When I use Compass on my iOS15, I am told my location to the nearest arcsecond of latitude and longitude. But that's an accuracy of around a hundred feet. To the extent that iPhone is really using GPS, it must know my position better than that. How do I get a more accurate location?
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iPhone SE (2016) accurate location
- Thread starter Doug Lass
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You don’t.
That’s the best that iPhone will tell you.
Even the best hand held dedicated Garmin GPS units are only accurate to 25 ft under perfect conditions but it’s not guaranteed or repeatable.
That’s the best that iPhone will tell you.
Even the best hand held dedicated Garmin GPS units are only accurate to 25 ft under perfect conditions but it’s not guaranteed or repeatable.
Some would argue.
developer.apple.com
Many people are TESTING their phone location accuracy on scales of a few meters. In order to do that, they must be getting a more accurate position readout somehow.
The app Coordinates gives lat/log to 0.000001 precision. That's about half a foot. Now, I don't believe it is ACCURATE to that level, but it at least allows me to assess the accuracy.
Poor GPS accuracy on iOS 11 / iPho… | Apple Developer Forums
Many people are TESTING their phone location accuracy on scales of a few meters. In order to do that, they must be getting a more accurate position readout somehow.
The app Coordinates gives lat/log to 0.000001 precision. That's about half a foot. Now, I don't believe it is ACCURATE to that level, but it at least allows me to assess the accuracy.
The question was, how do you SEE more precision in the location? People are saying that they can trust an iPhone GPS readout to ten or twenty feet, but Compass only reports locations with a precision of about a hundred feet. I'd really like a Compass app that reports location with more significant digits. I need to play around with Coordinates, and see how it works. I can walk with a Garmin GPS, and see the numbers changing. Not clear that happens with Coordinates.
Now, GoogleMaps reports lat and long to 0.0000001 degree. But you can't walk along and watch that change. That's for a selected location. So the digits are there. Compass just isn't displaying them.
What I want is an app that displays location with high precision, such that I can walk along with it and watch the numbers change, just like I can with a Garmin GPS.
In principle, an iPhone can get location from GPS, and also from cellular. Not clear how wifi would help.
Now, GoogleMaps reports lat and long to 0.0000001 degree. But you can't walk along and watch that change. That's for a selected location. So the digits are there. Compass just isn't displaying them.
What I want is an app that displays location with high precision, such that I can walk along with it and watch the numbers change, just like I can with a Garmin GPS.
In principle, an iPhone can get location from GPS, and also from cellular. Not clear how wifi would help.
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OK, I've played with the Coordinates app, and it sorta does what I want. If you press the "blue droplet" button at right, it will display, along the top edge (below the ad) real-time coordinates to a precision of 0.000001 degree (that's about half a foot), and it quotes a "GPS Acc" of something like +/-5-15m. The numbers bounce around a bit, as you might expect from the accuracy, and as satellites come and go, but they change in the right direction as you walk along. Now, this display is in a small bar that is about a quarter inch wide, so it isn't that easy to follow. I'd really like those numbers in a BIG DISPLAY. As far as I can tell, Coordinates will give a nice big display of the FIXED location of a point on a map, but not of where you are.
Geez, Louise. I don't want a map and all that crap. I just want a BIG DISPLAY of numbers where I am, with a precision of a foot or so. Garmin, where are you?
Geez, Louise. I don't want a map and all that crap. I just want a BIG DISPLAY of numbers where I am, with a precision of a foot or so. Garmin, where are you?
Scroll down on this article and it lists a few things that help make your GPS position more accurate :-
www.lifewire.com
List includes Wifi among others like barometer, accelerometer etc.
How GPS Works on the iPhone
Discover how the iPhone's GPS location technology works, and how to adjust its settings and protect your privacy.
List includes Wifi among others like barometer, accelerometer etc.
I don't see anything in that website how to make the iPhone GPS position more accurate. I see there how to turn location services on and off. This isn't about accuracy. It's about precision. How many significant digits are displayed. The iPhone KNOWS the position with GPS accuracy. Compass just isn't telling me all that the iPhone knows. Looks like Coordinates is, but in an inconvenient way.
What I'm looking for is an app that behaves like a Garmin box. Big font display (lat/long) of where I am now, with a precision that is better than the estimated accuracy of 10-ish meters.
What I'm looking for is an app that behaves like a Garmin box. Big font display (lat/long) of where I am now, with a precision that is better than the estimated accuracy of 10-ish meters.
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Here’s an app w giant numbers and as many significant figures your heart desires. There’s a free version and a Pro version (for $6).
Here’s the link to the paid pro version
And screenshot of the free version:
![4368CB35-357B-4C60-A0D5-C43A1E33987A.png]( "4368CB35-357B-4C60-A0D5-C43A1E33987A.png")
Here’s the link to the paid pro version
My GPS Coordinates Pro
Easily save, edit, and share GPS locations. Benefits of the paid version: - Save and send multiple locations. - Add and edit locations on a map. - Support for landscape and iPad split screen. - Search for landmarks and addresses on a map. (Geocoding) - Find addresses and landmark names near a...
apps.apple.com
And screenshot of the free version:
Wow. you get the prize! The free version of the GPS Coordinates app is EXACTLY what I'm looking for. Lat/long to high precision (even with quoted "Signal accuracy") in large font. Can be displayed in many formats. And then it ASKS you if you want to display it on a map. Thank you!
Now, it's true that the signal accuracy doesn't seem to get below 4m, but that's still pretty sweet.
What I don't understand is why the Compass app can't be bothered with displaying high precision.
Now, it's true that the signal accuracy doesn't seem to get below 4m, but that's still pretty sweet.
What I don't understand is why the Compass app can't be bothered with displaying high precision.
Yeah if you go into the app settings/Coordinate Position and set it to High, you’ll get the most numbers.
You can see on the bottom that the rounding error for the Apple Compass app display is 143ft.
![B0B92DC0-6001-4D14-A461-35ABEEBE3EB5.jpeg]( "B0B92DC0-6001-4D14-A461-35ABEEBE3EB5.jpeg")
You can see on the bottom that the rounding error for the Apple Compass app display is 143ft.
Let's see. I assume you're referring to the GPS Coordinates app. In the free version of that app there doesn't appear to be any Coordinate Precision in Settings for it. It must default to "high" in the free version. That's fine by me. Of course, there don't seem to be any Settings for the Compass app. In the Apple Compass app the rounding error is 1 arcsecond, which is about 100 feet.