Smartphone Carrier Phase TEC: A Study Across Ionospheric Spatio‐Temporal Scales

This study explores the potential of dual‐frequency smartphones as accessible tools for citizen science in ionospheric research. While prior work by Smith et al. (2024, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586‐024‐08072‐x ) demonstrated global ionospheric monitoring using aggregated pseudorange Total Electron Content (TEC) data from millions of Android devices, this approach faces limitations: restricted data access due to privacy concerns, uncontrolled signal degradation from passive collection, severe multipath interference from phone antennas, and an inability to utilize higher‐accuracy carrier phase TEC due to Android duty cycling. We propose an orthogonal approach focused on active, localized carrier phase TEC collection from individual smartphones. We demonstrate the capability of smartphones as standalone Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers under quiet ionospheric conditions, during a total solar eclipse (large‐scale phenomenon), and during auroral substorms (small‐scale phenomena). Our method only requires an Android dual‐frequency phone with duty cycling disabled, a clear field of view, and a willing participant. This work establishes a practical foundation for future privacy‐preserving citizen science campaigns, highlighting their significant potential to advance ionospheric science.