hi,

i just returned from a Bermuda vacation and was wondering why my Nexus5's GPS isn't working in Bermuda.

I installed Here Beta offline maps for Bermuda prior to my trip. when i used Here Beta on the island, the phone is constantly searching for GPS signal but never been able to find it. I've got tmobile service with Nexus5 and there's no coverage on the island.

any ideas?

The Bermuda triangle ??

When GPS works elsewhere except in Bermuda, I would expect you to ask in your hotel or ... if the locals had the same problem.
Maybe Bermuda is not (fully) covered by GPS?? I don't see how anyone can tell you what went wrong at one place (where you are not anymore and no one of us is now) at one time in the past.

thanks for the reply!

My handheld Garmin GPS worked just fine on the island.

when i was at the hotel and using nexus 5 with hotel's Wi-Fi, it can find the location on the map. the GPS function alone didn't work.

I'm wondering whether this android phone's GPS feature needs cellular/wifi coverage to work.

I do not own a Nexus, so I can't tell for sure. I never have troubles on my smartphone (so far ) nor on my GPS handheld (also: so far)

What I do know ('in general terms) is that GPS satellites move around the world and when you start up your GPS (on Garmin or on the NEXUS) it starts looking for the satellites at the position in the sky they (the satellites) were the last time the GPS was used, seen from the GPS point of view. It's possible the garmin was more successful for whatever reason while the Nexus GPS needed more time. Any "first" satellite fix can take a while, the same when you are "out of position" because your GPS supposes you are elsewhere (e.g. near home) and looks at the wrong position.


A-GPS can be a help for quicker fix as can GPSfix or GPS Status & Toolbox (that are apps). The latter one can download (by wifi or cellular) the latest positions of the satellites. A-GPS works based on cellular mode, I think.

Is this any helpful?

I did some search online, and GPS fix seems to be a common problem for Google Nexus series phone. what you said is true that GPS fix takes time, however in my case, It can't fix on GPS at all since I kept the app running while I was out and about all day long. I had TomTom for android installed on this phone before when it's still kitkat and it worked without any issue. but since upgrading to the new Android5.0 system, the only offline GPS apps I could find is Here Maps for android. maybe the Android5 upgrading broke the GPS somehow, that I don't know.

Erodos. I was having the same problem but with a Sony xperia E1. Go to google app store and download clock sync

[Please Register or Login to download file]

Apparently syncing phone and satnav clocks make a difference. Only real problem with that is you need internet to sync for a few seconds.

another i have is GPS Status

[Please Register or Login to download file]

That finds the gps faster than any of the GPS software i have been trying. Running that just before you start your sat nav software seems to speed things up. Well it does for me in the UK.

thank you, 1888!

i'll try that!

Not the case, but only to register a case that happened to me: Browser located satellites, but not connected, it was then that after a while I found that the smartphone was in "Airplane".