Depending on your phone's system specifications, the My Location (beta) feature uses different methods to determine your approximate location on the map.
- If your phone is equipped with an internal GPS, My Location (beta) should be able to acquire your position through GPS.
- You're still able use My Location (beta) even if your phone lacks GPS functionality. Learn more about My Location's accuracy.
Device-specific GPS instructions
With most phones, you must enable GPS in order to use it in conjunction with My Location (beta).Android-powered devices
Go to Settings > Security & location to toggle use of GPS satellites on or off.
Blackberry devices
Go to Options > Advanced Options > GPS and set GPS services to "On".
Windows Mobile devices
- Go to the Start menu.
- Select Settings > System GPS.
- Check that the Hardware tab has the correct settings for your device.
- Open Google Maps for mobile and select Track Location (GPS) from the menu to obtain a GPS location fix.
Symbian S60 devices
- Go to the Menu.
- Select Tools > Settings > General.
- Scroll through the list and choose Positioning > Positioning Methods.
- Ensure that the GPS options are checked.
Palm webOS devices
From the Launcher, go to Location Services and turn Auto Locate and Use GPS to "On"
Notes:
- Certain carriers block third party software from accessing your device's internal GPS. We recommend contacting your mobile provider to confirm the details of use of your device's GPS.
- External GPS receivers are unsupported for use with Google Maps for mobile at this time.
- Use of your phone's GPS functionality greatly increases the rate at which your phone's battery is depleted.
- Your phone needs a clear view of the sky in order to communicate with GPS satellites.
