Apple now using more than 70 satellites to boost its location services on Watch Ultra

The orbiting instruments are important for applications that include medical and emergency services, officials say

Apple launched Watch Ultra alongside the iPhone 14 line-up in September, featuring a dual-band GPS, combining both the L1 and L5 signals. Getty Images

US technology company Apple expects gains in highly advanced satellite positioning technology to significantly expand the application of critical location services on devices, two senior officials have said.

Apple is now using constellations comprising more than 70 orbiting satellites to boost the accuracy of its services for safety-of-life applications, which include medical and emergency services, the California-based company said.

“Many of these systems include modernised signals in the L5 band,” said Rob Mayor, director of location and motion technologies at Apple.

“And the combination of these different satellites now provides more than 70 new modern L5 satellites in these constellations that we can use.”

The L5 band is found in Apple Watch Ultra, which was launched alongside the iPhone 14 line-up in September, featuring a dual-band GPS, combining both the L1 and L5 signals.

While the device is aimed at a specific subset of users that require more accurate positioning — hikers, explorers and divers, for example — in some of the world’s remote areas, the presence of L5 itself is not only for the flair, it can also be a life-saver.

“Location is a core function, and it benefits from software innovations that optimise its performance and accuracy in a variety of environments and activities,” Eric Jue, director of Apple Watch product marketing, told The National.

The Global Positioning System, better known simply as GPS, is one of the global navigation satellite systems. It is owned by the US government, which developed it in the 1970s.

GNSS is a term for any satellite navigation system that has global coverage.

At present, there are six such recognised systems: GPS, the EU’s Galileo, Japan’s Quasi-Zenith Satellite System, China’s BeiDou, the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System and Russia’s Global Navigation Satellite System (Glonass) — a number of which are regularly mentioned in the specifications of devices that track location.

GPS was meant to provide satellite positioning for military and civilian use. L1, the original form of GPS, was launched in 1978 by the US Defence Department.

As it is the most established signal, even the cheapest GPS devices are able to receive it.

However, L1 is susceptible to errors caused by some signals bouncing off objects, most notably buildings and dense trees, before reaching the receiver. The next iteration, L2, dealt with obstacles better. But it cannot operate on its own and has to be used alongside L1.

“In wide-open spaces with nothing blocking you, traditional GPS performs quite well,” Mr Jue said.

“However, in some environments, this isn’t always the case. Situations like downtown New York or Hong Kong with 50-storey buildings, or you’re out remotely with cliff walls, canyons or very dense forest canopies, all of these conditions can be very challenging for GPS.”

As technology advanced — particularly in today’s digital age where connected devices are the norm — so did the need for a more accurate and reliable GPS.

The latest signal, L5, is the most advanced and is considered a safety-of-life data signal, meaning it is meant for use in critical safety applications, such as in transport and the military.

In Apple’s case, L5 is a critical component of its health and safety features, particularly in its Emergency SOS feature on the iPhone and Watch.

The US government says there are only 17 GPS satellites that broadcast the L5 signal. However, since Apple combined both signals on the Watch Ultra, it gets the benefits of L5 while also having the advantage of the entire L1 system.

L5 signals are up to 10 times more accurate than traditional GPS, Mr Mayor said.

For the regular user’s everyday utility, L5 “greatly improves city positioning, as well as turn-by-turn navigation, getting you to the right spot for, say, a ride share”, he said.

“Runners in cities will see more accurate pace, distance and route maps. Combining GPS’s more precise signals with software developed to optimise their use, can “correct signals bouncing off of buildings,” Mr Mayor said.

“Wi-Fi and cellular positioning are other technologies that can be combined with GPS to further enhance accuracy and availability, particularly in tough environments.”