain apps like Google Maps. Therefore, ensure you are connected to the Wi-Fi or use cellular data.     

Toggle the Location

Have you checked your location setting and whether it is turned on? If not, you won’t be able to perform GPS tasks on your device.

On Android

1. Scroll down on your home screen to open the Control Center.
2. Select Location to enable it.
   

Or, you can follow the below steps to enable it.

1. Open Settings.
2. Scroll down and Tap on Location.
   
3. Click on Location access to turn it on.
   

On iPhone

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Privacy.
   
3. Tap on Location Services to turn it on.
   

Turn On and Off the Airplane Mode

If your GPS is not working, enabling the Airplane Mode can come to the rescue. Airplane Mode disables all the connectivity, including cellular and internet connections. So, turning on and off the airplane mode forces the GPS to reconnect, which can help fix these problems.  

On Android

1. Open Control Center by scrolling from top to down.
2. Tap on the Airplane icon to turn it on and off.
   

On iPhone

1. Open Control Center by scrolling from to down.
2. Tap on the Airplane icon to turn it on and off.
   
   

Disable Power Saving Mode

Turning on the Power Saving Mode will help save your battery to last longer. However, it limits the apps and other features not functioning properly. As GPS consumes more battery, enabling such mode may lead to this issue. Therefore, you need to disable power saving mode to use this feature effectively to run in the background.  

On Android

1. To access the Control Center, scroll down from top to bottom.
2. Tap on the Battery icon to disable it.
   

On iPhone

1. Scroll down from top to bottom to open the Control Center.
2. Tap on the Battery icon to disable it.
   

Clear the Cache of Maps

Using apps will fill the cache and sometimes takes more space, which can affect the GPS to function properly. So, you can also clear the cache to fix the issue. However, you can’t clear the cache for the iPhone.

To clear the cache on Android

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Apps.
   
3. Tap on Manage Apps.
   
4. Search for Maps and Click on it.
5. Click on Clear data. 
   
6. Tap on Clear Cache, and confirm it by pressing OK.
   

Enable the Precise location

GPS will work better when you enable the precise location. So, If you haven’t enabled this feature, it will only get your approximate location that can affect the GPS to get your exact location. You can follow the instructions to enable the precise location on your device.

On Android

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Apps.
3. Tap Manage Apps.
4. Look for Maps and Click on it.
5. Tap on App Permissions.
   
6. Click on Location.
   
7. Tap on Use Precise Location to enable it.
   

On iPhone

1. Open Settings.
2. Scroll down and Look for Maps.
3. Tap on Location.
   
4. Enable the Precise Location.
   

Change Date & Time

Many users have faced this issue by manually changing the time & date. If you have done so, you need to set the time to automatic. Here’s how you can change the Date & Time.

On Android

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Additional Settings.
   
3. Tap on Date & Time.
   
4. Click on set time automatically.
   

On iPhone

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap on General.
3. Click on Date & Time.
   
4. Select the Set automatically.
   

Update Apps That Support Location

If your GPS is not working on Maps or specific apps. Outdated versions or some bugs can cause it. To fix that, you can update or re-install such apps, and GPS not working can be fixed if bugs cause it. 

On Android

1. Open Play Store.
2. Type the name of the app on the Search bar. 
3. Click on it and hit update.

On iPhone

1. Open App Store.
2. Type the name of the app on the Search bar. 
3. Click on it and hit update.

Reset Network Settings

This can be another option you can consider if you are still unable to fix the GPS issue. Resetting the Network settings only deletes previous networks and other connectivity and starts fresh, which can help fix this issue.  

On Android

1. Open Settings.
2. Go to Connection & Sharing.
   
3. Scroll down and Tap on Reset Wi-Fi, Mobile Networks, and Bluetooth.
   
4. Click on Reset Settings and confirm it by drawing your pattern.

On iPhone

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap on General.
3. Scroll down and click on Transfer or Reset.
   
4. Tap Reset.
   
5. Click on Reset Network Settings.
   

Reboot Your Device

This is one of the easiest options you can try with no hurdles. Rebooting the device helps to fix simple bugs that can find on any device. If you haven’t rebooted your device for a long time, you should do it now as it can clear all the previous bugs and start fresh in the memory, and most importantly, it can help to fix the GPS to work back to normal. 

On Android

1. Press and hold the power button for a few seconds.
2. Tap on Restart.

To force restart On iPhone

1. First, press volume up, and volume down. Then, Keep on pressing the side button until the screen goes off. 
2. Once the screen goes off, keep on pressing the side button until you see the Apple logo appear on the screen.

Update Your Device

If the GPS is not working due to the old version running on your device, then updating your device to the latest version is the best fix to resolve such an issue. However, you can download the software updates only when your device manufacturer releases a new software version. To update your device to the latest version, follow the below steps.

 On Android

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap on About Phone.
   
3. Go to System Update.
   
4. Check for the updates.
5. Suppose there is an update available. When you click on Download update, the download will begin automatically.

On iPhone

1. Open Settings.
2. Select General.
   
3. Choose Software update. 
   
4. Tap on Download and Install.