Helpful phone apps...

[markmcilroy]

Hi Pilgrims,
Last year I walked the CF carrying my iphone, ipad (mini) and spare back up battery.

This year when I walk it again (yes, I have the bug) I will only be taking the iphone as for me there is no real need for the other items as I never used them once. Before I left last year I came across a helpful app called "Battery Life" which tells you how much charge your phone battery can take compared to a new battery / the wear level of your battery.

I found this app helpful as I discovered that my old battery could only take 50% of its original charge so I put a new battery in it before I left home which then showed 100%. Today using the app I see my battery is at 90% which is fine for this years adventure.

I was wondering what helpful apps people have on their phones to help them on their travels..?

Great thoughts,
Mark

 

[David]

I'm looking forward to what comes up here.

Have you seen Cairn? - description - "Cairn helps you stay out of harm’s way, and get help should you need it. The app crowdsources cell coverage areas, so you know where you can expect service before you set foot on the trail. It also ties into your GPS, so friends or loved ones can keep tabs on your location when you’re out and about. You can set up the app to automatically notify specific contacts when you’re overdue, and even download a collection of free maps and trails with statistics for thousands of routes in the United States and United Kingdom. Cairn is iOS-only at the moment, but an Android version is on the way."

Leafsnap? If it is your thing - take a photo of a tree leaf and it will tell you what it is and lots about it.

Skymap? Point your phone at the night sky and it will show you what you are looking at, stars, planets - is rather cool. You can put items into search, such as Venus, and arrows will show you where to point!

I take a phone (Android) but keep it switched off except for in the evening when I switch on to check for emergency messages from home. Saves so much power and is there fully charged for when I need it.

Good tips
Switch off wifi or the phone will continually search for a signal, draining power. Only switch it on when you need it.
Switch to aircraft mode when charging as it charges faster.

 

[joecamino]

I found The Wise Pilgrim and Camino Companion apps to be quite helpful. (A lot of overlap, but each presented info a bit differently)

The Booking.com, and to lesser extent, Trivago, apps were useful-- I was one of those pilgrims who liked knowing where that night's bed was)

Audible, Downpour, Pocket Casts, and Spotify each helped me get through some long days.

Edit: Cairn sounds pretty cool! I'll keep an eye open for Android release. And I agree that "Airplane Mode as much as possible" is good advice. I didn't learn till late how much of a drain Location Services is!

 

[David]

Ah! and don't forget John Brierley's excellent Camino app - based on his guide books - rather brilliant! - http://www.ecamino.eu/

 

[SYates]

AlertCops (free) - by the Spanish police, which allows you to alert them with a few taps of your finger.
Wise Pilgrim (paid, but not expensive) - Camino Guides

Buen Camino, SY

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Not really an app but @trecile has something very useful to do with a phone. See the thread she started here: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/emergency-contact-lock-screen-for-phone.48896/

 

[AdaR]

Mark, can you tell me more about the Battery Life app, the developer name?
I found several apps on Google play store with that name, and not all had good ratings.
I plan to use my Android phone for navigation in town, especially to locate my lodging. And I would like to be able to log my tracks and mileage for journaling. Both big battery drains, I know.
Thanks.

 

[ivar]

May I recommend the Camino Forum app, for when you are standing in [insert town here] and looking for recommendations on where to sleep/eat or what to do.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I use a GPS app called OSMand (IOS and Android) that works offline and uses maps from the Open Street Map project. Why I am mentioning it here is that it can be used to display Points Of Interest that are sites mentioned in Wikipedia. Like the OSM maps these Wikipedia POIs also can be downloaded so they can be read off line. Read more about these POIs and see a screenshot at this post on the forum: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/ios-apps-for-history-guide.43625/

 

[Lee Howell]

I really like Locus Maps. This was our first Camino and you can pin point your location and direction relative to the camino-frances and on the Camino Finisterre. It has a number of PIOS including churches, cafes and albergues. This app came in handy navigating in the bigger towns off route and in some places where you have multiple arrows or alternatives without any signing. The map is stored offline but if you want your actual position, you will need to turn on location.

 

[Kitsambler]

What I've used for 6 years of walking outside Spain:

Finance: apps for you accounts that allow you to pay monthly bills electronically (your list will vary!)
Air Travel: apps for your carrier (gate changes, flight delays, early check in), Packing (list manager), Smart Traveler (US) (local info), apps for your airports of origin-transfer-destination
Rail Travel: DB Navigator, DB Tickets, SNCF, GoEuro, SBB Mobile (Switz)
Bus/Metro Travel: PostBus (Switz), Fahrplan (Germany), BVG Fahrinfo (Munich), Paris Metro, MVG FahrInfo (Berlin), MetroLyon
Lodging: TripAdvisor, Booking.com, Hostelworld, Gites France
Pilgrim Routes: GPS Kit, GPS-Tracks, Fernwandern (Germany), Pilgerwege (Germany), SwitzerlandMobility, iMiam (France), Geoportail (France), GR-Infos, (France), iPhiGeNie (France)
Language Learning: Duolingo, Michel Thomas, Babbel
Language Operations: Collins dictionaries, Google Translate, Word Lens
Blogging: Camera+, WordPress

 

[jerbear]

Maps.me work for me. Bc

 

[Ferdinand the Bull]

I like maps and am looking forward to test two apps I found recently. One is "Camino Pilgrim" with maps of the stages on CF, albergues etc. The other is more advanced and appears to be very good with lots of features for the map aficionado. That one is called "Mapas de Espańa" and in this you can download all the Camino routes and stages you want.

 

[PncessAmy]

One is "Camino Pilgrim" with maps of the stages on CF

There's good detail in Camino Pilgrim but the alburgue lists are outdated. I lost my bag for a bit by sending to one that had been closed for 3 years! I like the Buen Camino app best, the Wise Pilgrim app is ok.

Also download for offline in maps and the translator apps. I did the same with Spotify, I need my tunes!

 

[Ferdinand the Bull]

There's good detail in Camino Pilgrim but the alburgue lists are outdated. I lost my bag for a bit by sending to one that had been closed for 3 years! I like the Buen Camino app best, the Wise Pilgrim app is ok.

Also download for offline in maps and the translator apps. I did the same with Spotify, I need my tunes!

Thanks for the tip, I will keep that in mind.

 

[JillGat]

Wise Pilgrim also has maps that show you where you in relation to the Camino in real time. It helped me several times when I got lost in cities. I checked the albergues and other lodging available in coming villages and they were up-to-date. When you click on the names of hostals and private albergues (any place that accepts reservations), it automatically connects you to booking.com and you can make a reservation right then. I found it to be very helpful. Also little blurbs of historical interest about the villages you pass through.

 

[markmcilroy]

Not really an app but @trecile has something very useful to do with a phone. See the thread she started here: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/emergency-contact-lock-screen-for-phone.48896/

Yes, I saw that yesterday and have made up the screen now...that was very clever idea indeed.

 

[markmcilroy]

Mark, can you tell me more about the Battery Life app, the developer name?
I found several apps on Google play store with that name, and not all had good ratings.
I plan to use my Android phone for navigation in town, especially to locate my lodging. And I would like to be able to log my tracks and mileage for journaling. Both big battery drains, I know.
Thanks.

Robert Tkotzyk is that name that appears on the app...I was quite skeptical about it but it was a recommended app somewhere. I tested on my daughters phone which was brand new and showed a 100% rating. And mine was showing 50% then 100% with a new battery.