Android
Are you facing this GPS issue on your Huawei and Honor devices?
Smartphone manufacturers rolls out new updates to solve issues regarding security, improve features, and to add new functions. However, sometimes an update can also disturb some existing features and a similar error has been noticed recently by some Huawei and Honor smartphone users.
According to some users, their Huawei and Honor devices, while using the maps, showing incorrect location. GPS keeps losing track of the actual location and showing the location mark on other places.
For Example: When a user sets direction on the map and starts the journey, the location automatically jumps to another place (incorrect location) and starts to track from that location. Take a look at the screenshot linked below.
“Those phones came pre-installed with Android 8.0 or 8.1 (GPS was Fine). Later those which updated from 8.0 or 8.1 to 9.0 or 9.1 or 10.0 having GPS Navigation issues. GPS constantly getting signal lost or jump from one location to another. Many software updates had rolled out from Huawei but none of them solved this issue” said a user.
Affected Devices List (GPS Issue)
1. Huawei P20 Pro
2. Honor 10
3. Honor view 10
4. Honor 9N
5. Huawei Y9 2019
Maybe could be more.
Apps Checked under this issue:
1. Google Maps
2. Here we go
3. Map my India
To be mentioned, the phones was showing exact locations after rolling back to EMUI 8.0, 8.1 and 9.1.
Also, this error is not on every smartphone from Huawei and Honor campaign.
What’s the fix?
Currently, we’ve haven’t found any solution to this problem as there could be different aspects of its occurrence. However, the devices have no hardware problems and users reported that this problem appeared after upgrading to a certain firmware.
Also, there’s no helpful reply that has been given by the official Huawei support as well and suggested users do a ‘Hard Reset’. Even after the hard reset process, the issue still persists.
The Screenshot below contains the information regarding the issue:
- Blue Circle – Actual location.
- Direction – It starts from an incorrect location.
Blue circle and incorrect directions (Google Maps)
We also received these settings check from Huawei but they didn’t make any significant changes in the situation.
1. Check the network conditions.
- Enable mobile data or connect your phone to a functioning Wi-Fi network.
- Verify that your phone and the positioning app are able to access the Internet and the network conditions are good.
2. Check whether the navigation or location app has been granted permission to obtain your location.
- Open Settings, search for and access Permissions, select Permissions, then touch Location or Access location info to check whether the app in question is granted the permission.
3. If you are using a mock location app (such as a Fake GPS app)
- Open the app, disable your location from being changed, then restart your phone.
- If the issue persists, uninstall the app and restart your phone.
- If the issue persists, open Settings, search for and access Select mock location app (if it can be found), set the Select mock location app to No app, then restart your phone.
If Select mock location app is unavailable, from the Settings screen, search for and access Build number, touch Build number for seven consecutive times until the “You are now a developer” the message is displayed, then try again.
If your phone settings are correct, perform the following to troubleshoot the issue:
1. If you are using a non-standard protective case or a magnetic phone holder:
- A non-standard protective case or magnetic phone holder may contain metal or magnetic materials, which will interfere with signal reception. In this case, remove the protective case or magnetic phone holder.
2. Check whether the issue is caused by the navigation or location app:
- Restart the app and try again. If the issue persists, Reinstall the app (back up your app data in advance.) or use a similar app.
3. If the issue occurs in a building:
- Buildings will block the signals of phones/tablets, leading to poor network quality or weak positioning signals, which in turn affects the positioning accuracy of phones/tablets.
- Use your phone in an environment with good network signals (for example, near the window) and connect your phone to a Wi-Fi network if available for better network quality.
- Use your phone in open areas where it will be possible to obtain better positioning signals.
4. If the issue occurs when you are in a car:
- Positioning signals may be affected by the air conditioning system, car kit, event data recorder, protective window film, or magnetic phone holder, leading to inaccurate positioning.
Place your phone near the car window for better signals. - Move your phone away from the car kit. For example, put it near the windshield or by the window nearest to the steering wheel.
- Replace the magnetic phone holder with a plastic one.
- If your car window has a protective film attached, roll down the car window to check whether the issue is caused by the protective film. Some protective films containing metal materials may block positioning signals.
- If the issue persists, purchase a GPS amplifier.
5. If the issue occurs when you are passing through an area with a lot of tall buildings, a tunnel, or mountains:
- The positioning accuracy is partly determined by the precision of the map, and maps of areas located away from towns and cities tend to be less accurate, leading to positioning issues.
- When you are passing through an area with a lot of tall buildings, a tunnel, or mountains, the positioning signal is likely to be blocked. After leaving those areas, the positioning function will work normally.
+ If the issue persists, perform the following to test the positioning function of your phone.
- Test the positioning function and satellite signal of your phone/tablet in an open area where there are no high buildings within 20 m. Run a comparison test with other models of phones/tablets for at least 1 minute.
- If there is not a significant difference between your phone/tablet and the phone/tablet that you are comparing it with, the issue may lie with the positioning app or its settings.
- If there is a significant difference, back up your data and take your device and proof of purchase to an authorized Huawei Customer Service Center for assistance.
Android 14 is the next software version for the Android ecosystem. On February 8, Google stepped ahead to begin the development of this major upgrade with the first developer beta.
Google has released the roadmap for the development, beta testing, platform stability, and the final release of Android 14, which reveals meet the launch of Huawei HarmonyOS 4 later in the second half of 2023.
The first developer preview is already out for the Pixel devices. However, Google could open early access to other smartphone makers such as OnePlus by April when the open beta campaign kicks off.
As mentioned by the Android company, Android 14 is projected to reach platform stability by the end of July. But there’s still a possibility of these milestone timelines to delay, similar to last year.
For your information, the Android 14 developer preview will be a very useful and early gift to the developer community. It will pave a way for the app devs to know more about the upcoming APIs and app features ahead of the final launch.
Looking into the developer preview features, Android 14 promises to improve productivity, enhances performance, improvements to security, and privacy, and bring new customizations.
Yes, there are new tweaks and changes made over Android 12, while there are more that will be visible as the development progress further. Throughout this phase, these developers (and later users) will help to fix bugs and make improvements to the Android 14 source code.
HarmonyOS 4:
Aside from the Android 14 developer beta, Huawei is preparing for the HarmonyOS 3.1 rollout but the company is working on HarmonyOS 4 as a major release for the next generation of Huawei devices. For now, there’s no official launch date available but we are likely to hear more on this at the Huawei Developer Conference (HDC) 2023 event.
HarmonyOS 4 promises big upgrades over HarmonyOS 3 and a major restructure in the user interface (UI). Nonetheless, we’ll keep you posted.
(source – Android)
2022 is the year of Android 13 and Android phone makers spotted sending this software update with improved dynamic theme options, but as a babyface, it seems like Samsung still has not learned the core concepts of the dynamic theme.
Introduced with Android 12, the Material You powered dyanamic theme brings brand new settings to tweak the user interface. Instead of being just a feature, the dynamic theme became a part of Android’s soul. With Android 13, Google further polished the dynamic theme so it could be adapted to all Android devices.
Dynamic Theme (Simple version): Once you apply a new wallpaper, the phone generates a range of colors based on that wallpaper. The set of colors is called a color palette and it is then applied throughout the user interface.
Following the decline of Huawei, Samsung is enjoying unlimited Android prowess. It’s projected as a major Android promoter and a babyface. And why not? After all, the South Korean phone maker keeps on posting new mobile shipment records.
However, the handling of the dynamic theme in One UI 5 (which is based on Android 13) shows that Samsung wasn’t serious about being an Android babyface in 2022.
You may want to know, how I reached this conclusion and why Samsung is a failure when it comes to precise work. Let’s find out together.
Appearance:
The user interface is all about appearance, and so does the dynamic theme. Using the dynamic theme on Samsung One UI 5 is different from stock Android 13.
Note: I’ve used the same pixel wallpaper on both Samsung and Pixel devices. So, we can keep the comparison on the same level.
Home Screen:
Below is the home screen, which looks as usual on both One UI 5 and stock Android 13.
Quick Settings:
Both of the quick settings are using Material You in elements, such as quick access icons and sliders. However, the background on stock Android 13 is solid and remains black. On the other hand, Samsung uses a translucent background in the quick settings, which has not changed even with the Android 13. It is Samsung’s way of implementing features. While in some scenarios, this way obstructs the viewing experience.
For example, the translucent background is now reflecting the colors of the app opened in the background. It also compromises the look and feel of the quick settings icons and the whole quick settings UI. But it becomes subtle when used on top of the Settings menu.
Below you can check the example of the quick settings opened over the following screens.
(Left – on top of home screen wallpaper, on top of Play Store, on top of Settings menu).
Settings:
The setting is an important part of UI, which we access at least once a day. The layout, font, and elements are different in these two softwares. But Samsung used a slight proportion of the color palette in the Settings’ background and remain neutral for applying to the rest of the user interface.
Themed Icons:
I love themed icons because it brings a new look to the app icons. However, Samsung’s way of doing things is a little more disappointing than what it actually looks.
Below you can check Samsung One UI icons painted with color pallets alongside stock android icons. The use and management of contrast in the background and tint on the shape (size too) are super lazy on One UI app icons.
On the flip side, stock Android gets these things done in the best way possible.
There’s further inspection on this available, apply Dark Mode and see the change.
Verdict:
We don’t need to explain the results. But It is certainly not nice to implement the dynamic theme for the Android babyface Samsung in 2022.
What could’ve happened?
If possible, Samsung should’ve to blend more into the material rather than bleed into the material. Improve icons, and check visibility levels of the UI elements and the current issues may resolve to an extent.
Last month, Honor announced Android 13 based MagicOS 7 and its beta is now rolling out for several models. The rollout is confirmed on various models mentioned in the official roadmap.
According to the information, Honor MagicOS 7 is released for closed beta testers and selected participants will move to public beta in the next phase. After completing the beta test, Honor will send stable MagicOS 7.
Let’s look into the models and their corresponding Honor MagicOS 7/Android 13 beta versions:
Honor Magic V:
The phone is receiving MagicOS 7.0.0.101 upgrading from Magic UI 6.0.0.185.
Honor Magic 3 Series:
Honor Magic 3, Magic 3 Pro, and Magic 3 Supreme Edition are receiving MagicOS 7.0.0.107 upgrading from Magic UI 6.0.0.139.
Honor Magic 4 Series:
Honor Magic 4, Magic 4 Pro, and Magic 4 Supreme Edition getting MagicOS 7 version 7.0.0.108 version upgrading from Magic UI 6.0.0.178.
Honor V40:
Honor V40 series is also eligible to download MagicOS 7 closed beta with version 7.0.0.121 users will have to download Magic UI 4.0.0.201 and 205 to participate in the beta activity.
MagicOS 7:
Honor MagicOS 7.0 is a people-centered intelligent interconnection ecosystem, it continues to improve AI Services. The software is also released with a personalized OS, protects privacy and security proactively, and updated the accessibility operation.
Beta:
It’s noted that the active rollout is spreading as Log and Nolog software packages.
Global:
Currently, Honor is conducting these beta activities in China and it may soon open for global users of these devices.
Notes:
- All of the eligible Honor smartphone owners must have to download the required firmware version before upgrading to MagicOS 7 closed beta.
- During the closed beta testing, users are recommended to join the software user experience improvement program. You can report or suggest features to support closed beta testing environments.
- This software update won’t erase your data but it’s recommended for you to make a backup of important files.
- Users are suggested to update system apps to meet the compatibility.
