Question

I need to capture the GPS coordinates (no reverse geocoding, names, etc) in regions where there is no internet such as on a sailing boat or in the Sahara desert, so that you just get the latitude and longitude of where you are.

Does Core Location support that and falls back to GPS-only (no cell triangulation or WiFi location mapping)?

I think it does, but just want to be sure.

Answer 1

Some iOS devices have a real GPS chip allowing you to get location data even with no Internet connection. I believe the last few iPhones all have GPS. Some of the iPad models have GPS. I don’t believe any of the iPod touch models have GPS.

Obviously without Internet you can’t show any map data unless it is part of the app, but the app will be able to record real location data.

Also, without Internet, the GPS may take longer to get an initial position. The devices with GPS have what is called “assisted GPS”. This means Cellular and/or WiFi triangulation is used to help get an initial position fix quicker that without.

Devices without GPS use cellular and/or WiFi triangulation to get estimated location data which is far less accurate than devices with GPS.