OS Locate

Ordnance Survey Ltd

About this app

Make the most of your adventures in the great outdoors with OS Locate. Used alongside your Ordnance Survey map, OS Locate is a fast and highly accurate means of pinpointing your exact location on the map, anywhere in Great Britain. If you have lost your bearings or simply would like a little reassurance, OS Locate is the ideal companion for all enthusiasts of the great outdoors.

The app converts GPS location readings from your mobile phone to Ordnance Survey National Grid references, enabling you to determine precisely where you are on an Ordnance Survey map. No mobile signal? No problem; OS Locate does not require a mobile signal to function – the inbuilt GPS system can be relied upon, even in the most remote areas.

Simply download the app and switch on your device’s location services (Settings – Privacy – Location services).

Compass accuracy: the app relies on your device's internal compass and if this is inaccurate the displayed compass will be incorrect as well. Accuracy generally increases the longer you have the app open and many users report moving the device in a figure-eight help calibrate the compass and gives a more accurate reading. Of course, like any compass, keep away from metallic or magnetic objects!

OS Locate is packed with additional features. The ‘Share’ button allows you to connect with friends and family via messaging and social media – let them know where you are, how your adventure is progressing and what time you will be home. Use the handy digital compass to take your bearings – always ensuring you are on the right track. For those who are keen to learn more about maps and navigation, the ‘About’ button hosts a wealth of information including hints and tips and a guide to map reading. In addition, you will find simple yet comprehensive guides on how to use eastings and northings.

OS Locate – know where you are.

OS Locate is a complementary tool for Ordnance Survey paper maps. You should always have an Ordnance Survey paper map and baseplate compass when exploring the great outdoors.

Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.

Please ensure your Location Services are turned on.

Ratings and reviews

Great app, gives u accurate coordinates for ringing emergency services and you don't need mobile internet for it to work. 10 figure grid ref is accurate to 1m squared. Which is incredible, I wouldn't use the compass on this or any phone app as it isn't always accurate, much prefer to use a proper one. But for location its mint.

Works great on my phone. Way better than the trash known as w3w. Downloaded it onto my parents phones, both with smaller screens, and in both cases shows everything but not the easting and northing numbers, so until you allow the app to resize itself or make the actual grid reference the key thing that will show regardless, it's not much use for them alas.

For an official OS app offered to compliment OS paper maps, this really should report altitude relative to the Newlyn datum, i.e. mean sea level around the UK (like the maps). It doesn't. It reports relative to the WGS84 ellipsoid, which is approx 40m lower. Bit of an oversight by the developers. 5 years later....Still reporting WGS84 altitude after updates! And yet pointless 10 figure precision is offered, which is crazy. No phone will give that level of accuracy.

What's new

We’ve updated the app so it’s compatible with the latest versions of Android