GNSS Vs GPS: What's the difference?

Your phone likely uses more than GPS to figure out where you are

By Thomas Godwin Oct. 31, 2026 12:00 pm EST Raquel Alvarez Tabernero/Shutterstock Add Engadget on Google: Google Discover

In a casual conversation, you could maybe get away with using the acronyms GPS and GNSS interchangeably. The two are closely related, in the same way that an iPhone is a type of smartphone. GNSS stands for Global Navigation Satellite System, a broad term for any satellite navigation system, including GPS. NASA describes it as providing "autonomous geospatial positioning" because, of course, they do. The most important takeaway is that GPS, as familiar as it is to everyone, is merely a type of GNSS, specifically the United States' satellite navigation system.