Samsung Galaxy S23 GPS is Not Working Correctly

Are you having issues with your Samsung Galaxy S23 GPS? Do Google Maps and other Mapping apps show incorrect locations?

If so, you’re not alone. Multiple users have reported this issue on Reddit and Samsung Community that their GPS is not working correctly – specifically, they are finding that the location shown on Google Maps is inaccurate. 

We know how frustrated you are. But don’t worry because, in this article, we will show you why this problem occurs and what steps should be taken in order to fix it. 

Note: Solutions in this guide will work on any Samsung Galaxy S23 model (S23, S23 Plus, and S23 Ultra models.)

Editor’s note: We created these instructions using a Samsung Galaxy S23 running Android 13. Depending on your device’s software version, some steps and menu positions may look slightly different

Why Does GPS not work correctly, and Google Maps Show Inaccurate Locations on Samsung S23?

If you want to know why this problem occurs, this issue is usually caused by a weak or unstable connection to the Global Positioning System (GPS). When this happens, it prevents your device from accurately receiving data which can lead to incorrect location information being displayed in apps like Google Maps.

However, this is not just a hardware issue. Software problems, bugs, glitches, and caching issues could all contribute to the incorrect location being displayed on mapping apps.

So what can you do about this GPS issue? All you have to do is follow the solutions below. Do them one by one and open your favorite mapping app (Like Google maps) and see if the location is correctly displayed on the app. Then you can move to the next solution.

We will start by restarting your device.

Fix 01: Restart your Galaxy S23

Restarting your phone can help fix any temporary glitches that may have caused the GPS issue in the first place. This will clear out memory caches and will reset current GPS readings.

To restart your Galaxy S23 easily:

1. Press and hold the power key and volume key together until the device starts to turn off

Fix 02: Turn off Power saving mode and Airplane mode

The second fix is to turn off the Power Saving Mode and Airplane Mode. This will help prevent any future GPS issues that could be caused by the system or network interrupting your GPS signal. 

To do this, follow these steps:

1. Swipe down the notification bar
2. Tap on the power saving or the Airplane mode icon to turn them off

Fix 03: Configure GPS Settings (To Increase the accuracy of GPS)

You should check to ensure that the GPS settings are correctly configured for higher accuracy in order to solve the GPS issue on your Galaxy S23. 

The first step is to perform a compass calibration. This will ensure that the device’s internal sensors are functioning properly. 

To calibrate the compass:

1. Open the compass from the edge panel
2. Tap on Calibrate
3. Follow the on-screen instructions

For more info: Compass Quick tool not working on Samsung phone

The second step to do is to set the GPS accuracy to high. This can be done by following the steps below:

1. Go to Settings
2. Tap on Location & Security
3. Under Location settings, tap on Mode
4. Tap on High accuracy

Once you have done these two, you have successfully configured the GPS settings to the best accuracy.

Fix 04: Turn off battery optimization for Google Maps

The next solution is to turn off the battery optimization for Google Maps. This will enable you to use the GPS background without any further system interference.

Usually, when battery optimization is enabled for a service or an app, the device’s operating system will automatically put the app or service to sleep when the app is not used for a while. So this can ruin the accuracy and functionality if it is enabled for Google maps.

To disable battery optimizations for Google maps:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap on Apps.
3. Tap on the weather app.
4. Go to Battery.
5. Turn off battery optimizations for the app.

Fix 05: Clear the Google Maps Cache

This is a very simple but best-working solution that can resolve the GPS problem in your Galaxy S23. It is because users have reported that clearing the GPS cache helped them to see accurate locations on apps such as Google maps.

To clear the GPS cache on your mapping app, you can follow the steps below:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap on Apps.
3. Tap on the Weather app.
4. Go to Storage.
5. Tap on Clear data.

Fix 06: Update Google Maps (or any other mapping app you use)

We all know that updating apps is very important to use their functionalities without having issues. So if you have not yet updated your mapping app, then it is time to do so.

We will show you how you can update your mapping app. We will take Google maps as an example here:

1. Open Google Play Store.
2. Tap on the search bar and type Google maps.
3. Tap on the app from the search result.
4. Tap on Update.

Fix 07: Reset Network Settings

Network configurations have a direct impact on the location accuracy of your device. So if there are any misconfigurations, they should be solved immediately.

Resetting the network settings of your Galaxy S23 will clear all misconfigurations or bugs in the network settings that may have been causing GPS issues.

It should also be noted that resetting your network settings will delete any saved Wi-Fi networks, So keep the passwords of your WiFi routers somewhere safe.

To reset network settings:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap on General management.
3. Then, tap on Reset.
4. Tap on Reset network settings.

5. Confirm.

Fix 08: Reset GPS using GPS Status & Toolbox

If you still see the problem, you can try resetting the GPS to see if it works. Fortunately, there’s an easy way to do this with the help of a GPS Toolkit App. What happens when you do this is that it will clear the internal GPS cache of your device.

Here are the steps you need to take:

1. Go to Google Play Store and download GPS Status & Toolbox.
2. Open the app.
3. Allow permissions.
4. Tap on the menu button.
5. Tap on Manage A – GPS state.

6. Tap on Reset.

Conclusion

That is all about the GPS not working correctly on your Galaxy S23. We hope this guide and the solutions here helped to solve the issue.

If you have any questions or need help regarding this guide, leave a comment below. Our team will be happy to assist you.

Have a nice day!