I had the exact same painful problem described by many here — no GPS signal at all or gradually worsening and disappearing signal. I went through the suggested fixes in every single post (including the insane suggestion that said to cut the antenna ribbon, which killed the antenna entirely and cost me a new display) and none worked except the one suggested by Tim Small.
The problem is not with the contacts. It’s with the back cover. The only fix is to buy a new back cover and replace it. Then, the GPS is restored to full performance. Don’t waste your time playing with the antenna contacts, the conducting mesh in the back cover, inserting aluminum or copper foils, or such. That’s not where the problem is.
Now, the theory: LG G5 GPS antenna has two parts. They are in the top right corner of the phone viewed from the front. One part is inside the LCD display frame and it doesn’t go bad. The part that goes bad is the second part, which is inside the back cover and it’s made of intricate RF strips inside the back cover. These RF strips go bad over time and you lose the GPS reception as a result. The only solution is to replace the back cover with a brand-new one. I bought one that was fully assembled, which cost only a little more than a bare one.
Important note: Before you replace the back cover with a new one, operate the phone without the back cover and check if the GPS works using the GPS Status app. To do that, remove the back cover and hold the battery in place with a rubber band. Then, short the contacts for the on/off button (fingerprint reader) with a piece of aluminum foil to turn the phone on. GPS should work without the back cover. If it doesn’t work when the back cover is installed, there is a small chance that the contact in the top left corner of the motherboard (top right corner of the phone when viewed from the front) is bent. Otherwise, the only fix is to replace the back cover with a brand new one. Again, don’t waste your time playing with the contacts, the conducting mesh, aluminum or copper foils, etc. The RF strips in the back cover are delicate and once they go bad, you can’t fix them by overlaying aluminum or copper foils, replacing the contacts, and so on.
The attached image is for the new back cover I installed, with the GPS contact being in the top left corner in the picture. Bought on the Internet, it’s removed from a brand-new LG G5 RS988 (unlocked US version). There is also a rubber pad surrounding the GPS contact. They didn’t use a conducting mesh in this version but only a conducting foil.
[image|1564788]
=== Update (07/30/2020) ===
Update:
The GPS on my LG G5 stopped working again a couple of months ago. If you read my posts, my solution was to get a brand-new back cover. I think my previous conclusion that the problem arises because the antenna inside the back cover gets corroded over time (about 18 to 24 months after purchase) is correct. I don’t think it has anything to do with the contacts. I opened it, and the contacts were fine. I tried an aluminum foil, and it still didn’t work.
Then, a month later, the phone completely died overnight while it was plugged in to its OEM charger and cable. It didn’t power on at all. I am guessing the power chip failed. Any data in it not backed up has been lost.
It was a good phone while it worked and I had good times with it, but it was by far the most unreliable phone I’ve ever owned. So many things broke in it. Luckily I was able to fix most of them because it was easy to work on.
-
After some contemplation I’ve replaced it with a Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G, and I really like it! It was a great purchase decision.
+
After some contemplation I’ve replaced it with a Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G, and I really like it! It was a great purchase decision!
I had the exact same painful problem described by many here — no GPS signal at all or gradually worsening and disappearing signal. I went through the suggested fixes in every single post (including the insane suggestion that said to cut the antenna ribbon, which killed the antenna entirely and cost me a new display) and none worked except the one suggested by Tim Small.
The problem is not with the contacts. It’s with the back cover. The only fix is to buy a new back cover and replace it. Then, the GPS is restored to full performance. Don’t waste your time playing with the antenna contacts, the conducting mesh in the back cover, inserting aluminum or copper foils, or such. That’s not where the problem is.
Now, the theory: LG G5 GPS antenna has two parts. They are in the top right corner of the phone viewed from the front. One part is inside the LCD display frame and it doesn’t go bad. The part that goes bad is the second part, which is inside the back cover and it’s made of intricate RF strips inside the back cover. These RF strips go bad over time and you lose the GPS reception as a result. The only solution is to replace the back cover with a brand-new one. I bought one that was fully assembled, which cost only a little more than a bare one.
Important note: Before you replace the back cover with a new one, operate the phone without the back cover and check if the GPS works using the GPS Status app. To do that, remove the back cover and hold the battery in place with a rubber band. Then, short the contacts for the on/off button (fingerprint reader) with a piece of aluminum foil to turn the phone on. GPS should work without the back cover. If it doesn’t work when the back cover is installed, there is a small chance that the contact in the top left corner of the motherboard (top right corner of the phone when viewed from the front) is bent. Otherwise, the only fix is to replace the back cover with a brand new one. Again, don’t waste your time playing with the contacts, the conducting mesh, aluminum or copper foils, etc. The RF strips in the back cover are delicate and once they go bad, you can’t fix them by overlaying aluminum or copper foils, replacing the contacts, and so on.
The attached image is for the new back cover I installed, with the GPS contact being in the top left corner in the picture. Bought on the Internet, it’s removed from a brand-new LG G5 RS988 (unlocked US version). There is also a rubber pad surrounding the GPS contact. They didn’t use a conducting mesh in this version but only a conducting foil.
[image|1564788]
=== Update (07/30/2020) ===
Update:
The GPS on my LG G5 stopped working again a couple of months ago. If you read my posts, my solution was to get a brand-new back cover. I think my previous conclusion that the problem arises because the antenna inside the back cover gets corroded over time (about 18 to 24 months after purchase) is correct. I don’t think it has anything to do with the contacts. I opened it, and the contacts were fine. I tried an aluminum foil, and it still didn’t work.
Then, a month later, the phone completely died overnight while it was plugged in to its OEM charger and cable. It didn’t power on at all. I am guessing the power chip failed. Any data in it not backed up has been lost.
It was a good phone while it worked and I had good times with it, but it was by far the most unreliable phone I’ve ever owned. So many things broke in it. Luckily I was able to fix most of them because it was easy to work on.
-
After some contemplation, I’ve replaced it with a Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G, and I really like it! It was a great purchase decision.
+
After some contemplation I’ve replaced it with a Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G, and I really like it! It was a great purchase decision.
I had the exact same painful problem described by many here — no GPS signal at all or gradually worsening and disappearing signal. I went through the suggested fixes in every single post (including the insane suggestion that said to cut the antenna ribbon, which killed the antenna entirely and cost me a new display) and none worked except the one suggested by Tim Small.
The problem is not with the contacts. It’s with the back cover. The only fix is to buy a new back cover and replace it. Then, the GPS is restored to full performance. Don’t waste your time playing with the antenna contacts, the conducting mesh in the back cover, inserting aluminum or copper foils, or such. That’s not where the problem is.
Now, the theory: LG G5 GPS antenna has two parts. They are in the top right corner of the phone viewed from the front. One part is inside the LCD display frame and it doesn’t go bad. The part that goes bad is the second part, which is inside the back cover and it’s made of intricate RF strips inside the back cover. These RF strips go bad over time and you lose the GPS reception as a result. The only solution is to replace the back cover with a brand-new one. I bought one that was fully assembled, which cost only a little more than a bare one.
Important note: Before you replace the back cover with a new one, operate the phone without the back cover and check if the GPS works using the GPS Status app. To do that, remove the back cover and hold the battery in place with a rubber band. Then, short the contacts for the on/off button (fingerprint reader) with a piece of aluminum foil to turn the phone on. GPS should work without the back cover. If it doesn’t work when the back cover is installed, there is a small chance that the contact in the top left corner of the motherboard (top right corner of the phone when viewed from the front) is bent. Otherwise, the only fix is to replace the back cover with a brand new one. Again, don’t waste your time playing with the contacts, the conducting mesh, aluminum or copper foils, etc. The RF strips in the back cover are delicate and once they go bad, you can’t fix them by overlaying aluminum or copper foils, replacing the contacts, and so on.
The attached image is for the new back cover I installed, with the GPS contact being in the top left corner in the picture. Bought on the Internet, it’s removed from a brand-new LG G5 RS988 (unlocked US version). There is also a rubber pad surrounding the GPS contact. They didn’t use a conducting mesh in this version but only a conducting foil.
[image|1564788]
+
+
=== Update (07/30/2020) ===
+
Update:
+
+
The GPS on my LG G5 stopped working again a couple of months ago. If you read my posts, my solution was to get a brand-new back cover. I think my previous conclusion that the problem arises because the antenna inside the back cover gets corroded over time (about 18 to 24 months after purchase) is correct. I don’t think it has anything to do with the contacts. I opened it, and the contacts were fine. I tried an aluminum foil, and it still didn’t work.
+
+
Then, a month later, the phone completely died overnight while it was plugged in to its OEM charger and cable. It didn’t power on at all. I am guessing the power chip failed. Any data in it not backed up has been lost.
+
+
It was a good phone while it worked and I had good times with it, but it was by far the most unreliable phone I’ve ever owned. So many things broke in it. Luckily I was able to fix most of them because it was easy to work on.
+
+
After some contemplation, I’ve replaced it with a Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G, and I really like it! It was a great purchase decision.
I had the exact same painful problem described by many here — no GPS signal at all or gradually worsening and disappearing signal. I went through the suggested fixes in every single post (including the insane suggestion that said to cut the antenna ribbon, which killed the antenna entirely and cost me a new display) and none worked except the one suggested by Tim Small.
The problem is not with the contacts. It’s with the back cover. The only fix is to buy a new back cover and replace it. Then, the GPS is restored to full performance. Don’t waste your time playing with the antenna contacts, the conducting mesh in the back cover, inserting aluminum or copper foils, or such. That’s not where the problem is.
Now, the theory: LG G5 GPS antenna has two parts. They are in the top right corner of the phone viewed from the front. One part is inside the LCD display frame and it doesn’t go bad. The part that goes bad is the second part, which is inside the back cover and it’s made of intricate RF strips inside the back cover. These RF strips go bad over time and you lose the GPS reception as a result. The only solution is to replace the back cover with a brand-new one. I bought one that was fully assembled, which cost only a little more than a bare one.
Important note: Before you replace the back cover with a new one, operate the phone without the back cover and check if the GPS works using the GPS Status app. To do that, remove the back cover and hold the battery in place with a rubber band. Then, short the contacts for the on/off button (fingerprint reader) with a piece of aluminum foil to turn the phone on. GPS should work without the back cover. If it doesn’t work when the back cover is installed, there is a small chance that the contact in the top left corner of the motherboard (top right corner of the phone when viewed from the front) is bent. Otherwise, the only fix is to replace the back cover with a brand new one. Again, don’t waste your time playing with the contacts, the conducting mesh, aluminum or copper foils, etc. The RF strips in the back cover are delicate and once they go bad, you can’t fix them by overlaying aluminum or copper foils, replacing the contacts, and so on.
The attached image is for the new back cover I installed, with the GPS contact being in the top left corner in the picture. Bought on the Internet, it’s removed from a brand-new LG G5 RS988 (unlocked US version). There is also a rubber pad surrounding the GPS contact. They didn’t use a conducting mesh in this version but only a conducting foil.
[image|1564788]