GPS works abroad?

Comments

• Reply 1 of 10

  bergermeister Posts: 6,784member

  June 23, 2009 12:36PM

  GPS works around the globe and uses data from satellites to determine your position. It itself does not need a phone connection.
  
  
  
  Some apps may need a 3G connection (at some point to get data, whatever). The iPhone 3G accesses from time to time to update map data. Some apps may include all of the data.
  
  
  
  You should check before you buy and go.
• Reply 2 of 10

  ramsey123 Posts: 55member

  June 23, 2009 2:01PM

  Careful with this. As an AT&T subscriber in the US, we?re raked over the coals for overseas data usage. When in Airplane mode, the GPS will not work. Google Maps that work with the GPS are not stored in the phone itself, they are downloaded over either Wi-Fi or cell networks and updated as you walk along. The GPS chip has no maps associated with it. So if you can afford the data Google map downloads when roaming over there from country to country (could be VERY expensive), by all means the GPS will work.
  
  
  
  Hopefully the Tom-Tom deal WILL load the maps independently, like all other Nav. units, and there will be zero charge for use.
• Reply 3 of 10

  ramsey123 Posts: 55member

  June 23, 2009 2:10PM

  See also the recent iPhone Navigation thread about, "Monday, Navigon released its own MobileNavigator for European residents."
• Reply 4 of 10

  ivan.rnn01 Posts: 1,822member

  June 23, 2009 2:15PM

  Standard Apple Maps application, using Google maps, is designed to work everywhere, sure. It loads maps over 3G and thus needs data plan. But carriers often ban data services for iPhone while in zone of international roaming. So you may not be charged, but Maps app may not work.
  
  
  
  If your carrier allows international data roaming and if you don't take any precautions, it will be terribly expensive.
  
  
  
  Sometimes carriers sell special short-term international data roaming plans, say, 20MB or 100MB of data per week. This is the most appropriate option.
  
  
  
  P.S. Even if TomTom application is on-board one, i.e. stores all maps on the iPhone, it will employ their IQ Routes service transparently, which will need data exchange over 3G. So will traffic information and other services. Best is to buy short-term data plan.
• Reply 5 of 10

  kovich Posts: 43member

  August 26, 2009 2:29AM

  I am also an iPhone user based in the UK who has used it abroad whilst roaming on O2. All of the comments above are correct so I just write with a warning. Using GPS outside the UK with an application that loads data over the network (Google Maps is an obvious example) will be exceedingly expensive unless you are able to connect to the internet with WiFi.
  
  
  
  After a two week holiday in France with moderate usage my monthly O2 bill can easily be £120 +. It's tough but then you have to remember we actually have a great deal in the UK with O2's all you can eat data plans.
  
  
  
  Obviously you might not call a £100+ phone bill expensive.
• Reply 6 of 10

  ivan.rnn01 Posts: 1,822member

  August 26, 2009 5:35AM

  iPhone by Orange France.
  
  
  
  International data roaming without special data plans: 0.09 eur for 10KB, i.e. >9 eur for 1MB
  
  
  
  Data roaming plans proposed by Orange
  
  ----------------------------------------------------------
  
  3 MB useable during 7 days since the date of activation - 5 eur (1,70 eur/MB)
  
  20MB useable for 7 days - 20 eur (1,00 eur/MB)
  
  100MB useable for 7 days - 75 eur (0,75 eur/MB)
  
  
  
  Special iPhone data roaming plans
  
  ----------------------------------------------------------
  
  10MB per day - 5 eur/day (0,50 eur/MB)
  
  
  
  Maps app sends and receives ~400KB of data, when determining the current location first time (if previously cached map should be discarded and reloaded). Consequent map updates take less, sure.
  
  
  
  Personally tested 3MB, 20MB and 100MB plans with iPhone; in quite moderate usage (determining current locations, no continuous guidance, local weather, e-mails, some web surfing) . 3MB were consumed entirely, 11MB of 20MB were consumed, 17MB of 100MB were consumed for 7 days.
• Reply 7 of 10

  kingofsomewherehot Posts: 4,179member

  August 26, 2009 7:39AM

  My ATT iPhone has spent a lot of time in Paris recently.
  
  With everything turned ON, but Data Roaming turned OFF... of course "Maps" won't work, as they need info from Google... but even just running the "Compass" app, the Lat/Lon never updates... I can be outside staring at the Arc De Triumph (so in wide open view of the satellites) but while it gets a perfectly good signal from Orange, the GPS coordinates don't update until I turn Data Roaming ON (and get charged.)
  
  
  
  Seems odd to me... I realize acquiring a position without the "assistance" of the cell network will take longer, but no need to disable GPS completely when data is turned off!
• Reply 8 of 10

  ivan.rnn01 Posts: 1,822member

  August 26, 2009 8:12AM

  Paris's not gonna let you out, dude. You are to stay.
  
  
  
  Ah, un petit bug sympa! Marketing 2 applications as "Maps + Compass" doesn't necessarily mean they shouldn't work without one another.
• Reply 9 of 10

  kingofsomewherehot Posts: 4,179member

  August 26, 2009 9:47AM

  Quote:
  

  Originally Posted by ivan.rnn01
  
  
  Paris's not gonna let you out, dude. You are to stay.
  
  
  
  Ah, un petit bug sympa! Marketing 2 applications as "Maps + Compass" doesn't necessarily mean they shouldn't work without one another.
  

  
  

  
  
  I'm already out!... no plans to return... Once you've seen the Louve, the Tour Eiffel, the Arc,, Notre Dame ... it's just another big dirty city
  
  
  
  But the Compass app shows Lat/Lon along the bottom of the screen (no map required) ... but it shows the location where I last had data turned on... I can walk around Paris all day in plain view of the satellites, but because I have the 3G data pipe turned off, it shows the Lat/Lon of Houston, TX. No reason it can't update that info without a data connection. (Well, apparently there IS a reason, I just don't know what it is! )
• Reply 10 of 10

  ivan.rnn01 Posts: 1,822member

  August 26, 2009 11:05AM

  Quote:
  

  Originally Posted by KingOfSomewhereHot
  
  
  I'm already out!... no plans to return... Once you've seen the Louve, the Tour Eiffel, the Arc,, Notre Dame ... it's just another big dirty city
  

  
  

  
  
  What is $#@$ big? Paris? It's all encircled by Périphérique, and that's all, there's no Paris outside.
  
  I don't understand, why I always fail to explain to anglo-saxons, that they should wait until September, then grab those partners of theirs, then come to Paris just to walk, to drop into some café maybe... Ah, yes, the sitting time is limited to 5 min in those cafés.
  
  There's truth in what you said. I removed from there many years ago.
  
  
  
  

  Quote:
  

  Originally Posted by KingOfSomewhereHot
  
  
  But the Compass app shows Lat/Lon along the bottom of the screen (no map required) ... but it shows the location where I last had data turned on... I can walk around Paris all day in plain view of the satellites, but because I have the 3G data pipe turned off, it shows the Lat/Lon of Houston, TX. No reason it can't update that info without a data connection. (Well, apparently there IS a reason, I just don't know what it is! )
  

  
  

  
  
  Absolutely. This is the issue on Apple side.