# How to Show GPS Coords in iPhone Pic? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 14, 2016, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-show-gps-coords-in-iphone-pic/771969 "2016-11-14T16:44:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-show-gps-coords-in-iphone-pic/771969/1 "2016-11-14T16:44:27Z")
I understand each iPhone picture has GPS data attached to it and can be viewed by moving one’s pictures onto a PC, right clicking, etc. Sounds simple enough. However, is there a way to show GPS data in the picture itself? And if so, can it be done with an older iPhone? I have an iPhone 4. …yes, it’s an antique. ---
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-show-gps-coords-in-iphone-pic/771969/2 "2016-11-14T19:26:13Z")
I have not encountered any such app. However, there may be another problem with the idea in that if I recall the OS calls correctly (from a few years ago when I was helping someone with writing a simple App), iPhones take a picture and then determine location and add it to the metadata. This is due to the fact that GPS is a huge energy drain and so is only done when necessary. As such without writing a new app/code, the phone wouldn’t have the GPS data to add to the top of the image. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-show-gps-coords-in-iphone-pic/771969/3 "2016-11-14T20:36:09Z")
> [@Disheavel](#): > > As such without writing a new app/code, the phone wouldn’t have the GPS data to add to the top of the image. Does it store its last position in memory? ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-show-gps-coords-in-iphone-pic/771969/4 "2016-11-14T20:45:01Z")
> [@Disheavel](#): > > I have not encountered any such app. However, there may be another problem with the idea in that if I recall the OS calls correctly (from a few years ago when I was helping someone with writing a simple App), iPhones take a picture and then determine location and add it to the metadata. This is due to the fact that GPS is a huge energy drain and so is only done when necessary. As such without writing a new app/code, the phone wouldn’t have the GPS data to add to the top of the image. Yes, the geotagging is part of the EXIF information attached to the photo, if provided by the device used to take it. I’m not sure what you’re getting at - if the picture was geotagged, “Latitude” and “Longitude” are right there in the EXIF data. There are any number of phone based viewer apps that will show you the exif data for the photo. You could conceivable write a viewer app that would display this as an overlay of some sort, but I don’t know that anybody has done so. ---
**Author:** ![Twoflower](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twoflower/32/22_2.png) [@Twoflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twoflower)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-show-gps-coords-in-iphone-pic/771969/5 "2016-11-14T20:56:21Z")
The [Theodolite](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/theodolite/id339393884?mt=8) app will do that and more. ---
**Author:** ![Kiwi\_Fruit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kiwi_fruit/32/12_2.png) [@Kiwi\_Fruit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiwi_Fruit)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-show-gps-coords-in-iphone-pic/771969/6 "2016-11-14T23:05:42Z")
The Photos app in iOS will show the place where the photo was taken on a map if you set it to do so. Is that not close enough for your need? Maybe earlier versions do not. I’ve only got a 5S iPhone with iOS 10.0.1. I think the iPhone 4 can’t go beyond iOS 8 ---
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-show-gps-coords-in-iphone-pic/771969/7 "2016-11-14T23:38:41Z")
> [@Twoflower](#): > > The [Theodolite](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/theodolite/id339393884?mt=8) app will do that and more. Interesting App, and it does look like it does what is needed. Thanks for setting me straight. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2016, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-show-gps-coords-in-iphone-pic/771969/8 "2016-11-15T01:05:55Z")
> [@Twoflower](#): > > The [Theodolite](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/theodolite/id339393884?mt=8) app will do that and more. Came to recommend the same App! ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2016, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-show-gps-coords-in-iphone-pic/771969/9 "2016-11-15T22:45:10Z")
There are lots of free Exif Viewer apps for the iPhone that will let you, well, view the EXIF data, including lat/long, exposure time etc etc. I have one called ExifWizard. ---
**Author:** ![MTVhike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MTVhike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MTVhike)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-show-gps-coords-in-iphone-pic/771969/10 "2017-03-07T20:46:15Z")
I opened a photo I took with my old iPhone4 with Adobe Lightroom, and the GPS coordinates were displayed. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-show-gps-coords-in-iphone-pic/771969/11 "2017-03-07T21:48:41Z")
Also, be aware that EXIF data is easily editable. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-show-gps-coords-in-iphone-pic/771969/12 "2017-03-07T22:33:47Z")
Also, many programs you use to modify the image may strip all but the most basic EXIF info. I regularly use irfanview to do simple manipulation like cropping, and a few days ago I had reason to notice that it stripped the geotagging and camera information from my original. If the photo has passed through any form of public forum, the posting software SHOULD remove it. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-show-gps-coords-in-iphone-pic/771969/13 "2017-03-07T22:40:35Z")
I should add that irfanview does present you with a bunch of checkbox options on “save”, which I’m not in the habit of looking at if I’m just cropping something. One of them is “keep original EXIF data” which is defaulted unchecked, or I changed it for some reason at some point.