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 [email protected].