GPS accuracy iOS 13 and/or 11 Pro Max

+ - 50 feet is unacceptable. Other Android phones are way better.

We are evaluating them at this time at work and we all agreed today to not recommend iPhones for our company. :( Sad.

10 other companies pass the GPS test. No iPhone models do.

Thank you for trying to solve this Nathan and Deggie. I will wait 48 hours before to return my phone in case something new comes up on this forum.

Agreed! Everyone needs to report this issue to elevate the priority! I reported this issue for my iPhone 11 Pro months ago and have had two appointments at the genius bar and several phone calls with Apple Support trying to get a resolution. On my last call with them, which was over a month ago, they acknowledged that there was a problem and said that a fix would be coming out with a future software update, but they didn't say when. There has been one update since I last spoke with Apple support (ios 13.4.1), but that update did not fix the issue. In my case, I have noticed that GPS is significantly better if I turn OFF WiFi - not a great solution, but at least it makes my GPS data somewhat decent when I'm using running apps or playing Pokemon Go. My GPS is horrible in any app that uses GPS, so I think it is definitely the iOS and/or a hardware issue that is causing the problem. I never had this kind of trouble with any of these same apps on my previous iPhones (X, 6S).

Everyone having trouble should get the app GPSdiagnostic for a few bucks. Go outside and open it. For me, it takes the better part of a minute to acquire 4 or more satellites. It bounces around between red and orange and green and back to orange. + - 50 or 60 feet. But then it settles out and for me that was all green and + - 16 feet. In the woods (most of the trees don't have leaves yet) it was about + - 20 feet. But all green.

GPSdiagnostic is the gold standard. It is telling you exactly what your GPS hardware is doing.

Make sure all your hiking apps have background app refresh turned on in settings general. If google maps works well for you in the car and your hiking map shows bad tracks and GPSdiagnostic shows good data then I can guarantee that it is your hiking app. redmonk78 found this out with a hiking app that worked fine and one that didn't. The hiking app needs to do GPS filtering and not all do. I use Guru Maps Pro (formerly Galileo Pro) and I think it is a great app and it works well as long as I wait until all the satellites are acquired.

I would be curious to hear from the folks having problems and their experience with GPSdiagnostic. As far as waiting for a software fix from Apple, I wouldn't hold my breath for that.

I have tried this several times. I also configured it as a new iPhone. Same results. I only get average good readings if the GPS signal is filtered by software. GPS hardware of my 11 Pro itself is very inaccurate

redmonk78, the tool shows how well your phone acquires GPS. If this is not of interest, so be it. As I said, you have proven that on your phone a) google maps in the car works well and b) there is a hiking app that works well. Yet you say your GPS is "inaccurate" and you have not tested the hardware with GPSdiagnostic. If that shows accuracy, then your phone is not "inaccurate".

Okay. I have tested it (at the moment only indoors in front of my window): accuracy is +/- 16 feet (5 meters).

I will also test it outside later, but all Satellite bars were green and almost 100% already.

Hi. That’s not the end of the story. Because I have tried several apps with the same result. Maybe the GPS is accurate if you stand still without movement. But if you start turning around slowly, without leaving your current position, the signal goes wild.

A behavior which I could determine in all my GPS apps. Even within apple maps.

Also there are some aberration in GPS tracking compared to the GPS tracking with my 6s (using the same App under the same iOS version). You see: it‘s not that easy.

redmonk78, OK I stand corrected. Mine doesn't do that. I suggest opening a case with Apple Support with all this new information. Insist on updates and them sending it to engineering. Don't take no for an answer if they try to close the case, as they have done with me in the past. Maybe there is something Apple can do in iOS to help fix this. At least we can hope for that.

I have tested it now outside as well. Accuracy is still 16 feet. But if I turn myself around slowly 45° to the left and 45° to the right, iPhone located next to my body, feet are standing still, the attitude and longitude numbers are changing more than they should. But it’s an behavior which my previous 11 Pro did as well.

My Komoot hiking app does not track such small movements, that’s the reason why the hike tracking was more accurate compared to my Polar App which is tracking everything

I have checked my iPhone 6s too: accuracy (based on the measurements of the GPS diagnostic App) is slightly better on the iPhone 11 Pro:

+/- 16 feet iPhone 11Pro versus +/- 17 feet on the 6S.

The big difference is the sensitivity. If I only move my upper body 45° to the left (or right), the Altitude and Longitude are changing fast on the 11 Pro while the 6s GPS data is stable (like it should be). I guess that’s the main problem at the GPS tracking issue: the Signal changes too fast while I am not really moving. You will not realise this problem if you are standing still without any movement. But it will cause deviations in tracking as soon as you move.

redmonk78 wrote:

The big difference is the sensitivity. If I only move my upper body 45° to the left (or right), the Altitude and Longitude are changing fast on the 11 Pro while the 6s GPS data is stable (like it should be). I guess that’s the main problem at the GPS tracking issue: the Signal changes too fast while I am not really moving. You will not realise this problem if you are standing still without any movement. But it will cause deviations in tracking as soon as you move.

That's just it though; you ARE moving, a good foot or two from side to side if you move your upper body. The thing about +/- 16 feet is it's +/- 16 feet from a point, and that point is moving when you move your upper body.

For your purposes in your test, the older phone's insensitivity makes it "better" in the test you are performing.

Which is exactly what the US Government states the accuracy of GPS in a smartphone will be:

For example, GPS-enabled smartphones are typically accurate to within a 4.9 m (16 ft.) radius under open sky. However, their accuracy worsens near buildings, bridges, and trees.

https://www.gps.gov/systems/gps/performance/accuracy/

redmonk78, I was wrong to tell you to open a case with Apple. There is nothing wrong with your phone. We need to get out of the weeds and see the bigger picture.

Why did you come to this thread in the first place? You saw a bad hiking track, although google maps worked fine for you in the car. You have proven (GPSdiagnostic) that the GPS hardware in the phone is fine and that your hiking app had no GPS filtering. You found at least one app that worked fine because it did have GPS filtering. That filtering is necessary. Looking at little things like turning 45 degrees is not productive. You want perfection in the GPS signal and it is by definition imperfect. I suggest looking for a hiking app that you like.

Nate

Hi, thanks. I guess my explaination was not very good as I am not a native speaker. My hiking app does not really "filter" the GPS signal. It just ignores some deviations / GPS signal movement while not really moving which are actually much bigger on the iPhone 11 pro compared to my iPhones 6s.

But why are there deviations? My 6s is tracking my hikes very accurate while the tracking on the 11 pro looks more or less awful. Is it a software issue? I cannot say: I ignore the problem by using a app which ignores the deviations. That's simple but is senseless as soon as I have to use a different app for other purposes in the future.

I wish Apple would stable the GPS signal somehow like on the 6s.

When standing still and turn my upper body around a little bit, the GPS signal starts jumping around. That's not normal and really I cannot ignore it. And the effect is also shown while moving: the GPS tracks are not really straight when you walk a straight line while on the 6s they are straight. So why is Apple not able to provide the same good GPS behaviour like on the 6s? I hope someone from Apple reads this and can fix the issue.

Filtering is the same as ignoring some small deviations! For example, ignore points with less than 50 feet difference. And if you get a hiking app that does the right thing you will not even notice these things. With GPS you will not achieve perfection. I do a loop walk and the return track is never exactly over the outbound track. But it is close.