Airplane Mode...Will GPS work???

JonathanHuie wrote:

Here is a workaround. Once in airplane mode open the Compass app. The Compass app turns on the GPS, and you can now use the GPS in the Google and Apple maps apps as well. This works for my iPhone 5S with ios7.

Unfortunately this doesn't appear to work with my iPhone 5s running ios8.0.2. 😟

This is a huge drawback compared to my former Motorola Razr HD which did let me turn on the GPS when in airplane mode. This was a great way to save battery when using location services such as Strava for extended periods of time, like 9hrs. It sounds like there are plenty of backpackers who would also appreciate having this feature on the iPhone.

I confirm your findings: iPhone 5, iOS8.0.2 no GPS in airplane mode even with wifi and compass

Hopefully apple will fix this and is not intentional... Very stupid otherwise!

I Was smart enough not to update to iOS 8 so on my iPhone 5S the GPS works in airplane mode, but it takes time to get a lock as AGPS isnt available anymore

Actually, I was using my brother in laws phone without service for awhile, and I found that as long as I had WiF, I could drive 300 miles (even though the map layer would sometimes disappear, the route was made obvious). It's a good feature if you're really ever stuck, you just need to find internet to connect at the start. I'm sure it works abroad. The note 4 works with GLONASS.

So yes, did you find it was possible?

Here are full details: Sprint IPhone 5s off brother in law's contract and on airplane more to conserve battery. I would connect to wifi before driving from slo to sd, taking different freeways, sometimes the map layer would disappear if zoomed but I would still get back around the the correct time.
And I know it doesn't use Glonass without signal, I'm not sure why I mentioned the note 4. But thank you for mentioning Gaia GPS, I'm in need of a cheap solution until I purchase a Garmin.

So, that's probably the difference: Sprint. As I understand it, it's the Verizon iPhones that don't permit GPS to be on when cellular is off, so if you have a Verizon phone it won't work, but with a phone set up for other providers it might. Can someone else confirm this? I know turning on the compass doesn't work to get the GPS going in airplane mode on my iPhone, which is Verizon, running iOS 8.2.

I'd love to figure out how to do this, because I'd like to use the phone's GPS features in the backwoods, where it would quickly deplete the battery looking for a nonexistent cell signal.

Works with AT&T Phone as well. I'm guessing it should work with Verizon because Sprint and Verizon use the same chip (http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/iphone/iphone-faq/differences-between-ipho ne-5-models.html)

Maybe try one of these apps?

http://adventurealan.com/iphone4gps.htm

It's because your phone is iOS 8 not 7

Hmmm... one of the things the article you referenced says is

"The Airplane Mode switch in Settings turns the Cellular Service AND the GPS chip ON or OFF. You can not independently turn Cellular OFF but leave GPS ON. To show your location in a mapping app like Gaia GPS, you must set Airplane Mode to OFF."

Yeah then I'm not sure what to tell you. The phone was a Sprint 32GB iPhone 5 running iOS 7.1.2 and i'd start the drive with airplane mode off and then turn it on but it would continue to work. I'll try on an A&TT with 8.1.3 later and get back to you.

William Williams wrote:

Hmmm... one of the things the article you referenced says is

"The Airplane Mode switch in Settings turns the Cellular Service AND the GPS chip ON or OFF. You can not independently turn Cellular OFF but leave GPS ON.

That is accurate. The only way to turn cell off is the airplane mode, which will switch off GPS and cell data position as well. You can save battery by switching off cell data, which will retain GPS, cell positioning (as long as the relevant cell tower position data is cached or accesible over wifi) and wifi positioning.

I can confirm that I have been unable to access GPS location with several iphones (carrier locked european GSM 3GS and 4 and unlocked T-mobile US 5S). The compass loophole, if it ever existed (my guess is that it didn´t, just somebody mistaking wifi-based positioning for a working GPS), does not work in a 5S with iOS 8.x

William Williams wrote:

To show your location in a mapping app like Gaia GPS, you must set Airplane Mode to OFF."

Not entirely accurate. You can show wifi-based location with airplane mode ON.

However, you can use GPS with cell off by physically removing the SIM card from the device (just checked using geotagphotos and geotagr apps, which let you record tracks while choosing your location source). Not an ideal solution but it´s better than nothing.

Ayway, I hope Apple introduces the ability to turn on GPS location in airplane mode (just like you can turn wifi on)

FrederickW wrote:

However, you can use GPS with cell off by physically removing the SIM card from the device (just checked using geotagphotos and geotagr apps, which let you record tracks while choosing your location source). Not an ideal solution but it´s better than nothing.

Ayway, I hope Apple introduces the ability to turn on GPS location in airplane mode (just like you can turn wifi on)

You don't even need to remove the SIM card. Just go to settings>phone>sim pin. Turn it on. You need your pin from your carrier. Im on att and 1111 worked for my iphone 6 ios8. Restart your phone. Click cancel when it wants you to unlock your sim and there you go. You wont even run the risk of loosing the SIM card! Turn off wifi and Bluetooth from the command center and you are in business. To turn it back on just go to the same place flip the toggle put in the pin and it re connects.

3 FAILED SIM PIN ATTEMPTS LOCKS YOUR PHONE AND YOU NEED TO HAVE YOUR CARRIER UNLOCK IT. So make sure you have the correct pin. Contact your carrier if you need it.

My experience has been the same using a variety of GPS or Map apps.

That all changed with iOS 8.3 on 4/8/15.

I have an iPhone 6, and I have tested this with iPhone 5 as well. Both now utilize Location Services to the full extent in Airplane Mode ... with no access to cellular, WiFi, or Bluetooth for positioning.

I have tested this over the past two weeks in extremely remote areas well out of any service (northern Arizona canyons and dead zones on the Navajo reservation). Even the native Photos App will correctly geosync the pictures I take. I have recorded hours of hiking tracks while in Airplane Mode.

This is a new occurrence under 8.3. It has not previously worked before. For app programmers, I have tested and know for sure that both watchPosition and getcurrentPosition commands are working for apps that use them. This means an iPhone running iOS 8.3 will display your current position in Airplane Mode on any app which has locally stored maps (in Airplane Mode, the Maps App is unable to load a map of where you are due to no data connection, so maps must be stored on the phone). It will also continually track your progress in any number of hiking, biking, running, etc. apps.

I don't know if this is a glitch that Apple did not intend. I can't find any documentation showing it to be a new feature. But I have tested it on several backpacking trips and verified with other users who can now also use GPS in airplane mode.