The iPhone 4S has apparently received a significant update to its GPS support, reports MacRumors. Apple quietly updated their iPhone 4S tech specs page on their U.S. site, revealing that the iPhone 4S supports a system called GLONASS, the Russian version of GPS.
GLONASS, which is a Russian acronym for Global Navigation Satellite System, has only recently been restored to offer full global coverage, as the system fell out of repair during the 1990’s due to problems with the Russian economy. Russian launched the last of 24 satellites that drive the technology just two weeks ago.
Despite being created and operated by Russian, GLONASS is not a Russia-only service, and a number of current GPS devices and programs can use GLONASS in addition to GPS to provide faster and more accurate location information.
It’s currently unclear whether the iPhone 4S can use both systems on a worldwide basis, as only the U.S. specifications page has been updated. Apple so far has not responded to requests for more information.
