Is GPS signal dependant on mobile signal

Mishomeister

Since swirching to giffgaff two months ago my phone which I use as a navigator started to lose the gps signal friquently.

I am confused as I though gps signal comes from satelite and therefore mobile operator should be irrelevant?

I am using google maps for it.

Scrapit

GPS doesn't use mobile data. Google maps does.

Herzlos

No you just need a line of sight to the satellite (so car window outdoors). You'd need mobile data to use any maps features like traffic updates or new map downloads. Google maps lets you download the mapping in advance to handle bad signal areas.

Johnmcl7

Mobile phones use a mix of GPS which relies on data from satelites and Assisted-GPS (A-GPS) which uses mobile data to download information from the mobile network to help the device. The A-GPS can significantly improve the initial GPS fix and also assist in urban areas where GPS reception can be poor but there's many cell stations the device can calculate its position from. In addition to these systems mobile phones also offer location assistance from wifi, if your device is near a wireless access point and the GPS location of that wifi access point is known then the phone can work out roughly where it is.

What phone is it and what network were you on previously?

Mutton_Geoff

Google is very intrusive. I recently swapped my BT modem over for one my gf had brought over from her old house as my original had a fault.

My phone now thinks it’s at her old house for location based services (eg weather). I discovered Google learned where the MAC address of the router was and sends that to my phone to confuse it. I turned that off in the phone settings so location only comes from GPS, not wifi or mobile signals.

Mishomeister

Johnmcl7 wrote: »

Mobile phones use a mix of GPS which relies on data from satelites and Assisted-GPS (A-GPS) which uses mobile data to download information from the mobile network to help the device. The A-GPS can significantly improve the initial GPS fix and also assist in urban areas where GPS reception can be poor but there's many cell stations the device can calculate its position from. In addition to these systems mobile phones also offer location assistance from wifi, if your device is near a wireless access point and the GPS location of that wifi access point is known then the phone can work out roughly where it is.

What phone is it and what network were you on previously?

I was on 3. I got Samsung Galaxy S7

AdrianC

Try Sygic. Totally off-line navigation, free of charge.

Or, even better and utterly infallible...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0749581352/

reeac

We have zero mobile phone reception where I live but our satnavs, both car and handheld, work perfectly.

oldagetraveller

reeac wrote: »

We have zero mobile phone reception where I live but our satnavs, both car and handheld, work perfectly.

Yes, but they use GPS. However, if you have a satnav that has a "traffic" function, that either needs a mobile phone data link via a suitable app or a mobile sim built into the satnav.

daveyjp

My Garmin GPS has a traffic function, but no mobile data connection or sim card.

Andy_L

Mishomeister wrote: »

Since swirching to giffgaff two months ago my phone which I use as a navigator started to lose the gps signal friquently.

I am confused as I though gps signal comes from satelite and therefore mobile operator should be irrelevant?

I am using google maps for it.

Has you phone had a software update, coincidentally about the same time as changing providers? My recent series of updates have knackered the GPS performance of my phone.