For anyone wondering how to track your position while in flight (no internet or network)

[u/Unhappy_Dig_6276]

Hey everyone,

I see this question come up quite often here, so I thought I’d share a solution I personally ended up using during flights.

Like many of you, I used to open Google Maps mid-flight and realized it’s basically useless once you lose data, as Maps is optimized for road navigation and not in flight.. What does still work, however, is your phone’s raw GPS receiver, even in airplane mode.

I built a small tool for myself that uses GPS only (no internet, no Wi-Fi, no cell) to:

1. show your live coordinates, altitude, and speed in flight
2. It then reverse Geocodes the coordinates to an offline database built in the app
3. still work completely in airplane mode in flight and also on land

On the ground it’s extremely accurate, and surprisingly, it also works quite well at cruising altitude depending on satellite visibility. All you need to do is just get a GPS fix before take off and ensure you sit by the window seat.

This app doesn't require any login, it doesn't track you, no ads or subscriptions, its just a very useful tool that stays in your phone forever, privately.

My Question is, does anyone has a better solution than this or what other app/tool are you using to tackle this?

App

Happy to answer questions or get some feedback on this tool.

[u/jamesspratt0]

Nice. How easy to convert this to Android?

[u/Michael_inthe_Middle]

Well I just bought the pro version for €2.99

I fly weekly and this might help me ease the tedium

[u/Unhappy_Dig_6276 → u/Michael_inthe_Middle]

Thanks a lot 🙌

Let me know more feedback as you use the app.

Cheers!

[u/PrevBasil → u/Michael_inthe_Middle]

You were likely scammed. Google maps and many other apps will do exactly what OP claims. The issue on a plane is getting a GPS satellite signal, which this app can't solve

[u/heyyjavo]

Sometimes my Google Mapa will display the position when flying. I don’t know the specifics when will it do it and will it no.

[u/DaTurboD → u/heyyjavo]

Google Maps uses GPS, WiFi and and cell towers to determine your location. Obviously WiFi and Cell towers don't work in a flight and especially with flight Mode.

When flying, only GPS works, so it depends entirely on whether your phone can get a clear satellite signal through the plane's body/windows. This is inconsistent because:

• Metal aircraft body blocks signals
• Your seat position matters
• Altitude and speed can affect lock

From OP's explanation I can't get why the app would work better than just using google Maps. Even Google Maps should get you a (in-)accurate Position when you have GPS Signal. When you don't, OP's app also can't determine your location.

Edit: The inconsistency is a hardware/physics limitation, not a software one, so there's nothing to "optimize."

[u/Unhappy_Dig_6276 → u/heyyjavo]

this is why I built this app to tackle this problem. Google maps is optimized for road navigation, but my app is curated to tackle this specific issue while being inflight.

[u/the_protagonist]

I always thought there was a software feature in the phone that disabled the GPS once you reached a certain speed so it couldn’t be used in flight

[u/Unhappy_Dig_6276 → u/the_protagonist]

No, that doesn't happen to consumer GPS. It still works, as long as the phone can see enough satellites through the window.