# GPS Accuracy Test

Last updated: 2026-10-18

Check your phone's GPS accuracy in real time, watch how it changes over a few minutes, and know when it is precise enough to record field data.

Open the tool: https://restorationscope.com/tools/gps (free, no account).

Read more: [How accurate is phone GPS?](https://restorationscope.com/blog/phone-gps-accuracy).

## How it works

1. Open the page on your phone and allow location access.
2. Start tracking: the current position and its accuracy in metres update as your device receives satellites.
3. Watch the accuracy chart settle before you record points. You can install the page as an app to use it in the field.

## Input and output

- Input: Your device's location, once you allow the page to use it.
- Output: The live position, its accuracy in metres, and a chart of how the accuracy changes over time.

## Example

Input:

```text
Three readings from a phone, with an accuracy of 4.2 m, 12 m, 35 m.
```

Output:

```text
±4.2m in green (5 m or better) · ±12.0m in yellow (up to 20 m) · ±35.0m in red (worse than 20 m)
```

## Limits

- The accuracy is your device's own estimate of the error. The real error can be larger, for example under trees or near buildings.
- It needs location access, and phones usually pause location when the screen locks or the page is in the background, so keep it open.
- Your position stays on your device. Like the rest of the site, the page sends usage analytics, including GPS error reports, but never your coordinates.

## Privacy

Everything runs in your browser. Your files are never uploaded to our servers.

## Questions

### How accurate is my phone's GPS?

Under open sky most phones reach 3 to 5 metres. Under tree cover, near buildings or right after switching on it can be 10 to 30 metres or worse. The GPS Accuracy Test shows your live accuracy and how it changes, so you can wait until it settles before recording field data.

### How can I improve GPS accuracy in the field?

Give the device a minute or two with a clear view of the sky before recording, keep location set to high accuracy, and avoid recording right next to dense canopy or buildings when you can. Watching the accuracy chart tells you when it has settled.