As if Samsung didn’t have enough Galaxy S22 issues to deal with in the weeks since launch, some users discovered that a basic smartphone functionality wasn’t working. Galaxy S22 Ultra buyers complained on forums about spotty GPS connectivity that renders any app or service that requires location data useless.
At the time, we told you that it wasn’t clear how widespread the problem was. We said that Samsung will likely see the complaints and provide fixes if necessary. It turns out that Samsung has acknowledged the issue. An update will fix the problem, but it’s unclear when Samsung will release it.
The Galaxy S22 series turned out to be Samsung’s most successful flagship in years, according to preorder sales estimates. But Samsung has had to deal with a few notable controversies almost immediately after its launch.
The misleading refresh rate issues, the seemingly non-existent 45W fast-charging speeds, and the Galaxy S22 throttling issues are all problems you should be aware of. Also, the Galaxy S22 is hardly as durable as you might think, and the glass can shatter on impact against a hard surface.
But users might not immediately feel the impact of these issues or worry about Samsung’s misleading claims. In contrast, a problem with the GPS is something you will notice as soon as it happens. Suddenly, your Google Maps, Uber, Tinder, or location sharing apps might stop working.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra in white, with stylus. Image source: Samsung
Why won’t GPS work on the Galaxy S22?
It’s unclear what caused the Galaxy S22 GPS problems, but the matter got Samsung’s attention. A Samsung Community moderator in Europe acknowledged the GPS connectivity problems and unified the complaints under a single thread:
Latest I’ve heard from the Samsung side of things is that a software fix is being prepared to resolve the GPS issue. We’ve not been give a timescale for that (other than ‘soon’), but please keep a look out for upcoming software updates.
As the moderator notes, “soon” is the best timeframe we have for the Galaxy S22 GPS fix. But Samsung already showed it can release fixes for important issues in record time.
The Galaxy S22 throttling problem has been Samsung’s biggest worry so far. It’s also an example where Samsung worked quite fast to fix it. Korean customers got the update in about a week. Then Samsung released it in Europe a few days later. The throttling issue might have other repercussions that we’re yet to discover. But what matters is that Samsung hurried to ensure a fix rolled out as fast as possible.
Exynos really needs to be optimized, the S22’s camera bugs, screen failures, and GPS failures all happened in the Exynos 2200 version
— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) March 24, 2022
Getting back to the GPS issue, the lack of any sense of urgency indicates that not that many Galaxy S22 users might be affected. You can always return or exchange your faulty Galaxy S22 version rather than wait for a fix.
Well-known insider Ice Universe said on Twitter that the Exynos 2200 chip might be to blame for various Galaxy S22 issues, including the GPS. But that’s just speculation.
