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How do I find my altitude on iPhone?

Open FieldGrid's Map tab and read the middle cell of the bar at the bottom: it shows your altitude in metres above sea level, next to speed and true heading. It is the GPS altitude iOS reports with each fix, so give it a minute outdoors before you trust it.

3 min read · Updated 2026-09-23

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Apple's own Compass app already prints an elevation under the coordinates. If one number is all you need, stop there. FieldGrid keeps the altitude next to the grid, and every waypoint you save from your position keeps it too.

Where the number is

  1. Open FieldGrid and allow location. Without it the map shows GPS UNAVAILABLE and there's no altitude either.
  2. On the Map tab, look at the strip just above the buttons: km/h on the left, then m ASL, then the heading marked TRUE.
  3. For a second look, tap + on Waypoints. The Current position section prints the horizontal accuracy and the altitude on one line, like ±5 m · alt 1917 m.

Before the first fix the altitude cell reads 0. It looks like sea level and isn't. Wait until the ± figure in the status row above the grid drops to a few metres.

Example readings

Whole metres only, no feet setting. The feet column is simply metres divided by 0.3048.

FieldGrid altitude readings, metres to feet
PointFieldGrid showsIn feet
Car park1240 m ASL4068 ft
Top1917 m ASL6289 ft
Gain677 m2221 ft

Standing still at the top, the figure moved by a few metres between updates. FieldGrid asks iOS for a new fix about every 3 m of movement, and each fix brings a fresh altitude, so a jumpy last digit is normal.

How accurate is it?

GPS height is always looser than GPS position, iPhone included. FieldGrid shows the horizontal fix quality as the ± figure but no vertical accuracy at all. You get a clean 1917 and no hint of how far off it might be. Under trees, in a valley or next to buildings, expect it to wander more.

The app doesn't calibrate the altitude against a known height or read the barometer on its own. It shows what Core Location hands over. At a summit sign or a map spot height, trust the map's word over the phone.

What you get for free, and what Pro adds

  • Free: the live altitude on the map, and the altitude saved with each waypoint you drop at your position (5 slots). Select waypoints and share them as GPX and it goes into the elevation field; Export all is Pro. A waypoint typed in by hand has no altitude.
  • Pro: track recording, where every point of the track keeps its altitude, and the track exports to GPX with it.
  • Neither: an elevation profile, total climb, or the altitude shown on a waypoint's card. It's stored, just not displayed there.

Questions and answers

How accurate is iPhone altitude?
It depends on the sky view and the fix. GPS height is less certain than the horizontal position, and FieldGrid only shows the horizontal ± figure. Treat the number as approximate, not good to a single metre, and check it against a map spot height when you can.
Does the iPhone have an altitude sensor?
iPhones have a barometer, and iOS also gets height from GPS. FieldGrid doesn't read the barometer separately; it shows the altitude iOS reports with each location fix.
Can I see my altitude in feet?
Not in FieldGrid. It's metric only, so altitude is in metres above sea level. Divide by 0.3048 for feet: 1917 m is 6289 ft.
Does finding elevation on iPhone need cell signal?
No. The altitude comes with the GPS fix, which works with no signal. Only the map picture behind it needs a connection.

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