GPS accuracy iOS 13 and/or 11 Pro Max

it‘s not that easy. Google maps is working fine. Okay. Satisfied. But I cannot simply use a another hiking app with filtering. As explained more than once: I have to use my special app, where all my tracks are gathered and stored. I cannot Import from another app with filtering and I cannot change my app which I am using for years now. I would lose all my tracks from the past years. And the technical explaining why the gps signal is not stable in the map is - to be honest - bullshit (sorry for saying this). I have tried different GPS devices and NONE is such unstable like the 11 pro.

Even when I walk a circle, the iPhone 11 Pro is the only device that shows me a tangle of lines, but nothing that resembles a circle.

So do not tell me that this is normal :-(

And yes: of course I could use such other devices for my tracking, but I do not want to carry so much hardware with me. I just want to use one device and this should be my new iPhone 11 Pro as I am also taking great photos with it.

Let‘s stop the discussion here. You cannot help me and I can only hope that maybe a software update will fix the issue one day. Otherwise I have to upgrade to a iPhone 12 (which will be hopefully better) or change to Android (with way better accuracy even below 16 feet).

If you want to believe an Android can resolve distances just using GPS with more accuracy than the US Government, which operates GPS, states can be done, that's your business.

Otherwise, as I mentioned, it may well be that the app that shows you as a mess of lines is not filtering for new positioning information as without Wi-Fi hotspot location via databases, each point may be +/- 16 feet from the last one calculated. That's just the way GPS works.

Once again, the official US Government statement on accuracy:

For example, GPS-enabled smartphones are typically accurate to within a 4.9 m (16 ft.) radius under open sky.

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

same issue on my iphone 11 pro max that i got less than a month ago. the gps and maps show me running around my neighborhood when im literally just sitting in my house. On both Wifi and cellular, it has helped me with pokemon go tho since i can usually reach all pokestops without leaving my house haha.

but its annoying when i need it to work, which is majority of the time. my iphone 7 plus had zero issues with gps.

AW5 user here and seeing exactly the same issues with wonky GPS tracks. Me and some fellow runners nailed down the issue to cellular. Whenever we have activated cellular, we get wonky tracks, whenever it is off, the tracks look very good.

Yes, I know. Just wanted to point out that it is most probably an issue that can be fixed with software as it happens on a different Apple platform in the same manner. Most probably the same faulty algorithm that takes cellular data and uses that for position calculations. Gone now.

Based on what I’ve observed, it seems there is some kind of issue with the handoff to cellular from WiFi. I’ve noticed that when using several apps (including Runkeeper, Pokémon Go, Wizards Unite, etc... ), my GPS accuracy significantly improves when I turn off WiFi. I’ve been in contact with Apple and showed them the association with WiFi. They confirmed that it was an issue and said it would be fixed in a subsequent update. However, there have been two updates since then and still no fix. ☹️ For now, I’m turning off WiFi any time I need accurate GPS as a workaround, but it’s super annoying to have a brand new iPhone 11 Pro and having to do that just to get usable GPS.

Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately turning off WiFi does not help on my phone. Accuracy is still the same (+/- 16 feet) with or without WiFi. But the GPS Signal still jumps slowly around +/- 50 feet when I am not moving but turning my iPhone slightly to the left or right. No matter if WiFi or cellular is on or off)

Location Services uses GPS, Bluetooth beacons (where available) along with crowd-sourced Wi-Fi hotspot information, a cellular towers to approximate your location.

I'm wondering if some cellular towers aren't properly programmed for their location, leading to wonky tracks as the phone cycles between where the cell tower is telling it it is and where GPS says it is.

To quote Apple:

Core Location provides services that determine a device’s geographic location, altitude, and orientation, or its position relative to a nearby iBeacon device. The framework gathers data using all available components on the device, including the Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, magnetometer, barometer, and cellular hardware.

aefting wrote:

I’ve been in contact with Apple and showed them the association with WiFi. They confirmed that it was an issue and said it would be fixed in a subsequent update. However, there have been two updates since then and still no fix.

Note "a future update" means just that… a future update.

I could be the next release of iOS, or it could be iOS 14.

I have been having an issue with Maps that has expanded into my SmartThings app. The iPhone 11 Pro GPS location tends to drift FAR more than my previous iPhone 7 did. When it drifts, it moves my more than 500 ft (while I am stationary). This was causing my SmartThings location-based routines to run. I adjusted the routines to only act after a location was established for a minute or more, and I am still seeing issues. The distance is drifting so much and for so long that it is basically useless for tracking my position while I am at my house. Is there a way to fix this severe GPS drift?

E78merlin, yes the 11 Pro does seem to be slow to acquire GPS - this can be seen by running the app GPSdiagnostic which gives you a direct look at the hardware. But if you rely on something that needs GPS *inside* your house then the location will be inaccurate due to not getting a good GPS signal inside. If you can adjust both the time to acquire and the distance then maybe you will have more luck.

Dear all,

Just found a new study on smartphones GPS accuracy comparing different phones. Thought it might be relevant for this discussion group.

We Tested Mobile GPS/GNSS Accuracy and Found Some Surprising Results

https://medium.com/@importanttech/we-tested-mobile-gps-gnss-accuracy-and-found-some-surprising-results-b9ec35873e2e

It is worth mentionning that I heard that Apple will upgrade significantly their iPhone GPS capabilities for the next generation of device. This will be welcomed.

I would be INCREDIBLY happy with these numbers out of my 11 Pro. I have my SmartThings device set to a 5000 ft radius around my house to differentiate between me being “home” or “away“ and it STILL sets me to away 2-3 times per day, while I am sitting 20 feet from the set hub location.

I feel like it is something more than this. I have worked with civilian and military GPS systems for over 20 years. I have never had a system drift by over a mile for over a minute (like mine is doing) simply because of a roof. ESPECIALLY when it is cueing off of items other than GPS satellites.

Hi everyone, is anyone aware of any fixes for this?

I am having the same "GPS drift" issues with my 11 Pro.

I upgraded to iOS 13.6, tried working with Apple (they even sent me a new phone bc they thought it was a hardware issue), but the problem persists.

Thank you