iPhone GPS apps in offline mode?

[russellg99]

I'm looking for an iPhone app that can show my GPS position on a map of the area, and calculate the distance from me to a particular location I've selected -- all while offline.

Both the built-in Maps app and the Google Maps app can do most of that, but not the distance calculation without being online. They both allow you to pre-cache the map and then show your current GPS position without an internet connection, but I'd like to drop a pin at the town or albergue I'm headed to and have it update the distance to that location as I'm walking. I understand why generating a route might require internet access, but it seems like the app itself should be able to calculate the distance between two points.

What I'm basically looking for is something like the Geocaching app, where it shows a continually-updated direction and distance to a pre-defined point -- but I want to pick something like a town or a hostel, and so far I haven't found a way to point it to anything other than an officially listed geocache. (Does the full $10 version of the app allow you to do that?)

The Wise Pilgrim app contains a list of places to stay along the route, and even shows your distance to each albergue. But everything related to comments, photos, and maps are disabled while offline. That's a real shame, because it would be the perfect app for offline use.

What iPhone apps have you found useful on the Camino?

Thanks,
Russell
http://www.farofflands.com/camino/

UPDATE: here's a summary of what I found, for those that would like to skip reading all the posts below:

After trying several apps, it looks like GPS Kit is going to be the winner. It's $9.99 for the iPhone app, but so far I'm very impressed for what you get for the high price. It can display several different types of maps (Google Street, Google Satellite, Google Terrain, Google Cycling, Google Hybrid, and several other "open" maps), and most of them can be saved offline at one of three different resolutions.

You can also drop a waypoint by tapping on the map, and then bring up a screen that shows the distance to it along with a compass pointing to it, and both are constantly updated as you walk, even while offline. You can also add a name, photo, or comment to the waypoint, see its coordinates and elevation, re-position it, and even see a weather forecast for it.

And it has a ton of other features as well, including tracking your progress, showing speed and pacing info, calculating the distance between two specific points (even if you're not at either of them), and more settings than you'll probably know what to do with. It also has a feature called Squawk that can be used between multiple GPS Kit users, allowing you to "track & chat with friends in real-time."

And best of all, it can import GPS data files (GPX, KML, & KMZ) and display the tracks on the map so you can see if you're still on course as you're walking. I loaded the GPX file from the web site for the new book "Hiking the Camino De Santiago" and it works great! (http://www.hikingthecamino.com/on-the-way/maps-gps)

MotionX GPS is a nice app too (note: not the same as MotionX GPS Drive), but the distance and direction to the waypoints are not updated on the screen unless you back out of the waypoint page and then go back into it again. That feature alone was a deal-breaker for me, but otherwise it has a lot of similar features to GPS Kit.

 

[Canuck]

I am in your situation and to do the required action without internet access, I use Sygic.
The app is free but you have to buy the maps(Spain 20 euros).
Works perfectly.
Enjoy,
Jean-Marc

 

[Kitsambler]

I used "GPS Kit" on my iPhone 4S last year, with the downloaded maps and route in Czech Rep and Germany. Worked just fine, in offline mode. Don't know if it will do the math you seem to want, but it's worth a try.

 

[Former member 22438]

NAVMII has good navigatation apps for navigation by car, walking or biking.
Some are free but not as detailed as the paid apps. Because of my coming Caminho Portuges,starting end next week, I bought he Portugese and Spanish NAVMII apps on my Iphone and paid € 5,80 for the Portugese one and I thought 4,80 € for the Spanish one.
The free Dutch ,Belgian and Luxemburg one we use regulairy works better as f.e a Tom Tom in the car.

Bom caminho

 

[HermanTheGerman]

Not sure if you can get it for iPhone, but I use Alpine Quest on Android. It cost me roughly 5 euros to buy the app. The maps need to be created with MOBAC which assembles the map tiles in the zoom levels and map source you specify. You can then output the map in the format you need. I created a map with contour lines of the entire Camino Frances which is about 800mb.

Back in the old days when I had an eye phone, I briefly used GPS Tracks which seemed to be a pretty good app. Didn't get too deep into it though as the apple unit was short lived.

Buen Camino

 

[KiwiNomad06]

They both allow you to pre-cache the map and then show your current GPS position without an internet connection

I have been trying to do just this simple step lately, but can't work out how to do it!
Margaret

 

[SCL]

You can use the PocketEarth maps and download them ahead of time. Your position will show even if you are in airplane mode. Used these last camino. I believe it is free. Takes some storage, but I cleaned my phone of uncecessary apps, music, and photos ahead of time and had plenty of room.

I also exclusively used the Wise Pilgrim app which was great. Didn't carry or miss a guidebook.

 

[russellg99]

Thanks for all the great replies. After trying several apps, it looks like GPS Kit is going to be the winner. It's $9.99 for the iPhone app, but so far I'm very impressed for what you get for the high price. It can display several different types of maps (Google Street, Google Satellite, Google Terrain, and several other "open" maps), and most of them can be saved offline at one of three different resolutions (the better the resolution the more data storage is required).

You can also drop a waypoint by tapping on the map, and then bring up a screen that shows the compass direction and distance to it, both of which are constantly updated even while offline.

And it has a ton of other features as well, including tracking your progress, showing speed and pacing info, weather info, the ability to add photos and comments, and more settings than you'll probably know what to do with.

Let me know if there's something in particular you want to know about it.

Thanks again,
Russell
http://www.farofflands.com/camino/

 

[russellg99]

They both allow you to pre-cache the map and then show your current GPS position without an internet connection

I have been trying to do just this simple step lately, but can't work out how to do it!
Margaret

Hi Margaret,

They don't actually have a feature to pre-cache the maps like the Google Maps app on Android does, but I've found that if you zoom in to a location and then go offline (disable WiFi and pull out your SIM card from the slot on the side of the iPhone), they seem to keep the map data for quite a while.

The blue dot showing your GPS position works offline also, although it seems to be disabled if you go into Airplane mode. But you shouldn't really need to do that for the Camino.

Let me know if you need more info.

Russell

 

[sillydoll]

When looking for apps, have a look at the ratings and the number of people who have rated them.
If the ratings is that it is a fantastic app with 5/5 but only three people have rated them, its probably the sister, brother and aunty! Also, check the date it was developed - it might be out-of-date unless it has had regular updates.

This one for android has good ratings by lots of people:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... i5mcmVlIl0.

 

[newfydog]

check out motion x

free, various maps, easy route loading.

 

[KiwiNomad06]

check out motion x free, various maps, easy route loading.

Thanks newly, just what I was hoping to find - now I just have to learn how to cache the maps...
Margaret

 

[Kanga]

I tried various apps both free and paid but they were either too complicated for this ancient simple minded crone or the maps were not good enough.
For walking in France last year I discovered iPhiGeNie which works for me. We could not have done the walk from Paris without it as we wanted to keep to footpaths and avoid roads. The app uses the official IGN maps. It gives all the IGN walking maps layered so the tiles can be zoomed in or out down to under 50 metres. The maps are extremely detailed and the zoom out facility means you can get an overview, see the topography as well as roads, footpaths and buildings and is very useful for plotting a course. All the GRs and footpaths are marked. It is not free but uses a time limited licensing system which is fair enough as you are getting the same high quality maps we used to buy and carry. To download the relevant maps ahead while in a wifi area you just select the area you want and zoom in and out - the app automatically caches the maps used and keeps them for a month - the theory being you doesn't want to fill you iPhone memory with stuff not needed. I think there is a way of keeping them for longer but I haven't needed to use it.

 

[Peregrina 2013]

check out motion x
free, various maps, easy route loading.

Newfy, I found 2 motion X apps for 99 cents each, no free app though. The 2 are the MotionX GPS Drive and the MotionX GPS Navigation. I assume the 2nd one would be the one you are talking about, right?

Thanks,

Mary

 

[newfydog]

yeah, i probably paid $.99 and forgot.

Motion x saved our day yesterday. We landed at the Portsmouth ferry with plans to bike to the south downs trail on route to the Francigena.

I made a route track and put it in my handlebar mounted Garmin, but when I turned it on, the entire section from the ferry, through the busy city and out the bike paths to the trail was missing. Garmin software does that sometimes.

The same file was perfect in the iphone. We had a great ride instead of a navigational nightmare.

 

[newfydog]

check out motion x free, various maps, easy route loading.

Thanks newly, just what I was hoping to find - now I just have to learn how to cache the maps...
Margaret

You can view many maps online, but the maps it will cache are the standard OSM maps. They are very good in some countries, not so great in others. The French maps are good, UK pretty good, Spain I have not tried.

 

[Peregrina 2013]

Thanks Newfydog, just got it and feel more at ease. I appreciate your help

Buen Camino!

Mary

 

[clearskiescamino]

Yep, I agree, motion x is the best in my opinion. I have made a few tracks not only for my time on the camino but also for walking around Dublin.

 

[anniethenurse]

I like an app called miCamino de Santiago from GooglePlay.

 

[kmrice]

You can also drop a waypoint by tapping on the map, and then bring up a screen that shows the compass direction and distance to it, both of which are constantly updated even while offline. (Motion X is a nice app too, but you have to reload the page to update these values)

Russell, thanks for summarizing your findings. I'm not clear what you mean by having to reload a page in Motion X to update a value. If you have downloaded a map, would you have to download it a second time? In order to do what? Any elaboration on this would be appreciated.

Thanks again for posting this information,

Karl

 

[russellg99]

I'm not clear what you mean by having to reload a page in Motion X to update a value. If you have downloaded a map, would you have to download it a second time? In order to do what?

Hi Karl,

Yeah, I wasn't too clear on that. What I meant was that if you drop a waypoint, the distance and direction to it are not updated in real-time as you walk. You have to back out of the waypoint page and then go back into it again to see the updated distance and direction. Whereas with GPS Kit, those values are updated continuously as you move.

I've also updated my summary at the end of my first post at the top of this page, to add a bit more info.

Thanks,
Russell
http://www.farofflands.com/camino/

 

[kmrice]

Thanks, Russell. Three more questions, if I could. I've been trying out Motion X and, if I am not mistaken, you can't download, say, all of Spain, as a map set. You have to tag the specific area you want to download, and then download it. So, if you forgot to download an area, and run out of data coverage, you're stuck. Am I correct about this? And, does GPS Kit work the same way? I've also been looking at NAVMII Spain which, as I understand it, comes with the entire map of Spain. I can't tell if you can import tracks into NAVMII, though. Do you know if you can import tracks into NAVMII?

Thanks again for your help.

Karl

 

[russellg99]

I've been trying out Motion X and, if I am not mistaken, you can't download, say, all of Spain, as a map set... And, does GPS Kit work the same way? ... I can't tell if you can import tracks into NAVMII, though.

Yes, GPS Kit works the same way as far as caching maps goes. It has a nice interface where you can trace an area with your finger, and it'll show you how many MB of data it'll be before it downloads it. It also implies that certain map providers might have limits on the size of data that can be cached for a single set, so if you trace too large of an area, it'll complain. It doesn't seem to have a limit on the number of cache sets in total though, other than the space available on the device.

I cached about a dozen areas that were about as long as each of the stages in the Brierley book (SJPP to Roncesvalles, for example) and just gave it a wide margin on each side of the pathway (import the GPX file I mentioned in my first post, and you can see the pathway as you're doing the caching). Each stage was about 6-10 MB in the highest resolution, using the Google Hybrid map. It didn't take all that long to do, and I can view the cached areas afterward to make sure I got everything.

I've never used NAVMII, but doing a couple of quick searches, it doesn't look like they support importing yet, although it's been requested for the past couple of years. Here's a message from an admin in October 2012 saying, "This will be done... Not sure when."

Let me know if you have any other questions about it -- I'm happy to help. I start from SJPP in three days (May 20, 2013), so I'll get a better sense of how it works then. ;-)

Russell
http://www.farofflands.com/camino/

 

[kmrice]

Thanks, Russell; just what I wanted to know. I appreciate your help.

I'm not leaving until the end of August, so I look forward to hearing from you how GPS Kit does by you.

Buen Camino,

Karl

 

[mustbjones]

What is the battery life of an iPhone used in this manner?

 

[Kitsambler]

Not much hit on the battery. Mostly battery goes to power the display, so the more you use the display the more battery consumed. Be sure to turn off the apps running in background; you will have enough battery for all day and perhaps two. I'm currently using "GPS Kit" app in Germany (and immensely grateful for it).

 

[mustbjones]

But aren't you running the app in the background so the you get real-time tracking?

 

[russellg99]

Hi, I'm the original poster.

I tracked our first day of the Camino with GPS Kit a few days ago, from SJPP to Valcarlos, just to see how the tracking works. It was 3 hrs 46 min and it used 40% of my iPhone 5 battery charge. That's an average of about 10.7% per hour.

I didn't really need to track it though -- I was just curious. Normally I use it to see where I am, how far it is to a point on the map, or to make sure I'm still on the GPS track I pre-loaded.

If you're not tracking, the app automatically turns off the GPS receiver when the app is backgrounded or the screen is locked, so it uses very little battery. If you are tracking, you can do either of those things and it'll keep the GPS active the whole time.

Click the images below to view them larger.

Russell

 

[Sienna Moon]

Hi there everyone,
I have downloaded an app and paid for the complete one. It was around the $6.00 mark. People I have showed it to are equally impressed and although I haven't written on their web site I think it is fantastic. I download at 2km and then 500 m and then 200 m. And it shows camping grounds streets and tracks the path. Love it as not much power used on iPad all day and it records your journey. I love it it is called Gallileo. I hope you find it as useful. It does take time to download and also you need correct spelling to search but after you have got the hang of it it's graeat.

 

[evanlow]

If you don't want the hassle of downloading offline maps after you have download the application, you can try:

Navfree GPS Spain
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/navfree-gps-spain-+-street/id451720476?mt=8

I used this for my Camino del Norte last year. It's a big app download (384 MB) but covers the whole Spain all at one go. As I also have a local SIM card with data, I sometimes switched over to Google Maps on the iPhone just to compare. Obviously Google Maps' layout is a bit better, but with Navfree it's free, easy and essentially has all the information one would need.

Oh, they also have France.

Navfree GPS France
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/navfree-gps-france-+-street/id434220953?mt=8

 

[holodnyalex]

while traveling a lot this app driven me back to my hostel:
http://icecoldsoft.com/products/compath-personal-gps-navigator.html

 

[clearskiescamino]

MotionX GPS worked for me. It is flawless and in offline mode, very little battery is used.

 

[ivar]

I know Google Maps (on Android only I think) will let you download maps for offline use. Not sure if this could be an option for some people.

More info here:
http://support.google.com/gmm/bin/answe ... er=2650218

Saludos,
Ivar

 

[Olivier]

Try Offmaps app on AppStore :
- precache any part of the world map you will need during your walk
- pin all your albergues (favorites)
- during your walk select origin and destination in your favorites and you will see the distance from these points.
I used it between Léon and Santiago last year, very useful ;-)

 

[BrianForbesColgate]

Try Offmaps app on AppStore :

Offmap [no s] says "Enjoy it while it's free!!!!" but it is $1.99 on the AppStore ... and it is for Mac OS X, not iPhone iOS ... or is that because I am accessing the AppStore from my iMac?

 

[ZiggyZ]

Has anyone used City Maps 2Go? I have it on my iPhone, can't remember what if anything I paid but it can't have been much. I have downloaded a few maps for an upcoming trip to several European and Middle Eastern countries and will play around with it. It includes a "Way of St. James" map. Pretty big file but it downloaded on the second try. The cities look very detailed but not so much in between.​

 

[HalfDomeOrBust]

Has anyone used City Maps 2Go? I have it on my iPhone, can't remember what if anything I paid but it can't have been much. I have downloaded a few maps for an upcoming trip to several European and Middle Eastern countries and will play around with it. It includes a "Way of St. James" map. Pretty big file but it downloaded on the second try. The cities look very detailed but not so much in between.​

Thanks to your post, I am loading this on my Iphone right now. Thanks for the tip...Ed

 

[HalfDomeOrBust]

Has anyone used City Maps 2Go? I have it on my iPhone, can't remember what if anything I paid but it can't have been much. I have downloaded a few maps for an upcoming trip to several European and Middle Eastern countries and will play around with it. It includes a "Way of St. James" map. Pretty big file but it downloaded on the second try. The cities look very detailed but not so much in between.​

I have been playing with this App for a few days now and it seems difficult to see where I am on the Camino as it is not marked on the map. Not giving up on it yet though.

 

[sdn8tiv]

I'm looking for an iPhone app that can show my GPS position on a map of the area, and calculate the distance from me to a particular location I've selected -- all while offline.

Both the built-in Maps app and the Google Maps app can do most of that, but not the distance calculation without being online. They both allow you to pre-cache the map and then show your current GPS position without an internet connection, but I'd like to drop a pin at the town or albergue I'm headed to and have it update the distance to that location as I'm walking. I understand why generating a route might require internet access, but it seems like the app itself should be able to calculate the distance between two points.

What I'm basically looking for is something like the Geocaching app, where it shows a continually-updated direction and distance to a pre-defined point -- but I want to pick something like a town or a hostel, and so far I haven't found a way to point it to anything other than an officially listed geocache. (Does the full $10 version of the app allow you to do that?)

The Wise Pilgrim app contains a list of places to stay along the route, and even shows your distance to each albergue. But everything related to comments, photos, and maps are disabled while offline. That's a real shame, because it would be the perfect app for offline use.

What iPhone apps have you found useful on the Camino?

Thanks,
Russell
http://www.farofflands.com/camino/

UPDATE: here's a summary of what I found, for those that would like to skip reading all the posts below:

After trying several apps, it looks like GPS Kit is going to be the winner. It's $9.99 for the iPhone app, but so far I'm very impressed for what you get for the high price. It can display several different types of maps (Google Street, Google Satellite, Google Terrain, Google Cycling, Google Hybrid, and several other "open" maps), and most of them can be saved offline at one of three different resolutions.

You can also drop a waypoint by tapping on the map, and then bring up a screen that shows the distance to it along with a compass pointing to it, and both are constantly updated as you walk, even while offline. You can also add a name, photo, or comment to the waypoint, see its coordinates and elevation, re-position it, and even see a weather forecast for it.

And it has a ton of other features as well, including tracking your progress, showing speed and pacing info, calculating the distance between two specific points (even if you're not at either of them), and more settings than you'll probably know what to do with. It also has a feature called Squawk that can be used between multiple GPS Kit users, allowing you to "track & chat with friends in real-time."

And best of all, it can import GPS data files (GPX, KML, & KMZ) and display the tracks on the map so you can see if you're still on course as you're walking. I loaded the GPX file from the web site for the new book "Hiking the Camino De Santiago" and it works great! (http://www.hikingthecamino.com/on-the-way/maps-gps)

MotionX GPS is a nice app too (note: not the same as MotionX GPS Drive), but the distance and direction to the waypoints are not updated on the screen unless you back out of the waypoint page and then go back into it again. That feature alone was a deal-breaker for me, but otherwise it has a lot of similar features to GPS Kit.

Hi,
I'm leaving on April 6th for my first Camino Frances. How was your experience with this in total with this app? Did it really help keep you on track? Are there ways to set alerts if you go 'off' in a certain spot?
Thanks,
k

 

[Nanc]

Hi, I'm the original poster.

I tracked our first day of the Camino with GPS Kit a few days ago, from SJPP to Valcarlos, just to see how the tracking works. It was 3 hrs 46 min and it used 40% of my iPhone 5 battery charge. That's an average of about 10.7% per hour.

I didn't really need to track it though -- I was just curious. Normally I use it to see where I am, how far it is to a point on the map, or to make sure I'm still on the GPS track I pre-loaded.

If you're not tracking, the app automatically turns off the GPS receiver when the app is backgrounded or the screen is locked, so it uses very little battery. If you are tracking, you can do either of those things and it'll keep the GPS active the whole time.

Click the images below to view them larger.

Russell

Geeze what / how were you doing 13mph??!!

 

[evanlow]

An update. Since 2014 I have been using Maps.me. Offline, free and supports both iPhone and Android.

Map of the whole of Spain less than 300 MB. Supports kml so you can load the route onto the app and you know when you have deviated from the path.

That's all I need. Using a local SIM (only thing I pay which connects me to my blog and relying on endless search for wifi) helps me finds my location almost immediately. GPS only when there are no signal (so far never happen). Cell location instead of GPS saves the battery consumption during the day if you phone has a small battery.

I just got an Android phone with a huge 5000 mAh battery and now wonder for my next Camino whether I should start marking and storing my own waypoints which would consume more battery than just occasional use of the map to find out where one is and not get lost.