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Some users report iPhone 11 GPS tracking problems, Strava says Apple issue

There are scattered reports of iPhone 11 GPS tracking problems, some users reporting the issue affecting the exercise tracking app Strava, while others say is it also impacting other apps, like Waze

A Strava user who started a thread on Reddit says that the developer behind the app describes it as an issue with the iPhone 11 Pro.

I’m an athlete and have tracked my data with Apple Watch since the 0, used a Garmin Edge for my bike and my iPhone 7 Plus, 8 Plus, and now iPhone 11 Pro to track my runs with the Strava app. Ever since I got the 11 Pro a month ago, my Strava activities had me pacing much faster. My friends thought it was a fluke as did I. That is until I started investigating my data deeply.

I’ve been working with Strava directly and they are stating the iPhone 11 pro is not tracking horizontal data correctly. Searching online leads me to a couple posts though not many. At this point Strava engineers are blaming my iPhone specifically for not tracking GPS data accurately though I am not having issue with any other GPS app.

Unfortunately I don’t have a way to test if it’s iOS 13 since that comes stock, the steel frame of the iPhone 11 Pro, perhaps a new antenna or GPS chip. I’ve tested every which way they asked, factory reset and clean installed iOS 13.2, 13.2.2, and 13.2.3. Ran with airplane mode on, wifi off, hopped skipped and jump to their requests. To date my GPS activities are all over the place.

Other users are reporting the same issue with other apps.

Waze has been super screwy for me too lately on CarPlay with my 11 Pro Max. The speed jumps all over the place and the position is rarely accurate.

I’m having this issue too with my 11, in Maps/Pokémon Go/Anything map related I’m constantly jumping around.

I recently upgraded from an iPhone 8 to an iPhone 11 Pro and I’m experiencing the same issue. Even in Apple Maps or Google Maps, my location data is completely off it’s saying I’m in a completely different village and hopping around. I had no such problems with my iPhone 8.

Been having a similar issue with my iPhone 11 since I purchased it. My old iPhone 7 was much more accurate than my iPhone 11, which adds distance to all my runs whether it’s on the Nike Running Club App, Strava, or Run Keeper.

I’ve been having GPS issues with the 11 pro as well. Finicky maps navigation that I did not experience with previous phones. For a bit I thought it was a google maps bug but the same inconsistent location tracking happens on Apple Maps as well. The phone sometimes does not know my orientation and hangs/gives me the wrong direction because it thinks I’m somewhere that I am not.

Happens to my friends 11 pro as well. We will be in the car together and have both experienced the same behavior.

Reports in this and other threads are somewhat inconsistent, so it’s hard to make any kind of judgment about whether or not this is just impacting a small number of devices, but it’s interesting that Strava reportedly blames Apple.

Have you seen any GPS issues with your iPhone 11? Please take our poll and share your experiences in the comments.

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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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