New Locus Map 4.26 – Dynamic offline LoMap rotation and other features not only for cyclists

Summer holidays have passed like nothing, autumn is slowly knocking on the door, but the outdoor sports season is far from over. On the contrary, we are all looking forward to walks and rides full of autumn colors. So here we are again with a new version of your favorite outdoor navigation. It is full of major or minor improvements, of which we would like to highlight a few of the most important.

The map rotates, the names and labels remain

You all know how to rotate the map according to the compass or direction of movement, it’s a basic feature of the map in the app. If you have rotation turned on and your phone has a built-in compass, the map rotates according to it, even when you’re standing still. If you don’t have a compass, Locus Map rotates the map in the direction of motion detected by GPS and other sensors. Until now, everything that was part of the map data rotated too, including local names and labels.

By updating some parts of the machine that renders offline vector maps in Locus (LoMaps and OpenAndroMaps, for example), we were able to apply the option to keep the titles in a horizontal position so that they are perfectly readable in any orientation of the phone:

The labels of objects such as streets, hiking or cycling routes are still aligned with their lines, but when flipped over vertically they switch to the other side, again for better readability.

The only labels that do not change their position are the elevations on the contours, as they are always written “top to bottom” to convey the direction of the slope.

Texts in online maps continue to rotate – online maps are technically different, being composed only of raster images in which the text is part of the map layer.

Search 3 in 1

Locus Map’s main plus (and some say minus) is its lavish selection of features and settings. Even many advanced users used to get lost in the plethora. That’s why you can search the functions and settings in full-text – you can find the “magnifying glass” both in the menu of all functions and in the main settings menu.

Now we’ve made this search even more accessible – we’ve linked it to the main online search for places and addresses. So when you enter the first few characters into the general search, toggles appear with results in the functions and settings categories, if Locus Map finds a result for the query.

But the work on the search doesn’t end here – we are preparing a new Library for you, which will include a new search in your routes and places. We’ll also add the results to the main search results list.

Even better planning and navigation

More accurate route time estimation

When planning a trip with the family or a brisk ride with friends, estimating the time spent on the route is always very useful. For example, we still need to catch a visit to grandma’s or we don’t want to return in the dark. However, general estimates of return time do not always correspond to the actual reality, which can be very individual.

That’s why we’ve added to the LoRouter profile settings the ability to define a custom average speed on a flat surface, typical for a given activity or bike type. This allows Locus Map to calculate a much more accurate estimate of how long you will be on the route. We’ve added this option to both walking profiles and to all bike types except road bike – road cyclists have a setting based on wattage, which our research shows they track more.

The setting ranges vary by activity type. So, for example, for walking you can set a time corresponding to a relaxing walk to a fitness run, for gravel you can choose between relaxed and sporty riding, etc.

Two routes at once, why not?

Until now, you have only been able to generate alternate routes using the GraphHopper online router. Now our offline LoRouter can do this without needing to be connected to the internet, and offers many more activity profiles and personal settings. Just turn this option on in the router configuration.

You can easily switch between the options by tapping directly on the map in the planner. Of course, the variations are not just for the complete route, but for segments of it, so you have a little more room to experiment when planning, and very quickly choose the most optimal route for your trip or training.

Are we going uphill for a long time?

This intrusive question is familiar to every parent who has ever gone on a bike trip with their kids. However, the remaining elevation figure is also of interest to more sporty riders, who can better distribute their forces according to it. You can now insert it directly into your favorite dashboard that you use for navigation:

Finally, something for Garminers

For Garmin smartwatch users, we have a great add-on to quickly get a Locus Map route to the device on your wrist. However, it’s not available for all devices. If you have a Gamin Edge or other device that is not on this list and you want to get routes planned in Locus Map into it, just tap Share > Share as GPX in the route details and then tap “Open”. Garmin Connect is also in the apps menu. Select it, choose an activity on your route, save and sync with your device. And you’re ready to go!