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iPhone GPS Hack Tested and it Works!

gizmodo.com — Whoa, the iPhone just got assisted GPS. This AM, the Navizon GPS app showed up in Installer.app. After creating a username and login (get this: email NOT required), the free app started up, taking about 30 seconds to find my location by triangulation, and then pushing my location to the official Apple Map application for driving directions. Crazy.

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  • nofxosx, on 10/10/2007, -2/+46scary enough, that it found where I was using wifi devices around me... nice, pretty accurate...

    and it opens Google maps with a pushpin where you are, and your coordinates... WOW
    • gravis86, on 10/10/2007, -16/+3Not very scary, actually. It seems it just finds your external IP address and looks up the know location for that IP. Not even very hard, actually.
      • rebuilder, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1If that's what it does, then it would require you to be logged onto a wifi network. Does it automatically connect to unsecured networks? What about places where unauthorized use of networks is illegal?
        • FTLJohnson, on 10/10/2007, -6/+3didn't you mean to say it like "illeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeegal"? Where use of networks is illeeeeeeeeeeegal... this application is illeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeegal. Somebody better call the gestapo for Rebuilder... he's getting antsy.
      • KibibyteBrain, on 10/10/2007, -5/+25Yes, buried as inaccurate. This is not GPS. I thought someone had hacked the GPS radio in the iPhone so you could use it. Now THAT would be awesome.
        • skinfitz, on 10/10/2007, -2/+13...it would indeed be awesome as it doesn't have a GPS radio.
        • bigsteve, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4Some GSM radio modules have 911-use-only GPS transceivers in them. I've done some light searching for documentation on the iPhone's radio and haven't been able to find any. I do some work with a module that you can receive NMEA data from via an AT command sent over serial. The iPhone's module may very well support 911-use GPS, but the ability for it to be passed to the system over serial might be disabled by the manufacturer (probably to sell a "GPS enabled" version with it uncrippled...)

          So there very well may be a GPS in there somewhere, and it might even be addressable via commands sent to the GSM radio. Has anyone had to call 911 with an iPhone yet? Did they mysteriously know your exact location in a few seconds?
        • SPECOPS, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0This is AGPS, (Assisted GPS) - There is no Satellite involved, just triangulation and existing hotspot database info- same concept as the AGPS the 911 system uses.
      • zdiggler, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2GPS is Global which means any GPS antenna on any cheap phone will work any where around the world. This only work in network range. Echo location stuff can also get you lost if you're in a corner of cell zones.
        • allywilson, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3RAC (for the 'Mericans this is like AAA/Triple A / whatever a breakdown service is called across the pond)have been using similar stuff for years. 4 years ago I broke down, was nowhere near a motorway marker, the lady on the phone (echo?) located my position by using the cell towers near me (although she said GPRS - and I've no idea why that would be better than standard GSM in this situation). This isn't anything new really, the only advantage I can see to it is that such systems in the UK (f'r instance) are subject to data privacy laws (i.e. I have your mobile number - I can see where you are).
    • WarBeast, on 10/10/2007, -30/+10"The iPhone is a piece of *****, and so is your face." -Maddox
      • timusca, on 10/10/2007, -2/+8So is this comment.
      • theprototype, on 10/10/2007, -6/+6who the hell reads maddox?
        • Blandyman, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I do...

          Then again, just because I sometimes find his style of writing funny in a "Look at me I'm cool" way, I don't go around quoting him... he's not a god...
    • zdiggler, on 10/10/2007, -5/+1My ip block on comcast will show up in keene, nh but i'm about 90miles north.
    • PBrane, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2Actually it's possible to figure out your location within about 50 feet from a wi-fi point. Navizon might be hooked to Skyhook Wireless (http://www.skyhookwireless.com). Skyhook basically warchalked most of the wi-fi points in the US. If your phone can see one or more of these wi-fi points then the service can get a fix on your location. Way more accurate than cell-tower triangulation!
  • joeycerone, on 10/10/2007, -2/+30This program is incredible. I've tried it on 3 different wireless networks and it has nailed me every time. Everytime I try over EDGE it says it cannot find any tower data though. I'm sure it's just a matter of time until that starts working better.
    Integration with google maps too!
    I'm very very impressed.
    • timusca, on 10/10/2007, -1/+29Every iPhone user's dream... to get nailed by their iPhone.

      I joke, I joke...
      • ShrimpCrackers, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I've tried Navizon here in Queens NYC and its alright. I'm usually around 400 yards off. Some places I could be as much as a mile or two. Cellphone tower triangulation is nowhere near as accurate as actual GPS so this is more a work in progress.
      • allywilson, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3lol made my comment of the day annual list. Thank you :-D
  • skinfitz, on 10/22/2007, -3/+118...would it have killed Apple to allow connection to a Bluetooth GPS in the first place?
    • ocellnuri, on 10/10/2007, -1/+13Exactly. I've got high hopes that with the pace of development, someone will get a serial bluetooth stack cooked up soon enough. I just wish I had the knowledge to do it myself.
      • bigsteve, on 10/15/2007, -0/+7So far it's been difficult to get the serial port generated with a bluetooth connection to fully function. It almost appears as Apple crippled the serial port. As the BT radio in the iPhone is a common one, there may be an open source driver that can be compiled for the iPhone. I'm still digging around...
    • Salviati, on 10/15/2007, -2/+11This is exactly the reason I have been holding out on the iPhone until now. I use my HTC 8525 for navigation with a Bluetooth GPS receiver, and this is the one feature the iPhone is missing for me. Assisted GPS is nice, but once it can interface with a BT receiver, I will be sold.
      • Spuy767, on 10/10/2007, -13/+4Are you in the wilderness tracking a grizzly to strangle with your bare hands? Cause if not, then you're just a pussy with ***** for sense of direction. I hate gadgets that claim to make your life easier. I waited six weeks to get a new car because they had to special order one for me without all the whizbang ***** in the nav system that, in the end, just made it harder to work the ***** radio.
        • misterjangles, on 10/10/2007, -0/+9dude, wtf are you doing here on digg if you don't like tech gadgets..? of course nobody *needs* any of this stuff. i use my GPS to get from my back door to my garage. why? because gadgets rule!

          but, anyway, try doing to a huge city where you don't know your way around. the GPS is pretty damn handy.
        • Salviati, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2I do lots of things with my GPS receiver that would be impossible by this method. 1 - Geo-tagging photos 2. Real GPS driving navibation 3. Plotting GPS paths to document my trips. Not to mention, most of my travels are outside of AT&T's calling area (ie. overseas), and other times I simply am not near any towers (let alone 3).
        • Ramble, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1So you know your exact position (long + lat) at all times?
          Get a life, GPS is useful to virtually everyone, not to mention the pussies in the US and British armies.
    • tuxracer, on 10/10/2007, -3/+7Bluetooth GPS? C'mon. A good number of Sprint and Verizon phones have built-in GPS receivers (TeleNav and VZNavigator). I was surprised and disappointed that the iPhone didn't have this feature. Although AT&T seems to be way behind the CDMA carriers when it comes to GPS built-in. Screw an external receiver. For the phone of all phones, the iPhone should have this feature. Personally, I will not be buying one until it does.

      By the way, I am NOT referring to the E911 AGPS, etc... I'm referring to true GPS like the LG VX8600 supports.
      • ocellnuri, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7Right, it should, but it doesn't. So let's use the tech that IS built in to get it real GPS. We can all get version 2 or 3 with built in GPS later, but right now there are quite a few people who could use BT GPS.

        It's the only reason I'm keeping my 8125 on hand.
      • Doriath, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3"By the way, I am NOT referring to the E911 AGPS, etc... I'm referring to true GPS like the LG VX8600 supports."
        Umm, the LG VX8600 utilizes AGPS, not "true GPS". The 8600 requires contact with the cell network to "assist" in converting the GPS signals into an actual location.
        • tuxracer, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Ah, my mistake then. I was just trying to fend off any comments of "That's just for 911!"
          • ShrimpCrackers, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3AGPS doesn't use cellphone tower triangulation, it uses actual GPS but requires a cellphone connection because servers at Verizon do the actual map uploading and processing, and its not done on the device itself to save power/etc etc. Either way, AGPS is still a huge step up from Navizon which requires at least 3 cellphone towers in the vacinity to have a reasonable accuracy.
    • HypocriteDigg, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1It's not about 'allowing' it, it's about getting the software done to support it. Why do you think they launched on June 29th and had plenty of iPhones to go around? Because the software holding them back.
  • sonycam, on 10/10/2007, -1/+12Good to know, wonder how long until something like this will work in Europe.
    • skinfitz, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1...Navizon works in Europe. I've used it with my TyTn.
  • totorototoro, on 10/10/2007, -3/+22Isn't this what Microsoft and Sprint just announced last week?
    Sounds like a neat trick, to hold us over until GPS is added, anyways :p
  • monkeyrun, on 10/10/2007, -4/+26wow sweet, I hope Apple will have a official implementation soon.
  • Kdurrty, on 10/10/2007, -22/+44" It's off by a few hundred yards"...

    I wouldn't call that GPS. I could guess my location and be that accurate.
    • mingistech, on 10/15/2007, -3/+30You have to "guess" your location... you don't know where you are???
    • DoTheFandango, on 10/10/2007, -7/+6Being off by a football field or two is basically pinpoint when you picture how large our Earth is.
      • BrK1, on 10/10/2007, -1/+9Or, it's basically ***** when you picture what even common technologies are capable of these days.
      • Angostura, on 10/10/2007, -1/+14I'm not sure what point you are trying to make, given that being off by a galaxy or two is basically pinpoint when you picture how large our Universe is.
      • misterjangles, on 10/10/2007, -0/+11Being off by a football field or two is ok if you just need to know what city you're in - which if you don't already know, then you probably have bigger problems to worry about.
      • mrFREEZE, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5@Fandango:

        Wow. If that wasn't a fanboy-defensive argument, I don't know what was.
      • Kinneas12, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1 You're right about the relative scale. The problem is practicality. If you're ever in a situation where a few hundred yards error is okay, then you really should have a real GPS reciever with you. I'm betting the accuracy is much higher when it's using wifi in a big town.
    • spargett, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1In downtown San Francisco, it was a 1 1/2 blocks off. Not bad at all. Kudos.
  • joeycerone, on 10/10/2007, -1/+6The Navizon website is really slow.
  • jnajera, on 10/10/2007, -5/+2Isn't the problem with AGPS that, while it is using the edge to find the triangulation of your position you can not receive calls?
    • mbraynard, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2That's not actually AGPS. AGPS is real GPS with assistance from cells for triangulation. This is just triangulation.
  • CraigJ, on 11/09/2007, -5/+7Not GPS, but very cool, nonetheless...
  • BeevoNerd, on 10/10/2007, -19/+0My Ma's boss recently dropped ten iPhones off @ one of their stores. I would've quit that day and hit eBay HARD. Damn all that.
  • drgreenberg, on 10/13/2007, -3/+66GPS doesn't mean any form of position location. It means the use of the GPS satellite network to determine location. WiFi router or cell tower triangulation is simply that ... triangulation ... and doesn't even fall under assisted GPS, which is the combined use of a GPS chip in a handset to acquire satellite info and a network-based server to actually do the number crunching of this data to relay the final answer back to the handset. If we start using GPS for everything, the special properties of the system, namely high-accuracy positioning from anywhere within the covered latitude band and no land infrastructure support, starts to get lost and consumers won't have any clue what to expect when they see the initials on products.
    • tsunamisteve, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1that's a very pessimistic outlook. have you no faith in the development community to push the big companies in the right direction?

      also, your example ignores the market completely. If the system gets saturated as you say, it will have already gone through the growing pains of fighting accessibility vs accuracy.
    • awakebyjava, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0What if they mean "Global Positioning SERVICE?" Come on man, acronyms are everywhere. Do you know of which NFL I am an eight year member?
      • awakebyjava, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0That would be National Forensics League. Speech and Debate? What is with the neg digg? Jeez.
      • smith288, on 11/21/2007, -0/+1Its actually Global Positioning System, not Service
    • Cowfrommars, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Yes, but GPS gets attention, and people know what you mean.
  • BobOki, on 10/10/2007, -9/+2Mine is not working yet... but I am only on EDGE at the second... via t-mobile.
    We shall see!
  • mingistech, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Worked for me..... pinpointed the exact locatoin of my condo. Kinda slow (had to process the data for about 20 secs)

    Hopefully they can speed this up in new releases.
    • demodawid, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1GPS takes a bit longer than that, depending on the weather and how tall the buildings around you are... but it's FAR more accurate.
  • sketchstudios, on 10/10/2007, -0/+8just tried signing up, got a server error, geuss everyone digg-killed it
  • tbharber, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Wow amazing. Works great. Found me exactly. Ill have to go out on a drive and test it further but this is a must have!!!
  • rebuilder, on 10/10/2007, -0/+9It's not assisted GPS. Assisted GPS is satellite-based locating assisted by a supplementary location-finding method, such as an assistance server or cell ID. Without the GPS component it's something else.
  • motiontomove, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Off by a few hundred yards?
    Oh well, it's a start.
  • davidrools, on 10/10/2007, -14/+5Save $200 and get a blackberry with actual GPS and turn by turn driving directions, if you need it.
    • joeycerone, on 10/10/2007, -5/+14blackberrys are lame.
    • Twindagger, on 10/10/2007, -3/+7But will I be able to "Slide to unlock"?
      • ATLien, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3Ok, I am a Blackberry user holding out on the iphone but that was just funny! The iPhone is cool!
  • joeycerone, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2digg effect.
  • meatmcguffin, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4Does anyone have, or can point me to, a list of apps that installer.app currently provides?
  • bassophone, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1Sweet, it works. It is impossible for me to be lost from now on.
  • MLyzz, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2It doesn't work very well in Chicago.
    • MacParrot, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7Try a different font
    • jer.williams, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Yeah, nothing in Roscoe Village.
      • xlocust, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1hah, i live in Roscoe village to and my Iphone just came in today. I will have to try this later when i get home
    • Jakubowski, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Odd, I used it 5 times or so. A few times downtown by the Sears tower, and then on the purple and brown line and it was able to find me 4/5.
  • likwidfuzion, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2This is by far the best app for the iPhone yet. Good job Navizon!
    • healingcommoner, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1If you digg the person down, then please add your opinion of the best iPhone app. We'd like to know.
  • pcdoc, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1When I go for directions it never fills in the GPS coordinates, anyone get that to work? Am I missing something?
    • shyam131, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Worked for me when you press the Navizon button quickly press the Directions button on the bottom left before it goes to google maps and it will have your GPS coordinates entered for start.
  • idean360, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Mine got my exact house...this is freaking great. Works in Canada BTW.
  • CoolWind, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Apple really dropped the ball by not supporting bluetooth gps or internal gps. That would be the killer app that would make a lot of people want an iPhone.
  • Pundan, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Great success!
  • elk1, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Now if only someone would spend the time to hack the blackberry 8830 and free my crippled GPS from Verizon
    • psykiv, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Or just use Google Maps for Blackberrys?
      • Apollo11, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Nope, its been disabled by Verizon on the 8830.
    • wrzhydr, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Are you using VZNav? What's so crippled about it? I use it on my enV all the time and it works great.
      • Apollo11, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1You can't even use VZNav with the 8830. The GPS has been completely disabled for the time being.
    • idreamincode, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I agree with elk1, wish my 8830 Verizon's GPS would finally work! They disable the GPS from the factory so Google Maps and all GPS programs will not see the signal.
      Someone please crack open the 8830!
  • Skeptic1970, on 10/10/2007, -2/+9Not good enough for Geocaching. I will buy one when I can cache with it.
    • superkendall, on 10/10/2007, -5/+6That has to be the most absurd reason for not buying an iPhone I have ever heard of, short of "it doesn't stop a .50 caliber round".
    • scoobycarolan, on 10/10/2007, -3/+3nerd
    • demodawid, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Fellow geocacher here. No built-in cell phone gps receivers are good enough for geocaching, seriously...
      GPSmap 60csx FTW!
  • bigwillystyle, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6i got an "unable to locate" message and my iphone froze. did this happen to anyone else?
    • ryandbrimhall, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Yeah i got the same thing bigwilly.
      • bigwillystyle, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2goo to the navizon websit on ur iphone, log in and set ur area. i just figuired this out
      • tdp05, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2@bigwillystyle:

        Ok, I wanted to dig you up because you make a good point, but your username and atrocious use of English and grammar killed that thought. Good day to you sir.
    • cheese06, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1does not work even after i set my home area in the santa barbara area. anybody else having the problem still?
      • bigwillystyle, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1yeah i thought it would work but even after i set the location it didbn work
  • gn0stik, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Great now give me one for my verizon blackberry.
    • livejamie, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1there is one for your blackberry, take 5 seconds to read
  • Tezgno, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Kind of slow (so is the site). Worked after setting my region on the website. Going to try the directions out here pretty soon.
  • cbergstrom, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0I just tested this, and it was off by *maybe* 5 to 10 feet. Awesome and sexy! I've been waiting for someone to develop this!
    • ShrimpCrackers, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3right. When you set your location at first its always accurate since you already gave navizon your location. Try it on the highway, and find navizon thinking that you're in 3 counties over.
  • Ben174, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7Unable to Locate --
    Your location could not be identified. No known Cells or WiFi nodes in range. --
    Then it locked up my phone and I had reboot :( Anyway I'm hopeful this software will continue to evolve and actually be a decent substitute for the much-needed GPS feature.
    • bigwillystyle, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2the same thing happened to me. what u have to do is go to the navzin websit on ur iphone, llog in, and set ur area.
    • andy2na, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2yea, happened to me too. gunna try a more public wifi spot later
    • lastminute, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1i got this too
  • indiekiduk, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Nailed my house perfectly in Glasgow, UK using WiFi. When I turned off WiFi so it only used cells (I'm on Vodafone) it placed me on the street round the corner which is understandable due to less dense cell towers. Incredible app!!!
  • machambi, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2hack ? guess it has become fashionable to use it...
  • Revolution101, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Unable to Locate --
    Your location could not be identified. No known Cells or WiFi nodes in range. --

    same here :(
  • rheaume, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Working for a hacked phone on Rogers in Vancouver Canada
    • lastminute, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Didn't work for me and I'm also on Rogers in Vancouver Canada!? argh
  • spacechip, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1How does this triangulate using WiFi? Is it that easy to match an IP address with a street one?
    • Wang, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1the article says it uses cellphone tower signals, not wifi - i think.
      • spacechip, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Yeah I confess I didn't bother to RTFA but like half the above comments refer to WiFi
    • sjones, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0"It calculates the position of a wireless device by using several triangulation algorithms and a database of known access points."
      "How do we build this database? Simple: users who use Navizon with a GPS device will map the wireless landscape in their neighborhoods and share their data with the rest of the community."
  • Wang, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1can't wait to try this :)
  • mehan, on 10/10/2007, -0/+9you can't call it GPS if it does not use GPS satellites.
    • cheese06, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2its why navizon calls it virtual gps
  • Tuck, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Not working for me near Cleveland, Ohio. Just getting "Your location could not be identified. No known Cells or WiFi nodes in range. Is this program location specific?
    • welshie, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1yes, it is location specific. It relies on someone else who uses the program, who has a GPS device having passed by your neighbourhood. Obviously nobody has used the program to survey Cleveland, Ohio
  • canadalolz, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0did it take 7 minutes to locate?
  • cheese06, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2unable to locate: your location could not be identified. no known cells or wifi nodes in range. :( iphone just crashed too
  • kakos, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Good software. It's a shame they are stealing GPL code and not releasing the source for the changes they made; Navizon uses a chunk of GPL code lifted from the MobileChat project that produces the nice loading screen.
  • jpski, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1It works!!!
    I got this message several times: unable to locate: your location could not be identified. no known cells or WiFi nodes in range.
    However... I found out that you need to set your home location in Navizon & also give it some time. It now works! It is roughly 100 yards from my current location.
  • sn00kie, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1This was one reason that was holding me back from buying the phone. All I have to say is HOLY *****, thank you!
  • pengas, on 10/10/2007, -3/+4GPS my butt..
    The app makes a guess where I am..

    It thinks I am at my old place, which I moved out of over two months ago...
    What a bunch of cr**ap...
    • jpski, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3You moved your Wireless Access Point from your old house to your new house, which someone logged at your old place while wardriving. If you want to update it it looks like you can do so here:
      http://my.navizon.com/Webapps/UserAdmin/upload.aspx
      I'm not quite sure how they reconcile collisions in data though.
  • benjaminooo, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0seems to be off.. missed me by 4 miles.. but at least it hit the general area
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