Hi folks,

I have a 2014 HSE and the GPS signal in my iPhone is impossible to use within the car.

It is probably due to the windshield heater since holding the phone outside the window it acquires the signal almost immediately and I have no issues to use it in other cars (including a 2011 S).

You can imagine how safe is to drive the car holding my phone through the window

I was wondering if I can get the lat/lng somehow from the car (maybe through OBD-II?) since the car's nav is almost impossible to use here in Brazil (it's too outdated, we got a lot of new roads since our last olympics and town streets changes all the time) but the GPS signal is perfect.

Any way to do that?

Here is my agenda:

1. Get the coordinates from the car (where and how)
2. Develop a device to broadcast it through bluetooth or wifi (probably the last one since iOS is very restrict about bluetooth)
3. Find a way to spoof the GPS in the iPhone (I know the APIs for Android but not for iOS yet)
4. Develop an iOS app to get the coordinates from the device and apply it to the phone

Any ideas?

It’s more than likely the UV coating on the screen, not the heated element. Some cars have a clear spot near the mirror to allow things like toll passes to work. Anyway, a heated screen in Brazil? Do you get frost out there? If not, fit a standard screen - surely the cheapest of options. How about updating the satnav maps? Past: FL2 TD4 HSE Auto
Evoque SD4 Dynamic Lux Auto
Present: Audi A3 S Line.

We don't have snow, even during the winter, only in very specific places of the country.

But I don't like the idea of changing the windshield just for that, specially because it is very expensive here to change, specially of foreign cars (specially Land Rovers).

The price of one unbranded windshield (with very suspicious quality) for Freelander 2 is like what we spend to live the entire month, doesn't worth just for that.

One original from the Land Rover, for the HSE, costs around 10% of the price of the car, completely insane.


Quick question, the HSE have a UV coating treatment that S doesn't?

I didn't have this issue with my 2011 S, same iPhone

About the upgrade, I searched a lot and didn't find any update.

Mine is MY2014, I must have the latest version, right?

My Dashcam has a GPS lead, with the sensor positioned at the side of the windscreen where there are no heated elements, I get a signal. 
Hung like Einstein, smart as a horse.

I will give it a try.

I used to use a GPS repeater with a previous car that the same issue, something like this

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Car-External-Re...Sw4YdYy59Y

External antenna outside, wire through the bulkhead and the internal transmitter inside. Current: FL2 TD4 2008 HSE

Previous: FL1 TD4 2002 // FL2 TD4 2008 // FL1 TD4 2003 // TD5 Disco 2003 // 300TDi Disco 1994

I have a cheap Moto G5SPlus and it obtains a GPS signal easily inside the FL2 despite the heated windscreen.
Maybe you could try a different phone when you change it next. Jules

That's odd, it's a common complaint in Brazil that GPS does not work inside HSE Freelanders, maybe our view to satelites aren't good enough?

Being in Brazil shouldn’t have any effect on gps reception, even the Antarctic has coverage.

We just have to figure out what's going on then

The GPS repeater seems a good solution but I will give a shot of using the cellphone more closer to the side of the windshield in my next trip first.

Don’t quote me on this as I’m no iPhone guru but I think the iPhone has GPS assist so it uses cell towers to help triangulate position. It maybe that you have week cell phone coverage that can’t assist the GPS.

You could try an iPhone dock with an external antenna bonded to say the rear side window.