Could you explain why the P-70 Ultra has only limited support for iOS and iPadOS?
Unfortunately, Apple restricts IOS location data sharing from external GNSS devices unless they are MFi (Made for iPhone) certified — a limitation often referred to as the “Apple Tax.” Due to this restriction, we’re not aware of any RTK GNSS receivers on the market that work with iOS at the OS level. The P-70 is no exception — it does not integrate with iOS at the OS level.
However, the P-70 can connect to iOS apps via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), which enables app-level compatibility with iPhones and iPads. iOS developers can integrate BLE connectivity into their apps to work with GNSS receivers like the P-70. Here’s an example from the Columbus P-7 (a sister product of the P-70), showing how developers can implement BLE support:
https://cbgps.com/p7/app/developer/btle/index_en.htm
Another example is the Columbus P-9 (also a sister product of the P-70), where multiple iOS apps have successfully added BLE connections to the device, making them fully P-9 compatible:
https://cbgps.com/p9/support_en.htm
On the other hand, the P-70 is fully compatible at the OS level with macOS, Windows, Linux, and Android, allowing it to work seamlessly with applications running on those platforms.