How to fix gps not working on Android and iPhone

Where GPS cannot reach

How close it gets. GPS.gov, the US government’s site on the system, says smartphones with GPS are typically accurate to within 4.9 metres (16 feet) under open sky, and that accuracy gets worse near buildings, bridges and trees. The common causes of a wrong position it gives include signals blocked by buildings, bridges and trees, use indoors or underground, and signals reflected off buildings or walls, called multipath.

In a car. Google says some glare-reducing car window films have a metallic base that blocks GPS signals from reaching a phone inside the car.

Indoors and underground. Google says GPS signals are not available indoors or underground, so a GPS Signal Lost message there may be expected; if it happens too often, Google says it may indicate a problem, such as low battery or a fault in the phone or its GPS unit.

What the blue dot in Google Maps says

The circle. When Maps is not sure of your location, a light blue circle shows around the blue dot, and you could be anywhere inside it; the smaller the circle, the surer Maps is. A grey dot, or none, means Maps cannot find you and shows the last location you visited.

Where the location comes from. Google says Maps uses sources such as satellites for GPS, which places you up to around 20 metres and is sometimes inaccurate inside buildings or underground; nearby Wi-Fi networks; and the mobile connection to cell towers, which can be accurate up to a few thousand metres.

Calibrating. If the beam of the blue dot is wide or points the wrong way, Google says to calibrate the compass by moving the phone in a figure 8 until the beam narrows. Outside, the blue dot’s Calibrate option uses the camera, depending on Street View availability.

Is it Maps or the GPS? Google suggests a third-party GPS status app rather than another navigation app, particularly on Android, because another navigation app might use non-GPS location signals. Maps showing your location when you are not navigating doesn’t necessarily mean the phone has a GPS signal: Google says Maps needs a GPS location for active navigation.

Location Accuracy on Android

What it is. On Android devices with Google Play services, Location Accuracy uses Wi-Fi access points, cell towers and sensors such as the accelerometer and gyroscope as well as GPS, to find the location faster, which Google says matters indoors or near tall buildings.

Where it is. On Android 12 and above: Settings › Location › Location Services › Location Accuracy, then Improve Location Accuracy. On Android 11 and lower: Settings › Location › Advanced › Location Accuracy, then Improve Location Accuracy.

When it is off. Google says that, when available, only GPS and the phone’s sensors are used, which makes it harder for apps and services such as Google Maps. When it is on, Google periodically collects data about wireless signals with a rotating identifier that it says is not tied to a person or account.

On an iPhone

What Location Services uses. Apple says Location Services uses GPS and Bluetooth where available, together with crowd-sourced Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers, to find the approximate location. GPS and cellular location are available on iPhone and on iPad Wi-Fi + Cellular models.

Per app. In Settings › Privacy & Security › Location Services, an app can be set to Never, Ask Next Time Or When I Share, While Using the App, or Always, though Apple says some apps might offer only two options. In iOS 14 and later, some apps can use Precise Location, and it can be turned off per app to share only an approximate location, which an app that needs an exact position may not work well with: that last part is our reading, not Apple’s.