How to Find Your Exact Coordinates with Your iPhone

California Department of Industrial Relations

Division of Occupational Safety & Health

Publications Unit

SAFETY & HEALTH | FACT SHEET

Why Your Locaon is Important

Having your locaon and GPS coordinates available is vital when accidents, injuries, or deaths happen on the job. This

informaon allows faster response me for rst responders and gives Cal/OSHA important informaon if there is a

complaint or accident invesgaon conducted as a result of the incident. This document will walk through the ways an

iPhone user can get their locaon or GPS coordinates.

Locaon Sengs

Allowing Access to Your Locaon

You can turn Locaon Services on during Setup or later through the Locaon Services seng. When Locaon Services

are o, apps can’t use your locaon. You may be asked to allow access to your locaon. Select Allow While Using App if

prompted.

Turn Locaon Services on:

1. Go to Sengs

2. Click Privacy

3. Click Locaon Services

1. Go to Sengs

2. Click Privacy Sengs

3. Make sure Locaon Services is On

Improve GPS Accuracy

GPS accuracy depends on visible GPS satellites. High GPS

accuracy provides a beer locaon result. This seng lets

your phone use local Wi-Fi, data networks, or Bluetooth

devices without connecng to them to track your locaon.

To improve your GPS accuracy:

• Make sure that your date, me, and me zone are

correct.

• Keep in mind walls, vehicle roofs, tall buildings,

mountains, and other objects can block signals to GPS

satellites. When this happens, your device uses Wi-Fi

or cellular networks to determine your posion unl

the GPS satellites are visible again.

Using Applicaons for Your Locaon

Finding Your Coordinates on an iPhone

There are mulple ways to see your GPS coordinates.

1. Siri

a. Siri requires you to have internet connecon. To get your GPS coordinates using

Siri, say, “Hey Siri, what are my GPS coordinates?” or “Hey Siri, what’s my current

locaon?”

b. A map will appear with your address (if applicable), longitude, and latude.

NOTE: If Siri doesn’t respond, hold the Siri buon (right side of your phone on newer

models, or the home buon on older models). If Siri sll doesn’t respond or you get an error

message, you may have bad internet connecon.

Learn more about using Locaon and Services

to track your locaon in Maps and other apps

in your product’s user guide.

Sengs

App Request

(Connued on next page)

2. Compass

Your iPhone has a built-in compass.

The Compass app will work no maer

how you are connected to the internet.

Before using it, you will need to enable

it in your Sengs.

a. Open Sengs and tap Compass.

b. Tap on Locaon.

c. Turn on Locaon and Use True

North.

d. Go to the Compass app. It will

show your current locaon and GPS

coordinates.

3. Apple Maps

Apple Maps can give your current longitude and latude.

a. Open Apple Maps

b. Tap your Locaon

c. Scroll down and view your coordinates

NOTE: Siri gives you the same

informaon but with fewer steps

4. Google Maps (3

party app)

Google Maps tends to have more of cies and unpopulated area

informaon than other apps. There are two ways to use Google Maps to

get GPS coordinates.

a. Go to maps.google.com and type in your address. Look at the address

bar to see your coordinates in the URL (aer a series of words). For

example: www.google.com/maps/@33.7026326,-117.8680036,17z.

b. Tap the arrow icon at the top right. A blue circle showing your current

locaon will appear. Tap inside this circle or dot. the My Locaon tab

will show your coordinates.

Get the Air Quality for Your Locaon

You may need to know the air quality of your locaon. You can get this

with the following tools:

• The U.S. EPA AirNow

• The U.S. Forest Service

• The Interagency Wildland Fire Air Quality Response Program

• The California Air Resources Board

• The local air polluon control and air quality management districts

October 2023

This document is available with acve links at www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/dosh_publicaons

For assistance regarding this subject maer, employers may contact

Cal/OSHA Consultaon Services at 1-800-963-9424 or InfoCons@dir.ca.gov