Question 1

What does GPS accuracy actually mean?

Accepted Answer

It is a radius, in metres, around the reported coordinates. An accuracy of 12 m means your true position is most likely somewhere inside a 12 m circle — not that you are 12 m away from where the map shows you.

Question 2

What is a good GPS accuracy figure?

Accepted Answer

Outdoors with a clear sky view, a modern phone typically reaches 3 to 10 m. Anything under 30 m is fine for navigation. Indoors or between tall buildings the figure often rises above 50 m because the device falls back to Wi-Fi and cell positioning.

Question 3

Why is my GPS accuracy so poor?

Accepted Answer

The usual causes are being indoors, dense cloud or tree cover, tall buildings reflecting the signal, battery saver limiting location updates, or a cold start where the receiver has not yet downloaded satellite data. Step outside and wait 30 to 60 seconds — accuracy usually improves sharply.

Question 4

Does this page store my location?

Accepted Answer

No. Coordinates are read by the browser and shown on screen only. Nothing is transmitted or saved, and coordinates stay hidden until you choose to reveal them.

Question 5

Why does the browser show a different location than my maps app?

Accepted Answer

Browsers often use a coarser provider than a native app, and desktop browsers usually locate you by IP address or nearby Wi-Fi networks rather than GPS, which can be off by hundreds of metres or more. A phone with high-accuracy mode enabled gives the closest result to a maps app.

GPS Accuracy Test

What the numbers mean

Frequently asked questions