this post was submitted on 15 Oct 2026
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What will happen to things like GPS that depend heavily on time, but cannot easily be reprogrammed in all devices that use it?
GPS doesn't handle leap seconds. Currently devices have to subtract ~18 seconds to convert from GPS time to UTC, this just means that offset will never need to be updated for a few thousand years. Other GNSS constellations may be different, but I assume they'd also be unaffected.
Very interesting info, thanks!!
I think it shouldn't matter. IIRC, the GPS algorithm depends on time differences, not absolute time. As long as the satellites are coordinated with each other, receivers won't care which parameters the absolute time matches.
Not true. My 2015 car uses gps satellites to determine its clock. In 2019 there was a gps week number rollover due to a 10-bit counter rolling over. My car hasn't had the correct time since and the manufacturer doesn't distribute update CDs for it. I can set the clock manually and even change the settings to not auto update, but it resets every time I turn off the car.
So while yes the satellites just count seconds, it's interpreted by other devices and the differences will confuse them.
But does the GPS work? Is it able to correctly locate your car on the map? There are other cool things we use GPS satellites for, but their purpose is to calculate the position on a globe. A Global Positioning System, if you will.
Irrelevant, you said the receivers didn't care, and they definitely need updates to read the GPS satellites' output correctly.