When you open an application such as Google Maps or another satellite navigator for turn-by-turn guidance, you must activate the GPS receiver which is now a standard for all mobiles and smartphones, including Android ones. The GPS receiver allows you to connect to satellites in space to accurately detect the position of the phone and thus be able to track it on the map in real time.
It can happen, at times, that this detection of the position is not precise, or that it is slow in the connection leaving us waiting. In all these cases it is possible to correct the GPS reception of the Android smartphone using the Google Maps calibration tool or some special apps that speed up the connection to the satellites .
READ ALSO: How GPS works
If the orientation indicator shows that we are looking from one direction while the smartphone is oriented towards another, then it is necessary to do the GPS calibration to correct the detection.
To calibrate the compass of Google Maps, touch the blue dot and press where Calibra Compass is written. An animated figure will show the movement that must be done with the hand holding the smartphone, rotating it and drawing an 8 in the air as shown in the figure.
In these cases, to improve the GPS reception of the phone, you can use some apps that work as to wake up the receiver and therefore speed up the detection of the position. The operation of these apps is to reset the internal GPS data on the smartphone that can keep previous and therefore incorrect positions in memory.
Among the apps to correct GPS reception on Android and optimize the reception of the GPS signal to connect in less time and with more precision to satellites, we can report at least two:
The main goal for the application is to assist and optimize, in the background, all other applications on the device that use GPS so that they can connect to the signal as quickly as possible .
With this app it is not necessary to wait for the GPS icon to stop flashing when the connection is obtained because GPS Status makes it possible to reach it as soon as possible. GPS Status is not only an app in the background, it can be opened to see all the data detected by the GPS receiver in a graphical interface similar to that of a radar, where the circle appears as a horizon, the red arrow representing the north and the dots which are the satellites. You can therefore check: position and signal strength of the satellites, speed, acceleration, altitude, pressure, rotation speed, battery and other data read by the sensors. It also contains a compass with magnetic north, a spirit level instrument and a "radar" where you can store and share your current location.
This function can be used to see the position of the parked car (but for this there is a better app to find the parked car).
GPS Status does not require an internet connection and works all over the world, as long as the sky is visible (it is impossible to connect to a satellite while inside the house).
I remember, in another article, the best accessories for the sensors of an Android smartphone .
It can happen, at times, that this detection of the position is not precise, or that it is slow in the connection leaving us waiting. In all these cases it is possible to correct the GPS reception of the Android smartphone using the Google Maps calibration tool or some special apps that speed up the connection to the satellites .
READ ALSO: How GPS works
Google Maps calibration tool to correct the position on the GPS
Once the GPS is connected, it may be that the position detection is not correctly displayed. The Google Maps indicator is a dot, which displays a shaded area like a beam of light in front of it to indicate the direction in which we are looking. Turning the smartphone you will see how the detected orientation changes, as if we turned our heads to look elsewhere. This type of detection is important for the navigator to understand which direction we are going on the road.If the orientation indicator shows that we are looking from one direction while the smartphone is oriented towards another, then it is necessary to do the GPS calibration to correct the detection.
To calibrate the compass of Google Maps, touch the blue dot and press where Calibra Compass is written. An animated figure will show the movement that must be done with the hand holding the smartphone, rotating it and drawing an 8 in the air as shown in the figure.
App to improve and correct the GPS connection on Android
In some cases and above all this happens on some cheaper smartphones, the GPS can take too long to connect. It is therefore not a question of incorrect detection or calibration, but a slow connection to the satellites which can take several minutes.In these cases, to improve the GPS reception of the phone, you can use some apps that work as to wake up the receiver and therefore speed up the detection of the position. The operation of these apps is to reset the internal GPS data on the smartphone that can keep previous and therefore incorrect positions in memory.
Among the apps to correct GPS reception on Android and optimize the reception of the GPS signal to connect in less time and with more precision to satellites, we can report at least two:
GPS Status & Toolbox
GPS Status and Toolbox is a simple Android application that allows you to monitor the status of the GPS receiver with all the sensors on your phone.The main goal for the application is to assist and optimize, in the background, all other applications on the device that use GPS so that they can connect to the signal as quickly as possible .
With this app it is not necessary to wait for the GPS icon to stop flashing when the connection is obtained because GPS Status makes it possible to reach it as soon as possible. GPS Status is not only an app in the background, it can be opened to see all the data detected by the GPS receiver in a graphical interface similar to that of a radar, where the circle appears as a horizon, the red arrow representing the north and the dots which are the satellites. You can therefore check: position and signal strength of the satellites, speed, acceleration, altitude, pressure, rotation speed, battery and other data read by the sensors. It also contains a compass with magnetic north, a spirit level instrument and a "radar" where you can store and share your current location.
This function can be used to see the position of the parked car (but for this there is a better app to find the parked car).
GPS Status does not require an internet connection and works all over the world, as long as the sky is visible (it is impossible to connect to a satellite while inside the house).
GPS test
Another application similar to this one to test GPS reception, connect to satellites quickly and have the precise position of the smartphone is GPS Test, one of the most popular apps for Android, to see if GPS reception is good, the number of satellites, signal quality, compass (direction), acceleration test, altitude etc.GPS status
The GPS Status App is more recent and with better graphics than the previous two, useful for knowing the position of the satellites compared to our position. In addition to the compass function, this app integrates the AGPS service which is used to speed up the reception of data from satellites and to locate the smartphone more quickly.I remember, in another article, the best accessories for the sensors of an Android smartphone .
