The 5 Best Bluetooth GPS Receivers
Updated by · How we research
Few Bluetooth GPS receivers are still sold and documented, so we compare five by accuracy, battery life and app support. The Garmin GLO 2 is first. When users buy our independently chosen editorial picks, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki.
An iPhone or iPad uses an external GPS receiver only in apps that support it, and Android needs a mock-location setup, so check your app before buying. These small battery-powered units feed satellite position over Bluetooth. Pilots pair them with Wi-Fi iPads, and boaters, drivers, photographers and mapping crews use them where a built-in chip falls short.
Editor's Notes
October 17, 2026, by Ezvid Wiki Editors:
Our new No. 1 is the Garmin GLO 2, for its battery life, two satellite systems and light weight. Most of the earlier list had disappeared. The Dual Electronics XGPS170D, Bad Elf GPS Lightning, Bad Elf 2300 Pro+ and Qstarz BT-Q1000XT are no longer available, and the Solmeta GMax-GD listing is gone. The original Garmin GLO is still sold, but the Garmin GLO 2 replaced it, so we list the newer one. We also moved the Garmin Aera 660 to special honors. It's a fine aviation navigator with its own screen, but it isn't a receiver for a phone or tablet.
The Dual XGPS160 and Dual XGPS150A stay. New are the Bad Elf Flex Mini, for mapping work that needs better accuracy, and the Qstarz BT-Q818XT, a cheap option for laptops and lap timers.
Why only five? The category has shrunk. Phones and cellular tablets carry good GPS chips, and many older receivers were discontinued without a replacement. We'd rather list five that are still sold and documented than pad the page.
One thing to know before buying: an iPhone or iPad uses an external receiver only in apps that support it, and Android needs a mock-location setup. The guide explains both. Evidence is thin here, too. We found no current lab tests of these receivers, so makers' manuals, dealer spec sheets, owner reports and recall checks shaped the picks.
Earlier notes
November 5, 2020:
As smartphone and laptop technology gets better, the need for better supporting hardware increases. This is true of Bluetooth GPS receivers for your boat, bike, car, or when you are out hiking so you can find out where you are anywhere in the world. Some of these options are even powerful enough to use for aviation purposes.
We added the Qstarz BT-Q1000XT as it offers a lot of features for the price. The fact that it is compatible with Google maps was a factor, as was its ability to save 400,000 trips. It is incredibly accurate which makes it perfect for recording timed laps on a track, and it will connect to any operating system on any smartphone.
The Bad Elf GPS Lightning is a neat addition to any navigation software that you run on your Apple device. It was added to our list as a simple solution to any geolocation problem, and it fits in your pocket. Aviators can also use it for speed and altitude data as well as a simple GPS reading.
February 19, 2019, by Christopher Thomas:
GPS technology is an absolute requirement of modern life, even if it usually operates just below the surface. While smartphones typically have their own, built-in receiver, those are often somewhat underpowered. They're rarely, if ever, sufficient for flying, and sometimes even the interior of a car or truck is too shielded for them to give very accurate readings. If you're in the market for something to add precision to automotive travel, consider the Garmin GLO, Bad Elf, or either of the less-expensive Dual Electronics units. Aviators, who more often than not require the most dependable option available, should look at the high-end Garmin and Dual models, which are quite pricey, but are built specifically with pilots in mind. The top-level Garmin is basically a self-contained flight instrument, even offering 3D visuals to help with low-visibility flight. And while it's awfully expensive, the Emlid is an extremely interesting choice. It combines a handful of technologies, resulting in incredibly accurate reporting, and it features a wider variety of connectivity options than almost any other.
Special Honors
Eos Positioning Arrow Series Eos Positioning Systems makes the Arrow series, high-accuracy GNSS receivers that pair over Bluetooth with iPhones, iPads, Android devices and Windows tablets and are widely used with GIS mapping apps. The higher models accept RTK corrections for centimeter-level work. They're sold through dealers rather than general retailers, and Eos publishes free guides to setting up external receivers. eos-gnss.com
Garmin Aera 660 Pilots who would rather not depend on a tablet can look at Garmin's aera 660, a portable aviation navigator with its own touchscreen and built-in GPS. It's a complete navigator rather than a receiver for another device, and it costs several times as much as a Bluetooth receiver. garmin.com
Accuracy, Satellites And What A Receiver Adds
If you only need to see yourself on a chart or a trail map, a 2- to 3-meter receiver is plenty.
A consumer Bluetooth receiver is usually good to about 2.5 to 3 meters under open sky, which is no better than a recent phone. Its value is elsewhere. It gives a Wi-Fi iPad a position it otherwise lacks, it can sit on a dashboard or glare shield with a clear view of the sky while the tablet stays in your lap, and it takes the GPS load off the phone's battery. Some, like the Dual XGPS160, also log a track or serve several devices at once.
More satellite systems help most in cities, canyons and under trees. The Garmin GLO 2 tracks GPS and GLONASS, while the Dual XGPS150A uses GPS alone. SBAS correction (WAAS in North America) tightens the fix toward a meter or two.
Mapping-grade receivers go further. The Bad Elf Flex Mini listens on two frequency bands, and Bad Elf rates it under 2 meters with SBAS (RTKdata integration notes). Centimeter-level work needs RTK, which means an RTK-capable receiver plus a correction stream, usually a paid NTRIP network delivered over the phone's data connection (Eos Positioning). A review of the full-size Bad Elf Flex reported about 1 meter on its own and about 1 centimeter with RTK (Point One Navigation). If you only need to see yourself on a chart or a trail map, a 2- to 3-meter receiver is plenty.
Making It Work With iPhone, iPad, Android And Laptops
Check your app before you buy. An iPhone or iPad doesn't replace its own location with an external receiver for every app; the receiver works in apps that support it. Aviation apps such as ForeFlight list supported receivers, and Bad Elf and Garmin units are common on those lists (ForeFlight support). iOS updates have broken external receivers before, as Bad Elf warned after iOS 8.3 (Bad Elf), so it's worth waiting a few days after a major update if you fly or work with one.
Android takes more setup. You turn on Developer Options, install a bridge app that reads the receiver over Bluetooth, and pick that app as the mock location app, so other apps see the receiver's position (Emlid, Fulcrum). Some phones drop that setting after a restart, so check it before heading out.
The Dual XGPS150A has a small mode switch: one side for Apple devices, the other for Android, Windows and laptops. If a receiver pairs but no app sees a position, that switch, the app's settings or the update rate is usually the cause. Garmin notes that the GLO 2 can send 10 updates a second, but many devices only accept a slower rate (Garmin GLO 2 instructions).
Battery, Mounting And Safe Use
Listed battery life runs from about 8.5 hours for the Dual XGPS150A to about 13 hours for the Garmin GLO 2, and sellers claim about 42 hours for the Qstarz BT-Q818XT. Charge before a trip and carry a cable for long days. Garmin's manual lists an operating range of -4 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit (-20 to 60 Celsius) and charging only between 32 and 113 degrees Fahrenheit (0 and 45 Celsius), and warns against leaving the receiver in a hot car or puncturing the lithium-ion battery (Garmin GLO 2 instructions).
Place the receiver where it sees the sky: on the dashboard, a window ledge or an aircraft glare shield. The same manual says not to mount anything where it blocks the driver's view or an airbag, and to keep the receiver within about 30 feet of the paired device. Expect the first fix of the day to take about half a minute in open sky, longer after a long trip or indoors.
For pilots, a portable receiver feeding a tablet is a situational-awareness aid, not an approved navigation source for instrument flight. We checked all five brands against the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's recall database and found no recalls (CPSC).
How we researched this
We compared 15 Bluetooth GPS receivers, screened the current search results for the category and studied the five finalists in depth. We read Garmin's instructions for the GLO 2, dealer spec sheets for the Dual and Qstarz models, Bad Elf's published specs and an integration guide, setup guides from Emlid, Fulcrum and Eos Positioning, and patterns in owner feedback on pilot and overland forums. We checked every brand for recalls with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. We found no current independent lab tests of these receivers.
Sources (10)
- Garmin: GLO 2 instructions (PDF)
- RTKdata: Bad Elf Flex Mini integration
- Point One Navigation: Bad Elf Flex review
- Pocket GPS World: Qstarz BT-Q818 review
- Eos Positioning: getting started with external Bluetooth GPS receivers
- Emlid: mock location on Android
- Fulcrum: external GPS devices on Android
- ForeFlight: supported GPS devices
- Bad Elf: iOS 8.3 compatibility alert
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission: recalls
Frequently asked questions
Will an iPhone or iPad use a Bluetooth GPS receiver?
Only in apps that support it. iOS doesn't swap its own location for an external receiver across the whole device. Aviation, marine and mapping apps usually list the receivers they support, so check that list first. A Wi-Fi-only iPad has no GPS chip, which is the most common reason to buy one.
How do I use a Bluetooth GPS receiver with Android?
Pair the receiver, install a bridge app that reads it, turn on Developer Options and choose the bridge app as the mock location app. Other apps then see the receiver's position. Some phones forget the setting after a restart.
How accurate is a Bluetooth GPS receiver?
A consumer receiver is usually accurate to about 2.5 to 3 meters in open sky, close to a good phone. Mapping-grade receivers reach under 2 meters with SBAS, and RTK receivers with a correction service reach centimeters.
How long do the batteries last?
Listed figures run from about 8.5 hours (Dual XGPS150A) to about 13 hours (Garmin GLO 2). The Qstarz BT-Q818XT is rated at about 42 hours by its seller, and the Bad Elf Flex Mini claims more than 24 hours in Standard mode, less with corrections running.
Can I fly instruments with a portable GPS receiver?
No. A portable receiver feeding a tablet app is an aid to situational awareness. It isn't an approved navigation source for instrument flight.
