Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
An error that caused Google Maps to lose the GPS signal when the app was running on top of Android Auto has finally been corrected in the latest update published on the Google Play Store.
Discovered in January, the glitch rapidly became more widespread, especially given Google Maps’ gigantic user base on Android Auto.
The issue typically caused Google Maps to display a “GPS signal lost” error either right after launch or at random times when the application was running. As a result, the route guidance is no longer consistent, eventually suffering from major delays that make it unreliable.
Users who encountered this problem claim they’ve tried everything to fix Google Maps. In theory, a GPS signal program in an app running on Android is an indication of certain restrictions enforced by the operating system.
More often than not, this error is caused by location permissions, as Google Maps not being allowed to determine your location would obviously render the app useless. The glitch occurred on devices where permanent location access was granted to Google Maps.
Similar issues could also be caused by the aggressive power management settings that are bundled with Android these days. The operating system suspends the processes running in the background to increase battery life, and due to occasional errors, it could sometimes bring essential applications, such as Google Maps, to a halt even when they are in focus.
This isn’t the case either, so Google was the only one that could come up with a fix.
And it did, as the search giant has announced that the most recent version of Google Maps is now available for download with a fix specifically aimed at this error. The version that you must download is Google Maps 11.66, currently rolling out through the Google Play Store.
Several users have confirmed in a discussion thread that the issue is gone after updating Google Maps, so if you previously downgraded either the navigation app or Android Auto to an earlier release, make sure you update as soon as possible.
In the meantime, keep in mind that the new version of Google Maps is shipping in stages to Android users out there. This means that the latest version you could see is 11.65 when checking out for updates. In theory, the new Google Maps release should show up on your device in the coming days as the availability improves, but if you don’t want to wait, sideloading is the way to go.
Some of the users who previously encountered the glitch downloaded the APK installer manually specifically to resolve the GPS error, and after updating to version 11.66.602, Google Maps is no longer hitting the infamous problem on Android Auto.
The issue typically caused Google Maps to display a “GPS signal lost” error either right after launch or at random times when the application was running. As a result, the route guidance is no longer consistent, eventually suffering from major delays that make it unreliable.
Users who encountered this problem claim they’ve tried everything to fix Google Maps. In theory, a GPS signal program in an app running on Android is an indication of certain restrictions enforced by the operating system.
More often than not, this error is caused by location permissions, as Google Maps not being allowed to determine your location would obviously render the app useless. The glitch occurred on devices where permanent location access was granted to Google Maps.
Similar issues could also be caused by the aggressive power management settings that are bundled with Android these days. The operating system suspends the processes running in the background to increase battery life, and due to occasional errors, it could sometimes bring essential applications, such as Google Maps, to a halt even when they are in focus.
This isn’t the case either, so Google was the only one that could come up with a fix.
And it did, as the search giant has announced that the most recent version of Google Maps is now available for download with a fix specifically aimed at this error. The version that you must download is Google Maps 11.66, currently rolling out through the Google Play Store.
Several users have confirmed in a discussion thread that the issue is gone after updating Google Maps, so if you previously downgraded either the navigation app or Android Auto to an earlier release, make sure you update as soon as possible.
In the meantime, keep in mind that the new version of Google Maps is shipping in stages to Android users out there. This means that the latest version you could see is 11.65 when checking out for updates. In theory, the new Google Maps release should show up on your device in the coming days as the availability improves, but if you don’t want to wait, sideloading is the way to go.
Some of the users who previously encountered the glitch downloaded the APK installer manually specifically to resolve the GPS error, and after updating to version 11.66.602, Google Maps is no longer hitting the infamous problem on Android Auto.
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