GPS accuracy on iOS 18 w/ current iPhones

[fweber]

Hi,

for a project usecase I'm curious about the capabilities of the iPhones' built-in positioning system and the available APIs.
I've learned, that it has not been possible to use RTK-corrected positioning, as the iOS API just provides location data and does not offer an option to implement RTK signals. I guess this is still the case with iOS 18. My provider wants to sell me additional (and pricey) RTK GPS receivers, which enable a positioning accuracy of about 1 cm. However, my usecase would also be fine with an accuracy of roughly 1 meter.

Is this possible, maybe using Galileo instead of GPS (iPhone 12+ should be able to handle this)? Is there an app that can provide detailed info on accuracy and used positioning system?

 

[lemimouth]

Try GPS Data. It shows the vertical and horizontal accuracy of your GPS signal

 

[fweber]

Try GPS Data. It shows the vertical and horizontal accuracy of your GPS signal

Thanks! GPS Data shows the current accuracy (seemingly reported from an iOS API) as well as the Phyphox app. However, I don't know if the positioning is based on GPS or Galileo data, or if it can be more accurate than "2,0 meters" (that was the lowest, constant value and didn't change any further).

 

[lemimouth]

Same here. The best accuracy I can get under clear sky is 2 meters. I suspect Apple is intentionally limiting precision and doesn’t provide detailed data through their API.

But, a few meters of accuracy is more than sufficient for navigation on a consumer device, which is why “pro” solutions exist

 

[jpdunn13]

What I would be curious to learn about is why Apple Maps, Waze, and Google Maps on the iPhone are all clueless about a road closure. The road is a main state highway and is close to (I assume) install a roundabout. It has been closed for one month and probably will be many more months. The built-in Google navigation in the EV knows about the closure and can detour you without any problems.

 

[lemimouth]

A road closure has absolutely nothing to do with GPS precision. It depends on data from the different map/navigation providers and how they integrate it in their apps