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OK. I bought a used iPhone 6 to use as a nav device. As I explained in an earlier thread the idea was to use it over wifi only and to interface it with my vehicles info center using CarPlay. I bought the phone, set it up and took it, along with my car, for a spin today. I wish I could report good news, but I am afraid not.
1) I recently upgraded my old phone with a new one and when I bought the new phone they gave me a new SIM card as well. Thus I still have the old SIM card, which is not active, but is a valid SIM card.
2) I put that SIM card in the iPhone 6 and it recognized the card and showed me the normal network information. Of course the SIM is not active, but I did not try to make a call. Instead I turned on my mobile hot spot and set the iPhone 6 wifi setting to that hot spot. The phone had no problem accessing the internet over the hot spot.
3) I started Waze, set up a route and started out. After about 1/2 mile I realized that the phone was no longer showing my correct location and when I got to where I wanted to go the iPhone showed me as being about 1/2 mile from where I was. When I looked more carefully I saw that the Waze display had the caption "No GPS. Estimating location".
4) I then tried some other nav software, but all of it told me the same. No GPS information. What I don't know is whether the issue has to do with the inactive SIM card or if the new and refurbished phone doesn't have a working GPS system. So, given all of this, some questions:
a) Does an iPhone need to have an active SIM to be able to get GPS signals? I know that it can estimate my location based on internet information but I am asking specifically about GPS signals.
b) Is there any way for me to be able to determine if the lack of GPS is because of the inactive SIM card or because the GPS hardware in the phone is not working? If the issue is the SIM card I should return the phone as I don't really want to pay an extra monthly fee to use Waze or Sygic. If it is the GPS hardware I need to return it since it does not work.
Thanks for any help. If it makes any difference the iPhone was bought through a 3rd party, not Apple, and it was not refurbished by Apple. It looks great, screen and all, and seems to generally work properly except for the GPS.
1) I recently upgraded my old phone with a new one and when I bought the new phone they gave me a new SIM card as well. Thus I still have the old SIM card, which is not active, but is a valid SIM card.
2) I put that SIM card in the iPhone 6 and it recognized the card and showed me the normal network information. Of course the SIM is not active, but I did not try to make a call. Instead I turned on my mobile hot spot and set the iPhone 6 wifi setting to that hot spot. The phone had no problem accessing the internet over the hot spot.
3) I started Waze, set up a route and started out. After about 1/2 mile I realized that the phone was no longer showing my correct location and when I got to where I wanted to go the iPhone showed me as being about 1/2 mile from where I was. When I looked more carefully I saw that the Waze display had the caption "No GPS. Estimating location".
4) I then tried some other nav software, but all of it told me the same. No GPS information. What I don't know is whether the issue has to do with the inactive SIM card or if the new and refurbished phone doesn't have a working GPS system. So, given all of this, some questions:
a) Does an iPhone need to have an active SIM to be able to get GPS signals? I know that it can estimate my location based on internet information but I am asking specifically about GPS signals.
b) Is there any way for me to be able to determine if the lack of GPS is because of the inactive SIM card or because the GPS hardware in the phone is not working? If the issue is the SIM card I should return the phone as I don't really want to pay an extra monthly fee to use Waze or Sygic. If it is the GPS hardware I need to return it since it does not work.
Thanks for any help. If it makes any difference the iPhone was bought through a 3rd party, not Apple, and it was not refurbished by Apple. It looks great, screen and all, and seems to generally work properly except for the GPS.
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