No GPS in iPhone 3g airplane mode, why?

Hi Alex,

I am aware that consumer grade GPS are prohibited from functioning above a certain speed. However my complaint is that there are othe instances when airplane mode is engaged, for example on a sound stage to as not to generate interferece that having a viable GPS for recording locations of photos etc would be extremely useful. Something for the GPS for 3g users along the lines of the way iphone users can enable wi-fi in airplane mode would solve this issue

Since all you want is just the iphone without the cell service enabled...
You can turn off the HSDPA network by going to:
Settings > General > Network > turn off "3G"

Problem solved!

Just remember to turn it back on as soon as you are done whatever you were doing...

& yes you can still use your GPS and your Wi-Fi

I have already disabled 3g, but the Edge data network remains connected and phone calls area still able to get through. Is there a way to disable those two items?

Since AT&T makes the Edge the default and somewhat mandatory network connection if 3G is not available. The easiest way to stop edge connection is:

Go to Settings > General > Network > EDGE. Then edit the APN, change the server name (like adding xxx or something like that)

I have been told that some users cannot see Edge as an option since some providers don't want users to fool around with it. There are other ways to shut it off, which I am sure you can find in google or youtube...

good luck!

thanks marc.. I was trying to find another solution than jailbreaking ATT, but have not had any luck.

problem of GPS unavailability when GSM/3G is disabled remains unresolved.

Here is another scenario of when this would be helpful: I will be traveling out of the country. I want to leave my phone off but still take pictures and have them geo tagged.

There seems to be no way to do that.

how do yo know if the GPS is off or on?

Radios, including iPhones, all generate noise when they are turned on. The concern is a GPS will generate noise which may interfere with the GPS and other radio navigation in an aircraft.

It is interesting to me that we're not allowed to use wi-fi in inside the aircraft at least until the airline begins selling wi-fi products - at that time it is acceptable.

In short anything which may interfere with aircraft navigation isn't permitted during landing and take-off. That's part of the reason we have to stow our iPhones, iPods and such. A fair trade off to ensure we're flying safely.

Or just leave it on and see if it works. Yes it creates a bit of noise but, the whole rule is to prevent that 340 passengers will leave their phone on and all their phones will be searching a signal that is unavailable above 3000 ft usually, this is very disturbing and might prevent that flight crew can communicate with tower. However one or a few phones can't really do so.

I am a pilot myself and have forgotten to switch of my phone more than once, nothing happens. Since 3 days I owe a 3G iPhone, next time I fly I for sure want to test it.

Hmmm, I learned that all nav. instruments these days, especially in the common used "Glass cockpit" are not sensitive at all, they have GPS, but their primal navigation works on the laser based IRS system that could never be disturbed by a GSM signal.

I also know that some pilots use a PDA / PDA-Mobile with a bluetooth simple GSM module for back up navigation on conventional planes, and they go far beyond 125 mph.

Once I asked this question to a 747 captain who informed me that many phones can disturb a signal, but then again many! He explained me that mainly the phones need to be switched of because when the plane disconnects from its Ground Power Unit and switches on its own power unit it can give a huge electromagnetic impulse braking all equipment that is on. Due to airlines liability law by ICAO they are responsible to the passengers for the defects, therefor everything must be switched off.

In past days equipment used to be more sensitive to noise made by phones but on modern (10 years old aircraft aswell ) I highly doubt it's even a issue.

In a year we all will be able to call on planes, the only thing that will change on the aircraft is that they will add a special GSM antenna.

I am curious about Rogue electronics, I heard a story like that aswell and would like to investigate that report out of curiosity. That flight was a Saab 340 of Crossair in 2001, the plane was from the late 80'. Systems have improved drastically last decade.

Again I could be wrong so I want to learn more about this issue.

With regards

Actually I loved it! I was lost in the middle of nowhere and my iPhone battery was running out (outch!)....I needed the map to find my way and the GPS use loads of your battery. Using the airplane mode allowed me to use Google map without GPS. It saved me!!!

It turns off all the radios off by default. Luckily, you have a discrete option for toggling wifi on and off, therefore, you're left with an airplane mode that can toggle wifi. Unfortunately, for your arbitrary preferences, there is not much utility for a gps radio toggle, since it's only on when u deliberately use it. Therefore no gps exclusive airplane mode option. Also, it's important to take note that WIFI IS DISABLED by default. And you'd have to intentionally go in and toggle it on, after putting your phone into airplane mode.

Shadowpocalypse

Hi there. I was asking the same question from myself too. I like to go out hiking, so it's important for me to have a longer battery life. Thinking out of the box helped me, here's a temporary solution (until they introduce a "hiking mode" - no cell, no wifi, no bluetooth, only gps):

Just remove the sim card: the phone won't have to continuously search for signal, and you have gps. Also don't forget to turn off wifi and bluetooth! Setting the brightness level can help too.

Here's some related advertisment :) I happen to be one of the developers who are developing an iPhone app which is capable of showing maps in offline mode (when no internet connection is available - no cell, no wifi), before you go on your trip download the map for the respective area. Link to app OpenMaps: http://j.mp/OpenMaps . The latest update is under review, when it's out you'll have OpenCycleMaps as well, which is needed for hiking trips. If you have any question about the app feel free to contact us at openmapsapp@gmail.com .

@giulipi: OpenMaps doesn't use the gps unless you push the "locate-me" button, it is thought out in a way not to waste precious battery capacity. Check it out :)

I'm also interested in running in "Hiking Mode". Battery life is one issue, but another is that there are some radio-quiet areas I frequently wind up in, and having a live cell phone is a no-no. (Think "radio telescopes" and "way more sensitive than avionics receivers".) Nonetheless, it would be nice to be able to use the GPS.

@Csongor Nemes, I'm SERIOUSLY interested in that application you're working on.

I'd also be interested in a no-maps no-frills strictly by the numbers GPS app. Decimal Latitude, Decimal Longitude, Lat/Long RMS Error, Altitude, Altitude RMS Error, and Clock are the things I'm interested in. I do a fair bit of aerial photography, and it helps to have GPS locations of ground points when processing the data. Ideally this would be done with something like a Trimble TotalStation, but I'm willing to give up a fair bit in accuracy in order to not have to haul around yet another piece of equipment, so long as I KNOW what my accuracy is.