Android 12 - iFly GPS for Android

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Android 12

1/17/2022 9:25 PM

N854HC

Joined: 2/8/2019

Posts: 77

Re: Android 12

Walter,

I repeated the process as outlined in my previous post. Same results unfortunately. Added the following to the process:

After the initial startup of the new installation of .37 I logged in to turn on AutoSync. This requires restarting iFly, which I did (I did this last time too). GPS signal remained weak (1 bar). No movement, direction or speed was changing as I moved about. Alt was reported as 3000 AGL! Plane icon remained locked in place in the spot 12 miles from me. Gave it a few more minutes to allow GPS fix, then sent the Log file. Nothing appeared to have changed from .36. Sorry.

I decided to start the GPS Reset Com app to verify the GPS hardware was working. I sent iFly to the background and started GPS Reset. It instantly had a fix, my location, direction and movements. When I brought iFly back to the foreground, it changed its GPS status to 4 bars strong and had my location correct. Still no change in location, direction or speed as I moved about. The 4 bars dropped back to 1 bar weak signal after about a minute and remained there. After this experiment I send another copy of the log file. Maybe it will give a clue as to what jolted the GPS signal status for that short amount of time.

Bottom line: two log files sent your way.

John

1/18/2022 11:38 AM

Walter

Joined: 7/8/2009

Posts: 2778

Re: Android 12

John, I see from your new log files your device is using Android's "fused" GPS provider - same as my phone. This is supposed to give you whatever it can, it looks at the GPS, wifi, and cell network. We're requesting the highest quality data. But your phone is giving us cell tower data, the lowest quality. No idea why.

I just released .38 I force it to use the "gps" provider (if there is one), not "fused". I won't consider this a long term solution as folks don't want to see that "no gps lock" message even sitting in their office or home. But I need to see if this will give us better position data.

Thanks!
Walter

Walter Boyd
President, Adventure Pilot

1/18/2022 12:15 PM

N854HC

Joined: 2/8/2019

Posts: 77

Re: Android 12

Walter wrote:

John, I see from your new log files your device is using Android's "fused" GPS provider - same as my phone. This is supposed to give you whatever it can, it looks at the GPS, wifi, and cell network. We're requesting the highest quality data. But your phone is giving us cell tower data, the lowest quality. No idea why.

I just released .38 I force it to use the "gps" provider (if there is one), not "fused". I won't consider this a long term solution as folks don't want to see that "no gps lock" message even sitting in their office or home. But I need to see if this will give us better position data.

Thanks!
Walter

Interesting that you looked at the fused service. That is what I just researched this morning. I retired from coding just before I had to jump into the Android environment, so I'm not up to speed on Android APIs. If my phone really is only using cell data that would explain the poor reception because I live on the fringe of normal cell reception. I usually had no cell service until this new phone which does connect via wifi. Hmmmm.

I'l load .38, give it a spin and send a new log and results report.

John

1/18/2022 2:24 PM

Cobra

Joined: 4/20/2011

Posts: 2602

Re: Android 12

N854HC wrote:

If my phone really is only using cell data that would explain the poor reception because I live on the fringe of normal cell reception. I usually had no cell service until this new phone which does connect via wifi.

John

Don't read too much into the "bars of GPS reception" icon. I don't think that has any direct correlation with actual signal strength (like being far away from a cell tower). I think it's just iFly's wink-wink-nudge-nudge way of communicating "we don't have high confidence in your location solution right now". I think it's supposed to be treated more like a binary indication: "4 bars = good" and "less than 4 bars" = "not so good". (Walter, please correct me if that's not correct!)

1/18/2022 2:40 PM

N854HC

Joined: 2/8/2019

Posts: 77

Re: Android 12

Walter,

I felt good about this one from the get-go.During install, as soon as I allowed permission for app use of Location, the Location icon appeared on the notification bar. Standing outside I started iFly with the following settings and results:

Battery Saver was ON during install and run.
4 bars on GPS status instrument
Movement, speed, direction and altitude active and correct (seemed to have a slight lag in response, but I was only jogging down to my mailbox - Man! Am I getting old!
App default Location settings from the install were "Allow only while using app" and "Use precise location"
App Battery usage defaulted to "Optimized"
Sent the default Log file from the app.

I closed the app down and reopened it inside my house (Two story with metal roof - usually no GPS reception unless I'm near a window.) Results:

GPS status instrument showed 1 - 2 bars after initial "No GPS Lock" message. I don't know if it was sneaking a view of some sats or if the wifi/cell access was jumping in.
Direction, speed, movement and altitude were jumping around as I would expect from weak cell service.

Congrats on making progress and Thanks for your attention to this!

Best,
John

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