Tag Archives: maps

Why don’t I see my offline maps when I connect my phone to my computer via USB?

This should only happen on CyanogenMod-based ROMs.

In order to avoid having the Android Media Manager index all the files MyTrails uses for offline maps (thus wasting space and battery on every startup), MyTrails adds a .noscanandnomtp file to offline maps.

This in turn prevents MTP (which your desktop uses to connect to the phone) from seeing these files.

If you wish to transfer an offline map from your phone to your desktop (perhaps to share the offline map with a friend), you can:

  • create a ZIP archive of the offline map (on your phone)
  • or temporarily remove or rename the .noscanandnomtp file (using an Android file manager) which is inside the main directory for your offline map, then cause Android to re-index the directory, perhaps by rebooting the phone and waiting a few minutes

you will then be able to see the map (or its archive) through MTP.

Can I only subscribe to (not own) premium maps?

MyTrails lets you freely define the locations you download offline, so you don’t have to select a particular map number or administrative division when you purchase a map. Also, when you no longer need to have a given map offline, you can remove it and download another map without any additional cost (like a map lending library), so you don’t have to pay for a very big subscription, only what you need to have access to simultaneously.

This flexibility does mean that we can’t offer perpetual licenses (similar to owning, but in the digital world actual ownership is getting scarce).