GPS Test
Run a GPS test in the browser. Time the first fix, watch accuracy in meters tighten or stall, and see if the receiver locks on. Coordinates stay on the phone.
GPS is the part you only test once you’re already lost. The map spins, the blue dot drifts a block from where you’re standing, and the driver gives up. This GPS test times how fast your phone locks on and how tight the fix gets. Run it before that matters.
Run the test on your phone
Tap Start location test and allow location access when the phone asks. The first fix is fastest outdoors with a clear view of the sky, so step outside if you can. Hold still for a few seconds while the receiver pulls in satellites. Accuracy tightens as more satellites come in.
The test keeps watching after the first fix, so the accuracy and coordinates update live. Walk a few steps and the numbers should move with you. Tap Stop when you’re done.
What the numbers mean
Time to fix is how long the phone took to report its first position. Outdoors with a clear sky, a good receiver does this in a few seconds. A cold start, after the phone has been off or indoors a while, can stretch toward 30 seconds while it pulls in current satellite positions.
Accuracy is the margin of error in meters. Smaller is better. The number turns green under 20 meters, yellow up to 100, and red beyond that. Updates counts the fixes since you started. A healthy receiver keeps it climbing; a stuck counter means the receiver is struggling.
Indoors reads wide, outdoors reads tight
Where you stand decides the result more than the hardware does. Indoors, satellite signals are blocked, so the phone estimates your spot from wifi networks and cell towers instead. That reads anywhere from 30 meters to a few hundred. Not a fault. Just physics.
Step outside and a working receiver switches to satellites and tightens fast. If the accuracy stays above 100 meters under open sky, with Location on and a clear view up, the GPS receiver or its antenna is the likely problem.
Your location stays on the phone
This test reads your position with the browser’s standard location prompt, the same one a map site uses. RigPolice is a static site with no backend, so there’s nowhere for the data to go. Your coordinates show up on this page only. Close the tab and nothing is kept.
The one exception is the optional map. Tap Show on map and your browser pulls map tiles from OpenStreetMap and CARTO, which shows your rough area to those services. Skip it and nothing about your location ever leaves the phone.
Why it matters on a used phone
A broken GPS looks fine indoors, which makes it one of the easier faults to miss in a quick meetup. Run this outside before you buy, alongside the rest of our guide to testing a used phone. Round it out with the gyroscope test too. Navigation apps use both sensors: GPS for where you are, the gyroscope for which way you’re facing.
FAQ
- Why is my GPS accuracy stuck at 30 meters or more?
- Indoors the phone leans on wifi and cell towers instead of satellites, and those read wider. Step outside with a clear view of the sky. A healthy receiver drops under 20 meters within a few seconds out there.
- Does this test send my location anywhere?
- The test itself sends nothing, and RigPolice has no server to receive it. If you tap Show on map, your browser loads map tiles from OpenStreetMap and CARTO, and that request reveals your rough area to those map services. Skip the map and your coordinates never leave the phone.
- Why won't my phone get a GPS fix at all?
- Check that Location is on in phone settings and that the browser has permission. A cold start outdoors can take up to 30 seconds, so give it that long before judging. If it still won't fix under open sky, the receiver or antenna is likely the fault.
- Do I need a SIM card for GPS to work?
- No. GPS reads satellites directly, with no SIM and no data connection. A SIM helps: assisted GPS downloads current satellite positions over the network to speed up the first fix, but the receiver works without it.
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