KiezWalkHow does a GPS audio guide work?
A GPS audio guide compares your reported position with the locations of its stories. Near a relevant place, it can offer a recording or start playback. Location permission, audio controls and device settings all affect the experience.
Four parts work together
- Find a position: Your device supplies a location. A website needs your permission to access it.
- Compare it with places: The guide checks which stories are nearby.
- Choose a recording: Distance, subject and your settings can affect what is offered.
- Play the audio: You start it yourself or use the guide’s automatic playback flow.
The Geolocation API documentation explains the permission model for websites. Permission to use your location does not, by itself, ensure uninterrupted audio when the screen is locked.
Why a story may not start at an exact doorway
Positioning has an accuracy range. Tall buildings, courtyards and being indoors can make a location marker move. A guide may therefore use an area around a place rather than one exact point. The trigger behaviour depends on the application; there is no universal distance at which every audio guide starts.
The listening location can also be a deliberate viewing point rather than the original event site. For example, a public pavement might provide a better view of a building than its entrance. The account should explain that relationship.
What to check when nothing plays
- Check location permission and audio volume.
- Open a story manually to test playback.
- Give the device a moment outdoors to settle its position.
- Check whether battery saving or locking the screen changes the behaviour.
Try this before a long walk. If automatic playback is distracting, use manual selection where the guide supports it. You should be able to stop and listen on your own terms.
Location and offline access are different questions
A working position does not mean the recordings or maps are available without a connection. Before relying on offline use, test each part separately. The offline audio guide checklist provides a practical sequence.
For the content itself, begin with a neighbourhood you actually plan to visit. The Berlin audio guide selection guide explains how to compare coverage, narration and sources.