GPS function on iPhone works incredibly well and often provides better data than other known GPS systems.
But how good is it compared to the big GPS brands, we look more closely at this article.
First, we just have to fully control how we use the GPS part on our iPhone.
How to turn on and off GPS on iPhone
Settings> Anonymity> Location Services.
Here you can set whether your location services should be turned on (or off) for all apps at once. You do this by turning the top menu on or off. See the photo below by the number “1”.
When you click this menu, you can also choose exactly which apps access your location services (GPS data). See the figure “2” on the menu below.
It is important to check these settings, as many apps have access to your GPS data. It doesn’t make much sense that, for example, a browser and a memo app must have access to your GPS data.
Here you have the opportunity to decide for yourself which apps have access and when they can access your location.
How much data does GPS use on the iphone?
If you use your GPS for example the Google Maps app, it draws approx. 1 Mb per 20 minutes or 0.5-1 Mb data per 15 km. However, it may vary somewhat depending on which other apps you also use that have access to your GPS.
Many of us use quite a few different apps, with access to our GPS data, and it can quickly become a power outlet. Here are some of the apps that most often use data in the background to track GPS data:
Speed control apps
Google Maps
Health app ( iPhone Pedometer )
Camera app
The Itinerary
etc.
It is important that you set these settings yourself so that you choose whether they have access to your GPS data at all times, using the app or never. These are the three options you have. You can look at the picture above how to set these privacy settings.
As a starting point, there are a whole bunch of apps that use your GPS data, and then you can quickly use a lot of data on this!
Which GPS app for iphone?
There are many different apps for iPhones that can help you find your way with your GPS. I personally personally am a fan of Google’s Google maps App, which has really many fine features built into.
It can eg. show you where the queue is on the highway, and it also has data for gas stations, eateries and many other user-added information.
However, there are also many other apps that can provide an interface for your GPS.
Gaia GPS for cycling and hiking
The Gaia GPS app is a pretty excellent GPS app that gives you a lot of routes if you, for example, love to ride mountain bikes. It also great if you love to walk in nature on the walk.
It costs approx. $ 20 a year, and then you have access to a lot of routes, courses and maps of areas.
It also features a number of routes made by National Geographic Trails. They are great if you like to hike in American National Parks.
How much battery does the GPS use?
When it comes to battery consumption , it’s another matter. Here, the mobile can quickly be drained of power when, for example, you have Google Maps turned on.
My little old iPhone 6S typically lasts only 60-90 minutes on a full charge if I actively use GPS with the monitor on all the time.
This happens partly because a lot of GPS data is received and sent, but this typically also happens because the screen is switched on all the time when you use it as an active GPS.
It can therefore be a great idea to turn off the screen and just get to know the roads and instructions through your headphones. That way, you save a lot of power because the battery does not light up the screen and update all your pixels all the time.
It varies greatly from app to app, how often GPS data is sent and received. You can see the small GPS icon at the top of your iPhone screen every time the GPS is turned on. Often, an app will only ask for GPS data if, for example, you move to a new location.
But if you are actively using a program like Google Maps, it will constantly be sending and receiving.
How good is the iPhone’s GPS for Garmin, Tomtom etc?
Garmin and Tomtom are the two big (and old!) GPS providers for cars, motorcycles and so on.
But how does their performance compare to the GPS built into the iPhone? We’ll look at that here.
I even bought a Garmin GPS app and drove it parallel to my iPhone’s Google Map apps all the way to Pisa in Italy. Here are the advantages and disadvantages I found with the two systems.
I was really happy to see how fast I had to drive on European highways.
These data were not available on my iPhone’s Google maps app, but I could see them on my Garmin GPS. It probably saved me from more than one fine along the way.
In addition, the Garmin GPS was also better at delivering traffic data along the way. Sometimes it could show where it was queuing, but at other times it was Google maps that were better at showing the red roads along the way.
One of the biggest disadvantages of GPS devices is that they have not always updated the latest map data. This means, for example, that you do not necessarily know all the routes when you drive off the major roads. The same goes for my built-in GPS in my Ford Mondeo. It does not know the new bypasses around Silkeborg, for example, as I have not figured out how to update its map data.
Is there gps in my iphone?
Yes, there is GPS in your iPhone. The first model did not have GPS, but all models have had GPS and it has your new iPhone as well.
If you do not find that your iPhone will receive and send GPS information, it is either because you have disabled the feature in Settings> Anonymity> Location Services or because the sensor in your iPhone has broken.
How the GPS works on the iPhone
GPS stands for “Global Positioning System”, and as the name suggests it is used to GEO tag the location for the mobile.
There is, physically, a small GPS chip in your iPhone that communicates with satellites around the globe. By contacting at least three satellites, your iPhone can always locate exactly where you are.
This is primarily done through a number of American satellites, and there are approx. 30 of the kind.
See where the iphone has been
With the “Find my iPhone” function you can find your iPhone if you have lost it, but where do you see where it has been?
You can check with two different systems:
Google map part and
Apple also has control over where your iPhone has been.
With Google’s “Places You’ve Been” they keep track of your location history. Ie they have control over where and when you have been in different places.
With Apple, you can also see exactly where you’ve been through your GPS, but keep tight because this data is well saved!
Here you will find them:
Go to settings
Tap on “Anonymity”
Touch “Location Services”
Press “System Services”
Tap on “Essential Locations”
(Here you need to use your code or touch ID to move on)
Here you have your history of where you have been, or rather where your iPhone has been.
Who has access to my GPS data?
Everyone who has access to the iCloud account has access to see where you are via the find my iPhone feature. It is therefore important that you do not give your code to iCloud to other people.
