Some Galaxy S22 Ultra units might have a GPS connectivity issue

The Galaxy S22 has been a big success for Samsung so far, but the new flagship series isn’t without problems or controversies. The latest issue concerns the Galaxy S22 Ultra, as Samsung’s new Note model seems unable to hold a GPS connection.

That’s the kind of problem that would impact any app that relies on location data. You’ll need GPS for Google Maps and other navigation apps. And you’ll also be using it whenever you want to share your location with someone else.

The current controversies

Before we get to the GPS issues, let’s look at the Galaxy S22’s other problems.

I’ve recently highlighted four reasons not to buy the Galaxy S22, even when better price deals arrive. One of those concerns the Galaxy S22’s ability to survive drops, but it’s immediately fixable. The Galaxy S22 Ultra seems especially fragile in such accidents. You can reduce the risk by getting protective accessories from the first day.

We then have Samsung misleading buyers regarding the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus display efficiency. Similarly, the 45W fast charging support available on the Plus and the Galaxy S22 Ultra seems to be a marketing gimmick.

The most important issue concerns the phone’s performance. The throttling issue that was widely covered in the past few weeks might be hiding a more significant problem with Samsung’s flagships. It might be a chip a cooling issue. Samsung said in an explanation to shareholders that it hasn’t been cutting costs, however.

That’s to say that the Galaxy S22 series is already drawing attention for the kind of faults you wouldn’t expect from a flagship. The GPS signal loss problem falls in the same category.

The Galaxy S22 Ultra GPS problems

Addressing camera quality issues, leaker Ice Universe also observed on Twitter that the Galaxy S22 is the best-selling Samsung flagship in years. But also the one suffering from the most problems. The leaker previously criticized Samsung for the throttling issue.

The GPS connectivity complaints come from elsewhere, however. Android World detailed the problem, explaining that Galaxy S22 Ultra users would encounter GPS issues from the first boot. The problem can persist even after updates, and the GPS won’t work.

A post on a Samsung Community forum in Europe has some 202 replies showing that some Galaxy S22 Ultra buyers have experienced the GPS problem. But the issue doesn’t appear to be widespread at the moment.

There’s no fix for it either. The blog notes that resetting the APN settings might work. You can also consider resetting network settings. Whatever it is, it might be a problem with the phone rather than apps that need location data to work.

If you’ve experienced any Galaxy S22 Ultra GPS issues, you can consider reaching out to Samsung for help.