Will Iphone geocaching app work without data plan?

[+Frosstman & Family]

Hi, I have a question about the Iphone geocaching.com app. I have a 3GS phone and my wife has a 3G. Will the app work to geocache without a data plan? I have wi-fi at home but will not when in the woods. My wife and I just have cell service and wi-fi on our phones. Does the GPS work without internet access? I presently use a Magellan Xplorist GC but want to be able to cache with my Iphone when I don't have the GPS with me. Thanks.- Frosstman & Family.

[AZcachemeister]

Sort of.

You can pre-load your cache data when at home and save them to the phone's memory.

Without a data plan you probably won't have maps, although you might be able to save map tiles on there as well.

With all this saves stuff you are probably going to use up most of your phone's memory.

 

Probably better to just get a regular GPSr.

[Mr.Yuck]

Hi, I have a question about the Iphone geocaching.com app. I have a 3GS phone and my wife has a 3G. Will the app work to geocache without a data plan? I have wi-fi at home but will not when in the woods. My wife and I just have cell service and wi-fi on our phones. Does the GPS work without internet access? I presently use a Magellan Xplorist GC but want to be able to cache with my Iphone when I don't have the GPS with me. Thanks.- Frosstman & Family.

 

I will say maybe? I'm worried about the fact their older 3G and 3GS, and may not have the GPS chip. You are a premium member, and can download Pocket Queries. Or even "send to phone" for onesy twosey sort of caches. I do not have an Iphone, but do have the official app on another platform, as evidenced by my forum title. But I'm sure one of the bajillion Iphone experts will be along any minute.

[Keystone]

I am moving this thread from the Geocaching Topics forum to the "How do I?" forum.

[+thebruce0]

3G I'm not sure of, but 3GS does have location capabilities without data. As said above, you can use wireless at home to load data, and I believe map tiles can still be cached in the Geocaching app. So if you want to set out with maps, scroll around the area you want to cache in, at a couple of zoom levels, then you could head out. If you don't have a needed map tile, you should still be able to use the gps capabilities.

 

GPS use doesn't require a data plan, only satellites and cell towers

Maps do require data access (free wi-fi hotspot somewhere or at home is sufficient), and should be cached temporarily in the app.

[Mr.Yuck]

3G I'm not sure of, but 3GS does have location capabilities without data. As said above, you can use wireless at home to load data, and I believe map tiles can still be cached in the Geocaching app. So if you want to set out with maps, scroll around the area you want to cache in, at a couple of zoom levels, then you could head out. If you don't have a needed map tile, you should still be able to use the gps capabilities.

 

GPS use doesn't require a data plan, only satellites and cell towers

Maps do require data access (free wi-fi hotspot somewhere or at home is sufficient), and should be cached temporarily in the app.

 

Maps? Who needs Steenkin' maps? I cached for 8 1/3 years with old Garmin GPS's with no mapping. Just got a mapping capabale GPS for XMAS.

 

So what you're saying is, the 3GS should work fine without the data, and still have the most integral thing, a compass navigation screen (that works)?

Edited March 7, 2012 by Mr.Yuck

[+Flintstone5611]

I have used my 3GS and my 4S to cache without data. You save the caches to use offline and then you make your way without the maps refreshing as you zoom in. I was just in Vietnam and my distance was tracking perfectly despite the fact that I had no data coming in. I also brought my GPSr, just in case, but that didn't offer me any more detail than the iPhone 4S did since I don't have detailed road maps or satellite imaging for that country anyway.

[+thebruce0]

Mr.Yuck, yes. GPS/location/compass - none require data. Only a cell signal and GPS satellites.

 

As for maps, well, you're welcome to go caching without maps if you want There's another generation of cachers out there that find them very convenient, so... lift yourself up as the better person for not needing maps if you want, tis your choice, won't change the fact that others still prefer having them

[4wheelin_fool]

3G I'm not sure of, but 3GS does have location capabilities without data. As said above, you can use wireless at home to load data, and I believe map tiles can still be cached in the Geocaching app. So if you want to set out with maps, scroll around the area you want to cache in, at a couple of zoom levels, then you could head out. If you don't have a needed map tile, you should still be able to use the gps capabilities.

 

GPS use doesn't require a data plan, only satellites and cell towers

Maps do require data access (free wi-fi hotspot somewhere or at home is sufficient), and should be cached temporarily in the app.

 

Maps? Who needs Steenkin' maps? I cached for 8 1/3 years with old Garmin GPS's with no mapping. Just got a mapping capabale GPS for XMAS.

 

So what you're saying is, the 3GS should work fine without the data, and still have the most integral thing, a compass navigation screen (that works)?

 

The accuracy of my iPhone app is never better than 155 feet. Most of the time its 528 feet or more. The compass is useless, however the map makes up for it.

[+niraD]

The accuracy of my iPhone app is never better than 155 feet. Most of the time its 528 feet or more. The compass is useless, however the map makes up for it.

Wow. Are you sure you have the GPS antenna turned on? That's the kind of accuracy I get on my Android phone when the GPS antenna is turned off an the phone is using other systems to identify my location.

[+JoenGPS]

We use an app called geosphere on an ipod with a Gramin 60csx for directions. The iPod contains the entire GPX file. No connection needed. If we get stuck we go to a wifi hot spot and look at the maps. No need to spend extra dollars. We send the logs to GC when we get home. It will work on an iPhone & iPad also and has all the bells and whistles when connected.

[+thebruce0]

The accuracy of my iPhone app is never better than 155 feet. Most of the time its 528 feet or more. The compass is useless, however the map makes up for it.

Wow. Are you sure you have the GPS antenna turned on? That's the kind of accuracy I get on my Android phone when the GPS antenna is turned off an the phone is using other systems to identify my location.

Yep. You using a 3G, 4wheelin_fool?

Sounds like a hardware problem, or wrong setup. The iPhone is definitely not that bad (at least not 4 and up for certain).

[+JesandTodd]

The accuracy of my iPhone app is never better than 155 feet. Most of the time its 528 feet or more. The compass is useless, however the map makes up for it.

Wow. Are you sure you have the GPS antenna turned on? That's the kind of accuracy I get on my Android phone when the GPS antenna is turned off an the phone is using other systems to identify my location.

Yep. You using a 3G, 4wheelin_fool?

Sounds like a hardware problem, or wrong setup. The iPhone is definitely not that bad (at least not 4 and up for certain).

 

Gotta agree. My iPhone is never that bad, and I instantly said to myself when I read this post is, "he must have an old 3G phone". Even a 3GS is far more superior than a 3G!

 

FWIW, I compare my 60csx to my iPhone 4s all the time. With few exceptions, they are very similar in accuracy. In some situations, the garmin is more accurate, in some, the iPhone.

 

One thing that's different is, my garmin takes forever to find me when I first turn it on out in the field. It literally has no idea what part of the world I am in. The iPhone always knows where I am, and then improves the accuracy within a few seconds to one minute. That garmin can take 10 mins.

 

99% of my caching is with the iPhone.

[+AussieCacheHunter]

As said above, you can use wireless at home to load data, and I believe map tiles can still be cached in the Geocaching app.

 

Yep.

If you have the full app, and assuming you've set up a pocket query.

While at home on wifi.

Go into the PQ list, click the one you want.

Select the options you want to save (i.e. street maps, topo maps etc) and click save for offline use.

It'll download the cache information and relevant map tiles.