In IOS8 is there any way to turn off all radios EXCEPT GPS?
<br>With apps like iHikeGPS the iPhone is almost a great hiking GPS *EXCEPT* for battery life which is too short for even a single long day in the mountains.
<br>A GPS only mode would make the iPhone an excellent GPS for hiking. (Those "other" smartphones can do this)
iPhone 5s, iOS 8
I Will have to agree with him on this, GPS receiver should be on on demand, GPs doesn't transmit, I don't see why it would need to be disconnected on the plane. On iOS 7 if you turn on compass it will enable GPS through a bug, but they might have fixed it for iOS 8
With a cellular iPad you can turn off cellular data (not airplane mode, literally just cellular data setting to OFF) and GPS remains on. Is that not the case with iPhone?
Its not the case on either device. The GPS chip is part of the cellular hardware. If you turn off Cellular you turn off GPS. Turning off Cellular Data, only means your iPhone has no access to the internet through your cell carrier, but does not in any way turn off the cell connection. ie you can still make calls and receive texts, and this is still not allowed on Airplanes. It should be in the near future though.
Both iPhone and iPad however, can use nearby Wifi access points to estimate location when GPS is not available.
With that said, making the GPS a separate chip to the Cell hardware would mean extra space for it, that is already very limited on iPhones, and now on iPads with the very very thin iPad Air 2.
iPhones transmit more than just data, we also have voice, disconnecting data will still leave the phone searching for network and draining the battery.. I'm on iOS 7 so there's a loophole, but iOS 8 I think sealed it.
Phil0124 wrote:
Its not the case on either device. The GPS chip is part of the cellular hardware.
This is true, but on a cellular iPad you can turn Cellular Data off and GPS remains active (i.e. not Airplane mode). I travelled through Europe with Navigon on my iPad 2 (cellular, with data off) and my location was spot-on out on lonely backroads and trails in the Italian countryside and Alps ... zero Wi-Fi around. Perhaps there was/is a difference in how iOS manages the control of the cellular/GPS chip between iPhone and iPad, but it certainly tracked me as good as my Garmin would back home. Also, this was over 2 years ago on iOS 6, so perhaps things have changed since then.
PHil is wrong, obviously gps is hardware, but airplane mode doesn't have levers and gears to disable individual parts, or everything together, each transmitter can be shut off individually, (and receiver) iPhone 5s with iOS 7 had a bug where Ina or plane mode through compass app the gps will re-enable, but wil take a while to lock because AGPS isn't available, iOS8 fixed this I believe. iPad with sim card has GPS as well, disabling data doesn't put the iPad into the airplane mode, thus gps still works, apple likes to shut off gps when airplane mode is on, so it shouldn't work in that mode, for iPhones it's different, disconnecting internet the phone will still waste energy looking for towers and will still get assisted gps.
I use iHikeGPS on my phone frequently on mountaineering and backpacking adventures. Most of the time there is no cellular service. The phone would then waste a lot of precious battery if the cellular was left on. So I keep the phone in Airplane mode, except when I need to use iHikeGPS. I rarely do tracks or require constant or continuous knowledge of my exact location. With Airplane mode on, I can still access and use the maps I have stored on my phone. Using the phone and iHikeGPS this way I typically get 2-3 days on the battery. I charge my phone at night using a battery pack. I can charge the phone from a nearly depleted battery to full at least 3-4 times with the battery pack. I just leave it charge while I'm sleeping in my tent at night. Another alternative are solar chargers.
WWell I use superior Gaia GPS, if you are still on iOS7 or below, try entering airplane mode, then open compass, then go into your gps application and it will get a satellite lock, beware however it will take liger than usual because now the AGPS is not available
Exactly, turning off Data does not turn off the Cellular chip. Turning On Airplane mode turns everything off. You can then selectively turn Wifi and Bluetooth back on if you need it.
Turning Off Cellular Data will continue to drain the battery regularly while cellular looks for a signal which is what the OP wanted to avoid.
Dr. Kane wrote:
PHil is wrong, obviously gps is hardware, but airplane mode doesn't have levers and gears to disable individual parts, or everything together, each transmitter can be shut off individually, (and receiver) iPhone 5s with iOS 7 had a bug where Ina or plane mode through compass app the gps will re-enable, but wil take a while to lock because AGPS isn't available, iOS8 fixed this I believe. iPad with sim card has GPS as well, disabling data doesn't put the iPad into the airplane mode, thus gps still works, apple likes to shut off gps when airplane mode is on, so it shouldn't work in that mode, for iPhones it's different, disconnecting internet the phone will still waste energy looking for towers and will still get assisted gps.
No, Airplane mode turns everything off. You can then selectively turn Wifi and Bluetooth back on because they are separate chips. i.e it can cut the power to specific chips. Not parts of the same chip.
If you turn off the Cellular hardware, the GPS potion being part of it, turns off also, and you can only turn it on when you turn off Airplane mode, so the entire chip can turn on.
The Compass on an iPhone does not use GPS. It uses the accelerometer much like magentic compass would. The only reason it uses GPS is to show your location, but not your heading. As such the Compass still shows heading while in Airplane mode on iOS 8, but not location.
Bro, that's what Apple does, GPS itself has nothing to do with cellular connection, GPS is a separate chip, you can selectively disconnect it when you normally use your phone, it can be done on all phones, similarly you could have GPS on in airplane mode, but apple decided that we couldn't selectively turn it back on like for instance every other phone does it, or iOS7 bug
What part of the GPS hardware is part of the cellular chip do you not understand?
The GPS hardware is embedded into the Cellular chip. When you turn it off, you turn off the GPS.
Its done because this particular chip is very small so it fits in the phone dimensions.
Other Phones do have separate chips for GPS and Cellular, the iPhone does not. Its one single chip.
For instance the iPhone 5s uses the Qualcomm WTR1605L chip, which houses both cellular and gps functions.
https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPhone+5s+Teardown/17383
The Qualcomm WTR1605L is an LTE/HSPA+/CDMA2K/TDSCDMA/EDGE/GPS transceiver.
Phil- I always thought that the GPS was on the cellular chip as well.
But with iPhone 6, beginning with iOS 8.3, I can assure you that the GPS now works independently of other Location Services functions. In Airplane Mode, I am now fully able to get an accurate position as well as create and follow GPS tracks using hiking apps while in Airplane Mode ... in the middle of nowhere well out of cellular or wifi service ranges. This is new with 8.3, but I have tested it several times and had others do so as well. I'm not sure if it requires iPhone 6, but it certainly requires iOS 8.3.
I'm hoping it isn't a glitch that Apple doesn't realize (there is not information about it in the release notes). But it does seem to indicate that at least on iPhone 6 the GPS can run independently of the cellular chip.
GPS is on the cellular chip, but perhaps through software (i.e. 8.3) there has been a change in what exactly is disabled in Airplane mode.
That's what I had also thought, but I've now been able to have several other people on various forums confirm that running iOS 8.3 they have fully functioning Location Services even in Airplane Mode. I'd be happy to hear from others who try this.
But ideally I would like to see Apple release something official about it.
I don't see anything in the 8.3 release notes about this, and Apple may never publish an article specifically on something this "obscure" (i.e. important to some, but probably a relatively small % of users). I know what you're after, something official for some assurance that this feature wasn't by accident and will not be "corrected" in some future release. All I can suggest is, enjoy it while it works for you ;-)
No doubt it can be very useful in some scenarios, but why GPS is now available in Airplane mode is only known by Apple.
IOS8 GPS Only Mode ?
