iPad Mini 4 - GPS function

Charles Hertz · Dec 27, 2015

I’m sure this topic has been well covered in this forum, but in spite of all my search efforts, I can’t seem to find a definitive answer.

I just got a Solo with 3-axis gimbal for Christmas, which is working great with my iPhone 6 Plus and my GoPro Hero 4. However, I think I would be happier with an iPad Mini 4, since it has a much larger display.

It is my impression that if I buy the Mini 4 WiFi only, it will not have GPS, and certain Solo functions (like “follow”) will not work. However, the Mini 4 WiFi + Cellular DOES have GPS. My question is this: If I buy the latter device, but do NOT activate cellular service (i.e. do not buy a contract with Verizon or some other cellular service), will the GPS function still work for “follow,” etc.? It is my impression that this is true, but I can’t find it definitively stated anywhere.

Maddog · Dec 27, 2015

Welcome to the forum!

The GPS will always function even with no service plan.
I have a mini 3 which works fine but the screen is not bright enough for me in sunlight, even with a sunshade.

I bought a Nexus 7 on Amazon so I could use the Tower app with Solo. (Android only). I discovered the screen is brighter and clearer than my iPad, so I have been using it more often.

Android devices do not have all the GoPro functionality in the Solo app that iOS devices have so that may be a consideration for some folks.

Of course this is just my personal preference- others are using iPad mini's with no visibility issues.

Hope this helps!

Charles Hertz · Dec 27, 2015

Maddog said:
Welcome to the forum!

The GPS will always function even with no service plan.
I have a mini 3 which works fine but the screen is not bright enough for me in sunlight, even with a sunshade.

I bought a Nexus 7 on Amazon so I could use the Tower app with Solo. (Android only). I discovered the screen is brighter and clearer than my iPad, so I have been using it more often.

Android devices do not have all the GoPro functionality in the Solo app that iOS devices have so that may be a consideration for some folks.

Of course this is just my personal preference- others are using iPad mini's with no visibility issues.

Hope this helps!

Thanks very much! That sounds pretty definitive, and answers my question.

I'll look at the other options you mention, but suspect I'll go with the iPad Mini 4 (I have other non-Solo uses in mind for it that Android won't work with). The stated display specs are the same as the 3, but supposedly because of the construction process the display on the 4 is some brighter.

Solo_Austin · Dec 27, 2015

This is a big problem... I just ordered a Mini 4 earlier today thinking it was the right thing. Based on this thread, I asked Apple sales support about the GPS on the non-cellular version, and they told me I would have to be connected to WiFi for GPS to work. That's ridiculous... the Mini4 has "Assisted" GPS, meaning it uses a connection to speed the GPS... the connection being the cellular connection or WiFi. Problem is there is no connection while we're out in the field.

And then there is the Tower app. That is clearly a must-have. So Apple is OUT.

What are some choices for an Android device that will fit in the controller (seems to be about 6" max height?).

PdxSteve · Dec 27, 2015

You actually want an 8" if you want it to fit in the holder on the controller. 7" doesn't quite fit without an adapter to hold it in place (from what others have said). I use a Galaxy Tab 4 8" and love it for Solo. Got it for free when I got my phone

Nexus devices should also be fine, and they get updated more frequently than other Android flavors since it's the Google flagship and has vanilla Android installed (no carrier bloatware). It's the "android standard" and 3DR uses them for testing.

Solo_Austin · Dec 27, 2015

Ok, so it looks like a Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8.0" (32GB) is the best choice all around....
Last chance for any other suggestions!

Charles Hertz · Dec 27, 2015

Solo_Austin said:
Ok, so it looks like a Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8.0" (32GB) is the best choice all around....
Last chance for any other suggestions!

Not sure I'm understanding the above properly, but on MY solo controller holder, the MAXIMUM it will take is just over 6 inches; I really have to pull hard on the moveable part to fit my iPhone 6 Plus in a vertical position. The MINIMUM it will take, to properly hold it in place, looks to be around 4.5 inches or a little more.

Jeff, I may not understand your comments about assisted GPS properly, but (and maybe you agree with this, I'm not sure) my understanding is that assisted GPS on the mini iPad is the same as the assisted GPS on my iPhone 6 -- makes the GPS faster, but you still have real GPS without a WiFi or cellular connection. I live in the New Mexico desert, and once I'm a few feet from my house, I lose WiFi, and there is no cellular service, but the Solo "follow" function works just fine. Should be the same with the iPad Mini 4, yes?

Solo_Austin · Dec 27, 2015

The Apple sales people claimed this. l think they are wrong but the specs support them. They are probably reading right off the specs without any understanding. They aren't the "Geniuses".
I also have a spare iPad Air, fully spec'd, 2 months old, that I'd like to use to save $$$ but it's not even a close fit in the controller, and it weighs so much that even with some sort of adapter hacked together the weight will pull it down.
The S2 is 5.31" tall in landscape.
The "follow" mode is critical to my plans. And the Tower app looks very interesting... I want to try that.

PdxSteve · Dec 27, 2015

Charles Hertz said:
Not sure I'm understanding the above properly, but on MY solo controller holder, the MAXIMUM it will take is just over 6 inches; I really have to pull hard on the moveable part to fit my iPhone 6 Plus in a vertical position. The MINIMUM it will take, to properly hold it in place, looks to be around 4.5 inches or a little more.

The holder goes from 4.5 - 6.5 inches. When we are talking about an 8" tablet, that's the diagonal measurement of the screen, not the narrow portion of the table. The galaxy tab 8" is approx 4.88" at the narrowest, so it fits perfectly in landscape mode.

Charles Hertz · Dec 27, 2015

Solo_Austin said:
The Apple sales people claimed this. l think they are wrong but the specs support them. They are probably reading right off the specs without any understanding. They aren't the "Geniuses".
I also have a spare iPad Air, fully spec'd, 2 months old, that I'd like to use to save $$$ but it's not even a close fit in the controller, and it weighs so much that even with some sort of adapter hacked together the weight will pull it down.
The S2 is 5.31" tall in landscape.
The "follow" mode is critical to my plans. And the Tower app looks very interesting... I want to try that.

I really don't mean to belabor the point, but this is important to me. As I read the specs, both the iPhone 6 and iPad Mini 4 have GPS, and assisted GPS, so I really think they would function similarly. When you say the specs support the Apple folks' statement, exactly what do you mean? Also, when they say you don't have GPS without a cellular or WiFi connection, they may mean you don't have it in a way most people would find useful -- the iPhone, for example, when out of range of a connection of any sort, will display your position on, say, Google Maps, but won't be able to download an actual map (unlike, say, a Garmin, where the maps are in the unit), so you won't actually know where you are, you'll just see a blank screen with your position in the middle of it. The vast majority of users want GPS to help them navigate, not to have a drone follow them, so for PRACTICAL purposes the iPhone doesn't have a GPS without a connection.

The only way to settle this may be to buy an iPad Mini 4 on Amazon (which is cheaper anyway), one of the ones "fulfilled by Amazon," so it can easily be returned within 30 days if it doesn't work with the Solo when a cellular or WiFi connection is unavailable.

Solo_Austin · Dec 27, 2015

The Apple sales folks said that there is quote "no GPS" without a cellular or WiFi connection. I think they're wrong - who would design a device like that - and suspect they're just reading the specs on paper without thinking.
But I need something that works now, to use in the remainder of this holiday, so that I can get some serious flying in. I know I could return the Mini 4 after doing a factory reset on it.
But there is also the Tower app... which is Android only. And it looks to me like a "must have".

Charles Hertz · Dec 27, 2015

Solo_Austin said:
The Apple sales folks said that there is quote "no GPS" without a cellular or WiFi connection. I think they're wrong - who would design a device like that - and suspect they're just reading the specs on paper without thinking.
But I need something that works now, to use in the remainder of this holiday, so that I can get some serious flying in. I know I could return the Mini 4 after doing a factory reset on it.
But there is also the Tower app... which is Android only. And it looks to me like a "must have".

Whoa. Hold everything. After seeing it mentioned so many times, I finally looked into what the Tower app was all about, a couple of minutes ago. Jeez. Maybe that IS the way to go. After some quick searching, it looks like the Galaxy tab S2 WiFi only does have GPS, so you don't need one with cellular capability -- is that correct? Any other Android devices that you would suggest are worth considering, or is the Galaxy clearly the best choice, if one is buying a device just for Solo purposes?

Troiano27 · Dec 27, 2015

From what I understand, and if I'm wrong, I'm sure another experienced member will correct me. But the wifi only iPad mini does not have GPS, unless you are connected to wifi. The iPad mini that is wifi + cellular does have GPS and you do not have to have the cell service activated to use the GPS, nor do you have to be connected to wifi. That is my understanding.

With that said, I have an iPad 2 (that I bought a month ago for my solo). It is wifi + cell. I've also been using a Samsung galaxy tab 4, that I borrowed from work, so that I can play with tower. But just before typing this, I just ordered a nexus 7 (2013) from Amazon for $147. Because I'm going to have to give the tab 4 back to work.

Solo_Austin · Dec 27, 2015

Yes, Tower is pretty phenomenal. And I wonder what is coming next?

Joe Horn · Dec 27, 2015

Troiano27 said:
From what I understand, and if I'm wrong, I'm sure another experienced member will correct me. But the wifi only iPad mini does not have GPS, unless you are connected to wifi. The iPad mini that is wifi + cellular does have GPS and you do not have to have the cell service activated to use the GPS, nor do you have to be connected to wifi. That is my understanding.

You are absolutely correct. I use a wifi-only iPad Mini 4 with my Solo, and it does NOT have GPS. The guy above who said that it DOES have GPS didn't notice that you said that yours is the wifi-only model (like mine). Sorry; no GPS, no Follow "smart shot", no live maps, and no customer-support ticket submissions from the field.

Solo_Austin · Dec 27, 2015

That does it, I ordered the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8.0. This would seem to be the best possible choice:
- fits in the controller
- GPS for Follow mode
- super high res
- will allow use of Tower later on.

HoneyWell · Dec 27, 2015

Thank you all participants on this post. It really helped me a lot since I was facing the same dilema between the choice of the iPad mini 4 and the Samsung S2 8". Sung S2 it is...

Charles Hertz · Dec 27, 2015

Solo_Austin said:
That does it, I ordered the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8.0. This would seem to be the best possible choice:
- fits in the controller
- GPS for Follow mode
- super high res
- will allow use of Tower later on.

Me, too. I had just about ordered the iPad Mini 4, but this discussion really turned me around. I'm ordering the Galaxy Tab S2 8" in the morning.

erikgraham · Dec 28, 2015

The Wifi only iPads do NOT have GPS. Originally the wifi only iPads did have GPS, but they don't include the module any more. There was indeed a thread on this month and months ago. Or maybe it was on another forum.

Assisted GPS uses cell towers to help the iPad/iPhone triangulate its location faster. They also use wifi locations to help with location faster - thanks to google snooping out the locations of everyone's wifi networks when the built out google maps. That's why you can get a location with a wifi only iPad - even though internally there is no GPS module.

Vegasrobbi · Dec 28, 2015

As a side note I've flown Solo with several different Android devices with GPS enabled. I decided to get a Nexus 7 for the bright screen and I heard 3DR tests with one due to it's pure Android foundation. While follow me worked with the other devices it worked better with the Nexus. It took less time "waiting for device GPS" and follow me flight was smoother. I can't qualify why it works better, it just does for me.