This legend (despite the mention of Menorca) is valid for all Tour & Trail maps.

More info on this IGN document (French).

2.1.11 2021-02-20

• Fix creating offline map for paid multi-layer maps
• Share URL map definitions (in map edit screen)
• Android 10 support
• Fix Google search, directions and altitude

2.1.10 2020-03-21

• Fix double zoom-in when using the volume button
• Fix OpenStreetMap-based maps

2.1.7 - 2.1.9 2019-11-04

• Fix My Trails uploads
• The Kompass map is back
• Fix network access for most maps
• Fix crash on Android 9

2.1.6 2019-06-22

• Fix searching for location, directions, altitude normalization
• Fix connecting MyTrails to a Google account, switch to Firebase push
• Fix vertical speed in the HUD
• Fix remaining Wear notification after quit
• Fix GPSies
• New map: OpenSeaMap
• Fix receiving map definition from web site

2.1.5 2019-03-03

• Fix sharing tracks when the file is in an unexpected location
• Notifications and adaptive icon for Android Oreo
• Smarter max speed cutoff for GPS positions
• Replace Google+ with new MyTrails forum
• Fix IGN map

2.1.4 2018-07-07

• Fix opening maps.google.com URLs
  
• Warn when trying to record and MyTrails is not excluded from battery optimization
• Support Google's enhanced GPS when available (turn off in Preferences > Sensors)
• Fix OPNVKarte, Statkart, IGM, CalTopo, Google Earth and Terrain
• Provide fail-over IP addresses for license server (to work around Russian block)

2.1.3 2018-04-06

• Increase recording icons sizes
• Replace IDEE map with IGN for Spain
• Fix 4UMaps
• Make error reports opt-in as required by Play Store policies
• Fix track normalization

2.1.2 2018-02-02

• Fix StreetView
• Improve fullscreen mode, especially pre-Kitkat
• Removed personal data from error log collection to comply with Play Store policies, see updated Privacy Policy

2.1.1 2017-12-22

• Fix logging on and downloading communities
• Fix geoid lookup sometimes failing
• Fix importing tracks from downloads

2.1.0 2017-11-11

This new version is an almost complete rewrite of the UI code in MyTrails, keeping the same features of 2.0 (with some new features), but bringing MyTrails into the modern Android age.

When I started developing MyTrails over 7 years ago, Android development was very crude, and developers had to include all sorts of work-arounds to add new features while still supporting Android 1.6, which was the version run by most phones at the time.

Over the years, I added features without being able to break from these work-arounds, until Nougat finally forced me to this rewrite (which I had fortunately started a few months in advance).

After 8 months of public preview and beta versions, 2.1 is finally here, with the following high-level features and hundreds of tweaks and fixes. I hope you enjoy it!

• Nougat and Oreo-compatible
• New icons and refreshed look
• Waypoint manager
• Offer troubleshooting when GPS signal is lost
• Fix USGS maps

Due to the number of changes and to avoid inconveniencing users, I'm using a staged rollout, don't worry if you're not getting the new version right away, it will be available in a few days, or you can download it directly.

2.0.17 2017-07-02

• Removed LaTrace and RandoGPS, which are no longer available
• Improve Google maps
• Suggest upgrade to MyTrails 2.1 beta for Nougat

2.0.16 2017-01-09

IGN offline maps are available once more.

2.0.15 2016-12-24

• Fixed tap to wake on dimmed screen
• Added zoom level 16 to OS Opendata maps (GB)
• Update current coordinates when following GPS
• Honor silent mode
• Fixed duplicate waypoints introduced in 2.0.13
• IGN slope maps (avalanche safety)
• Temporary fix for Nougat issue in Track list

2.0.13-2.0.14 2016-08-30

• New IGN (FR) subscriptions
• Fixed zombie waypoint dialogs
• Fixed Google Hybrid and Terrain
• Fixed incorrect altimeter before calibration
• Fixed UtagawaVtt integration
• Fixed track recording interruption in rare cases
• New Dropbox protocol (should be transparent)
• New maps (removed MapQuest)

2.0.14 fixes a startup crash on Android 2.x devices and problems with the German translation.

2.0.12 2016-02-29

• Improved altitude recording
• Fixed lockup in paid online maps with slow connections
• Enabled double-tap-drag zooming (double-tap and hold, then move your finger up or down)
• Fixed altitude correction when offline
• MyTrails restarts the GPS when it stops providing data for too long
• Added Compass (free) and Formentera, Gran Canaria et Ibiza (premium)
• Fixed 4UMaps
• Added a Quit menu once more (optional)

2.0.11 2015-09-14

• Improved responsiveness of fast-changing stats like compass bearing and GPS satellites
• Fixed saving the track color into GPX
• Added support for deleting tracks (not just forgetting them)
• Increased max cache size option
• Added facing indicator when not moving
• GPS altitude filter and option for cumulative climb tweaks
• Fixed Utagawa and RandoGPS track download
• Many translation updates, many thanks to my translators!
• Improved directions dialog

2.0.10 2015-02-06

• Fixed importing tracks without timestamps
• Improved time stats

2.0.9 2015-02-05

• New, simpler track recording UI (activate in Preferences > Recording)
• MyTrails reminds you to save the track when you're back at your starting point
• Use tags to organize your tracks and waypoints
• Look for nearby place names to help name tracks and waypoints
• Fixed tapping on track; track details now shows information about the tap location and offers to create a waypoint
• 10 new stats (duration, distance and number of climbs and descents)
• 1 new graph (filtered speed)

2.0.8 2014-12-19

• Removed READ_PHONE_STATE permission, added without my knowledge by a bug in the Android build tools

2.0.7 2014-12-17

• On devices without a compass, the compass button is replaced with a travel direction arrow and the map can still be aligned to the travel direction
• New HUD options: black background, less-cryptic labels (but smaller value display)
• Improved detection of external SD cards
• Tap the GPS dot (or the cross at the center of the screen when not following GPS) to create a new waypoint there
• File selection: options to sort folders before files, hide .hidden files
• Bug fixes
• Many translation improvements, especially for Russian

2.0.6 2014-12-04

• Fixed Google Earth
• Removed Yahoo (the old Yahoo tiles are no longer available and the new service uses a protected HERE API)
• Optimization and fixes for map tile display
• Fixed inability to create offline OS25k-only maps
• Fixes and optimizations for WMS maps
• New option to hide automatic waypoints (pause and altimeter)
• Added support for using voice search: "Ok Google, search for Paris using MyTrails" (English-only until Google starts to support other languages)

2.0.4 & 2.0.5 2014-09-29

• Define offline maps from maps.frogsparks.com/define_map.jsp so you don't have to fiddle on your phone
• Send as SMS works with Hangouts
• Fixes for offline and WMS maps
• Many small fixes and adjustments
• 2.0.5: default language and missing voice data dialog fixed

2.0.3 2014-08-05

• New track sharing community: RandoGPS (French focused)
• Added option to search for location in OSM and IGN (French, requires online subscription)
• Easy way to retry failed purchases (in Preferences > About > Retry purchase)
• Bug fixes

2.0.1-2.0.2 2014-07-18

• Android Wear support!
• Android L adjustments
• Bug fixes (in particular, problem in Preferences on Gingerbread)
• More options for flexible URL map definitions

Note: 2.0.1 was only published to the beta channel.

2.0.0 2014-07-07

After over a year of development, MyTrails 2 is finally ready for general release. There are a lot more changes than can be documented in the normal style of release notes, and most areas of MyTrails have been upgraded or are completely new.

Updated look

From the transparent action and status bars, to the slide-out navigation menu, to the new track manager, MyTrails uses the latest in Android interface elements.

Stats

MyTrails is now able to display in real-time more than 40 stats about your saved tracks and the current recording. From much-requested stats like cumulative climb to obscure ones like average slope during a descent, you can quantify many aspects of your tracks. And these stats can be displayed for multiple recordings in parallel. You can select any of these stats (up to 5) to display in the HUD on the main map view.

Graphs

While stats provide a synthetic view of many variables, graphs give you a better view of how these variables evolve over time. And again, you can compare saved tracks against your current recording. [caption id="attachment_2587" align="aligncenter" width="168"] Select the tracks and axes freely[/caption]

Track manager

The new track manager makes it easier to visualize your tracks without necessarily activating them: view general information, stats and graphs, and even the shape of the track, or multiple selected tracks. Download, share, upload multiple tracks at once, and much more!

Altimeter

MyTrails can now use your device's pressure sensor, which can be much more accurate than the altitude provided by the GPS. For the most accurate results, you can calibrate it manually, or just let MyTrails auto-calibrate. [caption id="attachment_2590" align="aligncenter" width="168"] Manual or automatic calibration[/caption]

Minimum version

Since one of the principles of MyTrails has been to provide good performance even on basic hardware, I have supported old versions of Android for a lot longer than I should have. MyTrails 2 only supports Android 2.3 and later. I will continue to update MyTrails 1.4 occasionally for bug-fixes and map compatibility, but all new features will only be available in MyTrails 2.

Gallery

[gallery ids="2579,2578,2590,2589,2588,2587,2586,2585"] [raw_html_snippet id="features-gallery"]

1.4.7 2014-05-15

• Updated Mapquest map
• Force MyTrails to quit in a timely manner, even if Android wants to wait a bit
• Removed halo around outlines (in HUD, scale, etc.)
• Slight increase in map rendering speed

1.4.6 2014-03-31

• Updated API to invoke MyTrails Contacts
• Fixed occasional flickering of tiles loaded from the network
• Fixed GPSies upload for some tracks
• License checking is more tolerant of network failure
• Added two options: Fallback distance calculation and Don't warn of GPS errors, that were previously hidden options

1.4.5 2014-03-11

• My sincere apologies to users who had trouble activating the App of the Day promotion; if you haven't yet activated the promotion, this version should do it for you automatically
• You can now follow us on Facebook
• Fixed reported errors

1.4.4 2014-02-26

• Fixed startup crash on Android 2.2
• Improved compatibility with some WMS servers

1.4.3 2014-02-06

• Improved track drawing
• Fixed total recording time calculation
• Improved time and distance colorizations (dashed): when the recording quality is insufficient or map zoomed out too far, the colorization is disabled
• Support creation of extremely large offline maps ('toggle bigger mgm' hidden option)
• Easier waypoint selection: tap the point or body

1.4.2 2014-01-13

• Google forbids offline download for their maps
• Fixed purchase experience for T&T maps
• Ordnance Survey maps are no longer available for sale

1.4.1 2013-12-20

• New track rendering algorithm, much more eye-pleasing
• New Ordnance Survey map subscriptions (1/2 prices in some cases)
• Integration with Google account as a simpler alternative to FrogSparks account, where available
• The Pro license is now available as an in-app purchase tied to the FrogSparks (or Google) account, so it is honored on any platform
• Fixed HUD rendering on KitKat

MyTrails available on Amazon Appstore 2013-11-29

Many MyTrails users have a phone they take with them on outings, and they would like to be able to plan their itinerary and view the recorded track on their Kindle, which stays safely at home. Until now, this was made more difficult by the fact that while MyTrails could be side-loaded on the Kindle, there was no good way to get the Pro version working on Kindle. And some people rely on Kindles exclusively. So in a few days, once it passes Amazon's validation process, MyTrails will be available on the Amazon Appstore, with the following changes:

• New track rendering algorithm, much more eye-pleasing
• Integration with Google account as a simpler alternative to FrogSparks account, where available (also log in to maps.frogsparks.com with your Google account)
• MyTrails is now available on Amazon Appstore
• The Pro license is now available as an in-app purchase
• Like maps, the Pro upgrade is tied to the FrogSparks (or Google) account, so it is honored on any platform

The same version will be published on the Play Store in a few days (I need to update a few Play-Store related things first, this is not an Amazon exclusivity period thing). Update: MyTrails is now live on Amazon.

1.3.24-1.3.26 2013-10-14

• New map: VTTrack-ST (single-track layer map)
• New colorizations: distance and time
• Layer maps can be taken off-line
• Show disabled GPS icon when no data is received from the GPS
• Screen lock no longer engages while using a dialog (only on Android 4.2 and later)
• File upload progress is more regular
• 2.1 work-around for IGN is no longer necessary
• GPSies: download your own private tracks

1.3.25 and 1.3.26 are bug-fix releases, sorry!

1.3.23 2013-08-09

• Fixed IGN Littoral and satellite
• Worked around an Android bug for distance measurements on some phones

1.3.21 2013-07-18

• Fixed slowness and old imagery for Google Maps and Satellite
• Changed error and logging provider to no longer rely on Android logging
• Direct loading of VisuGpx.com tracks
• Improved parsing of GPX
• Layer maps: upscale bottom map if it maxes out at a lower zoom level than the top
• Added new IGN SCAN Express maps (vector-based topo maps)
• Fixed downloading from Dropbox

1.3.18-1.3.20 2013-06-17

• New map type: Layer maps (transparent layers: create in Map Manager > Add, then configure layers)
• More flexible IGN subscriptions: Top100-only, on- and off-line combo subscription
• Offline download: automatically resume download if it was interrupted by Wifi disconnect
• Fixed missing speed in HUD when device clock is off
• Improved map deletion
• Fixed flickering with IGN maps configured with a fallback

​​1.3.19 and 1.3.20 are emergency bug fixes. Sorry for the trouble.

1.3.17 2013-05-15

• Refreshed icons, added high resolutions icons
• Fixed Dropbox authentication (API changed)
• Improved compatibility with WMS 1.3.0 servers
• On Android 3.0 and later, the cache is now stored on the main storage (not sdcard)
• Added the ability to force the language
• Fixes for reported issues
• Added a work-around for IGN maps on some Android 2.1 and earlier devices
• Added a warning of possible GPS unreliability if temporal resolution is greater than 1s

1.3.16 2013-04-18

• Added IGN Littoral and IGN "satellite" photography (premium maps)
• Map1.eu map (a very pretty OSM-based map, please support the author)
• Added la-trace.com as a track sharing community (download-only)
• Fixed sticky notification when canceling an offline download
• Added support for basic authentication for WMS servers; improved feedback
• Fixed list of communities available for upload (restores Dropbox upload)
• Added optional check for beta versions
• Implemented lightweight analytics (disable update checks to prevent data from being sent)

1.3.15 2013-04-03

• Added UtagawaVTT as a track sharing community (download-only)
• Added support for viewing StreetView (long-tap the map)
• Tweaked the map icons and scale for better readability
• Added legend view for IGN maps (long-tap the map)
• Fixed reading manual
• Use .noscanandnomtp to prevent indexing of cache by Media Scanner (CM only)

1.3.14 2013-03-25

• Fixed corrupted tiles on startup with Google Earth and Terrain and incorrectly high zoom for Terrain
• Fixed too-low average speed in HUD
• Fixed occasional flicker when loading failed
• Fixed issue with offline Yandex maps
• Improved offline download to prevent Android from interrupting
• Added support for Samsung multi-window

1.3.13 2013-02-22

• Fixed a crashing bug when tapping the scale LED

1.3.12 2013-02-21

• Fixed map flashing on pre-Honeycomb devices when turning the screen off, then on
• Catch some device-specific crashes
• Fixed target waypoint getting confused when zooming in a lot

1.3.11 2013-02-14

• Fixes for reported issues (mainly offline downloader and widget)
• Fixed a possible battery drain when MyTrails is running but not recording and the screen turns off

Sorry for the quick succession of updates.

1.3.10 2013-02-11

• Bigger map buttons to better conform to Android guidelines
• Warning when the GPS somehow stops recording
• Offline downloader shows previously-downloaded areas
• Sharing after upload includes a track screenshot and works with Twitter, Facebook and G+
• EXPERIMENTAL lockscreen widget (also works on homescreen)
• HUD computes average speed as distance / time spent moving
• Improved display performance even further and fixed the blurry scale that affected some devices

1.3.9 2013-01-11

• Minor fix for GB Grid Reference formatting
• Restored the track arrows (they were broken in a previous update)
• Made tracks more visible on extra high-density devices
• Fixed difficulty in selecting offline download area in some cases

1.3.8 2013-01-07

• Added Toporama map (CA)
• Better feedback during map purchase, more safeguards during FrogSparks account creation
• Fixes for reported errors
• Fixed saving traces to the root of the Dropbox account

This version was released in a bit of a rush due to an issue with Google's now publisher console, I apologize in advance for any bugs.

1.3.7 2012-12-07

• Improved area selection for offline download (ability to move area)
• Improved map buying experience (purchase success is now more obvious)

1.3.6 2012-11-12

• IGN France maps can now be purchased
• Ability to edit the coordinates of waypoints and convert between coordinate formats
• Cleaned up coordinate handling and made the parsers more tolerant
• Added IGM maps for Italy (unfortunately slow and with a big watermark)
• Improved Pending Operations when multi-tasking

1.3.4 2012-10-18

• Jellybean expandable notifications
• Streamlined the process of creating premium offline maps when not subscribed to the premium online map
• Fixes for reported issues
• Polish translation updated by Tomasz (thanks!)

1.3.3 2012-10-02

• Added ability to resave the GPX when editing a track's name or description
• Added support for sending a tweet when a track is uploaded (only GPSies and My Trails); this has been tested with the web browser, the official Twitter client and Twicca, but does not yet work with Plume, TweetDeck or TweetCaster
• Fixed MyTrails freezing when trying to clear the track right on launch
• MyTrails can now continue to record the track if the phone reboots while a recording is in progress
• Improved support for geo intents (using MyTrails from the address book)
• Fixes for reported issues

1.3.2 2012-09-24

• Fixed Italian and Portuguese translations that were causing crashes
• Fixed a possible crash when clearing the track

1.3.1 2012-09-20

Small fix for in-app map purchases.

1.3.0 2012-09-20

It's been a lot longer than I would have preferred, but it's been a good occasion to rework some pretty complex logic in the core of MyTrails' track handling. Based on this version, adding support for graphs will be much easier, and that will be the focus of the next few releases.

• Changed the way tracks are handled
  • Break detection: a new track segment will be created if the recording is paused or the track is otherwise interrupted
  • Fixed an issue where long tracks under high zoom sometimes caused rendering artifacts
  • GPX track segments supported (save and load)
  • Added support for track arrows, little legs on the sides of tracks that show the direction of travel
• IGN map
  • Now uses Geoportail-hosted maps
  • Added support for IGN Cadastre maps
• Dropbox
  • Moved to v1 API, which changes how MyTrails handles Dropbox authentication
  • Allow overwriting a track
• Screen lock option allows MyTrails to ignore all input (except Home button) after a few seconds (Pro)
• Added support for opening locations in MyTrails (geo intents)
• Added an LED to the scale to denote the recording status and easily toggle recording
• Added recording and displaying of raw speed from the GPS (there is no standard for storing speed in GPX)
• Added an option for an even heavier compass filter
• Updated maps
  • WanderReitKarte (now a single-layer map on the server)
  • OutdoorActive (new URL)

1.2.43 2012-07-06

• Improved display of GB grid references and DMS coordinates
• Fixes for reported issues

I'm concentrating on 1.3 at the moment, so expect few updates to 1.2.x. The initial version of 1.3 should be available within a few weeks. Please contact me if you'd like to be part of the beta.

1.2.42 2012-06-21

Apologies for releasing an update so soon after 1.2.41; this release fixes an issue when MyTrails adds tiles to an existing offline map, so I wanted to release it as soon as possible.

• Fixed corrupted tiles in some offline map downloads when downloading to an existing map

1.2.41 2012-06-20

• Added an option to draw the map at a screen resolution-independent size (very high density displays like Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy III made the map hard to read)
• Added the ability to display the map larger while staying on the same zoom level (long-tap the zoom buttons)
• Improved offline download: interrupted downloads can be easily restarted, better feedback
• Fixed creating offline Yandex maps
• Added TopOSM map (US)
• Added ability to use GB grid references with 4, 6, 8 or 10 digits

1.2.40 2012-06-05

A quick fix to address two issues I was finally able to reproduce when I received my new Galaxy S III.

• Fixed missing map selection menu on some ICS phones
• Fixed occasional issue where tiles would no longer load

1.2.39 2012-05-31

Sorry for the delay since the last version was published! This year most of the weekends in May were prolonged by bank holidays, so the work-weeks ended up being pretty short. Also, I lost a whole week to a hospital stay (everything fine now). Anyway, I'm once again working full steam on new features and improvements.

• Send waypoint or coordinates via SMS (to receive them, install MyTrails SMS plugin from Play Store)
• Share track via email
• Added 4UMaps, OSM-based maps optimized for hikers and bikersn
• Added decimal minute coordinate format
• Fixed issue with the GPS location marker on Yandex maps
• Fixed track timestamps for tracks longer than 24 days (from when the track was initialized)

1.2.38 2012-04-26

• Added Mapquest, osmapa.pl and NZtopomaps
• Improved the license verification process to be more tolerant of failures to connect to Google's servers
• Fixes for reported issues

1.2.37 2012-04-11

• Added Tour & Trail maps, a collection of premium maps covering popular tourist destinations in Spain and Portugal; try the free Graciosa map
• Added altitude correction (if available, based on NMEA, if not, via online lookup)
• Added a dedicated section for premium maps
• Offline download improvements (fallback maps are now used)
• Extended trial period for most premium maps to a week or 5 sessions
• Fixed rounding error in OSGB grid references
• Updated MyTrails.com.au API
• Removed Nearmap (now secured), Sigpac (offline), Osmarender (offline); fixed DoCeLu
• Fixes for reported issues

1.2.36 2012-04-03

• Fixes for reported issues

1.2.35 2012-04-02

• Offline support for premium maps; offline premium maps may be "secure" (required by providers), which means they can be used only with an offline subscription and can not be used in other applications
• Improved offline downloader (streamlined UI)
• Safer map deletion
• Italian translation (thanks Daniele!)

1.2.34 2012-02-24

• Fixes for reported issues

Older versions 2012-02-12

Version 1.2.33 (12-02-23)

• New URLs for OpenPisteMap (and better zoom)
• Fixed crash when getting directions
• Added MyBackup support, so that non-root users can perform backup and restore of MyTrails settings and data (install from the Preferences > About screen)
• Fixes for reported issues

Version 1.2.32 (12-02-16)

• Better filename validation for saved tracks
• USGS was sometimes not added
• Added Frogsparks account, which allows you to use map subscriptions on all your devices (you need to log in from each device)
• Added look for > coordinates to jump to a coordinate
• Added support for GB National and US Military grid coordinates
• When displaying coordinates and the map is not centered on the current location, a reticule is drawn matching the coordinate display

Version 1.2.31 (12-02-12)

• Ordnance Survey 25k and 50k map for GB! This is a premium map that requires a specific in-app purchase (Pro not required)
• MyTopo (US/CA) is no longer available, and is replaced with USGS (US only)
• More new maps: Cassini (FR, historical) and Sigpac (ES)
• Flexible WMS support: thousands of supported map providers
• Test version of IGN top25 and top50 map for France. Also a premium map, not yet available for purchase
• Fixes for reported issues

Version 1.2.30 (12-02-03)

• Fixes for reported issues

Version 1.2.29 (12-01-30)

• Enabled 2-step overzoom (previously only 1-step)
• Start an offline map download by long-pressing the main map to select one edge of the area and drag to the opposite edge
• The scale is updated when the latitude changes (since it's latitude-dependant) and is not displayed at all when zooming out
• Major performance improvements (especially on tablets): improved tile loading speed, memory management and caching (the cache will be reset on first run)
• Added Portuguese translation (thanks Jose!)

Version 1.2.28 (12-01-16)

• Improved tile loading speed (by as much as x6 on some configurations)
• Much improved UI to select the area for offline download (including ability to enter coordinates in DMS or UTM format)
• Added update checking for non-Market users
• Added option to display the GPS coordinates on the map (Pro only)
• Fixes for reported issues

Version 1.2.27 (12-01-05)

• GPSies: fixed the public flag being inverted
• Fixed Google Terrain maps and added auto-detection
• Fixed an issue with getting directions in some countries
• Started using BugSense
• Updated French translation

Version 1.2.26 (11-12-13)

• Deferred network usage: uploading a track to an online community and normalizing a track's altitude can be queued and executed later
• Added an option to not upload automatically detected pauses to GPSies (to reduce clutter)
• Added a visual timer for sticky GPS
• Improved the offline tile download process to better handle slow tile providers
• Detect incorrectly set saved tracks location
• Fixes for layout issues on HD screens and xhdpi densities
• Added an option to keep the screen on full brightness

Version 1.2.25 (11-11-30)

• When switching maps by swiping, the map name is briefly displayed
• Fixed crashes on quit that were introduced in the last version
• Improved the layout of the large buttons

Version 1.2.24 (11-11-23)

• Added the ability to create waypoints with default values (will use the same values as previously created waypoints for track and color)
• Improved quitting the application: double-tap back to shut down the tracker
• Added a preference to quadruple the size of the zoom buttons, for bikers

Version 1.2.23 (11-11-10)

• Improved offline map downloader to support a daily limit for providers that send placeholder tiles in cases of abuse
• Fixed an issue where offline downloads would stop and need to be restarted in cases of errors with multi-layer maps
• Fixes for reported issues

Version 1.2.21 (11-10-21) and 1.2.22 (11-10-24)

• Multi-layer maps: Google, Yahoo and Eniro hybrid maps are now supported
• Added a new OSM-based (3-layer hybrid!) map: WanderReitKarte
• Tweaks for Ice Cream Sandwich
• Added Lonvia.de maps (2 layers)
• Fixes for reported issues

Version 1.2.20 (11-10-18)

• Added new map source for the UK: OS Opendata. This is a premium map, for which a subscription is required. Not OS 25k and 50k yet...
• Added progress bar to file uploads (My Trails, GPSies, Dropbox)

Version 1.2.19 (11-10-14)

• German translation updated (thanks Ansgar!)
• Fixed Yahoo maps, but Yahoo hybrid now use layers, so they no longer work (until MyTrails supports layers)
• Fixes for reported issues

Version 1.2.18 (11-09-22)

• Optimized drawing: zooming and panning should be even smoother now
• Fixed normalizing altitude of tracks that didn't have altitude data

Version 1.2.17 (11-09-15)

• Added altitude normalization (Pro) in the track manager (for saved tracks): uses an online service to correct altitude for GPS tracks
• Improved offline map generation: the map can now be used even before the download is complete, and a new download session can be added to an existing offline map
• Improved pinch-zooming
• Improved GPX saving and loading: MyTrails-specific data (waypoint color, etc.) is retained

Version 1.2.16 (11-09-09)

• First Honeycomb-optimized version (not all dialogs are optimized yet)
• Version info is no longer shown on each startup
• Fixed an issue introduced in .15 where exported GPX were incorrect if they included waypoints

Version 1.2.15 (11-09-07)

• Google Earth maps should now automatically use the latest data
• Removed Cyklolatlas maps, as they are now protected by a dynamic authorization scheme
• Added look for > waypoint to easily center a waypoint
• Added option in waypoint context menu to download offline map around the waypoint
• Removed offline help file for a lighter install (online help is still available)
• Fixes for Honeycomb tablets: better memory allocation, fixed issue with tracks sometimes not displayed

Versions 1.2.9 to 1.2.14 (11-08-11 to 11-08-24)

• Pause detection: stops recording the track when the device is stationary, until it leaves the area
• MyTrails now reports the time spent recording the track (excludes time when GPS is off) and pause time (tap the scale to display)
• Removed OS maps (UK) following a request by the rights holders
• Added preference shortcut to minimize power drain
• Moved zoom indication to zoom buttons and changed zoom icons
• Added preference to prevent MyTrails from keeping the screen on
• Fixed importing GPX from attachments
• Reworked map manager so that future map updates are less intrusive (only updated maps are changed)
• Fixed Yandex and docelu.pl maps
• Fixes for reported issues

Version 1.2.8 (11-07-25)

• Added option to disable compass after a few seconds when not using compass orientation (useful for long trips with screen on)
• HUD is refreshed when coming to a stop
• Added option to draw a line to the next waypoint (must be manually selected)
• Added higher-visibility mode (replaces larger scale option)
• Upgraded issue reporting system to ACRA 4
• Track uploads to MyTrails.com.au are now gzipped to save bandwidth
• Improved offline downloader to be more error-tolerant (and keep the screen on to speed download)
• Fixed touch-related crashes on Honeycomb
• Fixes for reported issues

Versions 1.2.6 and 1.2.7 (11-07-05)

• Dropbox upload and download of tracks
• Fixed MyTopo in such a way that upcoming changes on the MyTopo server will be detected automatically
• Added an option for higher friction when the map is flung, consistent with Google Maps
• Compass now works even when the phone is not horizontal
• The HUD is no longer pixelated on small screens (320x240)
• Fixed offline download feedback and notifications
• Added Dutch (thanks Maurits!)
• Fixes for reported issues

Versions 1.2.5 (11-06-14)

• Fixes for reported issues

Versions 1.2.4 (11-06-09)

• Track sharing communities: added GPSies
• Moved contact lookup into a separate application so that MyTrails no longer relies on READ_CONTACTS permission
• Fixed offline map generator downloading too many tiles
• Added preferences to reduce the memory usage of tracks for long trips
• Added ability to select how saved tracks are named
• Added map provider: OpenHikingMap
• Improved several screens in landscape
• Fixed proximity notifications for very slow speeds (walking)
• Fixes for reported issues

Versions 1.2.3 (11-05-26)

• Track sharing communities: upload to, search and download tracks from MyTrails.com.au (more to come)
• Fixed GPS tracking not starting in certain cases
• Added ability to open GPX attachments in emails and GPX files from file browsers
• Clarified pause/continue recording and added a dedicated Start new recording option
• Fixed Yandex Map and Satellite, Google Satellite
• Fixes for reported issues

Versions 1.2.2 (11-05-16)

• Fix for scale display on small screens
• Fixed saved GPX when waypoint names or descriptions include invalid XML
• Fixed waypoints appearing after the corresponding track is deleted
• Many FC fixes, sorry for the trouble

Versions 1.2 and 1.2.1 (11-05-11)

• Waypoints: add, edit, read from GPX, write to GPX; Waypoints can belong to a track or not, and they be of different colors
• Directions: create a track providing directions between two locations
• Proximity warnings: vibrate, ring and/or speak the name of the upcoming waypoint (Pro only)
• Improved memory management
• Changed sticky GPS delay to 15s rather than 5s
• If the screen is dimmed, MyTrails ignores the first tap
• Reorganized main menu to better separate current recording from other tracks
• When traveling at speed > 10km/h, the GPS dot is replaced with an arrow indicating direction of travel
• Option to use GPS direction of travel for orientation instead of compass
• Magnetic declination correction

Versions 1.1.4 (11-04-15)

• Search no longer crashes on pre-FroYo devices

Versions 1.1.3 (11-04-13)

• Fixes for reported issues

Versions 1.1.2 (11-04-08)

• Search improvements: works on all devices, added ability to search for contacts, added search history
• Edit name and description of loaded tracks
• Offline map creation: better feedback during download
• Fixes for reported issues

Versions 1.1.0 and 1.1.1 (11-03-30)

• Map manager
  • faster and more robust
  • added ability to reorder maps and hide maps from the map selection dialog
  • added many more maps (including Google maps)
• Offline map creation in the Map Manager (limited to 100 tiles in the Free version)
• HUD and permanent legend (Pro only)
• Three-finger swipe to switch map and display HUD
• Option to return to GPS after a few seconds following a drag
• Option to not display track duration
• Option to display tracks with a wider highlight
• Extended track info in Track Manager
• Option to change the storage location for tracks and offline maps
• Fixed Cyklolatlas, DoCeLu, MyTopo
• Added the ability to provide a Referer header for online maps

Version 1.0.2 (11-03-15)

• Added Hungarian (thanks Péter)
• Fixed reported issues

Version 1.0.1 (11-02-22)

• Added multi-touch gestures to Eclair (Android 2.1)
• Fixed reported issues

Version 1.0.0 (11-02-15)

• Track manager (thank you Joachim for your dedication to helping me fine-tune this feature)
  • import and organize loaded GPX tracks
  • display multiple tracks simultaneously
  • background track loading
  • select color for each track
  • zoom to all tracks
  • show tracks around current location
• Moved track caches to the standard Android cache location
• More readable legend
• New option for a larger scale display
• Improved file picker for landscape mode
• Improved icons
• Fixed an issue where the tracker might start recording even if MyTrails was not set to record the track, if restarted automatically by Android
• Fixed pinch-zooming with Yandex maps
• Added German (thanks Stefan) and Spanish (thanks Lázaro) translations

Version 0.9.8 (11-02-07)

• Fixed an issue with pinch zooming if the map is also tapped at the same time
• Fixes for reported issues

Version 0.9.7 (11-02-04)

• Added a Quit menu for users unused to Android's ways
• Added support for GPX routes in addition to tracks
• Improvements in the way the state of the GPS is reported and used by MyTrails, in particular a warning is displayed at launch if the GPS is disabled
• Fixed blank or black tiles in overzoom with some providers

Version 0.9.6 (11-01-20)

• Double-tap and pinch zooming improvements
• Added new track colorization: slope
• Enhanced the colorization parameters and made the track stand out more
• Reduced tile edge artifacts when using overzoom and Show entire track when the track is empty (thanks Axesider)
• Added several translations: Chinese traditional (Scribe), Czech (Radek), French (Thierry), Macedonian (Hristijan), Polish (Axesider). Thank you all very much!
• Fixes for reported issues

Version 0.9.5 (11-01-11)

• Fixes for threading issues

Version 0.9.4 (11-01-10)

• Easier way to change track colorization (in Track menu) and select a map (thanks Chris)
• Colorization legend (in Track menu)
• Added filtering to the rate of ascent and speed track colorizations
• The notification is only shown when MyTrails is tracking
• First translation: Finnish (thanks Patrik)
• Fixes for reported issues

Version 0.9.3 (10-12-21)

• Fixed scrambled display on screen rotate
• Updated ACRA to 3.1RC1
• Fixes for reported issues

Version 0.9.2 (10-12-16)

• Fixed jumping to Antarctica following pinch-zooming if a finger was lifted first
• Fixes for reported issues

Version 0.9.1 (10-12-13)

• Fixes for reported issues

Version 0.9 (10-12-09)

• The track can be colorized to indicate speed, rate of ascent, GPS accuracy, altitude
• Added the ability to load GPX tracks and to stop tracking (thanks Joachim)
• Smoother zooming
• Reorganized preferences, updated main menu
• Improved GPX saving to include altitude and accuracy

Version 0.8.9 (10-12-02)

• Added option to display the current zoom level
• Fixed compass needle when following compass (thanks again scribetw)
• Fixed AQM loading (slightly different format, thanks Michael)
• Fixed reported issues

Version 0.8.8 (10-12-01)

• Pinch to zoom and zoom animations (Android 2.2 and later)
• Faster startup thanks to a reorganized tile cache
• Fixes for reported issues

Version 0.8.6 (10-11-25)

• Added error reporting and log collection for improved issue tracking. Big thanks to the following amazing projects:
  • ACRA
  • android-log-collector
• Tiles are now loaded in a more logical order
• When zooming in or out, while the new tiles load, the already loaded tiles from adjacent levels are used
• The map can now be zoomed one step past the maximum zoom level (overzoom)
• Added OPNV map provider, reset the Map Manager to use it (thanks Michael)
• Added support for non-square MGM packs (thanks scribetw)

Version 0.8.5 (10-11-18)

• Local maps (MGM, AQM) can be configured with a fallback, which will be used to load tiles that are not available locally. Usually, the fallback will be an online map
• Fixed an issue with local maps where tiles would be loaded from the wrong pack if multiple packs were available (big thank you to Trevor Marshall)
• Fixed a few other issues that were reported

Version 0.8.1-0.8.3 (10-11-10)

• fixed FC issues with the 0.8 release

Version 0.8 (10-11-08)

• many more map providers (Yandex, MyTopo/USGS, OutdoorActive, Nokia, etc.)
• ability to test online maps within the Map Manager
• fixed FC when scrolling across the dateline
• kinetic scrolling now works while using the compass
• many under-the-hood changes

Version 0.7 (10-10-13)

• Initial version

1. Introduction

MyTrails is an Android application that makes it easy and fun to view online and offline maps, and to record and share GPS tracks. It is designed to offer an uncluttered map area, and the smoothest map navigation (drag, pinch-zooming, etc.) on a mobile device.

It also offers several premium map sources with high-quality scanned topographic maps, in addition to a very large collection of online maps.

2. Map view

When you launch MyTrails, it displays the Map view, and tries to get your current GPS position in order to display a map of your surroundings. It may briefly use network positioning to show your general vicinity until the GPS acquires a lock.

Using the map

On a touchscreen device, you can touch and drag, even fling the map around (kinetic scrolling). On a non-touchscreen device, you can use the D-pad or trackball to scroll the map. You can zoom-in (on the center of the map) or out by tapping the associated icons  and . You can also double-tap the map to zoom-in on a specific location. On non-touchscreen devices, use the D-pad button, and if you have a keyboard, the letter I or the digit 3 to zoom-in, and the letter O or the digit 1 to zoom-out. You can also use the volume buttons of your phone. On Android 2.1 and later devices, the most natural way to zoom in and out is pinch-zooming also known as two-finger zooming. To switch between the active map providers, you can use a lateral three-finger drag: place three fingers on the screen and move them from the left edge of the screen to the right, or vice-versa. This works best if you have customized your map providers by only keeping a few visible in the Map Manager. This is only available on Android 2.1 and later, and on devices that can handle more than two touch-points. By touching and holding the map, you can add and edit waypoints or use the contextual menu.

GPS

You can center the map on your current GPS location by tapping the GPS icon  or typing G or 5. This enables the map to keep following your current location until you manually move it. Note that if the GPS is having trouble locating you, the location may be imprecise (red GPS bars). When the map follows the GPS location, a blue glow will be displayed around the GPS icon. To help getting back to the GPS icon after exploring your vicinity on the map, MyTrails can optionally center the map again on your current location after 15 seconds. Depending on your preferences, the current GPS location can be denoted by an icon  or a blue circle with a central red dot. This circle indicates the area within which you're likely to be; the larger it is, the less precise the GPS reading. When the GPS reading is so precise that the blue circle is too small to see, the larger red icon  is used. If your speed is not too low, the GPS is able to determine your direction, and a direction arrow  is displayed instead. When MyTrails is recording a track, a notification icon is displayed in the notification tray: . If you don't see that icon (in addition to the Android GPS icon), that means the track is not being recorded.

Compass

You can align the map with the direction you're currently facing by tapping the compass icon  or typing C or 2 (if the device has a built-in compass). If you feel the view is too wobbly, you can activate a preference to keep it more stable, at the expense of a slower reaction to changes of orientation. Note that even when the option to follow the compass is not set, the red compass needle will point North (after a few seconds without user interaction, MyTrails may switch the compass off to save battery). You can also choose in the preferences to align the map to the direction of travel, when you're moving fast enough for the GPS-detected direction to be accurate. If you hold the device close to a metal object, the compass will likely behave erratically, just as a physical compass would. The compass is also designed to operate when the phone is held horizontally.

Compass calibration

The compass may need to be calibrated from time to time. Various sources suggest moving the device in a figure 8 a few times. I have found that just flipping the device on each axis (upside-down, end over end, and rotating it keeping the screen upwards) works more predictably.

Scale

A scale is drawn to indicate distances on the map. It can be switched to Metric or Imperial units in the Appearance preferences. It also indicates the duration since the track recording started, and the approximate distance covered. Note that since GPS readings are not always accurate enough, the recorded track may contain zigzags and the resulting distance may be exaggerated. A LED is displayed to the left of the distance. It illustrates the current state of track recording. Tap it for more info, and for a color legend. Tap the rest of the scale display for a summary of the current recording. By default, the scale is unobtrusive. If you're having difficulty reading it in harsh sunlight, you can make it bolder in the Appearance preferences. The zoom level can optionally be displayed next to the zoom buttons. This is a number between 1 and 18: the higher the number, the more zoomed-in the map. When MyTrails displays map tiles that belong to the next-higher zoom level, the zoom is indicated with x2 (or x4), by analogy with digital zooming on cameras. You can force MyTrails to use this digital zooming (to make it easier to read details on a map without loading the tiles for the next zoom level) by long-tapping the zoom button. The coordinates of the map center may optionally be displayed above the scale.

HUD and permanent scale (Pro only)

To quickly glance at your current altitude, current or average speed, you can bring up the Head-Up Display, by performing three-finger swipe from the top of the screen to the bottom. You can hide the HUD again by the opposite gesture, or leave the HUD visible permanently. If your device can not handle a three-finger gesture, you can show and hide the HUD in the preferences. If the GPS doesn't have a good enough fix, the current speed and altitude may not be available. The average speed is always available, and is based on the total distance and time, indicated in the scale. You can also choose to enable the permanent scale, which shows a color-coded reference of the colors used for the track.

Menu

On Honeycomb and later, the menu is complemented by the action bar:

Hitting the menu key brings up the following choices:

• Recording [on/off]: the current recording submenu, see below.
• Tracks: the Track management submenu, see below.
• Select Map: switch to another map among the currently configured maps. More maps can be configured in the Map Manager.
• Look for
  • • address or location: enter a location (city, park, mountain, even a complete address. A waypoint will automatically be created for you.
    • contact: select a contact to move the map view to it, provided the geocoding service understands your request. If multiple results are available, a list will be presented to you. Because the search is performed online, an internet connection is required. A waypoint will automatically be created for you.
    • directions: get directions between two locations. Because the directions are retrieved from an online service, an internet connection is required. Directions can be cached offline, however.
    • coordinates: jump to a set of coordinates, which can be specified in a variety of formats, including US and UK grid references. You can select to create a waypoint at these coordinates.
• Preferences: the preferences settings.
• Quit: this menu is provided for users who like to make sure the application exits. It can be removed in the Behavior preferences.

Recording menu

• Save: save the recorded GPS track as a GPX file. The file will be placed on your external storage - usually the SD Card - in a folder called MyTrails, and added to the Track Manager.
• Pause/Resume: pause or resume the recording.
• Save then clear: optionally saves the track, then create a blank one.
• Clear: starts a blank track.
• See whole: zooms the map to show the entire recorded track.

• Manage tracks: the Track Manager, see below.
• Zoom to all tracks: zooms the map to show all currenly active tracks.
• Select colorization: pick the type of colorization (shortcut to the same item in the Appearance preferences).
• Colorization legend: displays the legend for the current track colorization.
• Pending operations: allows you to control operations that have been deferred.

Contextual menu

• Create offline map: define an area to download offline.
• Send as SMS: send the tapped location as an SMS. If the recipient has installed MyTrails SMS, instead of receiving an SMS in their Messaging application, MyTrails will import the location as a waypoint.
• Send current loc. as SMS: send the current GPS coordinates as an SMS.
• Open in another map app: displays a menu to select another map application (including Google Maps) that can display the current location. You can use this to start a Navigation.

Back key / Quitting MyTrails

If a track is being recorded, hitting the back key brings up a dialog asking you whether you would like to keep running the GPS tracker in the background or stop it. Once you stop it, no track is recorded and no further battery is consumed. If no track is being recorded, the back key behaves as normally for Android applications: it exits immediately. You can hold the back key or double-tap it to bypass the dialog. While using the back key is the preferred way to quit MyTrails (and most other Android applications), some new users may be disoriented by the lack of an explicit Quit menu, so MyTrails offers such a menu by default. This can be removed in the Behavior preferences.

Keys

On devices equipped with a physical keyboard or keypad, you can use the following keys:

• D-pad: scroll the map
• D-pad button: zoom-in
• 0: display next map in the list
• 1 and the letter O: zoom-out
• 2 and the letter C: toggle follow compass
• 3 and the letter I: zoom-in
• 4: tilt the map left
• 5 and the letter G: toggle follow GPS
• 6: tilt the map right
• 8: for local maps and AQM packs, center the view on the default location for the map (useful if you get lost off-map)

3. Track Manager

The Track Manager allows you to load GPX tracks, whether saved by MyTrails or any other GPS logger that can export GPX files. Use the Load button or Load all GPX in a directory menu to import one, several or a whole directory of GPX tracks. This operation takes a few moments, but it is performed in the background. As they are loaded, the tracks appear in the list. For each track, you can select whether it should be shown on the map or not, whether it should be colorized according to the current colorization scheme or drawn as a solid line, and the color of the track (used as an outline if the track is colorized). Tap a track to get more information about it. From this screen you can also start or stop recording your current track.

Track sharing

Finding tracks

Use the Download button to retrieve tracks in your neighborhood from several online communities or your own cloud storage service. Each community or cloud storage service has a slightly different user interface and set of filters. The filters will help narrow the type of track you're looking for, depending on the activity. For track sharing communities, you should first select the location around which MyTrails will look for tracks. Initially, MyTrails will use a small search radius around that location, which you can extend by tapping the Widen search button. Select tracks and tap Download to start the download, which will happen in the background. If you have logged in to the community, your private tracks will be found as well. If not, only public tracks are found.

Sharing your tracks

Long tap a track in the main track list, then select Upload track to send the track to one of the track sharing communities or your own cloud storage. Each track sharing community supports different meta-data; please take care when setting this data so that other users can more easily find it. You can choose to send a tweet after upload if elected to make it public when uploading it.

Menu

 Use the menu key for actions affecting multiple tracks:

• Load one ore more GPX: brings up a file selection screen where you can pick GPX tracks to load. You can select more than one.
• Load all GPX in a directory: brings up a directory selection screen so you can import all GPX within that directory.
• Show tracks in current map: all the tracks that are close to the current map view are marked as Show. If you only want to show those tracks, use Hide all tracks first.
• Hide all tracks: mark all tracks as Hidden.
• Zoom to all tracks: goes back to the map view and centers the map so that all tracks currently marked as Show are visible on the map.
• Forget all tracks: unloads all currently loaded tracks. The source GPX tracks are preserved.

Contextual menu

Tap on a track for more information about the track, or tap and hold for a contextual menu:

• Track details: more information about the track.
• Edit track: edit the track name and description. You can check Update the GPX file to re-save the GPX afterwards: this data is stored in the GPX file.
• Upload track: send the track to one of the track sharing communities or your own cloud storage.
• Save track: save the GPX again, possibly into a different location.
• Share: use to send the GPX via email or another application installed on your device.
• Forget track: removes the track from MyTrails, but does not delete the GPX for your device (for safety reasons).
• Zoom to track: show the track on the map (only available if the track is not hidden)
• Zoom to all tracks: goes back to the map view and centers the map so that all tracks currently marked as Show are visible on the map.
• Hide all tracks: mark all tracks as Hidden.
• Normalize altitudes (online): uses an online database of altitudes to snap the track to the known terrain altitude. This is generally more accurate than the GPS-calculated altitude, but is not useful when the track wasn't recorded on the ground.
• Create offline map: Starts the creation of an offline map around the track

Twitter integration

 After uploading the track to some track sharing communities, you can choose to create a tweet about it. This invokes a twitter client on your device, and in most cases Android will ask you to pick one (or a web browser). Some Twitter clients correctly handle this (the official Twitter client and Twicca) and using a web browser always works (you will be asked to log in if you aren't already), but several popular Twitter clients do not correctly recognize the Twitter API for this.

Pending Manager

Please see the separate section.

4. Waypoints

By touching and holding the map, you can add a waypoint, either where you pressed, or at the current GPS location. Waypoint names and descriptions can be edited; they can be associated with a saved track (GPX), the current recording, or be global (always shown); and they can either use the same color as the track, or override the track color. Tapping existing waypoints allows you to use the waypoint (tap the tip of the waypoint rather than the body). If several waypoints are in the close vicinity of your tap, a list of nearby waypoints will be displayed first, so you can select the one you intended to interact with.

Context menu

• Edit: change the waypoint data (name, description, track and color).
• Delete: remove the waypoint.
• Reposition: this allows you to move the waypoint; other waypoints are grayed out, and you can scroll the map until the waypoint is in the desired location, then tap to confirm, or use the back key to cancel. They way this works may be counter-intuitive the first time you use it, but once you get used to it, it's much easier than the traditional pick-up-and-drag: your finger doesn't obscure the waypoint or the map, and you don't need to worry about what's going to happen if you need to move the waypoint to a point that's further than the edge of the screen.
• Change coordinates: enter the precise coordinates you wish to reset the waypoint to.
• Center: center the map on the waypoint.
• Set as target: draws a line from the current GPS location to the target waypoint to help navigating to it.
• Directions to/from: open the Get Directions dialog.
• Copy to track: create a copy of the waypoint, on another track.
• Create offline map: start to download the map offline around the waypoint.
• Send as SMS: send the waypoint as an SMS. If the recipient has installed MyTrails SMS, instead of receiving an SMS in their Messaging application, MyTrails will import the waypoint.
• Open in another map app: displays a menu to select another map application (including Google Maps) that can display area around the waypoint. You can use this to start a Navigation.

Waypoints associated with the current recording are saved to the GPX file when the recording is saved. Waypoints that you add to imported GPX or edit after the GPX has been loaded are not saved back to the GPX, and will be lost if the GPX is reloaded (you can re-save the GPX in the Track Manager).

5. Directions

 

MyTrails can retrieve directions from point A to point B and display them as a new track. The start and end points can be manually defined by their coordinates, or they can be those of waypoints or the current GPS location. Directions can be optimized for walking, driving and in certain countries for bicycling.

Once the directions are received from the online service, a new track corresponding to the itinerary is created, and for each manoever a waypoint may optionally be created, which includes the text description of the manoever. These tracks are saved as GPX, and can be manipulated like any other tracks (shown, hidden, forgotted, reloaded), so with a little forethought you can use directions while completely offline.

If the map you are using is not Google, you may notice that the directions track is not exactly aligned with the map. This is because different map providers have slight differences that can be seen at high zoom levels.

MyTrails is not a Voice Navigation application: it simply offers a basic way to see the path you may want to take to travel from one location to another. It does not have the vector map data that would allow it to correct errors in the GPS location (snapping), it does not offer re-routing, it does not dynamically display navigation instructions, and it doesn't really try to be very smart about directions.

Proximity notifications

Despite the warning in the previous section, MyTrails borrows one feature from Voice Navigation apps: proximity notifications.

When you're getting close to a waypoint, MyTrails will warn you with a selectable combination of vibration, ring and spoken information. This is not restricted to waypoints associated with directions, but works for all waypoints, so you can plan a few turns ahead on a trail that only you know about, and you will get the warning.

The distance at which the notification is triggered adapts to your current speed: for highway speeds, it's about 1km (or mile); for slower roads, 500m; for city driving or biking speeds, 200m; for walking speed, 50m.

Getting back to the previous warning: MyTrails doesn't try to be smart with notifications, and it doesn't care about the sequence of manoevers in a direction track, so despite our best efforts, the wrong notification could be given; make sure you always double-check, and don't drive into a ditch or jump off a cliff.

6. Map Manager

The Map Manager allows you to customize the list of maps that MyTrails will display. MyTrails supports many online map providers, both global and local, and the MGM offline map format. It can generate an offline map from any of the online providers (with some limitations for premium map providers).  In the Map Manager, you can edit, add or delete map definitions. Maps marked with a ★ are premium maps: they require a subscription to use (although most have a free trial period). Select Premium maps in the menu for a list of all premium maps (some do not appear in the map list by default to keep it shorter). By toggling the Show/Hide button to the right of each map, you can select which maps are available in the Select Map menu of the main map view, and rotated through by lateral three-finger swiping. Tap a map to edit its definition (see some of the available map types below for more information). From the menu key, you can also reset the definitions, which will update and undo any changes you have made to the default map definitions (the definitions you created will not be changed), delete the default definitions (without recreating them) or delete all definitions (one will remain, however). In order to quickly simplify the map menu, you can select Hide other countries' maps in the menu: this will hide all maps that are for countries other than the one your phone is configured for. Global providers will remain enabled.  You can long-press on a map for a contextual menu:

• Edit map: bring up the map edition screen, where you can rename the map and change its paramaters. See the next sections for details of editing maps.
• Reorder to map...: to move the map within the list, select a map in the list that is presented; the original map will be moved in the list to be just before the map you selected.
• Delete map: delete the map; if the map is an offline map, you will be asked to confirm whether you would like to delete the map definition only, or also the offline map tiles.
• Delete cache for map: deletes the downloaded map tiles for this map; you can use this when the map provider has updated the look of their maps to force MyTrails to re-download.
• Hide all but this map: mark all maps as Hide, except the one you selected (you can not hide all tracks).
• Show all maps: marks all the maps as Show.

Tap the Add button to create a new map. This can be an offline map you have downloaded on a computer, an OpenStreetMap (or other) map that you define from its URL, a WMS provider, or a variation on one of the built-in map types.

Offline map (MGM)

MGM Packs uses the MGM format popularized by Mobile GMaps. Packs can be stored on the device's SD card by synchronizing with your computer. The format allows efficient storage of huge number of tiles, at multiple zoom levels. Tools exist to generate these files. Please see the MGM Howto for more info. Once you have synchronized an MGM pack to your device, you can set the path to it in the MGM configuration either by typing it in, or by clicking Select... (if you synchronized the pack by connecting your device to your computer via USB and mounting the external storage as a USB drive on the computer, the MGM packs will be somewhere under /sdcard). If multiple packs are located within the same directory, you will then have to pick the specific pack the map should use. MGM Packs can be configured with a fallback. Tiles that are not found in the pack will be loaded from the fallback amp. The fallback will usually be an online map (covering the entire world), but it can be a local map as well. If the fallback itself has a fallback, that will not be used (tiles missing from the fallback also will be drawn as missing). The MGM format is used by MyTrails when it downloads a map offline. Please see the relevant section for more info.

Flexible URL maps

The flexible URL map editor allows you to use maps that MyTrails hasn't yet discovered, or update the map definition to use different defaults or fix the URL that MyTrails uses in case the map provider has changed their URL format. It is used mostly for OpenStreetMap-based maps, and for other map providers that use a similar URL pattern. You can tap on one of the sample providers to populate the URL and Referer [sic], and you can then tweak the URL to use different options and styles if such are offered by the map provider. Some map providers such as WanderReitKarte offer premium tile services and require a URL that includes a user-specific key. You can insert it in the URL.

WMS maps

Web Map Service is a standard protocol used to discover, configure and access web map providers. You can enter the base URL to a WMS map provider. MyTrails will then allow you to pick the parameters for the map, or you can type them in yourself.

Testing

For flexible URL and WMS maps, you can quickly check that the map definition is correct by using the menu button, then Test map, which will bring up a simple window where you can zoom in and out and pan.

7. Creating offline maps

Area selection from a computer

Selecting an area on a small touchscreen may be difficult, so MyTrails 2.0.5 and later offer a second method:

• connect to your account on maps.frogsparks.com
• make sure your terminal is connected to the Google cloud push system (a small Push tag should be displayed on the My subscriptions page; if that's not the case, try to disconnect, then reconnect MyTrails to the same account – if you use a non-Android device such as a Kindle or Blackberry, use the mail sending system described below)
• start defining an offline map by selecting Configure offline map in the menu
• already-defined areas appear as blue rectangles; they are only for information and cannot be modified
• you can use the area definition tool to create new areas or the search tool at the top-right of the map to directly import administrative areas, for example by searching for "texas" (this is not always accurate)
• you can edit the areas using the edit tool, and delete them with the trashcan tool (in both these cases, don't forget to confirm the changes by clicking the Save button
• use the Push to my devices link (this is available only when at least one of your Android devices is connected to your account – if not, you can send yourself a link via email that you can then open on the device)
• a notification will be displayed on your device; by tapping them you can set the remaining parameters and start downloading the map

8. Preferences

The preferences in MyTrails change fairly frequently as new features and customizations are introduced; this manual may not be fully up to date…

Appearance

• Larger icons: increases the size of on-map icons (current location, waypoints and tracks), and the scale display, for better visibility outdoors or on moving "vehicles".
• Larger buttons: increases the size of buttons and spreads them apart more to make them easier to hit.
• Larger map: allows you to change the density of how the map is drawn. Recent screens use a very high pixel density which may make it hard to see map details when MyTrails draws map tiles at 1 map pixel for one screen pixel resolution. You can let MyTrails automatically adapt to the resolution or force it to draw the map bigger to compensate (it will be less sharp).
• Draw accuracy circle: if enabled, the current GPS location will be denoted by a blue circle, the radius of which indicates the accuracy radius of the current GPS reading. The smaller, the more accurate. If disabled, a red GPS dot will be displayed instead.
• Allow overzoom: allows MyTrails to zoom in beyond the maximum available zoom level for the map you're currently viewing. This makes the map slightly blurry, but it can help readability when bright sunlight is making the map hard to read.
• Full screen mode: if enabled, the notification bar (with signal, battery strength, etc.) will be hidden to leave more room to the map. On Android 3 and later, a button will be displayed at the top-right when full-screen is active to bring up the Action Bar.
• Show HUD: display the Head Up Display on top of the map (Pro only)
• Always show legend: display the legend above the map (Pro only). You can also use the Tracks > Colorization legend menu to display the legend on-demand.
• Display zoom level: draws the current zoom level next to the zoom buttons.
• Display coordinates: allows you to select a coordinate system (global like DMS [degree-minute-second] or local like GB National Grid) to optionally display the coordinates for the center of the screen (a reticle will be drawn at the center).
• Track colorization: the track can be colorized to represent various variables (the description of the colors is rough, please use the Track > Colorization legend for a graphical representation):
  • Solid: just the track shape, a bright yellow line.
  • Altitude: the track is colorized according to the altitude (green for low points on your track, orange and red for intermediate and black for the high points).
  • Rate of ascent: increasingly bright red for faster ascents, blue for descent.
  • Speed: grey for stationary or very low speed, green for moderate speed, brightening to reds for higher-speed parts of your track.
  • GPS accuracy: red for low accuracy, orange for intermediate, green for high accuracy.
  • Slope: increasingly bright red for steeper ascents, blue for descent. The difference between rate of ascent and slope is that rate of ascent reflects how quickly you went up or down, whereas the slope merely reflects how steep the trail was.
• Track color: the color used for the current track recording. If the colorization is not set to Solid, this color is used as an outline.
• Thick track highlight: check if you prefer the track to be more visible.
• Use Metric units: uncheck to use Imperial units instead of the default Metric units.
• Display zoom level: check to indicate the zoom level next to the map scale.
• Display track duration: uncheck if you don't need the track duration next to the map scale.
• Larger scale display: check to have the scale displayed larger, so it's more readable in harsh sunlight.

Behavior

• Long compass filter: enable this to prevent wobble in the compass, which can make the map hard to read on some devices. The side-effect will be that the compass will have more inertia, so it will not respond as quickly when you reorient the device.
• Filter GPS readings: this will filter out anomalous GPS readings, for example if the connection to the GPS is lost and cell location is employed instead. This may cause a longer delay when acquiring the signal initially and may drop readings, for example if you try recording a track while moving very quickly (on a plane, for example).
• Sticky GPS: if this option is checked, the map will automatically center on the GPS after you've dragged it around, if the follow GPS icon was highlighted before you started dragging the map.
• Disk cache: determine how much of your external storage can be used to cache downloaded map tiles. In any event, MyTrails will always leave 1MB free.
• Saved tracks location: select where tracks are saved by MyTrails
• New offline maps location: select where offline maps are saved
• Wifi-only offline map creation: uncheck this if you don't mind your phone continuing to download offline maps using your data connection rather than WiFi.
• Proximity notification: select the type of notification used when you're approaching a waypoint (Pro only).
• Hide Quit menu: this will remove the Quit menu, which is enabled by default for new users.

9. Battery considerations

Any application that uses the GPS continuously will run the battery down at an accelerated rate. MyTrails takes many precautions to minimize battery usage: the compass is put to sleep when you turn the screen off, and GPS readings are taken as rarely as possible, while still recording an accurate track. The screen is redrawn only when necessary. You can turn the screen off to conserve the battery: MyTrails will keep recording. You can even close the application (leaving the tracker running). You will notice that while MyTrails is recording your track it adds a notification to the Android notification bar. You can tap on it to get back to MyTrails. If you're taking a break, you can stop the tracker to minimize battery drain. Just don't forget to start it again once you get going. You can also use the Optimize battery preference to turn off the most battery-draining features of MyTrails. You should also turn mobile data off if you intend to use MyTrails for more than 6h on a standard phone: even when not in use and especially in remote areas, cellular data uses a lot of power. Don't worry about data loss if your battery runs out while you're recording a track: MyTrails saves the track frequently and will load it in when you turn the device back on. For multi-day trips without the ability to recharge your phone, you should consider spare batteries (if your phone doesn't use a sealed battery) or an external battery pack, which will allow you to recharge through the MicroUSB port. There are many different models of external battery packs, of varying capacities.

10. Mobile data considerations

MyTrails can operate both on-line and off-line. Like most connected applications, it will take advantage of your data connection when one is present, and provide the best possible service when not.

If you are travelling abroad, please use caution when using any application on your device, and in particular MyTrails, since map data can be especially hefty.

The safest policy when travelling abroad is to turn off mobile data entirely on your device, in Android's settings. This will avoid any source of bill-shock from applications using data in the foreground or the background. Some of MyTrails' features will no longer work (you will not be able to view maps that are not cached or downloaded to offline maps, you will not be able to normalize tracks and post or download them to track-sharing communities, get directions, etc.), but MyTrails deals with this gracefully (including the ability to defer track activities).

If you do keep your mobile data on, please be aware that even if you're using MyTrails with an offline map, a small amount of data usage may occur: checking for updates, license verification, helping the GPS get a faster fix, the occasional geocoding request, as well as the more obvious cases above. Also be mindful that if you have configured your offline map to have a fallback, tiles that are missing from the offline map will be downloaded over your mobile connection.