Handy GPS (subscription)

A hiking and bushwalking GPS for the real world. No account creation required.

Handy GPS - Outdoor Navigation App

"Handy GPS (subscription)" is a powerful navigation tool perfect for outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, and kayaking. It works offline, provides vital GPS tracking, and allows users to create waypoints, track logs, and import/export data. The app supports various datums and contains features like elevation profiling and location sharing, ensuring a reliable and user-friendly experience in the wilderness.
Install from Google Play Store

App stats

Rating: 4.38
(1,018)
Version: 42.8 (Last updated: 2024-11-16)
Creation date: 2017-08-09
Permissions
Location: approximate location (network-based), precise location (GPS and network-based)
Photos/Media/Files: read the contents of your USB storage, modify or delete the contents of your USB storage
Storage: read the contents of your USB storage, modify or delete the contents of your USB storage
Camera: take pictures and videos
Microphone: record audio
Other:
  • view network connections
  • control flashlight
  • full network access
  • run at startup
  • control vibration
  • prevent device from sleeping
  • modify system settings

Ranking

Other platforms

Not available on Chrome
Not available on Firefox
Not available on Edge
Want to check extension ranking and stats more quickly for other Android apps? Install Chrome-Stats extension to view Android-Stats data as you browse the Google Play Store.

App summary

The perfect companion for your next outdoor adventure. Seek, find, record and return home with Handy GPS.

This app requires payment of an annual subscription to be fully functional. If this is not paid it will still run, but with limited functionality.

This app is a powerful navigation tool designed for outdoors sports like hiking, bushwalking, tramping, mountain biking, kayaking, boating, horse trail riding, geocaching. Its also useful for surveying, mining, archaeology, and forestry applications. Its simple to use and works even in the remotest back country since it doesn't require network connectivity. It allows you to work in UTM or lat/lon coordinates so you can even use it with your paper maps.

NOTE: Allow the app to always use GPS, and turn off battery optimisation for the app to reliably record tracklogs when the phone screen is off.

BASE FEATURES:
* Shows your current coordinates, altitude, speed, direction of travel, and distance travelled in metric, imperial/US, or nautical units.
* Can store your current location as a waypoint, and record a track log to show where you've been on a map.
* Data can be imported from and exported to KML and GPX files.
* Allows manual entry of waypoints in UTM, MGRS and lat/lon coords.
* Can guide you to a waypoint using the "Goto" screen, and optionally sound an alert when when you're getting close.
* Has a compass page which works on devices with magnetic field sensors.
* Automatically computes the local geoid offset to improve altitude accuracy
* Supports the world-wide WGS84 datum along with the common Australian datums and map grids (AGD66, AGD84, AMG, GDA94, and MGA). You can also use WGS84 for NAD83 maps in the US.
* Shows GPS satellite locations and signal strengths graphically.
* Can display simple or MGRS grid references.
* Can compute waypoint-to-waypoint distance and direction.
* Includes an optional timer line to record walk duration and compute your average speed.
* Thoroughly tested by the developer on many off-track walks

EXTRA FEATURES IN THIS VERSION:
* No ads
* Unlimited number of waypoints and track log points.
* Email or SMS your location to a friend as a clickable map link.
* Email your waypoints and tracklogs as KML or GPX file.
* Supports common datums such as NAD83 (US), OSGB36 (UK), NZTM2000 (NZ), SAD69 (South America) and ED50 (Europe), and you can configure your own custom datums, including local grid systems.
* UK grid refs with two letter prefixes can be shown if OSGB datum selected.
* Elevation profile.
* GPS averaging mode.
* Take photos and record voice memos, geo-located with KML files for easy viewing on a PC.
* Geo-tag photos, and/or have the coordinates and bearing "burnt" into the image.
* Sun rise and set times.
* Export data to CSV file.
* Create waypoint by triangulation, or projecting using an entered distance and bearing.
* Compute length, area, and elevation change for tracklog.
* Offline map support by downloading tiles from map tile servers, or using own map images.
* Compute calories.
* Optional background image.
* Optional location sharing on web.
* Spoken distance and direction guidance on goto page.


PERMISSIONS: (1) GPS, to show your location, (2) Network access, to load maps, (3) SD card access, to load and store waypoints, (4) Camera access, for taking pics, (5) Prevent phone from sleeping, so proximity alarm works, (6) Control flashlight, to allow flashlight use, (7) Record audio for voice memos.


DISCLAIMER: You use this app at your own risk. The developer accepts no responsibility for you getting lost or injured as a result of using this app. Batteries in mobile devices can go flat. For extended and remote hikes, a battery bank and an alternative method of navigation such as a paper map and compass are recommended for safety.

User reviews

These summaries are automatically generated weekly using AI based on recent user reviews. Google Play Store does not verify user reviews, so some user reviews may be inaccurate, spammy, or outdated.
Pros
  • Very useful app for various GPS tasks
  • Good performance and easy to use
  • Helpful support from the developer
Cons
  • Crashes on certain devices
  • Issues with waypoint symbol editing
  • Slow performance noted after initial installation
Most mentioned
  • Crashing issues
  • Need for additional features (like different positioning datums and waypoint symbols)
  • Good overall experience despite some technical issues
User reviews
Great app, but having problems to get the images to show if I load the kml to another map. Any suggestions? Mainly for WordPress. Thanks.
by DF Florida, 2024-08-17

it's a very good app, but as a surveyor, I would would recommend you to include many other local positioning datum Coz instead of editing costum datum, it is better to have already.

Good app and I am injoying it
by Godwin Tsifokor, 2024-01-04
View all user reviews

Similar apps

Here are some Android apps that are similar to Handy GPS (subscription):