If you have not tried navigating by simply learning your environment or jotting down some notes in advance, you should. Being able to walk confidently knowing where you are going wards off predators.

Besides GPS units literally atrophy cognitive functions which is probably not healthy...

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/mar/21/all-mapped-o...

Even so, you can also carry a dedicated GPS device or a map without a smartphone.