GPSTest

GPSTest is an open-source diagnostic app originally created by Mike Lockwood and now maintained by Sean Barbeau. It exposes the GNSS information Android makes available. It does not turn the phone into a navigation app or improve the antenna; it helps show whether the phone has a fix, which satellite systems and signals it sees, and whether the hardware exposes carrier-frequency or dual-frequency measurements.

This is the osmdroid edition of GPSTest. Its ordinary Map screen uses OpenStreetMap rather than Google Maps, while Accuracy mode uses MapTiler’s hybrid satellite layer with OpenStreetMap attribution. We matched the hosted file byte for byte to the official osmdroidRelease-v3.10.6.apk from the project’s GitHub release.

What the screens show

• Status lists satellites and signals, with constellation, satellite ID, carrier frequency, signal-to-noise value, elevation, azimuth and flags showing whether Android has ephemeris/almanac data and uses the signal in the current fix.
• Sky places satellites around a compass plot. It is useful for seeing whether signals are clustered or blocked in one direction, though the plot alone cannot identify the physical obstruction.
• Map puts the reported fix on OpenStreetMap. Map tiles require network access unless they are already cached; this is not an offline map package.
• Accuracy compares fixes with a reference latitude and longitude that you enter, on a MapTiler hybrid satellite map. Its chart plots measured error and Android’s estimated accuracy over time. The comparison is meaningful only when the reference coordinate itself is trustworthy.

Support for GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, BeiDou, QZSS, NavIC and regional SBAS signals still depends on the device. There is no signal-strength-over-time chart in this version.

Terms such as “used in fix” describe what Android reports to the app, not an independent measurement by GPSTest. Indoor reception, the phone case, antenna design, weather, obstructions and manufacturer firmware can all affect what appears.

Logging and troubleshooting

GPSTest can record GNSS and sensor information to CSV while a foreground notification keeps the logging session alive. On current Android versions, exported logs are copied to a user-accessible downloads location. Logs can contain precise location and movement data; review them before sharing.

The menu also exposes Android extra commands for injecting time or PSDS/XTRA assistance and clearing assistance data. These are requests to the operating system. A phone may not implement them, and clearing data can delay the next acquisition. They are most useful when reproducing a receiver problem, not as a guaranteed “GPS booster”.

Version 3.10.6 updates Android platform and core dependencies, fixes the SouthPAN legend colour in dark mode and includes translation work. Its release notes do not claim a universal accuracy improvement.

Privacy and permissions

Location permission is necessary because the app reads GNSS measurements and fixes. The APK declares nine permissions, including those used for location and foreground logging. It has no native libraries and our scan found no tracker SDKs. It still uses the internet for OpenStreetMap and MapTiler tiles, help or requested assistance data. A user-triggered Share → Device action uploads device information to script.google.com; no tracker detection is therefore not the same as no network traffic.

About this file

• This is the developer’s official 3.10.6 osmdroid release APK, signed with original author Mike Lockwood’s key and now maintained by Sean Barbeau. IzzyOnDroid mirrors it unchanged; its SHA-256 and byte size match the GitHub asset.
• It needs Android 7.0 or later. Some measurements, including carrier frequency, require newer Android versions and supporting hardware.
• The 3.5 MB APK contains no native code and declares nine permissions. Our scan found no trackers.
• GPSTest is licensed under Apache-2.0. OpenStreetMap and MapTiler tiles and data have their own attribution and usage terms.

Versions currently kept in the IzzyOnDroid repository. We host and check only the newest one. Full changelog.