How Does Your Phone Know Where You Are?

Full transcript

Have you ever wondered how your phone knows exactly where you are? It all starts with satellites orbiting Earth. These satellites constantly send signals toward the ground. Your phone has a GPS receiver that listens for those signals. But one satellite isn't enough. Your phone needs signals from several satellites to figure out your position. Here's the clever part. The signals take a small amount of time to travel from each satellite to your phone. Your phone measures those differences in travel time. It can then calculate how far away you are from each satellite. With signals from multiple satellites, your phone can determine your position on Earth. That's why GPS can show your location on a map, even when you're nowhere near a mobile tower. So the next time you open Google Maps and see that little blue dot... remember that your phone is basically calculating where you are by listening to satellites in space.