"Blue Dot" on iPhone Google Maps

[DisturbedLen]

I can't figure out how to get the blue location dot on the iPhone. I can get the circle location, but in order to get the Blue Dot to estimate your location, Google Help says to press "0" on your keypad. Well, there is not a keypad available. If you've ever used Google Maps on another phone, you'll know what I mean.

This "throbbing" dot is supposed to "move" with you as you drive. (http://www.google.com/mobile/gmm/mylocation/index.html) I have not seen that. The circle is stationary and I must press the location icon to refresh my location.

On a blackberry, your location is in the circle. Someplace in the circle (usually on the road) there is a throbbing blue dot that estimates your location. As you drive, both the circle and the blue dot updates. It does not update every second like GPS, it's more like every few minutes. It is really cool functionality and I was looking forward to seeing it on the iphone.

 

[adamadfab]

blue dot palava!

I have had the iphone since day one, when I upgraded to the 3g I figured that all the little gripes from the mark one would be sorted, but 3g brings its own problems. The blue dot worked fine and the maps/gps was amazing as it did track well but they brought out the 2.2 update and ever since most people have lost the dot. I have looked through countless websites and been into apple stores both in uk and us where they just looked at me like I was an idiot, "have you tried restoring" is all they can say. Genius bar needs to be renamed me thinks! So if anyone has any idea why this has happened or knows a fix please let me know, or if anyone from apple is reading this dont tell me to switch it on or off.

 

[DPA]

HOw patient are you being about the blue dot. I am running iPhone OS v2.2 on my iPhone 3G and the blue dot takes anywhere from 10 seconds to 3 minutes to appear. I've found that when I am on the highway going about 50 mph, the dot takes longer to appear because I am constantly moving.

David

 

[TLewis]

This "throbbing" dot is supposed to "move" with you as you drive. (http://www.google.com/mobile/gmm/mylocation/index.html) I have not seen that. The circle is stationary and I must press the location icon to refresh my location.

I don't have an iPhone 3G, but that google link is for a feature that does not work on the iPhone. Look on google's help pages; these are the only supported phones, and the iPhone is not listed: http://www.google.com/support/mobile/bin/answer.py?answer=39891&topic=13539

Just as a side note: Apple explicitly disallows apps that do real-time navigation (like real-time updating of your position on a map).

 

[Electro Funk]

I don't have an iPhone 3G, but that google link is for a feature that does not work on the iPhone. Look on google's help pages; these are the only supported phones, and the iPhone is not listed: http://www.google.com/support/mobile/bin/answer.py?answer=39891&topic=13539

Just as a side note: Apple explicitly disallows apps that do real-time navigation (like real-time updating of your position on a map).

Mine works just fine... even going 70MPH down into the city...

it really depends on how good the 3G signal is that you are receiving. i have noticed that when i am in spotty areas that the dot will disappear. (and i will just get a big circle ~ broad estimation from triangulation) but when getting a good signal the blue dot is there and will follow precisely where i am going.

 

[DPA]

it really depends on how good the 3G signal is that you are receiving.

This is somewhat strange because 3G is a totally different network than the GPS system.

David

 

[PennCentralFan]

This is somewhat strange because 3G is a totally different network than the GPS system.

David

The maps function on your iphone is based on cellular towers and celluar technology first. GPS based on satellites does not work inside a house or building. You pretty much need to be out in the open or have the receiver mounted on your dash or on your roof. In metropolitan areas you'll have much better blue dot readings than in the country or rural or even suburban areas. The default on iphone is to use cellular technology with the maps function. Big cities will have better blue dots than smaller town or towns in the country and GPS units have more variables to consider for the resolution of your blue dot. Whether it's a blue dot on your street or the larger blue circle in your neighborhood.

 

[DPA]

The maps function on your iphone is based on cellular towers and celluar technology first. GPS based on satellites does not work inside a house or building. You pretty much need to be out in the open or have the receiver mounted on your dash or on your roof. In metropolitan areas you'll have much better blue dot readings than in the country or rural or even suburban areas. The default on iphone is to use cellular technology with the maps function. Big cities will have better blue dots than smaller town or towns in the country and GPS units have more variables to consider for the resolution of your blue dot. Whether it's a blue dot on your street or the larger blue circle in your neighborhood.

Adamadfab said that he had the iPhone 3G so it does use GPS. If you were talking about my iPhone, I had the old iPhone and now have the iPhone 3G. I was talking about how signal strength and location finding time should be strongly related. If you are inside and have low signal, it is coincidental that it will take a while to find your location if at all.

 

[adamadfab]

blue dot palava!

Before the 2.2 upgrade my iphone would show the dot and track me within a second everytime, I live in the uk and have tested the phone in london and all across the country as I do a lot of travelling. Also in new york and orlando at christmas. I will leave the application open for about 10 mins at a time and stay stationary, Now, I think that anymore than a 2 min wait is unacceptable for an app that previously could do it in a fraction. Also by the amount of people that seem to have the same problem it is exactly that, a problem.Cross hairs kick in immediately so its picking up the towers but it really should find the sats in the uk just as easily.
DISCUSS!

 

[DPA]

Before the 2.2 upgrade my iphone would show the dot and track me within a second everytime, I live in the uk and have tested the phone in london and all across the country as I do a lot of travelling. Also in new york and orlando at christmas. I will leave the application open for about 10 mins at a time and stay stationary, Now, I think that anymore than a 2 min wait is unacceptable for an app that previously could do it in a fraction. Also by the amount of people that seem to have the same problem it is exactly that, a problem.Cross hairs kick in immediately so its picking up the towers but it really should find the sats in the uk just as easily.
DISCUSS!

It seems that the 2.2 upgrade brought more harm then good. I have noticed the same thing and thought it was because I was just always moving when I opened it so I didn't mention it.

David

 

[phildog33]

Hi guys,

I also updated to 2.2.0 and relaize now that i NEVER get the blue dot on my google maps.. only the big circle.. but no tracking


Was this a problem with 2.2.0.... has 2.2.1 fixed this?

I dont want to upgrade and make a custom ispw unless it really fixes it.

Can anyone that was experiencing the MISSING blue dot problem, explain how they got it back

thanks
p

 

[Resist]

GPS based on satellites does not work inside a house or building.

Actually this is not true. My iPhone GPS (blue dot) works fine inside my house. I it depends on how many satellites your iPhone gets signals from and what the building your are inside, is made of. The GPS chips in the iPhone are very sensitive though.

 

[CrosshairDF2]

I can confirm that the blue locating dot no longer appears on the one iPhone that I have upgraded to 2.2.1. At home or on the road, the blue dot no longer appears like it does on my other iPhones.

Here are pics of three of my four iPhones. The iPhones on the left and in the middle are still on 2.2.0 and the iPhone on the right was updated to 2.2.1.

I have also noticed that the WiFi doesn't seem to connect as good as it did before the upgrade. I have included another pic with the WiFi Finder app showing only one WiFi entry, instead of the usual 4 to 5 that it picks up from my other neighbors' wireless routers.

.

 

[Deatheaters]

mine gets a solid blue dot when i click the tracking button in google maps on my iphone? i dont get a circle at all after its tracked me, this is on iphone 3g 2.2.1 and 3.0 beta3

 

[grrlwonder]

We have two 3g iphones (upgraded from 1 gen in Dec). We are both running 2.2.1 and have blue dots, along with the blur radiating circle, when using the native Map app. I have seen it just not appear before, but usually going back to home and clicking Map again resolves that problem.

 

[CrosshairDF2]

Thanks Deatheaters and grrlwonder for the quick responses about how it still works on other iPhones with the same software version. I guess this would be a "really big thing" if it really doesn't work.

My next "to do" will probably be a complete "restore".

.

 

[jmccullough108]

Thanks Deatheaters and grrlwonder for the quick responses about how it still works on other iPhones with the same software version. I guess this would be a "really big thing" if it really doesn't work.

My next "to do" will probably be a complete "restore".

.

Depends on your location, sometimes it shows me, sometimes it doesn't. It is based off of the cell tower, so if you are getting a weaker signal, it may not be able to broadcast your location as accurately. You can't figure out where you are with the general location they give you? That's gotta be close enough right? If it's not, you should probably look into getting an actual GPS device.

 

[CrosshairDF2]

Depends on your location, sometimes it shows me, sometimes it doesn't. It is based off of the cell tower, so if you are getting a weaker signal, it may not be able to broadcast your location as accurately. You can't figure out where you are with the general location they give you? That's gotta be close enough right? If it's not, you should probably look into getting an actual GPS device.

It would be nice to have all of my iPhones working the same. One of them seems to be not working properly right now.

The map thing is minor compared to the WiFi issue that this one iPhone is also having. I can take all four iPhones around with me all over my house (basement, first and second floors) and the iPhone that I upgraded is having a heck of a time staying connected to my WiFi router.

 

[CrosshairDF2]

Here is an update about the missing "Blue Dot" for my Map and my weak WiFi connections.

It was not related to the 2.2.1 upgrade that I just ran. The WiFi router at the Apple store kept dropping in and out on my iPhone. They plugged it in to run some diagnostics and then checked the water sensors. With the water sensors showing no sign of water damage ... they replaced my iPhone right then and there.

This was a simple case of hardware failing and having it replaced for free under warranty.


.

 

[leslie.g]

I am running the latest software (2.2.1). I'm sitting in my bedroom and my iPhone had a throbbing blue dot on my exact location in about 10 seconds. I have a full 3G signal

 

[CrosshairDF2]

Here are the before and after pics of my "WiFinder" app.

Check out the big difference in strength for the wireless router that starts with "3B" and the zero strength wireless routers that the replacement iPhone is able to pick up.


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