The Google Maps application on Android has a positioning error

On the afternoon of February 3, some users reported having problems when using Google Maps. Specifically, when opening the application and choosing to locate the current location, the map returns results showing that the user is in the Noi Bai area, even though in reality they are dozens of kilometers away.

Duc Manh, working in Cau Giay (Hanoi), said that when he opened Google Maps, he saw a green dot “jumping” over the Noi Bai area. The change happened suddenly, without any notification or warning from the application.

A similar situation was also recorded by Ms. Nhu Quynh, in Hoang Mai (Hanoi). “I tried logging out and back in, turning positioning on and off, but it’s still the same. The same goes for other Android devices around,” she said.

As noted by VnExpressthe problem currently mainly occurs with Android users in Hanoi, while iPhones and other areas such as Ho Chi Minh City are still recognized correctly.

Google representatives have not commented on the information.

According to an expert in phone positioning technology, Google Maps uses a combination of GPS data, wifi, cell towers and sensors on the device to determine the user’s location. In some cases, if the GPS signal is weak or positioning data is interrupted, the system may display an incorrect location. However, having multiple devices simultaneously display a specific location like Noi Bai is a rare phenomenon.

The incident occurred in the context that some major technology platforms have recently been operating unstable. Before the Lunar New Year, February 11, Facebook operated intermittently on the web browser, while the Messenger application was not affected. On the morning of the 2nd day of Tet, YouTube also had widespread problems, causing many users to be unable to access the website, mobile applications and smart TVs for several hours.