Locaton & Security (My Location) Settings Grayed Out

I recently added Where'sMyDroid from the marketplace (helps locate missing phone, gives GPS location of lost phone). After that, my GPS stopped working. Using the Android Power widget, I was able to turn it back on but when I go to Location & Security>My Location, only the E911 is shown in bold. The other three choices ("Google Location Services," Standalone GPS Services," and "VZW Location Services") are all checked in their green boxes but all three are grayed out leaving me unable to check or uncheck any one of them. Anyone else encountered this? May or may not be related at all to Where'sMyDroid...just that was the last thing that changed before I noticed the problem. Uninstalling that ap doesn't do it, either.

Accepted answers

sgwilson904

EUREKA! At the risk of advertising my own ignorance and/or stupidity, I got just enough help on my fourth or fifth call to Verizon to discover the problem. In the SETTINGS>LOCATION & SECURITY area where the three GPS service choices have been blacked out since installation of the Where'sMyDroid ap, there is a MESSAGE RESTRICTION LOCK to "set up restriction lock." Somehow, that was re-set to on or ENABLE RESTRICTION LOCK, probably when Where'sMyDroid was installed. Among the things it locks (and then grays out) are all selections for GPS location, along with restruictions on in/out calls and messages. Apparently, this is to protect the owner if the phone is somehow stolen? In any event, once I entered my Google password, I was able to uncheck the ENABLE RESTRICTION LOCK box and, voila, back came my ability to choose any of the three GPS settings!

Thanks to all who offered help, especially Cody who was very patient!

All comments

budone

It looks like the app uses Fine GPS service which my understanding is all three options are required.

If you have the free app, delete it and see if the options re-appear Did not see your last sentence until now

Cody21

Try booting into SAFE MODE and check it ... If still unable to toggle them off/on, boot into System menu & WIPE SYSTEM CACHE ..

Safe Mode:

- Power Off

- Press & Hold the MENU button

- Power up - but keep holding MENU down

1-2 mins later should say SAFE MODE in lower left corner .. Check your settings. To get out of SAFE MODE, power off/on as usual.

sgwilson904

Nope, deleted it entirely and still the same result...all are still grayed out now, even without the ap.

sgwilson904

Booted into SAFE MODE, same result...still cannot select any of the three. Not sure how to boot into System menu to WIPE SYSTEM CACHE as you suggested???

Cody21

To get to the SYSTEM MENU :

- Power OFF

- Press & HOLD the HOME button (2nd button from left)

- Power up - continue to hold HOME

You'll see a triangle with the droid guy inside. Release the HOME button. Press BOTH the up/down vol. controls at the same time and you should see a Menu pop up ... use the down arrow to scroll through choices. Select WIPE SYSTEM CACHE WIPE CACHE PARTITION.. and press the Power button to select it .. When complete, the option should be highlighted to REBOOT ... press Power button to select that .. Check your settings again.

sgwilson904

There is no WIPE SYSTEM CACHE choice. I do have WIPE CACHE PARTITION. Is that it? What will that do?

sgwilson904

Thanks to all who offered help, especially Cody who was very patient!

Cody21

Yea ! Glad you were able to get that figured out - and shared the "fix" with us ...