Audio works. GPS does not. Here is how to narrow it down.

Use a simple fault tree

“GPS is on” can mean that a request was started, that permission was granted or that a position was received. Only the last of those gets you close to a usable input, and even a received position can be stale or invalid.

First, while parked, press Start Engine and listen in Test Mode. If there is no sound there, investigate audio output, media level, loading and browser support. If Test Mode works, return to GPS Drive and inspect the location information. This keeps a reception issue from being confused with a broken sound profile.

Drive Tone’s System status and GPS diagnostics show what reached the app. They do not need you to export precise coordinates or send a location history to support.

No fresh position responses

If the last location is blank and the received count is zero, the browser has not supplied a usable response in that session. Confirm location permission for the HTTPS site, keep the page open and try Reconnect GPS. A timeout is not the same as a permission-denied message.

If callbacks previously arrived but stop, look at the age of the last update. The app adapts its freshness window to recent update spacing. Once positions become too old, speed linking stops and the virtual engine returns toward idle instead of treating an old speed as permanent.

Some browser environments restrict location access or stop updating in the background. Test the same website on a phone to separate a vehicle-browser issue from an app-wide problem. That comparison does not prove that both devices have identical reception or behavior.

Responses arrive, but all are rejected

Compare received, accepted and rejected counts. Repeated callbacks with zero accepted fixes point to validation, not a complete lack of browser response. Read the last rejection reason before reconnecting, because it is the most useful clue.

During development on the owner’s Tesla setup, one issue looked like failed reception but was actually a timestamp mismatch: the browser supplied increasing location timestamps that did not use the expected calendar-time origin. The app had interpreted them as very old positions. The current code recognizes that case and checks progressing responses using receipt time.

That was a specific resolved defect, not an explanation for every timeout. A repeated timestamp, sudden position jump, invalid coordinates or unusable accuracy can still prevent a fix from being accepted. Share the displayed non-sensitive reason and vehicle software version rather than assuming the earlier defect has returned.

Fresh positions, but speed stays at zero

Zero speed is normal while stationary. During a later motion check, compare the browser speed with the selected speed source. Drive Tone prefers usable browser-provided speed; when that is missing or zero despite changing coordinates, it can estimate movement over several positions.

The fallback needs enough time and displacement to distinguish movement from location noise. It is not instantaneous. Updates that arrive several seconds apart can make the response feel delayed. Poor accuracy or a frozen position cannot reliably reveal speed, no matter how much engine volume you add.

If the speed display is updating but RPM is not, check Engine On, the active mode and whether the data remains fresh. Virtual gear selection also matters: the same road speed can correspond to different RPM after different driving histories.

A short report that support can actually use

• Model year, vehicle software and whether you used the car or a phone browser.
• Whether sound works in stationary Test Mode.
• Received / accepted / rejected counts and the last rejection reason.
• Last location age, speed source and whether the displayed speed changes.
• Whether the issue began after leaving the page or a software update.

Send a short description to drivetone.online@gmail.com. Do not include passwords, email verification codes, card details or precise location traces. Configure and diagnose while parked; a passenger should handle any screen observation during a motion check.

A paid plan adds sound profiles, not a different GPS receiver. Resolve the free-profile speed link first so you know the input works on your device.