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Troubleshooting

Before you contact support with a trouble report, please review this list of procedures. Let us know which ones you tried and the results in your trouble report to support@bad-elf.com.

  1. How can I tell if my Bad Elf GPS is working?
  2. When I plug in my Bad Elf GPS Receiver, I sometimes see a message saying, "device not supported" or "device not optimized".
  3. The Bad Elf GPS works fine with the Bad Elf app, but 3rd party apps cannot locate me.
  4. I'm having difficulty pairing my Bluetooth Bad Elf GPS with my iPad/iPhone/iPod touch.
  5. When I pair my Bluetooth Bad Elf GPS with my Surface/Windows/Mac, it disconnects after five seconds or so.



1. How can I tell if my Bad Elf GPS is working?

  • Stand outside.
  • Attach your Bad Elf GPS to your iOS device.
  • Open the Bad Elf app.
  • On the Bad Elf tab, you should see your device listed under Bad Elves Connected. If not, take it out and insert it again.
  • The LED on the Bad Elf GPS should start blinking. (Note: the LED only lights if there's an app that's using the current location.)
  • Go to the GPS tab and swipe two pages to the right to the Satellites page.
  • You should start seeing colored bars appear in the bottom white region.
  • After about 40 seconds, depending on your view of the sky, the LED should stop blinking and turn solid on. Some number of the gray circles on the Satellites page should turn white.
  • If this works as described, then you know your Bad Elf GPS is working.
  • If this does not work, please double-check: Are you sure you have a clear view of the sky? Remember that trees will increase the time it takes for your Bad Elf GPS to lock. Also, if you're standing near a building, you're only seeing half the sky! If you're still not getting a lock, please contact us at support@bad-elf.com. You may have a defective Bad Elf GPS.



2. When I plug in my Bad Elf GPS Receiver, I sometimes see a message saying, "device not supported" or "device not optimized".

You need to upgrade the firmware on your Bad Elf GPS. Here's how:
  • Use the App Store to make sure you have the latest version of the Bad Elf Utility App. If there is a newer version available, you will see an update for it on your App Store app.
  • Plug your Bad Elf GPS Receiver into your iOS device.
  • Open the Bad Elf Utility app on your iOS device.
  • Press the button to update to the latest firmware.
  • If this does not solve your problem, please contact us at support@bad-elf.com. You may have either a damaged connector on your iOS device or else a defective Bad Elf GPS Receiver.



3. The Bad Elf GPS works fine with the Bad Elf app, but 3rd party apps cannot locate me.

First, double-check that you have Location Services enabled for your location-based apps:
  • Open the Settings app on your iOS device.
  • Go to Privacy > Location Services.
  • Make sure Location Services at the top has ON next to it.
  • Make sure that all your apps in the list have ON next to them.
For some folks, this fixes the issue.
If you still have trouble with 3rd party apps, it may be because of a bug in the upgrade process to iOS6. It's an easy fix:
  • Under the main SETTINGS > PRIVACY > LOCATION SERVICES. Scroll to the bottom of the screen select SYSTEM SERVICES and turn SETTING TIME ZONE to OFF. 
  • Open the Settings app on your iOS device.
  • Go to Privacy > Location Services.
  • Turn the top Location Services setting to OFF.
  • Reboot your iOS device (press and hold both the top button and the home button until the Apple icon appears, indicating your device is restarting).
  • Open the Settings app on your iOS device again.
  • Go to Privacy > Location Services.
  • This time, turn the top Location Services setting to ON.
  • Make sure that all the apps in the list you intend to use with your Bad Elf GPS have ON next to them.



4. I'm having difficulty pairing my Bluetooth Bad Elf GPS with my iPad/iPhone/iPod touch.

Here are two very simple things to try before contacting Bad Elf Support:
  • Reboot your iPad/iPhone/iPod touch. To do this, press and hold the physical button on the outside rim of your iPad/iPhone/iPod touch until you see "slide to power off".
  • When you see the pairing code appear on your iPad/iPhone/iPod touch, you do NOT need to enter that number anywhere. But make sure to look over at the screen on your Bad Elf GPS. It's waiting for you to press the bottom button to finalize the pairing. If you neglect to press this button quickly, the pairing fails.



5. When I pair my Bluetooth Bad Elf GPS with my Surface/Windows/Mac, it disconnects after five seconds or so.

What you are seeing is normal. With non-iOS devices, pairing and connecting are separate functions. In the pairing process the two machines exchange information, during which there is a brief connection or 5 to 10 seconds, after which the connection is dropped. Unlike on iOS, other operating systems do not maintain the Bluetooth connection indefinitely. Rather, you must run an app that opens the correct comm port for the Bluetooth connection to be re-established.