What do I do if GPS accuracy is inaccurate? – Avenza Maps

If you're encountering problems like being "off the map," inaccurate location, or tracking not working, the issue often comes down to how your device’s GPS is reporting your position.

First let's understand how Avenza tracks your location in the app. The Avenza Maps app depends entirely on your device’s built-in GPS hardware to determine your location and record tracks. This means the app displays your raw GPS data exactly as your device reports it, without any smoothing or correction done. This is important for many of our professional users who rely on the app for use in surveying, field data collection, etc and need the information they're getting to be accurate and not artificial.

Some common reasons GPS might report inaccurate coordinates include:

Poor satellite visibility: Dense tree cover, tall buildings (urban canyons), mountains, or being indoors can obstruct GPS signals, causing your position to “drift” hundreds of meters off.
Battery saver or performance settings: If your device is set to optimize battery usage, it may throttle GPS accuracy.
Device limitations: Not all devices have the same GPS chip quality, older or lower-end models may struggle to maintain precise fixes.
Interference: Nearby powerlines, reflective surfaces, or electronic interference can throw off GPS signals.

When this happens, you’ll often see your blue dot jump around or appear in the wrong place until your GPS stabilizes.

Sometimes the GPS itself is accurate, but the map is not aligned correctly with the real world. This is especially common if:

The map has no georeferencing: Some maps are just images (like scanned paper maps) without proper coordinate data, so your GPS location won’t line up.
Map calibration errors: Custom maps that were imported and manually calibrated may not have been georeferenced with enough accuracy, leading to visible shifts between the GPS location and features on the map.

What you can do

There are some settings you can change on your device and in the app that might help ensure that Avenza is taking full advantage of your devices GPS chip.

Please check the following settings:

In Avenza Maps, change the Location Source to Use Only Internal Sources
(Go to Avenza Maps > Settings > GPS Settings > Location Source)
In your device settings, ensure Location Services are enabled and set to Always.
Turn Battery Saver off and avoid “Optimized” settings.
Disable and re-enable all app permissions after a device restart.
Ensure the Avenza Maps app is up-to-date.

Do some other checks:

Do you notice the tracking issue occurring with all maps?
If you're using a custom map can you verify the map is georeferenced correctly?
Compare with your colleagues, are they also encountering the same GPS issues?

Still having trouble?

If none of the above helps, please contact Avenza Support with the following details:

Device make and model
Operating system version
Avenza Maps version (Avenza Maps > Settings > scroll to bottom)
Whether the issue occurs on all maps or a specific one
Screenshot or screen recording if possible.