Users claim iPhone 3.0 GPS mis-map mishaps

iPhone owners have begun filling forums with grumbles that Apple’s latest firmware causes Google Maps to become more than a little inaccurate.

The “GPS and Maps not working after 3.0 upgrade” thread on Apple’s own Discussions website is filled with comments from angry iPhone owners that the firmware update causes the bundled Google application to spit out current location results anywhere between a few hundred meters and four miles off course.

Since installing 3.0, “my current location has not work probably [sic] as it gives me like a location a few miles away from my location”, said one user.

Another alleged: “I had 2 meter accuracy before the update. Now it’s useless.”

The majority of postings refer to 3.0 mapping problems on the iPhone 3G, which incorporates a GPS chip. However, some owners of the first generation iPhone – which uses triangulation to determine your location – have also logged issues.

“On my first generation iPhone, while at home, it used to be pretty accurate. After upgrading it to 3.0 it puts me about 2 miles away,” said an iPhone 2G owner.

Apple has yet to make any official comment on the issue. But one forum posted claimed that an Apple support engineer suggested resetting the phone to try and overcome the issue.

If that didn’t work, the rep apparently suggested, the phone should be sent in for testing.

A quick look at the two iPhones in the Register Hardware office - a 2G and a 3G, both running iPhone OS 3.0 - but said Vulture Central was exactly where it should be. We've seen no accuracy issues anywhere else, either.

But don’t forget to let us know if you’ve experienced similar problems as Apple's forum posters. ®

Thanks to reader Josh for the heads up.