Starlink Shuts GPS Location Feature on Satellite Broadband Service

The Starlink (SpaceX) service, which sells affordable ultrafast broadband connectivity to UK and global consumers via a massive constellation of compact satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), has begun notifying customers that, effective from 20th May 2026, “dish location will no longer be available via the local device gRPC API“.

The gRPC is an open-source software framework that has been integrated into Starlink’s hardware and Starlink hasn’t said why they’re making this update for their “Location Data Access” feature (note: this needs to be manually turned on via the ‘Debug Data’ section by the user in order to function). But reports on Reddit and PC Mag speculate that it could be a pro-privacy and security decision.

The gRPC API is known to be very accurate at enabling a customer to see the real-time location of a Starlink dish, which is usually of most benefit to third-party software and Starlink resellers (i.e. when managing fleets of dishes used on the road or at sea) than most consumers, who probably won’t even know the feature existed (note: regular users can still their dish’s location through the Starlink Mobile app, under “Subscription”).

The author of one such desktop software app, Nexus Telemetry, noted that the location function had a caveat in that it allowed any device on your home network, including guest devices, the possibility to silently read your precise GPS coordinates (often while bypassing software layer restrictions on location permissions).

Suffice to say, it’s speculated that SpaceX might now be clamping down on this feature for security reasons, especially for enterprise and military users. But there may be a wider cost.

Paul Sutherland, Software Developer at Nexus Telemetry, said:

“For mobile users, RVs, vans, and boats, it’s more of a problem. The whole point of polling the dish was that the location updated automatically as you moved. You’ll now need an alternative source.”

At this stage it’s unclear whether some users will now require third-party GPS receivers to source the same location data. Some Starlink resellers have also noted that the move could lead to “reduced troubleshooting accuracy, more reactive operations, and a diminished ability to automate and enforce service level agreements at an individual site level“.

SpaceX does offer a “Telemetry API” for enterprise customers, but it limits location data to approximate grid cells rather than specific coordinates. So far Starlink hasn’t provided an explanation for the change, and it’s possible they may still add it back in the future, albeit with greater protection. Time will tell.

Starlink currently has over 10,290 satellites in orbit – mostly at altitudes of between c.340-550km. Residential customers in the UK usually pay from £35 £25 a month for the ‘Residential 100Mbps’ unlimited data plan (kit price may vary due to different offers), which also promises uploads of c.15-35Mbps and low latency connectivity. Faster packages exist at greater cost, while more restrictive (data capped) options also exist for roaming users (e.g. £50 per month for 100GB of data).