Galileo, the European GPS service, will now be required on all smartphones. Indeed, EU legislation dating from 2018 officially entered into force on March 17. In reality, only the old models are no longer compatible today. We explain what you need to know.
The European Union is investing more and more in the smartphone market. As these are now an integral part of our daily lives, the Member States seek precisely to protect their citizens against builders not always very conscientious. Several legislations are thus planned, such as the return of removable batteries. Some have even caused a lot of ink to flow, like the single charger which could soon be imposed on all manufacturers – and especially on Apple.
But some measures have already been in place for several years and are awaiting their official implementation. This is now the case for Galileo compatibility. A little throwback: in 2018, the EU now requires manufacturers to offer smartphones compatible with its GPS service. The time to make a smooth transition for the manufacturers and to develop its armada of satellites for Galileo, it will have been necessary to wait until March 17, 2022 so that the law is applicable.
What is Galileo and why it is mandatory on all smartphones
Galileo, so it’s kind of the GPS overseen by Europe. Its big advantage over a traditional geolocation service is its precision: wherever you are in the world Galileo is able to calculate your position to the nearest meter. The service is therefore particularly useful in emergency situations. From now on, when you call 112, a signal will be sent to the organization contacted, which will therefore be able to react much more quickly.
Related: Galileo — Europe’s GPS has been down since Friday due to a ‘technical incident’
This is why the European Union wants to impose it on all smartphones. But what does this change for users? Concretely, not much. To date, only the oldest or lowest-end models are not in order. The vast majority of current smartphones are already compatible with Galileo. So there is nothing to do on your side.
Source: EUSPA
