Why does the P-7 Pro have only limited support for iOS and iPadOS?
Quote from GPSWebShop Official on November 5, 2025, 11:34 amSince 2018, Apple has restricted external GNSS receivers from accessing the iOS Location Service. This means no external GNSS device can share its location data directly with iOS at the system level. As a result, apps on iOS can no longer receive location data from external GNSS receivers through the operating system.
Because of this policy, no GNSS receiver on the market is fully compatible with iOS at the OS level.
Instead, Apple requires external GNSS devices to connect at the app level using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). For this to work, the developer of each iOS app must preload the BLE ID of the specific GNSS device so the app can recognize and communicate with it.
The P-7 Pro supports BLE, which allows it to work with iOS apps that have implemented BLE communication. Developers can integrate BLE support into their apps to receive data from GNSS receivers. You can refer to the following document for details on how developers can implement BLE support:
https://cbgps.com/p7/app/developer/btle/index_en.htm
A list of the iOS apps currently compatible with the P-7 Pro can be found here:
https://cbgps.com/p7/support_en.htm
On the other hand, the P-7 Pro is fully compatible at the OS level with macOS, Windows, Linux, and Android, allowing it to work seamlessly with applications on those platforms.
Since 2018, Apple has restricted external GNSS receivers from accessing the iOS Location Service. This means no external GNSS device can share its location data directly with iOS at the system level. As a result, apps on iOS can no longer receive location data from external GNSS receivers through the operating system.
Because of this policy, no GNSS receiver on the market is fully compatible with iOS at the OS level.
Instead, Apple requires external GNSS devices to connect at the app level using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). For this to work, the developer of each iOS app must preload the BLE ID of the specific GNSS device so the app can recognize and communicate with it.
The P-7 Pro supports BLE, which allows it to work with iOS apps that have implemented BLE communication. Developers can integrate BLE support into their apps to receive data from GNSS receivers. You can refer to the following document for details on how developers can implement BLE support:
https://cbgps.com/p7/app/developer/btle/index_en.htm
A list of the iOS apps currently compatible with the P-7 Pro can be found here:
https://cbgps.com/p7/support_en.htm
On the other hand, the P-7 Pro is fully compatible at the OS level with macOS, Windows, Linux, and Android, allowing it to work seamlessly with applications on those platforms.