Can I share my paths?

Of course! Make sure you've set the path as public, and then you can send anybody the link to your path by copying-and-pasting the URL from your web browser. For example, here's one of my paths:
http://pathtracks.com/users/1/paths/1

How can I get the best accuracy and longest battery life?
  1. Do not lock your iPhone or turn off the screen by pressing the top button. The iPhone turns off GPS when it is locked.

  2. Turn off auto-lock, because the iPhone turns off GPS when it is locked. In most cases, Path Tracker automatically disables auto-lock while it is running. However, if you receive any kind of alert (calendar alert, SMS alert, battery level warning) and do not dismiss the message, the iPhone will auto-lock and turn off GPS. To avoid this, open the "Settings" app, tap "General", tap "Auto-Lock", and select "Never".

  3. For best battery life: Set screen brightness to lowest setting, turn real-time maps off, turn 3G off, turn WiFi off, and turn data push off. I get over 5 hours of battery life with these settings.

  4. The iPhone GPS works best when you have a clear view of the sky. If you're surrounded by tall buildings or in a forested area, the iPhone won't be able to see the GPS satellites and won't be able to get accurate GPS data.

  5. Reboot your iPhone before starting a path to free up the most memory. After being turned on for too long, the iPhone starts to run low on application memory even if no apps are open. To turn the iPhone off and on, press and hold the Sleep/Wake button on top of the device for a few seconds until a red slider appears, and then slide the slider. Then press and hold the Sleep/Wake button until the Apple logo appears. Apple makes this same recommendation in this Apple support article.
Why don't maps load on my iPhone? All I see is a black box.

Slide the "Real-Time Maps" control to "On" at the bottom of the start screen. Click the image below to see the full screenshot:
Real-time-maps-cropped

Why don't maps load on my iPhone? All I see is a white box.

It sounds like you have a slow internet (data) connection. Try opening Safari on your iPhone and visiting:
http://maps.google.com/

Then enter your address in Google Maps and try loading your map directly in Safari on the iPhone. If this takes a long time, then your internet connection is too slow.

Apple worked directly with Google for their built-in Maps application, so the built-in Maps app is not a good indication of your internet connection and map loading speed. Path Tracker has to directly access maps.google.com because 3rd party apps can't use the built-in Maps application.

If maps take too long to load, turn off real-time maps. This will let the app load quickly, and your path will still be recorded so that you can view it on a map after you save it to PathTracks.com.

Are Path Tracker upgrades free?

Yes, new versions and updates of Path Tracker are free. The PathTracks.com website itself is also completely free for owners of the Path Tracker application.

Can I export my paths?

Yes, you can save your paths to PathTracks.com and download any path as a KML, GPX, or tab separated value (TSV) file. When viewing a path, click the download link at the bottom of the page. KML and GPX files can be imported into Google Maps, Google Earth, MapMyRun, and many other websites and applications. TSV files can be loaded into any spreadsheet app such as Numbers.

How can I get the best accuracy?

Open Path Tracker and start a new path. Wait until the location accuracy improves (this can take a minute). Once the accuracy is good, start a new path. Path Tracker works best on an iPhone 3G with built-in GPS. Make sure you do NOT lock your iPhone because that will turn off the GPS.

What is the battery life?

On a fully charged battery, I can run Path Tracker for over 5.5 hours. View my 5.5 hour ascent of Longs Peak, a 14,258 ft (4,346 m) mountain in Colorado.

For best battery life: Set screen brightness to lowest setting, turn real-time maps off, turn 3G off, turn WiFi off, and turn data push off.

Will Path Tracker work if I'm in an area without data coverage?

Yes, Path Tracker will still record your path even if you don't have WiFi, 3G, or Edge data coverage. Maps will not be displayed without data coverage, but the textual location information will still be displayed. When you return to an area with data coverage, you can re-open Path Tracker and view your last path on a map or save the path to PathTracks.com.

Why did the app quit and return to the home screen?

This can happen if your iPhone runs out of memory. You can make the most memory available by rebooting your iPhone. To turn the iPhone or iPod touch off and on, press and hold the Sleep/Wake button on top of the device for a few seconds until a red slider appears, and then slide the slider. Then press and hold the Sleep/Wake button until the Apple logo appears. Apple makes this same recommendation for built-in in apps such as Safari.

You can conserve memory if you avoid dragging or zooming the map, or turn off real-time maps.

Can I listen to music while using Path Tracker?

Yes, although it will reduce battery life. If you start playing music in the iPod app, music will continue to play when you open Path Tracker. To skip to the next song, double-click the mic button on your Apple headphones. To pause or continue music, click the mic button once.

The iPhone has an "undocumented feature" where it will keep the GPS on when the iPhone is put to sleep with the top button if you are playing music using the iPod app. In general, however, the iPhone turns off GPS when it is locked or put to sleep, so to be cautious I tell people not to put it to sleep.

How do I create a PathTracks.com account so that I can save paths to the web?

When you save your first path from the iPhone, your PathTracks.com account will automatically be created.

In the Path Tracker app on your iPhone, start a new path and then tap the "i" button in bottom right corner to flip to the options screen. On the options screen, enter your email address and choose a password. Then click the "Save to PathTracks.com" button. A new account will be created for you on PathTracks.com. After that, you can view your paths on PathTracks.com by logging in with the email and password you entered in Path Tracker on your iPhone.

Maps, paths, or markers don't look right in Internet Explorer?

Follow Google's tips for troubleshooting maps in IE. Even easier, use another browser such as Safari or Firefox. Both browsers are free, both work great on Windows XP and Windows Vista, and both work with Google Maps out of the box.

Why are the "Pause", "Continue", and "Start New Path" buttons on the options screen?

The buttons are on the flip side so that you don't accidentally press them during a path. You don't want to finish an hour long walk and then find out you accidentally pressed "Pause" 1 minute into the walk while your iPhone was in your pocket.

The buttons are rarely used during a path, so they don't belong on the main screen. If the buttons were on the front they would cover the map and leave less room for viewing your path. During a long path, these buttons usually aren't used except at the start and end of the path. Most users prefer having the infrequently used buttons on the back so that they have more room for viewing the map on the main screen.

Can I use Path Tracker in Airplane Mode?

No, Airplane Mode disables GPS, so tracking won't work.

Path Tracker doesn't start. Or, I'm having other strange problems that nobody else is having.

Try rebooting your iPhone: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1295

It's also possible that the app or an update didn't get installed correctly. Try deleting the app and reinstalling (which is free). To do this, delete the app from both your iPhone and your iTunes library on your computer. Next, sync your iPhone. Finally, re-download Path Tracker on your computer using iTunes and then re-sync your iPhone. This Apple article gives more information on reinstalling an app: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1702

Can I help translate?

Yes! It's easy to submit your own translations.

Can I use Path Tracker to geotag my photos?

Yes. You can export your Path Tracker paths in the GPX format, which can then be used by lots of geotagging applications. Here are a few applications that will automatically insert your location data into your photos:

Can I combine my paths with data from my heart rate monitor?

Yes, any program that can import GPX files can use the GPX files you download from Path Tracker. Ascent is a program that can combine Path Tracker GPX files and heart rate monitor files. If you know of other good programs, let me know.

Who created Path Tracker and PathTracks.com?

I'm Keaka Jackson. I like building fun and useful apps such as Path Tracker in my spare time. Some of my other projects include:

You can find out more about me on my personal website.

What if I have other questions?

Feel free to contact me.

My Paths | Help