Transfer and back up tracks

Geo Tracker does not store your trips on our servers. All recordings are kept locally on your device, so moving them to a new device must be done manually.

Before you start, install or update Geo Tracker on both devices so they use the same app version.

Transfer with a sync folder

The simplest way is a sync folder: Geo Tracker writes all your trips there as files, and the new device imports them. This works between any two devices: Android phones and tablets, iPhones and iPads, or one of each.

1. On the old device, open Geo Tracker and tap the Sync icon at the bottom of the trip list.
2. Choose a folder. A folder in cloud storage is the easiest and safest: the new device can open it directly, and your trips stay safe even if a device is lost. Which cloud folders you can choose depends on the cloud storage set up on your device.
3. Choose the file format. KMZ is recommended because it takes the least space.
4. Wait until Geo Tracker has written all trips to the folder.
5. (Optional) If you chose a folder on the device, or the new device doesn’t have access to the chosen cloud folder, copy all its files to a folder the new device can sync with, for example with a computer.
6. On the new device, open Geo Tracker, tap the Sync icon, choose the folder with the files and the same format. Geo Tracker imports files in any format, but converts them to the chosen one at the next sync, so the same format saves that step.

After the sync finishes, your trips appear on the new device.

iPhone and iPad

On iPhone and iPad, sync folders are available from Geo Tracker 5.7.0, which is currently in beta. With an older version, transfer the database instead.

Android

On Android, cloud folders are available from Geo Tracker 5.7.0, which is currently in beta. With an older version, use a folder on the device and copy its files.

Back up your trips

A sync folder in cloud storage also works as a backup: if your device is lost or reset, your trips are still in the cloud.

1. Set up a sync folder in cloud storage, as in steps 1–3 above.
2. With Pro, open Settings → Data → Sync folder and turn on Sync automatically. New and edited trips are then written to the folder in the background.
3. To also save the trip you’re recording at regular intervals, set Sync frequency while recording.

Without automatic sync, tap the Sync icon from time to time to bring the folder up to date.

To restore your trips on a new or reset device, follow step 6 above.

Older iOS versions

Without a sync folder, copy the trip database instead. It moves all trips at once and needs a computer to reach the files on the iPhone or iPad. Before you start, read About database copies.

Note

The copied database replaces the one on the new device, including any trips already recorded there. Share those trips as files first if you want to keep them.

Between iPhones and iPads

1. Connect the old iPhone or iPad to your computer. On macOS, use Finder; on Windows, use iTunes.
2. Open the device’s Files or File Sharing section and find the Geo Tracker folder.
3. Copy all files starting with trips.db to your computer.
4. Disconnect it and connect the new iPhone or iPad.
5. Open the Geo Tracker folder on the new device and copy the trips.db files into it.

Between Android and iPhone or iPad

On Android, the database is exported and imported in Settings → Advanced, under Database. In older versions, it’s in Settings → Storage settings.

From Android to iPhone or iPad:

1. On Android, tap Export database and choose a folder.
2. Copy the exported trips.db files to your computer.
3. Connect the iPhone or iPad, open the Geo Tracker folder in Finder or iTunes, and copy the trips.db files into it.

From iPhone or iPad to Android:

1. Copy all trips.db files from the Geo Tracker folder on the iPhone or iPad to your computer using Finder or iTunes.
2. Copy those files to a folder on the Android device.
3. On Android, tap Import database and select that folder.

About database copies

On Android, Settings → Advanced can export and import the trip database, and on iPhone and iPad the database files can be copied with a computer. Don’t use these copies as a backup:

• The database files are meant mainly for diagnosing issues: in rare cases, we may ask you for them to troubleshoot an unusual problem.
• They’re not guaranteed to work across app versions: a newer version can open a database from an older one, but not the other way around.

For backups, use a sync folder. Copy the database only to transfer trips from an older iOS version, as described above.

Individual trips

To move only a few trips, share them as files: send each trip as a GPX, KML or KMZ file by email, messenger or cloud storage, and open it on the new device with Geo Tracker. On iPhone and iPad, the file may open in a text editor first; tap Share, then choose Geo Tracker.