Latest
Accuracy
How accurate is iPhone GPS? What the blue dot really means in the field
Your phone shows a blue dot, but how tight is the fix really, why it drifts, and how to pull a position number you can call in.
More guides
Mark a spot
How to drop a pin on iPhone and get back to the exact spot
Mark the exact spot of a problem house, an encampment, or a rural site with no posted number, get back to it next shift, and send it so another unit lands on the same square.
Compass
True north vs magnetic north: what the difference means
Your compass does not point at the top of the map. The two norths, the angle called declination, and how to read a true heading on iPhone.
Offline
Does GPS work without signal? Offline location on iPhone
Your coordinates come from satellites, not cell towers. What works in a dead zone, what waits for a connection, and how to use GPS offline on iPhone.
Coordinates
GPS coordinates converter: one spot, every format
The same point can be written four ways. What each coordinate format means, how to convert between them, and how to read your own position in all four.
Coordinates
GPS coordinates of my location: find and share yours
How to read your latitude and longitude off your iPhone, show your spot on a map, pick the right format, and send the numbers so help lands exactly on you.
Reading coordinates
Latitude and longitude: how to read your GPS coordinates
What latitude and longitude actually mean, how to read a pair out loud without getting them backward, the three formats they come in, and how to find your own.
Sharing a spot
What is what3words? The three-word address, explained
How a three-word address works, how to find and share yours, and why officers and emergency services use three words to put help on an exact 3-meter square.
Land navigation
What is MGRS? The military grid reference system, explained
How to read a military grid reference coordinate, find your own MGRS grid on iPhone, and why it beats latitude and longitude when you have to put a unit on an exact spot.
Your exact location
Where am I right now? How to find your exact location and address
Your phone knows where it is. Here is how to read it as a street address, the nearest cross street, and coordinates you can say out loud, even with no signal.
Sharing location
How to share your location on iPhone when it has to be exact
The built-in ways are fine for meeting a friend. On a call you need a spot someone can act on. The fast ways to send your iPhone location, and the code that does not depend on a dropped pin.
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