GPS doesn't work properly [edited]

[toorude]

1, Smartphone is on, Blutooth is activated, GPS enabled, unleashed app is opened, cable not plugged in
2. Camera is switched on
3. Within app it is indicated that camera is paired with smartphone
4. I can change parameters like ISO etc without problems in the app, changed parameters are indicated in the camera

However, when I shoot with the camera release button (from the camera and not from the app), GPS data are not transmitted

Only after I once pushed the release button in the app and take a first picture from the app, GPS data are transmitted (and after that also when I press the camera release button).

Still wrong GPS data transmitted though.

[Andy]

Hi toorude,

When the app is open (in the foreground, being actively used), GPS data is only transmitted to the camera when triggering from the app. This is because when the app is being used the UNLEASHED prioritizes keeping all settings up-to-date, rather than sending GPS data to the camera. Thus, when the app is open, GPS data is only sent to the camera when triggering from the app.

However, when the app is closed (running in the background), the UNLEASHED doesn't need to refresh the settings constantly, and GPS data is being sent to the camera all the time as long as the UNLEASHED has valid GPS data.

I'm not sure why your photos have inaccurate GPS data though. We will look into it.

[toorude]

GPS still doesn't work properly when the app is running in the background. I have turqoise blinking from the unleashed, but if I release the shutter on the camera, GPS data are only written sporadically. 10 Pictures taken within 30 sec, but only 5 of it include GPS data. When I switch off the camera and switch it on again, there is no pairing again, and I do not have any GPS data written. I sometimes have no GPS data written even if the app is open and I press the release button of the app. I see no pattern here.

[Andy]

What do you mean with "there is no pairing"? Do you have GPS priority set to "GPS" or "Trigger"?

When shooting from the camera, make sure to half-press the trigger for a second before shooting a photo. That gives the UNLEASHED some time to update the GPS data in the camera before your shot.

[toorude]

What do you mean with "there is no pairing"? Do you have GPS priority set to "GPS" or "Trigger"?

Sorry, that was misleading. The Unleashed is still paired, but the GPS just won't work. Priority is set to GPS.

When shooting from the camera, make sure to half-press the trigger for a second before shooting a photo. That gives the UNLEASHED some time to update the GPS data in the camera before your shot.

I tried this, but again it seems to be entirely erratic if GPS data are written or not.

I am going to do a video tomorrow and will upload this for you to have a look at it, so you can figure out that it is entirely erratic. Sometimes no GPS data are written even if the app is running in the foreground and I press the release button on the app. It might well be that my smartphone is somehow not working properly. In zwo weeks I'll have the new Google Pixel 3, then I will see. However, I have similar issues when I use my Google Nexus 9 tablet (except that there the correct GPS data are written - if they are written at all).

[Andy]

Thanks. Keep us posted.

Anyway, from what you describe it sounds more like a firmware issue, not really an app issue. Could you check how GPS behaves with the USB cable plugged in?

It is interesting that you get incorrect GPS data with one phone and correct with another. That sounds like a problem with the Android app then. We will look into it.

[Andy]

A coworker forwarded me some videos that you sent yesterday. Thanks for the detailed videos and for your time!

These are my conclusions after watching them:

• The Android app can't send GPS data sometimes for some reason -> UNLEASHED doesn't have GPS data, photos are not geotagged.

• The UNLEASHED stops sending GPS data after turning camera off and on again.

• GPS priority unavailable when USB in plugged in is confusing.

• GPS issues when triggering fast (no half-pressing beforehand).

I've given my feedback to the team and will work on those issues. Keep in mind the Android app was released at 0.9.0 and there may be some bugs left. In the list of known issues it is mentioned that the app may not send GPS data, but there is no way of telling when that's the case. I have raised the issue again to prioritize it. I have also suggested to introduce a new LED sequence/color to indicate when GPS is active. This would help to further narrow down problems in the future.

We will investigate the issue with GPS not working after the camera is turned off.

GPS priority is not available when USB is plugged in because the concept of priority doesn't exist with a separate USB connection. That means that GPS and settings can work together with a USB cable on Nikon cameras. I have requested to remove the picker entirely to avoid confusion.

Lastly, we will also test GPS under rapid-triggering conditions.

I'll update here when we have some results.

[Tourinature]

Dear Andy,

on my phone (D7100, N2, iOS12.1, USB-cable connected) the GPS connection is not running stable:

1. If I switch on the camera and the Unleashed App is already open, but not active on the phone screen, there is often no automatic connection established. Only if I bring the app in front the connection gets re-established (but also not under stable conditions, see also 2.).
2. When I did a tryout there were several cases where the GPS signal was correctly transferred to one picture, but not to the next picture I did without changing any setting or state within the app or camera. In some case the GPS signal gets transferred to the next picture, even if the picture before had no GPS signal.

The trial was done on some green fields without any other devices around. So the BT-signal should be very good within the whole session, the distance between the camera and the phone was all the time <2m.

[Andy]

Hi Christian,

could you tell me how were you shooting? With the app or directly with the camera? Was the app open?

[Tourinature]

Dear Andi,

I did all the shots directly on the camera, no remote trigger via the app. After analyzing the transferred GPS data I could say that two pictures in a row within only a few seconds leads mainly to missing GPS data on the second pictures (there were no more as two pictures in a row taken while the shooting). But the problem could also occur in a few cases without any picture before.

Best regards,