Why is windy not finding my location????
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@Suty thank you for your response. As I continue to use and analyze the problem at sea I have additional thoughts. I think this is happening because some times when the app cannot find a proper gps it looks for the next best thing, in my case that is the gps coming from Starlink which now shows me in Los Angeles (I am currently 200nm WNW of Cabo). Once it takes this less than ideal source for gps, it doesn’t want to give up using it. Sometimes it will revert to using the external gps source if I turn my phone off and then back on, but sometimes not and I have to delete the app and reinstall from the App Store.
The coding needs to have the app constantly scanning for and insuring that the Sourxe variable continues to be “Use my gps”. If it cannot determine the gps in this way and then goes to Starlink or some other source, well, there is your problem.
The app requires the user to tap on “Find my location” to cause the code to search for a gps. This is highly inefficient for the user and causes part of the problem. There should be a setting in the app to allow the user to choose to let the app “follow my location “ and show the most updated conditions for that particular location, while still allowing the user to scroll forward or backward in time to see either historical or future predictions.
Sury, I am willing to volunteer to help your team understand, fix this problem, and enhance the app for maritime use absolutely free of charge. I’ve loved your app for years but only now with Starlink is it a viable option while offshore. I believe you guys have something special and I want to help. I am willing to video conference with you or your team at anytime to speed up this
Again, thanks for your response and efforts
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@Suty there is another user on this thread that was the same issue right now. And there are several posts about this going back over a year
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@robertwcass We discussed this topic and Windy has never supported this type of bluetooth GPS receivers and it won't be changed. Windy uses internal location service of the device and there is no plan to implement this change. We are still a weather app and not the navigation one.
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@Suty sad, shortsighted and downright stupid. Hopefully there will be a leadership change or you guys will wake up to what you have
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@Suty every other weather provider, like PredictWind etc can manage this. As I said, sad, shortsighted and stupid decision
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@Suty accurate weather for ocean going, and any other reason one would want accurate weather, depends on accurate location services. Without knowing where you are on the map renders the map much less useful. Can’t you guys understand this? You should have disclaimers everywhere in the app and before one signs up for paying services that the location service are wholly unreliable and the whole business model is based on “we don’t know where you are and we don’t care.”
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@foxfire are you still having the same issu?
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@robertwcass We always use internal location service of the device. It is only about not supporting devices like Garmin Glo.
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It’s sad that you have no idea of what you are talking about. Offshore the iPhone or iPad does not have gps except in an emergency if you activate 911. So open ocean mariners use device like Garmin Glo and other devices to provide real time gps to our decices that don’t have internal full time gps signals. It is super common to do this. It’s amazing that you don’t know this. My offer to help yo understand what offshore mariners need comes from my decades of sailing experience, but also as a software developer of some of the most sophisticated cardiac software packages in the world. I offered as a volunteer, I am retired and don’t want or need money. Windy has the potential to very easily become the best tool out there for realtime open ocean weather planning. But you guys don’t understand this. Instead you talk like you know what you’re talking about and that a lowly payer for your services is a fly in your coffee. Get your heads out of your asses and leverage your community as a resource, not as a burden to be summarily dealt with.
As I said before, you have tremendous potential but are blowing and could use the help. If not from me from someone who understands software and open ocean navigation and weather needs
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@robertwcass said in Why is windy not finding my location????:
Offshore the iPhone or iPad does not have gps
iPhones do have GPS and iPad “Wi-Fi + Cellular” versions too. I use an iPad with Navionics at sea and I never got a positioning issue.
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@idefix37 what iPhone and or iPad are you using that has full time gps when hundreds of miles off shore?
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@idefix37 I have never had a positioning issue on any other platform other than windy and I am not alone. Just search for windy can’t find my position and you’ll see there are dozens of users with the same issue. Try and compare apples to apples.🍏
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@robertwcass
I am not talking about connection to a satellite with iPhone to emergency services.
I am talking about GPS positioning. Out of the cellular grid, the iPhone cannot uses the GPS-A (assisted), but it can use the GPS for positioning at sea. Without it, the phone can take quite some time to actually get a fix on satellite. I never crossed the Atlantic or the Pacific, but for a passage of the English Channel, there is no problem to use the internal GPS of iPhone or iPad with Navionics or another navigation app. Not with Windy in this case as I’ve no satellite connection for data as StarLink do. -
@idefix37 so basically your initial post has no relevance to the conversation I started. Which is the faulty location service provided by the Windy.Com app. Look, I love Windy. I’m still using right now 200 nautical miles off the Baja coast. But it could be better. But they, just as any business should, listen to real users who have a background in software and in this case, offshore sailing. Summarily dismissing real issues with their platform is a mistake for any company. I’m hoping these are growing pains for Windy and they will realize the potential of what they have both as a business opportunity, but as a safety enhancement opportunity for offshore sailors.
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I can’t see why you say my post has no relevance to the conversation.
I was referring to your statement :Offshore the iPhone or iPad does not have gps
As said in my previous post, iPhone and iPad cellular are able to get GPS positioning but they need few minutes when out of cellular grid. It is probably the reason why you don’t get a contant and quick positioning in Windy.
For sure your way to get a quick fix with Garmin Glo has not been integrated in Windy development.
Does this device feeds GPS data to your iPhone or iPad? -
@idefix37 yes, and that is how I am able to use them full time without an internet connection. I need an internet connection to use windy, but when I have that connection via Starlink it doesn’t use my devices gps it uses what Starlink says it is which currently says I’m in Los Angeles. When I was in San Blas, Nayarit Mexico it said I was in Mexico City. Somehow the code won’t use the Garmin Glo or iPhone gps even if I have the setting set to “use gps”. It gets it from the IP address coming from Starlink, I think. I can’t be sure without reviewing your code. Once it starts using the Starlink provided gps it doesn’t want to give it up even if I restart my phone. It’s stuck in cache somewhere. If I uninstall windy, insure that Garmin Glo is connected via Bluetooth, or via the iPhone gps, it will work again, until it doesn’t. It randomly reverts back to SLs gps.
Thanks though for asking an intelligent question and trying to get to the bottom of this. Believe it or not, I am on your side and would like to see Windy succeed as it is an excellent tool, but it needs some refinement and help to make it better. Just like all software does
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I idefix37 referenced this topic on
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I love windy and have never had a problem the past 6 years until now. For some reason it is stuck on my home port for ‘current location’.
I updated app. No fix. I deleted and reinstalled app and it worked once, but now has gone back to home port again. 2 days into voyage - I am a long way from home port. WTF Windy?
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I idefix37 referenced this topic on
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I have the same issue with my ipad pro. Nacionics and other location apps are fine. I quadruple checked my settings and windy is set to always in location menu. I also upgraded to premium but nothing helps. Are you still working on this issue? Thanks.
