ApexGPS

ApexGPS is a free Android hiking app for people who want the essentials of a good GPS navigator without ads, subscription, or the need to sign up. Offline maps, GPX, waypoints, track recording, track guidance with off-route alerts, route planning, and per-point weather — all data stays on your device.

LANGUAGES

• English, Deutsch, Français, Español, Polski, and ةيبرعلا (Arabic) — with full right-to-left layout for Arabic

• Switch any time in Settings → Appearance → Language

• Built-in user guide translated into all six languages

MAPS

• ESRI Topo (default), OpenTopoMap (contour lines), OpenStreetMap Standard

• ESRI World Imagery (satellite), ESRI Hillshade (shaded relief)

• Thunderforest Outdoors — contours + hiking-difficulty shading (free API key)

• Switch styles with the Layers button; your choice is remembered

OFFLINE

• Tiles cache automatically as you browse, ready for airplane mode

• Download a full region: frame the area, pick a zoom range, hit Download — runs in the background

• Cache size adjustable (250 MB – 2 GB); saved regions survive cache cleanups

GPX IMPORT & EXPORT

• Open .gpx files from your file manager, or share them in from WhatsApp, Gmail, Drive, or any app

• Multi-file select for bulk import

TRACK RECORDING

• Foreground service captures GPS while you hike — survives screen-off and app restarts

• True mean-sea-level elevation (bundled global geoid correction)

TRACK GUIDANCE

• Follow any track — saved, imported, or planned — with off-route alerts that beep and vibrate, even with the screen off

• A live strip shows distance remaining and how far off-route you've drifted; chevrons along the route and a destination flag point the way; reverse direction any time

• Back to start: one tap guides you home — retrace your exact path, or head straight back

TRACK PLANNING

• Sketch a route by tapping the map — drop numbered vertices, drag to adjust, insert midpoints

• Fetch the route's elevation profile from a worldwide DEM with one tap

WAYPOINTS

• Add by long-pressing the map, entering coordinates, or via GPX import

• 32 OSM-aligned symbols, 16 colours; long-press and drag to relocate

• Auto-fetch elevation from a worldwide DEM; re-imported duplicates are deduplicated

WEATHER

• Per-waypoint hourly forecast for the next 7 days (Open-Meteo, no API key)

• Current conditions, pressure + humidity charts, sunrise / sunset / UV index

• Fully localized: units, condition labels, and time-of-day follow your phone's language

NAVIGATION & SHARING

• Tap any waypoint to navigate: dotted line, live distance + bearing, auto-stop on arrival

• Full-screen compass mode for hands-free navigation

• Send your live location as a one-tap link — opens in ApexGPS, web map preview for everyone else

DISTANCE MEASUREMENT

• Tap to drop vertices, drag to refine, insert midpoints — total distance shown live

MAP CONTROLS

• Two-finger twist to rotate; follow-me keeps the screen on while tracking

• Live stats bar: speed, elevation, distance

DEMO

• First launch loads a real Watzmann Traverse recording (Berchtesgaden) — 22.6 km loop, +2250 m — plus three landmark waypoints, so you can explore before recording your own hike

BACKUP & RESTORE

• Export all tracks, waypoints, saved map regions, and settings to a ZIP — share via any app

• Restore on another phone with Merge (deduplicates) or Replace

PRIVACY

• All data stays on your device; location is never uploaded anywhere

• Map tiles fetched from public providers (OpenStreetMap, ESRI, Thunderforest) over anonymous HTTPS

• No analytics, no tracking, no ad SDKs

REQUIREMENTS

• Android 8.0 or higher

• Location permission (optional — only for follow-me / recording)

• No account, no sign-up

Made in the UAE. Feedback welcome at sandwalker.one@proton.me.