GPS maker TomTom said Tuesday that a leap year bug was to blame for some of its GPS devices that could no longer receive a GPS signal.
TomTom also said that it had issued a fix for the devices, which customers can download via its MyTomTom application, as described by its support page. Affected devices include the Start 20/25, Via 120/125, Via LIVE 120/125, GO LIVE 820/825, and GO LIVE 1000/1005/1005 World. Other devices are not affected, TomTom said.
However, TomTom also warned that the first GPS fix after applying the update could take several minutes to acquire. As might be expected, the device needs to have a clear view of the sky.
TomTom said that the problems date back to March 31, when customers began experiencing problems. A TomTom support thread on the issue included an apology from the company.
According to the over 500 messages in the thread, the problem affected TomTom customers worldwide, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Italy. However, the long resolution time to reacquire the satellites after applying the fix irritated many who posted, asking for help.
"My Via 1535 did not work after installing the update, and resetting several times," "petejr" posted. "I had been waiting 5-10 minutes for satellite acquisition before giving up after each reset. I finally left the unit outdoors for 30 min, and upon return had 6 satellites detected. Hooray.
"MAKE SURE YOU WAIT A LONG TIME FOR FIRST SATELLITE ACQUISITION AFTER UPDATE!!!" petejr added.
Like the rest of the GPS industry beset by smartphones which can offer free navigation services, TomTom has been suffering declining sales. At the Consumer Electronics Show this past January, it detailed enhancements to its services in an attempt to woo customers back to its platform.
For more, check out our slideshow of the TomTom GO LIVE 1535M, below.
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