I use RunKeeper and/or RunMeter on my Verizon iPhone 4 while running.
If I just take off running, when I review my track it will show me running up to the front door of every other house in my neighborhood -- sometimes crossing back and forth across the street to do so. Of course all I did is run a straight line right down the street.
I've figured out that I have to turn off both WiFi AND "Cellular Data" in order to get good location data. Otherwise Verizon (and I emphasize Verizon since none of my AT&T iPhones ever had this problem) will ignore the fact that it has access to 24 geosynchronous satellites sending military-quality location data to my phone and instead will try to guess its orientation from my drunken neighbor's WiFi Access Point or a cell tower 2-3 miles away. It favors this highly questionable location data over the most sophisticated global positioning system ever invented by mankind.
This is confirmed over the last year by other users of this type of software (running, biking, hiking-type software) and by the manufacturers of said software. However, neither Apple nor Verizon will confirm. I have exchanged devices and done side-by-side comparisons with AT&T iPhones to confirm.
When is Verizon going to solve this problem? While running with my Verizon iPhone I do not have access to text messages nor any online functionality such as live tracking due to this flaw in Verizon's version of the iPhone 4. This is unacceptable.
Calls and emails to Verizon and Apple have been fruitless.
Good morning Craig3333,
Thank you for bringing this issue to our attention. I have done some research on this issue and I'm eager to share what I found. Although I'm unsure as to what is the root cause, based on your notes above, it sounds as if the device is picking up the cellular data, wi-fi, and GPS at the same time. The device running three different types of signals at the same time may be causing the confusion in the app's GPS results. Have you tried to use the app with wi-fi off and with cellular data and GPS on? If so, what was the results? Also, I found some information in Knowledge Base on the website that may be beneficial to you. Although we are unable to resolve 3rd party issues, I do want to point you in the right direction at the very least. Here's what I found.
http://support.runkeeper.com/kb
http://support.runkeeper.com/kb/troubleshooting/having-problems-with-gps
Keep in mind that the most current version for this app is version 2.4.7.0 & it was updated on 7/27/2011. Please confirm that this is the version that you have on both your Verizon and At&t Iphone. If you have tried these options and the issue isn't resolved then the next step would be to contact RunKeeper, LLC directly to get a personalized solution. Once you search for the app In the app store, there is a link where you can Report a Problem directly to the company. Also, you can reach their contact page on a PC/Mac from the link below.
Please feel free to reply to this message with the results of your troubleshooting and/
Your reply ignores the symptoms I set out in my original message. You asked if I tried it with WiFi off and GPS/cellular data on. I previously told you that it only works if GPS and cellular data are off.
After many phone calls, emails, and forum postings, I received a call from Verizon's David McCarley, Executive Director, Service Performance & Device Evaluation. He claimed that the problem is that your sector database for my area has bad data. So when it tries to triangulate its location based on that information, it is way off.
David said it would take 2-3 days to fix and that he'd call me back. That was 3 months ago. It's still not fixed and I have not received a phone call.
However, the bigger question is why it even is using cellular data for location when GPS data is available. This, I believe, is the flaw with the iPhone OS as configured for Verizon: It ignores the highly accurate, military-grade GPS location and instead depends on triangulating based on signal strength from your faulty database. Even if the database was accurate, the technique it uses is nowhere near as good as GPS. For some reason, Verizon's version of iOS treats this data as golden while ignoring GPS location data.
With respect to RunKeeper and other third-party apps, this is not their problem. The operating system calculates location and makes it available to apps through its Location Services. Apps cannot specify the source of location data, nor do they do any location calculations themselves. It is the operating system that is giving bad data in this case.
This problem needs to be escalated to the highest levels at Verizon. This is a design flaw in the operating system and in Verizon's network. It doesn't have anything to do with how I'm operating the phone or with third-party apps. If you do anything other than forward this message to McCarley or his superiors, you are misunderstanding the problem.
I may have missed this, but have you tried restoring the iPhone to original factory settings? You can do this through iTunes.
Also you can try going in and resetting network settings in the settings in the iPhone.
I have a Droid X, it decided my POP was somewhere in Northern Virginia. Adobe Photoshop Express disabled access to Facebook who in turn disabled access completely until I logged on using a computer with a hardwired connection.
My AT&T iPhone on the other hand worked out of the box without Adobe Photoshop Express getting upset at where it "saw" the uplink. This was using 3G not wifi.
I have this same problem. I did a complete reset and I still get the big blue circle of death, unless I'm connected to wifi.
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