How does cell phone gps work

You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Tell us why! More from Lifewire. What Is a Cellphone? Cellphones, Coverage, and Networks. Radio Station Equipment: An Introduction. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for Lifewire. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. While the standard GPS that comes in an iPhone or Android phone may not be sensitive enough to give an exact address where the phone is located, it can narrow the location to within a small area.

We know where they are because they constantly send out signals. A GPS receiver in your phone listens for these signals. Once the receiver calculates its distance from four or more GPS satellites, it can figure out where you are.

Yes, you can use GPS to get your location data free of cost. But, if you want to use it as a road by road and turn by turn navigation device, you need street maps.

Google maps and Waze provide them free of cost! With constant advances in modern-day technology, most people will own a smartphone. One of the most commonly used apps that comes with a smartphone as standard is the navigation services. No matter where you are, you can use a navigation system to get you to places that you need to go. Well, that is if you have internet. Or so we thought. Lots of people will pay for their mobile data along with a phone contract, or they will pay extra for data bundles if they paid for the phone outright.

Everything is so dependent on the internet these days that we would be totally lost without it at times. Can you still use your GPS to get around? We are here to answer any questions that you might have about your smartphone navigation system.

GPS is a Global Positioning System, which is a navigation system that uses satellites, a receiver, and algorithms to synchronize location, velocity, and time data. The satellite system that is used consists of a constellation of 24 satellites that reside in six Earth-centered orbital planes and each plane has four satellites. The fourth satellite actually moves us into the third dimension and allows us to calculate the altitude of a device.

As you move toward the edge of one cell, your signal strength diminishes. At the same time, the base station in the cell you are approaching notices the strength of your signal increasing.

As you move from cell to cell, the towers transfer your signal from one to the next. In remote locations, towers may be so far apart that they can't provide a consistent signal. Even when towers are plentiful, mountains and tall buildings can interrupt their signals.

Sometimes people have a hard time getting clear signals inside buildings, especially in elevators. A computer can determine your location based on measurements of your signal, such as:. Since obstacles like trees and buildings can affect how long it takes your signal to travel to a tower, this method is often less accurate than a GPS measurement. Like a cell phone , a GPS receiver relies on radio waves. But instead of using towers on the ground, it communicates with satellites that orbit the Earth.

There are currently 27 GPS satellites in orbit -- 24 are in active use and 3 act as a backup in case another satellite fails. The receiver then uses trilateration to determine your exact location. Basically, it draws a sphere around each of three satellites it can locate. These three spheres intersect in two points -- one is in space, and one is on the ground.

The point on the ground at which the three spheres intersect is your location. A GPS receiver has to have a clear line of sight to the satellite to operate, so dense tree cover and buildings can keep it from getting a fix on your location. GPS receivers and cell phones have a lot in common, and both are very popular.

In the next section, we'll look at some of the features of GPS-enabled cell phones. In wireless-assisted systems, the phone uses the orbiting GPS satellites in conjunction with information about the cell phone's signal.