Frequently asked questions

Android’s battery optimizations can interrupt Geo Tracker’s background recording by pausing GPS updates to save power. To get reliable, uninterrupted tracking:

Quick fixes

• Reboot your device.
• Disable any power-saving or ultra-battery modes.
• In Geo Tracker → Settings → Record settings, enable Ignore battery optimizations.

Deep dive

For complete step-by-step instructions tailored to your phone model (Xiaomi, Realme, Huawei, etc.), see our detailed setup guides. They’ll show you how to whitelist Geo Tracker and tweak system settings so background recording never stops.

While recording your GPS tracks, a network connection is not necessary. The app relies solely on a stable GPS signal for this core functionality.

However, displaying the map within the app may require network access. We highly recommend switching to Mapbox maps for the best offline experience.

Use automation apps like MacroDroid or Tasker to make Geo Tracker start or stop recording automatically—for example, when you arrive at a specific location. Follow our step-by-step guide to set it up.

Developers can also leverage Geo Tracker intents to embed its features directly into their own apps and workflows.

A recording profile determines how often Geo Tracker requests location updates, which locations it keeps, and when it starts a new track segment. The built-in profiles choose these settings for you; the Custom profile lets you adjust them individually.

For what each setting (Frequency, GPS accuracy, Min distance, Max distance, Strict filtering) does, see Recording profiles.

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

For step-by-step instructions for transfers between any devices, backups and single trips, see Transfer and back up tracks.

Yes, offline map usage is possible. However, please ensure you have an internet connection at least once before your trip to view the specific map area you need at various zoom levels.

For the best offline experience, we strongly suggest using Mapbox. It’s excellent at caching map data, which means you can access areas you’ve previously viewed even without a continuous internet connection.

Please be aware that this is different from Google Maps, which tends to clear its cached data more often. Regrettably, this is a feature of Google Maps that we cannot change.

While recording a track, you may occasionally notice No fix in the recording panel at the bottom of the map (Waiting GPS in versions before 5.7.0). This indicates a temporary loss of satellite signal, which can disrupt the accuracy of your track recording.

To help you resolve these instances, please refer to our comprehensive guide for detailed troubleshooting steps.

Geo Tracker does not currently provide voice guidance like a traditional turn-by-turn GPS navigation app.

However, we are considering adding this feature in the future.

For more information about available navigation and route guidance features, please see our detailed guide.

A solid dot means Geo Tracker doesn’t yet have a reliable heading for your position. The arrow only appears once the app can determine your direction. You’ll see a dot instead of an arrow when:

1. You’re stationary or moving very slowly

   • Speeds below roughly 3 km/h don’t yield a stable GPS-based bearing, so the icon stays a dot until you pick up speed.
   • However, if you’ve turned on Use compass in Settings → Location, Geo Tracker can still use the device’s magnetic heading even at low speed.

2. GPS fix is weak or unavailable

   • With a poor or freshly acquired GPS signal, the app waits for a stable fix before showing an arrow.
   • If no GPS fix exists, Geo Tracker falls back to a network-based location (which provides no heading), and displays a dot.

How to get the arrow back

• Ensure a solid GPS fix—see our GPS troubleshooting guide for tips.
• Move above ~3 km/h so GPS-derived bearing becomes reliable.
• Turn on Use compass in Main menu → Settings → Location to allow heading at any speed. In versions before 5.7.0, it’s in Settings → Display settings.

The arrow on the map shows your direction of movement only when Geo Tracker has a reliable heading.

If the arrow is pointing in the wrong direction, it is usually caused by an uncalibrated magnetic compass, especially when moving at low speeds.

To fix the arrow orientation, please try the following:

• Calibrate your phone’s compass. Move your phone in a figure-eight motion in the air 2–3 times.

• Increase your speed. At speeds below ~3 km/h, GPS cannot determine a stable heading, so the app relies on the magnetic compass instead, which may be inaccurate if not calibrated.

• Disable the built-in compass in the app. Go to Main menu → Settings → Location and turn off Use compass. In versions before 5.7.0, it’s in Settings → Display settings.

  Turning this option off forces the app to use a GPS-based direction only.

Recording, statistics, import and export are free in Geo Tracker for personal, non-commercial use, with no ads. The optional Pro subscription adds:

• route guidance along recorded tracks with turn-by-turn prompts,
• Mapbox (OpenStreetMap) maps with satellite images and extended offline support, navigation mode and direction arrows,
• splitting and trimming tracks, adding emojis to markers,
• automatic folder sync,
• ski statistics,
• recording with a Bluetooth GNSS receiver,
• recording automation (Android only),
• an unlimited number of tracks,
• commercial use: every person who uses the app for it needs an active Pro subscription.

See the full comparison of free and Pro features.

Unfortunately, subscriptions can only be paid for via Google Play or the Apple App Store — there are no alternative payment methods at this time.

If you encounter an error during payment, please verify that:

• the relevant app store (Google Play or Apple App Store) is properly set up on your device, and
• purchases through that store are supported in your country.

Also note that beyond technical limitations, legal restrictions mean we can only accept payments from certain countries. Your country may not be supported.

If payment issues persist, we recommend contacting the support team of the respective app store directly.

If Google Play or the App Store shows an active Geo Tracker subscription, but Geo Tracker still does not show it as Active on the Pro tab, please restore the purchase in the app.

1. Open the app store on your device and check that the Geo Tracker subscription is active:
   • Android: open Google Play and go to Account → Payments & subscriptions → Subscriptions.
   • iOS: open the App Store, tap your account icon, and go to Subscriptions.
2. Make sure you are signed in to the same Google or Apple account that was used for the subscription.
3. Open Geo Tracker and go to Main menu → Settings → Pro (Manage subscription in versions before 5.7.0).
4. Tap Restore purchases at the bottom of the screen.

The subscription status is managed by Google Play or the App Store. Geo Tracker can unlock the Pro features only after the store reports an active subscription.

If the subscription still does not show as Active on Android, try refreshing Google Play’s local data:

1. Open your phone’s Settings and find Google Play Store.
2. Open App info → Storage.
3. Tap Clear storage or Clear data.
4. Re-open Google Play and confirm that the Geo Tracker subscription is listed as active.
5. Open Geo Tracker and tap Restore purchases once more.

If this still does not help, please contact us and include screenshots of the subscription screen in the app store and the Pro tab in Geo Tracker.

Please note that subscriptions are not shared between Android and iOS. A subscription purchased through Google Play works only on Android devices, while a subscription purchased through the App Store works only on iOS devices.

To cancel your subscription, please follow these steps:

• Open Geo Tracker and go to Main menu → Settings → Pro (Manage subscription in versions before 5.7.0), then tap the Manage subscription button.
• You will be redirected to either Google Play or App Store, depending on your device’s operating system.
• From there, you can cancel or pause your subscription.

You can continue to enjoy Geo Tracker’s Pro features until the end of your current billing cycle.

Please note that because payments are managed exclusively through the App Store and Google Play, and we do not collect personal information such as email addresses, our control over the subscription process is limited. Therefore, if you encounter any difficulties canceling your subscription or wish to request a refund, we recommend contacting the support team of the respective store directly for the most efficient assistance.

Access to OpenStreetMap in Geo Tracker is delivered via Mapbox, a commercial service that hosts, styles and serves map tiles.

While the OSM data itself is open-source, the infrastructure needed to process and deliver those maps in a fast, reliable way incurs ongoing costs.

To cover these expenses and ensure high-quality map access (including offline support, regular updates and global tile delivery), we bundle OSM/Mapbox within our paid subscription.

If the map in your area is wrong or missing features, the best place to report it depends on which map source you want updated.

Geo Tracker does not host or maintain any maps itself, so we can’t fix the maps for you.

For where to report each map source, how to fix OpenStreetMap yourself, and what to include in a report, see Report map errors.

Unfortunately, no.

Huawei phones no longer include Google Play Services, so Google’s satellite layers aren’t available. Since our Mapbox maps also require a subscription via Google Play, they can’t be used on these devices either.

Your only in-app map option on Huawei is Petal Maps—which, regrettably, doesn’t include a satellite layer.

Please try these steps to restore Google map layers:

1. Open the Layers menu and switch between Scheme and Satellite.
2. Make sure Google Play Services is up to date—Geo Tracker relies on it to fetch Google map tiles.
3. Reboot your device.

After that, your selected layer should load properly.

No — your tracks stay on your device unless you explicitly share them. Geo Tracker does not automatically upload your GPS data to any server.

• Local storage: All recorded tracks are saved in the app’s local database and in your device’s storage when you sync/export.

• Manual sharing only: Tracks go off-device only if you tap Share (sending via email/messenger) or use Sync (saving GPX/KML/KMZ files to your folder).

Note: GPX/KML/KMZ files in your synced folder reside in your device’s file system, so any app with permission to read that folder could access them.

No — Geo Tracker doesn’t include a phone-finding feature.

• Local-only recording: All GPS data stays on your device and isn’t streamed to a server, so there’s no live “find my phone” capability.

• Last saved track: If you synced your tracks before losing your phone and then backed them up to the cloud (manually or using third‑party tools like FolderSync), you can open them in another app or on another device to see where you last recorded the track.

Tip: To locate a lost Android phone use Find My Device, or on iOS use Find My iPhone — those system tools are designed for remote device recovery.

No—Geo Tracker is designed for local, self-recorded tracks and doesn’t offer real-time tracking of other people, cars, or devices. All GPS data stays on the device unless you explicitly share it.

• No live tracking: There’s no server-based location sharing or “follow me” feature.
• Manual export only: You can export or sync your own GPX/KML/KMZ files and then send them to someone, but Geo Tracker won’t continuously report your position to another device.
• Alternatives: For real-time sharing, consider dedicated services like Find My Device (Android) or Find My iPhone, which are built for remote tracking.

Absolutely — here’s how to enable it:

• Tap the Layers  button in the top panel.
• Toggle Navigation Mode on.

Once active, the map will rotate beneath your indicator so your current heading always points upward.

Note: “Navigation Mode” only works with Mapbox maps.

Exporting tracks from Geo Tracker is easy — choose the method that fits your needs:

Share a single track

• In the trip list (☰), locate the track you want to export.
• Tap the Share button below its name.
• Select your email or messenger app to send the GPX/KML/KMZ file.

Export all tracks at once

• In the bottom panel of the trip list, tap the Sync  icon.
• Geo Tracker will bundle every trip into a folder on your device.

Save one track to your device folder

• In the trip list, tap the ”⋮” menu next to the desired track.
• Choose “Sync this trip” — the app will save that single track into your device’s export folder.

Feel free to pick the option that best fits your workflow!

For a step-by-step guide, see Share GPX, KML and KMZ files.

Restore from the Trash Bin

If your deleted tracks are still in Geo Tracker’s trash bin, you can recover them:

1. Open the trip list (☰) and tap the  Trash icon at the bottom right.
2. Select the tracks you want to recover and tap Restore selected. They’ll be moved back to your main list.

Restore from an external folder

If you’ve already emptied the trash but previously synced your tracks to an external folder, you can re-import them:

1. Ensure your GPX/KML/KMZ files are still in your device’s sync folder (e.g. /Documents/GeoTracker).
2. In the trip list, tap the  Sync icon to import any files not yet in the app.

Restore your device from a backup

If neither method works and you’ve lost all copies in-app and in the sync folder, your last resort is restoring from a device backup:

• Android: Google’s backup guide
• iOS: Apple’s backup guide

To split a track into two parts:

1. Place a marker on the track
   • Long-press anywhere on the track to place a marker.
   • To fine-tune its position, long-press the marker and drag it.
2. Split the track
   • Tap the Split button in the toolbar.
3. Two new tracks will appear in the list:
   • Part 1 contains everything before the marker.
   • Part 2 contains everything after the marker.
   • Your original track stays unchanged.
4. Keep the part you need and delete the rest.

You can repeat the same process on any resulting part to split a track into more than two sections.

To trim a track, follow the same steps. After splitting, delete the original track and any unwanted parts, then keep only the section you need.

At the moment, Geo Tracker does not have a built-in track merging feature. For now, you can use this workaround:

1. Export the tracks
   • Share or sync the tracks so you have the GPX files on your device.
2. Merge them in GPX Studio
   • Open GPX Studio.
   • Upload your GPX files.
   • Use the Merge tool to combine them into one track.
   • Download the result as a single GPX file.
3. Import the merged track back into Geo Tracker
   • Share the updated GPX file to the app, or place it in your device’s import/sync folder.

This lets you merge tracks today while native merging remains on our roadmap.

Not at the moment—Geo Tracker doesn’t support embedding media directly into markers. We’re evaluating the addition of photo and video attachments for a future update.

Workarounds for now:

1. Geotag your media: Use your camera app’s GPS tagging so photos/videos carry location data.
2. External GPX editors: Upload your track and geotagged media to tools like GPX Studio to view them together.

Not yet—Geo Tracker currently renders all tracks in a single color. Per-track coloring is on our roadmap for a future release.

In the meantime, you can switch to a gradient color mode, which colors track segments based on speed or elevation—helping you visually differentiate parts of a route. For more details, see the Color Modes FAQ.

Geo Tracker offers three track‐coloring modes:

1. Solid (default)
2. Gradient by speed
3. Gradient by altitude

In gradient modes, green marks the highest values (fastest speed or greatest elevation) and dark red the lowest (slowest or lowest point).

To switch modes, tap the Layers  icon in the top right corner of the main screen and choose Solid fill, Speed gradient, or Altitude gradient under Track color mode.

Geo Tracker offers two in-app methods for marking up your trips — and full control over how they’re bound and used in navigation:

1. Add marker at your current location

   • Tap the marker-pin icon in the top panel.
   • A marker drops at your current GPS position.
   • If a GPS fix isn’t acquired within a few seconds, an error message appears.

2. Add marker anywhere via long-press

   • Long-press on the map at your desired point.
   • Drag the pin to fine-tune its placement, then confirm.

3. Binding markers to trips

   • In the marker’s Edit view, you can choose which trip it belongs to (not just the one currently loaded).
   • Only markers linked to the selected trips will display on the map.

4. Route guidance with maneuvers

   • Markers bound to a trip can be assigned a maneuver type (e.g. “Turn left” or “Turn right”).
   • During navigation, Geo Tracker will prompt you at each maneuver marker.

Marker data—including bindings and maneuvers—is exported along with your trips in GPX, KML, or KMZ formats and is restored when you import those files back into Geo Tracker.

Read more about the route guidance mode here.

All measurement units can be adjusted in Display settings:

1. Open Geo Tracker and go to Main menu → Settings → Display settings.

2. Under Measurement Units, configure:

   • Distance: Kilometers / Miles / Nautical Miles
   • Altitude: Meters / Feet
   • Slope: Degrees / Percent
   • Coordinates: Degree-Minute-Second / Decimal Degrees / UTM

3. Tap your preferred unit—changes take effect immediately across maps, stats, and charts.

That’s it!

Note: For very short distances, Geo Tracker displays values in meters or feet first, then switches to km/mi once the distance grows. There’s no global “always use short/long units” toggle yet, but it’s on our roadmap for a future update.

Geo Tracker doesn’t have a dedicated “Import” option, but you can add tracks two ways:

1. Share/Open with Geo Tracker

   • In your file manager, messenger, email or cloud-storage app, locate the .gpx, .kml or .kmz file.
   • Tap Share (or Open with) and select Geo Tracker.
   • The app will launch and import the file as a new trip.

2. Sync folder (Android)

   • Copy your .gpx, .kml or .kmz files into the Sync folder on your device (e.g. /Documents/GeoTracker).
   • Open the trip list (☰) in Geo Tracker and tap the Sync  icon in the bottom panel.
   • The app scans the folder, imports any new files, and adds them to your trips.
   • (Optional) Enable Sync automatically in Main menu → Settings → Storage settings so that any new files placed in /Documents/GeoTracker are imported automatically whenever you open the app.

That’s it — either share/open or drop files into the Sync folder (and let Auto-Sync handle the rest) to load your tracks into Geo Tracker.

For a step-by-step guide, see Share GPX, KML and KMZ files.

1. Follow the standard import steps
   • Make sure you’ve followed the instructions under “How can I open track files (GPX/KML/KMZ) in Geo Tracker?”.
2. Test in other apps
   • Try loading the same file in Google Earth, Garmin BaseCamp, GPX Studio, etc.
3. Contact support
   • If none of the above works, please email the GPX/KML file to [email protected] so we can investigate further.

These are Geo Tracker’s extended data: extra details about each track point. In GPX files they’re attributes of the <geotracker:meta> element, in KML files they’re stored in the geotrackerTrackSchema arrays.

The most common ones are c (course, in radians clockwise from true north; multiply by 57.3 for degrees) and s (speed, in meters per second). From version 5.7.0, Geo Tracker also exports accuracy, time zone, location source, satellites and more.

<geotracker:meta c="2.36" s="2.85" a="4.00" tz="7200" src="1" />

Here the point was recorded moving southeast (2.36 rad ≈ 135°) at 2.85 m/s (≈10.3 km/h), with an accuracy of 4 m, in a time zone 2 hours ahead of UTC.

Extended data is written only if Export extended data is turned on in Settings → Data.

For the full list of fields with their units, see Extended data in GPX and KML files.

Geo Tracker offers two ways to get your charts out:

1. Export a chart image

   • Go to Statistics.
   • Tap Share — Geo Tracker will generate an image of the entire view (map and statistics with charts).
   • Send it via email, messenger, or save it to your device.

2. Export raw data for custom charts

   • Export your track as a GPX file (via Share or Sync).
     • Convert GPX to TSV/CSV using the Geo Tracker’s XSLT stylesheet:
       1. Download the stylesheet: GeoTracker.xslt
       2. Run the conversion:

          xsltproc --nonet --output track.tsv GeoTracker.xslt track.gpx

       3. To install xsltproc:
          • (macOS) Install xsltproc with brew install libxslt
          • (Windows) Instructions can be found here
   • Open track.tsv in Excel, Numbers, Google Sheets, etc., and build any chart you like.

That’s how you can either grab a quick chart snapshot or dive into the raw data and craft your own visualizations.

For step-by-step guides, see Share trip images and Export chart data.

Altitude readings depend on your device’s GPS signal and sensor accuracy—and those vary by model. While Geo Tracker applies filters to smooth elevation profiles, you may still notice discrepancies, for example:

1. Start vs. end mismatch: Even at the same spot, measurements taken at different times can differ slightly.
2. Device differences: Flagship GPS hardware (e.g. Samsung S23/S24, Pixel 6 & newer) is usually more accurate than mid-range chips (many Samsung A-series phones). Turning off Wi-Fi or Bluetooth can help, since some devices fall back to network location.

Geo Tracker uses the WGS84 ellipsoid by default. In some regions, “Mean Sea Level” fits better:

1. Go to Settings → Record settings → Altitude baseline and choose WGS84 or Sea Level.
2. If neither is perfect, use Altitude correction in the same menu to dial in a manual offset.

These adjustments should give you a more reliable elevation profile.

In Geo Tracker’s stats you’ll see two related — but distinct — elevation metrics:

Vertical ascent

• The sum of all uphill gains along your route. Only positive elevation changes contribute.

Vertical distance

• The sum of all vertical movements—both climbs and descents. It’s calculated by adding up the absolute value of every elevation change.

Example

Imagine a simple elevation profile:

0 → 5 → 10 → 5

The successive changes are:

• +5 (0→5)
• +5 (5→10)
• –5 (10→5)

Calculations:

• Vertical ascent = 5 + 5 + 0 = 10
• Vertical distance = 5 + 5 + 5 = 15

Tip: Geo Tracker also displays elevation difference, which is just the difference between the highest and lowest points on your route.

For more about the statistics, see Understand trip statistics and charts.

“Duration (S)” and “Duration (O)” on the charts use two different time scales:

1. Duration (S) (“Segments”) measures only the active recording time—that is, the sum of all recorded segments, ignoring any pauses between them.
2. Duration (O) (“Overall”) spans the entire time from when you hit record to when you stopped, including any gaps or pauses.

Example: You record a morning walk for 30 minutes, pause the app for lunch, then resume for a 20 minute evening stroll.

• Duration (S) = 30 min + 20 min = 50 min
• Duration (O) = total clock time from start to finish (e.g. 7 AM → 7 PM = 12 hours)

Choose Duration (S) when you want to analyze only your recording time, or Duration (O) if you need the full elapsed timeframe.

For more about the statistics, see Understand trip statistics and charts.

No. Geo Tracker calculates track distance from latitude and longitude only, which is the standard approach for geographical distance calculations.

Phone GPS altitude readings are usually less accurate than horizontal location data. If the app added every vertical change to the distance calculation, small altitude errors could make the total distance less reliable, especially while hiking in areas with a noisy GPS signal.

Elevation is still used for separate statistics such as vertical ascent, vertical descent, and vertical distance, but it is not added to the main track distance.

For more about the statistics, see Understand trip statistics and charts.

A recorded track consists of a series of saved location points that form the track line. The point count is the total number of these points in the track.

How often new points are saved depends on your device’s GNSS update frequency and the app’s recording settings. Normally, Geo Tracker saves one point per second, provided the new location is at least 10 meters from the previously saved point.

For more about the statistics, see Understand trip statistics and charts.

Indoors, your device can’t see the satellites well. It may still find a position, but this position is often inaccurate and jumps from place to place. Geo Tracker tries to filter out such jumps, but it can’t catch all of them: indoors, satellite signals are weakened and reflected by walls, and a wrong position can look just like real movement. The jumps that get through end up in your track as a tangle of lines and as distance you never traveled.

To keep your track accurate, pause or stop the recording before you go inside, and resume it when you’re outdoors again. You don’t need to pause for short stops outdoors.

For more, see Fix GPS issues and When to pause.

The speed you see in the status bar is the raw GPS reading, updated instantly from your phone’s satellite fix. GPS measurements can jump—sometimes you might see a momentary spike to 100 km/h even while you’re only doing 20–30 km/h.

By contrast, the Max Speed shown in Statistics is the product of our filtering algorithms and heuristics. We smooth out those spikes, discard implausible outliers, and compute a realistic peak speed.

Because filtering takes a tiny bit of time, you may occasionally notice your live speed briefly exceed the recorded maximum—those raw bursts get dropped before they make it into the stats.

For more about the statistics, see Understand trip statistics and charts.

We’re currently holding off on new translation requests due to the extensive localization effort underway. However, if you’d like us to prioritize your language once we reopen:

1. Email us at [email protected] with “Translation interest” in the subject line.
2. We’ll add your request to our backlog and notify you when we resume accepting new translations.
3. At that time, we’ll send CSV files containing all English strings for you to translate.
4. Once your translation is integrated, it’ll ship in the next release—and you’ll be credited in the app’s About section.

Thanks for your patience and enthusiasm—emailing now helps us gauge interest and lets us reach out when contributions reopen.