Like we said before in ourvideo overview of the top 15 features of new iPhones, and as noted on Apple’s own officialtechnical specifications for iPhone 8, iPhone 8 PlusandiPhone X, the latest handsets from Cupertinohave picked upglobal support for Galileo satellites named after the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei, as well as the QZSS constellation in Japan only.
Multi-constellation positioning allows Apple’s latest smartphones to offer more accurate positioning, making it harder for users to get lost wherever they might happen to be.
A global satellite navigation system created in Europe, the Galileo constellation is run by two ground operations centres in Oberpfaffenhofen near Munich, Germany and Fucino, Italy.
As of August 2017, there were fifteen operational satellites in orbit and three for testing. Available globally, Galileo is projected to have 30 operational satellites in orbit by 2020.
Launched last year, the constellation is managed by the European Union through the European Space Agency and the European GNSS Agency, headquartered in Prague in the Czech Republic.
Combining GPS, GLONASS and Galileo signals lets new iPhones increase signal availability in urban environments where buildings obstruct the sky and limit the number of satellites visible.
In terms of accuracy, Galileo’s signal structure is said to provide better resistance to multipath, which helps iPhone users maintain their position fix when navigating in cities.
BOTTOM LINE:With built-in support for Galileo satellites,location serviceson iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X can better serve you in different parts of the world.
Select competing devices support Galileo as well, including Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and Note 8 as well as models from BQ, Huawei, Meizu and Sony. In other words, vendors accounting for around half of the world’s smartphone market now offer Galileo-enabled navigation.
Like older models, new iPhones also support:
Apple Watch Series 3 models supporttheGPSand GLONASS systems, but not Galileo.
In conclusion, support for Galileo and QZSS gives owners of the latest Apple smartphones a piece of mind knowing they’ll enjoy more reliable location services, especially if one of those positioning systems gets (un)intentionally disabled or degraded by their operators.
