14 DAY TRIAL // One of the great features that smartphones pack inside these days is a GPS receiver, which enables users to access various location and navigation services without having to carry around a dedicated device.
However, depending on the handset, the GPS might not work as great as expected, sometimes having difficulties in locking down users’ position or delivering inaccurate data.
In fact, some users have been complaining of slow GPS connectivity and lock down processes even on smartphones that run under some of the latest flavors of Google’s Android operating system, such as 4.1.1 Jelly Bean.
While some smartphones need only a few seconds to pinpoint the GPS position, others require over a minute to do so, which can prove very frustrating in certain conditions, that’s for sure.
For those who experience such lag, a simple solution is available, via the GPS Status & Toolbox application.
The software was designed to provide users with info on position and signal strength of satellites, accuracy, speed, acceleration, altitude, bearing, pitch, roll, and battery state, but also includes a series of tools that should speed up the performance of the device when using the GPS.
Some of the tools packed inside the app include compass with magnetic and true north, leveling tool, mark or share your location, and navigate back later.
Currently available for download as version 4.2.77, GPS Status & Toolbox offers support even for some of the latest smartphones out there, though it packs a series of issues related to certain devices and firmware versions.
To take advantage of the app, simply download and install it, turn the handset's GPS on, then launch the application. After that, go to Menu > Settings > GPS & Sensors, select Auto-download AGPS data and set the app to download data automatically on startup.
The application will only download the data automatically if it's older than 1 hour to 3 days older. That's for you to decide. After setting the app to automatically download data on startup you can also manually reset it or download it again by going to Tools > Manage A-GPS state.
You have the options to Reset and clear all cashed GPS data (cold reset), and Download, thus getting GPS assistance data from the Internet. Keep in mind that while this will considerably speed up your GPS, it will require an active data connection for the download.
Despite issues with certain models, the app should be able to offer faster location pinpoints on most Android handsets, and many users who have already downloaded and installed it confirm that.
In fact, it appears that it works great on smartphones that have been bought from China, at least this is what some of our forum members claim.
However, the app’s developers recommend that users reset the GPS data on their devices regularly, for faster fixes. They should also set the app to download A-GPS data from the Internet to ensure faster performance.
All those of you who experience slow GPS positioning on their Android smartphones should give GPS Status & Toolbox a try. Let us know how it works in the comments section below.
