Will the iphone app work in Shanghai?

[+allirab]

Hello,

I'll be visiting Shanghai next week, and am very excited to to find some caches. (I have been living in India the last few years, and geocaching here is quite difficult...

 

I do not have a stand-alone GPS, and have been caching with my iPhone app for several year. The phone is unlocked and I'll be getting a local SIM card. I've heard that GPS results are offset in China - if I have the local SIM card and am not using google maps, will the geocaching app work there?

 

thanks!

[+pppingme]

Unless the iPhone is doing something screwy, gps is gps, and its not possible to offset it for only a certain area. As long as you have data on the plan, and assuming "the great firewall" doesn't block geocaching, there's no reason it shouldn't work.

[+Ibar]

Hello,

I'll be visiting Shanghai next week, and am very excited to to find some caches. (I have been living in India the last few years, and geocaching here is quite difficult...

 

I do not have a stand-alone GPS, and have been caching with my iPhone app for several year. The phone is unlocked and I'll be getting a local SIM card. I've heard that GPS results are offset in China - if I have the local SIM card and am not using google maps, will the geocaching app work there?

 

thanks!

 

Yes,it works. I was in Shanghai a couple of years ago, with my (european) iPhone and it went fine. Didn't have too much geocaching time, but at least I could do a couple of virtuals down there

 

Regards from Belgium

[+NYPaddleCacher]

Unless the iPhone is doing something screwy, gps is gps, and its not possible to offset it for only a certain area. As long as you have data on the plan, and assuming "the great firewall" doesn't block geocaching, there's no reason it shouldn't work.

 

The geocaching site works fine behind the big red firewall. You would probably want to create a pocket query and save it as an offline list (assuming you're using the official Geocaching app). That way you won't even need to have real time data. You can still navigate to caches using the compass screen (even with the phone in airplane mode).

[ohgood]

Hello,

I'll be visiting Shanghai next week, and am very excited to to find some caches. (I have been living in India the last few years, and geocaching here is quite difficult...

 

I do not have a stand-alone GPS, and have been caching with my iPhone app for several year. The phone is unlocked and I'll be getting a local SIM card. I've heard that GPS results are offset in China - if I have the local SIM card and am not using google maps, will the geocaching app work there?

 

thanks!

 

yes, you can offset the MAPS relationship to the gps location. assuming you can find out what the offset is ;-)

 

this is NOT for the official iphone app, but several of the much better others.

[+allirab]

Hello,

I'll be visiting Shanghai next week, and am very excited to to find some caches. (I have been living in India the last few years, and geocaching here is quite difficult...

 

I do not have a stand-alone GPS, and have been caching with my iPhone app for several year. The phone is unlocked and I'll be getting a local SIM card. I've heard that GPS results are offset in China - if I have the local SIM card and am not using google maps, will the geocaching app work there?

 

thanks!

 

yes, you can offset the MAPS relationship to the gps location. assuming you can find out what the offset is ;-)

 

this is NOT for the official iphone app, but several of the much better others.

 

Well, I'm here in Shanghai, and my iPhone app is definitely offset. I'm showing caches in the middle of the river (not just the puzzle cache!) or many streets away from the associated landmark. I did try the compass instead of the map, and it worked once (which seems odd, right?) but after that, no luck.

 

Alas, I don't have an actual GPS, just the phone. Is there any way to change the settings on the phone or on the app itself? Or a recommended app where I could punch in coordinates and have them come up accurately on my phone?

 

Such a pity - I was so looking forward to caching in a new city!

 

thanks in advance for any suggestions!

[ohgood]

Hello,

I'll be visiting Shanghai next week, and am very excited to to find some caches. (I have been living in India the last few years, and geocaching here is quite difficult...

 

I do not have a stand-alone GPS, and have been caching with my iPhone app for several year. The phone is unlocked and I'll be getting a local SIM card. I've heard that GPS results are offset in China - if I have the local SIM card and am not using google maps, will the geocaching app work there?

 

thanks!

 

yes, you can offset the MAPS relationship to the gps location. assuming you can find out what the offset is ;-)

 

this is NOT for the official iphone app, but several of the much better others.

 

Well, I'm here in Shanghai, and my iPhone app is definitely offset. I'm showing caches in the middle of the river (not just the puzzle cache!) or many streets away from the associated landmark. I did try the compass instead of the map, and it worked once (which seems odd, right?) but after that, no luck.

 

Alas, I don't have an actual GPS, just the phone. Is there any way to change the settings on the phone or on the app itself? Or a recommended app where I could punch in coordinates and have them come up accurately on my phone?

 

Such a pity - I was so looking forward to caching in a new city!

 

thanks in advance for any suggestions!

 

i missed that you were using an iphone. i don't know how to offset maps on the iphone apps.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

Hello,

I'll be visiting Shanghai next week, and am very excited to to find some caches. (I have been living in India the last few years, and geocaching here is quite difficult...

 

I do not have a stand-alone GPS, and have been caching with my iPhone app for several year. The phone is unlocked and I'll be getting a local SIM card. I've heard that GPS results are offset in China - if I have the local SIM card and am not using google maps, will the geocaching app work there?

 

thanks!

 

yes, you can offset the MAPS relationship to the gps location. assuming you can find out what the offset is ;-)

 

this is NOT for the official iphone app, but several of the much better others.

 

Well, I'm here in Shanghai, and my iPhone app is definitely offset. I'm showing caches in the middle of the river (not just the puzzle cache!) or many streets away from the associated landmark. I did try the compass instead of the map, and it worked once (which seems odd, right?) but after that, no luck.

 

Alas, I don't have an actual GPS, just the phone. Is there any way to change the settings on the phone or on the app itself? Or a recommended app where I could punch in coordinates and have them come up accurately on my phone?

 

Such a pity - I was so looking forward to caching in a new city!

 

thanks in advance for any suggestions!

 

FIrst of all, I hope that you're not using your iPhone with data enabled unless you've purchased some sort of international data plan. A local SIM card won't necessarily give you data.

 

The compass should work for navigating to waypoints even without a cellular signal. You may want to check that the Location services are *not* trying to use Cell signals so that it just tries to use your GPS to determine your location. Depending on which version of IOS you're running it the iPhone should still use the GPS even in Airplane mode.

 

I have found that when looking at maps in Beijing that the Google base map is offset from satellite imagery but if you're just trying to navigate from your current location to some waypoint you don't really need maps.

 

If you can get to a wifi hotspot and have a laptop or access to a internet connected computer you can use the Maps page on the GS site and use it to view caches on a map. Use the Set Map Preferences link and select the Google Maps. When I look at a couple of caches that I found in Beijing on the Satellite view it shows the icon right where I found them. If you have access to a printer you could just print off a few map screens and try finding some of the low difficulty hides that way. Read the cache listings and you might find spoiler photos or other hints that may help.