Monthly Archives: July 2013

MyTrails incorrectly computes distance and speed

MyTrails uses built-in Android methods to compute distances (and speeds). Unfortunately a small number of phones use a version of Android where a critical element of the platform (the Dalvik JIT compiler) suffers from a bug that causes these calculations to be severely incorrect.

This issue may also cause tracks to be displayed as thick lines across the screen.

In MyTrails 2.0 and later, please try to activate the Fallback distance calculation preference in Visual preferences.

In MyTrails 1.3.23 and later, you can work around this problem by using the toggle alternate distance hidden option.

Review by Andre Oid

Amazing

A lot of online and offline maps to choose from. Very easy to create offline maps, also the more difficult ones like wms and quad tile. Can handle enormous amounts of tracks an way points, even more then your pc!. You can preload all your libraries with gpx trails offline so you never miss the best ones when you are out. Outstanding support.

1.3.21

  • Fixed slowness and old imagery for Google Maps and Satellite
  • Changed error and logging provider to no longer rely on Android logging
  • Direct loading of VisuGpx.com tracks
  • Improved parsing of GPX
  • Layer maps: upscale bottom map if it maxes out at a lower zoom level than the top
  • Added new IGN SCAN Express maps (vector-based topo maps)
  • Fixed downloading from Dropbox

How do I send the execution log?

When you encounter an issue with MyTrails and ask for assistance (preferably in Google+, but possibly via email), we may ask you to send the execution log for MyTrails.

Before attempting to submit a log, please enable error reports in MyTrails > Preferences > About, since all logging is disabled unless you do that.

First, make sure you replicate the issue before sending the log, or it will not contain useful information. Also, because Android overwrites information in the log fairly quickly, make sure you send the log rapidly after having replicated the problem.

Sending the log is easy, just go into MyTrails > Preferences > About and tap Send usage log. This will submit the log in the background and create an email message so we can correlate the log we receive to the discussion about the issue. Feel free to add information to the email, then send it.

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Please take a look at our privacy policy before you send a log, as it does potentially include personal information.

How do I join the beta?

The new Play Store rules prohibit MyTrails from self-updating, so while it can check for updates (including optionally beta versions) on startup, it can no longer download and install the update, but must instead wait for the Play Store to perform the update.

Google mandates the following process for participating in a beta program:

  1. ​activate the beta program
  2. wait for the Play Store to find the update (if there is a beta version more recent than the current release), or go to MyTrails’s page on the Play Store to force the update

​​This can be done on the web or a device, and it’s reversible: if you want to leave the beta program, just go back to the link in step 2 and deactivate the beta (if you’re currently using a beta, you won’t be automatically down-graded to an earlier release).

All users are advised to set the Play Store to auto-update all applications. If you like to keep track of updates, Changelog Droid is a great app for that (and more).

Getting back to the release track

If you need to go back to a stable version after installing a beta and are not willing to wait for a more recent stable version to be released, do not uninstall MyTrails unless you have made a backup of your current data. If you do, your settings and data will be lost (except tracks saved to GPX).

  1. go to this page and choose Leave the test
  2. make sure that you have no unsaved recording in MyTrails (a track you’ve been recording but which has not been saved to a GPX file)
  3. make a backup:
    • if you have rooted your device, you can use Titanium Backup or a similar tool
    • if you have not rooted your device or are not sure what “rooted” means, you can use a tool such as MyBackup (you can install it from MyTrails > Preferences > About) or Helium
  4. once you have a reliable backup, you can uninstall MyTrails, then reinstall it from the Play Store (you should be getting the release version instead of the beta)
  5. and restore your backup!