GPS Lock Taking Too Long? Try Google Location Server supl.google.com

December 16th, 2009 • Mark Guim • Filed Under •

If you’re waiting too long for a GPS lock, try the location server supl.google.com instead. When I was using the Nokia N900 in Amsterdam, I was able to geotag photos in seconds. I became very suspicious when I came back in the US and it took much longer. I shrugged it off until a tip from the Maemo community suggested to replace Nokia’s location server with Google. I’m happy to report that I now get a GPS lock in seconds!

Supl.Google.com

I’m not sure why this is the case, but others in the US have confirmed changing the location server from supl.nokia.com to supl.google.com makes the GPS faster to find their location. I also got better results after replacing the server on the Nokia N97 mini as well.

Assisted GPS (A-GPS) uses the device’s data connection to talk to these location servers to help triangulate positioning data even where GPS signal is poor, like when the device is surrounded by buildings or is indoors. You can change the server under your device settings. On the Nokia N900, it is found on Settings – Location.

Is it possible that Nokia’s location server is broken in the US or am I being delusional? Try Google’s and let me know if you see improvements.

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  • karl
    switched the location server as advised and can attest to the fact that switiching to the google server brought an immediate and marked improvement in lock times. in the u.s. and am able to get a lock in seconds whereas before a lock would be obtained a third of the time and then after a long wait. thanks for the tip!
  • Leon
    Tried it in Monterrey, Mexico
    Works much better..! Thanks
  • I just used Nokia Sports Tracker and it didn't crash like Ovi Maps. In fact, the GPS lock was lightening quick in ways Sports Tracker has never been. A MASSIVE improvement.
  • hedline
    Try this instead, start google maps, then start Ovi maps. By starting Google maps 1st your device will lock on GPS much faster. Then all you have to do when you find enough satellites is exiting Google maps. This will hopefully solve GPS-lockdown-waiting-time for OVI maps.
  • Ravi
    As posted by Mike Lockwood (Google Android division employee) about the supl.google.com server: "It should be OK to use this for testing, but if you want to ship a phone using this server you will need to talk to us first."

    link: http://groups.google.com/group/android-platform...

    Chances are, Nokia doesn't have permission to use google's agps server, so the agps request is denied, and this causes the Maps program to crash for some. The denial from google is probably more prevalent in certain areas where the google servers are wise to this new Nokia trick.

    Ravi
  • I've tried that and really works! The gps fix becomes faster!!

    I'm from Portugal!
  • fhuynh
    Twin Cities, Minnesota US - N82-NAM

    Wow, great tip. Thanks so much!

    Google server greatly improves the lock speed with Nokia maps 3.01. It used to take over 2min with nokia server. N82 NAM locked within 5s (solid 8+ satelites).
  • It's definitely not faster than the Nokia servers here in Canada. It does work tho on the N900
  • vaolo
    I tried from france it works like a charm, merci beaucoup !
  • avogl
    The google change causes ovi maps 3.01 to crash the phone immediately on my N86 RM-485, as well. Everything works fine once I went back to supl.nokia.com.
  • crash my 5800
  • RaphiBF
    I tried it on my N97 in Germany and the phone crashes immediately if you open up OviMaps and want to go to your location. "supl.nokia.com" works quite good, so it's not that bad at all :)

    Greets, Raphi
  • Rhode Island, rural, USA.

    Nokia N85. GPS lock comes substantially faster. I'd estimate 15 seconds faster. Total time about 30 seconds. It's very impressive.

    Works well in Google Maps. Crashes my phone in Ovi Maps. I don't mind. I've stopped using Ovi Maps.
  • KnoedelDealer
    Using supl.google.com ovi maps crashes the whole phone (N97) reproducible (i'm in germany)
  • RaChi
    DC
  • RaChi
    Great tip. The GPS lock is much improved.

    Thanks.
  • Thanks. Where are you located?
  • Does supl.google.com work outside of US?
  • slipurson
    I tried this on my "swedish" unbranded N97, and every time i started Ovi Maps it crashed my phone with some flickering colors on the screen and then i had to restart the phone by pressing the powerbutton, i tried this 4 times and then changed back to supl.nokia.com and it worked fine, changed again to supl.google.com and it shut down in nokia maps again.

    I also tried it with Google Maps and that worked fine,with both servers, but i got the feeling that supl.google.com was faster and more accurate, got "you are about 200m from this location" with no conection to any satelite, with nokia.com i keep getting 500-1000m.

    Just thought i should add that it might not work well in areas outside the US :)
  • ParkCity
    N97 crashed in Finland, too (V20). The nokia server works quite well for me so it doesn' matter to me.
  • mspierings
    To me happened the same on a N97 V20 EUR
  • Yaotl
    freaky, just tried this on my N97 NAM and the same thing happened. Ovi Maps did the fade out and flickering colors thing and shut down the phone.
  • Thanks for letting us know. Maybe this just works in the US.
  • The same thing happens to me and I live in France. Maybe it only works for US.
  • Dave
    A-GPS seems to work much, much faster now on my N900. It found the closest cell tower almost instantly in Ovi Maps, instead of waiting till it acquired a full GPS lock.

    Also, in the status tray, the dish icon has appeared and the status menu shows "Coarse Accuracy". This never showed when the Nokia A-GPS server was being used.

    On my G1, coarse geotagging was very quick, and I'm hoping that this will help. Better to have it geotagged in the neighborhood than not at all.
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