Fix: Samsung Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus GPS Not Working Issue
Samsung’s recent introduction of the S23 got a lot of love from the community and the industry. Following the S22 series, this is the only smartphone with 12GB...
Akhilesh
Last updated on January 2, 2026
Akhilesh
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A passionate tech enthusiast and Gamer who love to write about Games and Technology.
Samsung’s recent introduction of the S23 got a lot of love from the community and the industry. Following the S22 series, this is the only smartphone with 12GB LPDR5 RAM and 4.0 UFS storage. You will be surprised that iPhone 14 is in the same line but has only 6GB LPRD5 RAM. In terms of performance, Galaxy S23 still outperforms every other phone with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
This phone has such attributes that it has sold 1.09 million units in South Korea during the pre-order phase (7 days), an increase of 8% from S22. From these things, you can understand the potential and worthiness of the phone. Recent reports have shown that some Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus users are experiencing problems with their GPS. Today, we will discuss it and let you know the simplest solution to your problem.
Fix: Samsung Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus GPS Not Working Issue
Samsung is a tech giant with a vast user base and a well-funded research and development department. Even after receiving such help requests from users, Samsung does not respond. On the other hand, Google forums also received a few requests for help in favour of Google maps. But they also did not provide any specific solution to it. However, they responded to users by asking for Google Maps versions and related information. As of now, there is no official fix.
If the issue stems from the developer’s side, whether from Samsung’s or Google’s, they may provide an update that includes the patch. But the GPS is not working because the user has made some mistake. Therefore, it is imperative to figure out your end first and ensure that the issue is not arising from your back before moving forward. This may be a developer-side error, but it can be easily fixed by updating Google Maps or software. Try these fixes on your end to ensure that nothing gets wrong.
Ensure stable Internet connectivity
It is essential to ensure that your internet connection is stable at the beginning. If your device has a low bandwidth connection, it cannot process the application requirements. Similarly, the processor can’t do anything to fix it. Consequently, Google Maps may need to be set on S23. So, always use a stable internet connection to avoid such issues.
Restart your phone
The other thing you should do is restart your phone. Following this, the different processes running in the background will stop. The mess of operations in the background will be cleaned up as well. After that, they will typically work when you try to use Google Maps and GPS again. Just restart your Galaxy S23 as you usually do.
Reset the network settings
You’re getting the same issue even after ensuring your phone has stable internet connectivity. It means there is some problem with the network settings on your phone. There may be a problem showing a GPS loss issue when using Google Maps. So, all we can do to fix such issues.
Is reset the network settings to default. You may not be aware of where to reset those settings. You can take the help of the below instructions.
Launch the Settings App.
Tap on General management after looking for it.
Under general management, tap on Reset >> Reset network settings.
After that, confirm to reset the network settings.
This feature was introduced to maximize the S23 phone to a certain extent. But if you need to know when to enable this option, it stops many things on your phone. Because GPS takes a lot of energy, power mode disables it to save the battery. It might be that when you’re using GPS by mistake, you’ve enabled Power saving mode, so GPS is disabled and seems unable to work on the S23. Therefore, you should disable the power-saving mode to use GPS. You can do that with the help of the below steps.
Open the Settings App on your phone.
After that, scroll down to device care.
Under device care, tap on the battery option.
Next, tap Power mode and disable the toggle in front of it.
That’s it; power saving mode is now disabled.
Remove the battery restriction from Google Maps
It might be possible that your phone has restricted Google Maps to not using GPS. You haven’t allowed GPS to run while using Google Maps in your battery permissions. And you are thinking that GPS is not working on S23. You can remove Google Maps’ battery restrictions to address such concerns. To do that, follow the instructions below.
Open the Settings menu on your device.
Then tap on the apps section.
From there, select Google Maps and go to the battery section.
Now tap on the enable background activity option.
Then go to optimize battery usage and then turn off the maps toggle.
That’s it; you are done.
Update Your Software
Outdated software can be the most probable cause for any issues that occur on smartphones. The reason being smartphones operate on software. If any of those software packages are outdated, the system starts malfunctioning and shows GPS not working. In such cases, checking for newer software updates is the best and last option. We recommend updating your phone since GPS is not working on the S23. To do that, follow the steps given below.
Open the Settings menu.
Scroll down to About Phone.
From there, tap on the software information.
Now tap on check for updates.
As a result, it will identify new updates and display them in front of you.
Next, tap on download and install.
Lastly, wait a while for it to automatically install on your phone.
GPS is believed not to work on the Galaxy S23 because there is some significant problem on either the phone manufacturer’s or Google Maps’ side. However, they will likely take some time to provide an official solution. But the problem can arise due to a mistake made by the user. This is why we have explained all the possible errors a user will make that can affect GPS functionality. If you have done any of them, all have been fixed. Even if the issue persists, you can wait for an official solution or raise an official help request with Samsung.
The solutions you present will not work.
The power saving/battery setting suggestion is good, but does not solve the problem.
The internet connectivity/network settings are irrelevant, as the core GPS functionality is the issue, and this does not need internet connectivity.
Basic apps which access the GPS and do not even have any network connectivity suddenly lose GPS signal and show no satellites available (the same version apps on an older Galaxy work even deep in the forest & mountains with no wifi/cell service).
Turning the phone on and off sometimes temporarily resolves the issue, but sometimes does not. Yesterday I turned phone off/on 5 times without the issue resolving. Then 4 hours later it spontaneously started working.
I have a Galaxy S20 with same apps, and never had a single issue with GPS.
IG
Ing. Giovanni Fiorini
I have the same issue with all Outdoor Tracking App (I have proved almost 5 of them!).
I have done all your suggestions at first, but not solved the problem.
My experience is that as I TAKE A PHOTO SOMETIMES (NOT ALWAYS!!) any tracking app will stop in the background… getting a straight line from picture taken point to my actual point when I open the app again.
Really a mess, because in the woods loosing your path may be dangerous to come back safely !
In the last weeks I got many Android software Updates, but none solved this matter, maybe is a little reduced.
B
Bensehil
Bonjour,
J’ai essayé toute les solutions proposées mais aucune ne fonctionne.
Quand j’utilise le gps google map,( sur le s23 plus),
lorsque je veux basculer vers une autre application, tout l’écran se fige pendant plusieurs secondes, ce qui est vraiment désagréable et ralenti mon activité.
LR
Linda Reboh
Have a major problem with GPS talking to me. Sometimes it will turn on in the supermarket when I’m not driving.
Leave a Comment
Share your thoughts, questions, or extra tips with other readers.
The solutions you present will not work.
The power saving/battery setting suggestion is good, but does not solve the problem.
The internet connectivity/network settings are irrelevant, as the core GPS functionality is the issue, and this does not need internet connectivity.
Basic apps which access the GPS and do not even have any network connectivity suddenly lose GPS signal and show no satellites available (the same version apps on an older Galaxy work even deep in the forest & mountains with no wifi/cell service).
Turning the phone on and off sometimes temporarily resolves the issue, but sometimes does not. Yesterday I turned phone off/on 5 times without the issue resolving. Then 4 hours later it spontaneously started working.
I have a Galaxy S20 with same apps, and never had a single issue with GPS.