Ask About Gaia GPS!

[RoarinRow]

Gaia is now available on Apple CarPlay via Beta software. I’d put a link here but it on OB - West on FB. I’ll try to link it from my PC instead of my phone.

 

[bmwguru]

Gaia is now available on Apple CarPlay via Beta software. I’d put a link here but it on OB - West on FB. I’ll try to link it from my PC instead of my phone.

Here you go Join the Gaia GPS Hiking, Hunting Maps beta

 

[WU7X]

I will be using it heavily over the next week, so I’ll report back with pics and info.

I have been waiting for this for a couple of years! If you are happy with it, I will start researching quality radios with Carplay and big screen. Love my iPad but would really like to replace it with a "built in" unit. One less (big) thing hanging off the front of the dash. I'm guessing you can bluetooth the Gaia data off your iPhone into the radio/Carplay. Right?

 

[1Louder]

I have been waiting for this for a couple of years! If you are happy with it, I will start researching quality radios with Carplay and big screen. Love my iPad but would really like to replace it with a "built in" unit. One less (big) thing hanging off the front of the dash. I'm guessing you can bluetooth the Gaia data off your iPhone into the radio/Carplay. Right?

This is in beta. Not ready for production. I wouldn’t get too excited yet. Apple CarPlay, at least in my dads Honda requires the phone to be plugged into the vehicle. Bluetooth does not give you the same functionality.

Right now it shows the map and that’s about it. No data. You can’t pinch and zoom, create a waypoint, or anything else. That has to be done on the phone. See my screenshots.

I will stick with my iPad mount. Maybe get a new radio for my FJ for other reasons. I wouldn’t do it solely for Gaia GPS.

 

[HuddExpo]

I have been waiting for this for a couple of years! If you are happy with it, I will start researching quality radios with Carplay and big screen. Love my iPad but would really like to replace it with a "built in" unit. One less (big) thing hanging off the front of the dash. I'm guessing you can bluetooth the Gaia data off your iPhone into the radio/Carplay. Right?

Just continue to watch this thread for more input. CarPlay does not work via wireless or with Bluetooth normally. Those stereo's set up an ad-hoc network of sorts in order to make it work. In just about all other scenarios, especially aftermarket stereos, you have to connect the phone with a cord. IMO, that is just fine. The real goal of CarPlay is making it so you don't have to fiddle with the phone while driving, but some people just have to fiddle so they find the need for a cord a negative. Also, I recommend becoming well versed in Gaiagps. It is an incredible navigation tool, but as noted above, the CarPlay version is lacking a few things. Hopefully, Gaia will get those sorted, but so far so good. I also agree, don't get a new stereo simply for Gaia. That is, unless lots of progress is made prior to its official CarPlay release. I find the real benefit to Gaia is prepping it prior to leaving home. Getting the maps, routes, etc. set up, that way you don't have to rely on cell signal. Kind of like we used to do it with real maps:) If you have all the data into the Gaia app prior to your trip, it works extremely well and you will find yourself never wanting more. At least that is my experience.

 

[Bama_Kiwi]

So, this weekend, I tried using Gaia offline maps for the first time. Prior to leaving the house, I downloaded onto my tablet the map of the area I would be in - it came out to around 330MB. However, I when I got out there, I could not work out how to load the map I downloaded, so my track just recorded onto the blank grey grid pattern. Maybe I am just missing a crucial step. Any advice?

 

[Eric W.]

So, this weekend, I tried using Gaia offline maps for the first time. Prior to leaving the house, I downloaded onto my tablet the map of the area I would be in - it came out to around 330MB. However, I when I got out there, I could not work out how to load the map I downloaded, so my track just recorded onto the blank grey grid pattern. Maybe I am just missing a crucial step. Any advice?

My best answer, and I only use the free version at the moment, is to have it running before you lose connection.

 

[Eric W.]

My best answer, and I only use the free version at the moment, is to have it running before you lose connection.

Also, when I'm out I only pause it.

 

[HuddExpo]

It is well worth the $17 per year to have the ability to download maps and have full functions off grid.

 

[Bama_Kiwi]

It is well worth the $17 per year to have the ability to download maps and have full functions off grid.

Sorry, not sure if you are referring to my question, but I am a Premium subscriber.

 

[tangrignon]

So, this weekend, I tried using Gaia offline maps for the first time. Prior to leaving the house, I downloaded onto my tablet the map of the area I would be in - it came out to around 330MB. However, I when I got out there, I could not work out how to load the map I downloaded, so my track just recorded onto the blank grey grid pattern. Maybe I am just missing a crucial step. Any advice?

I've had that happen myself until I sorted it out.
1) You mention that you're premium. I'd ensure that you're actually logged into a paid up premium account
2) in Map sources at the bottom of the maps list is a Premium setting for "Layered Maps"
3) make sure that you have all your map layers you want on before you...
4)Download maps and select area and zoom level
5) Did they all load? Check the status icon in the upper left of the map (spinning dial on iPad).
6) A problem can arise if you viewed and then downloaded a map area for maps A, B, C, but then drove there and for some weird reason tried to view anything but those maps (or a layer on top of those maps that had no transparency and no data).

You can run a test by picking a piece of terrain you've never visited, downloading some maps, turning off all connectivity and then zooming into it to see if Gaia has the data.

 

[Bama_Kiwi]

I've had that happen myself until I sorted it out.
1) You mention that you're premium. I'd ensure that you're actually logged into a paid up premium account
2) in Map sources at the bottom of the maps list is a Premium setting for "Layered Maps"
3) make sure that you have all your map layers you want on before you...
4)Download maps and select area and zoom level
5) Did they all load? Check the status icon in the upper left of the map (spinning dial on iPad).
6) A problem can arise if you viewed and then downloaded a map area for maps A, B, C, but then drove there and for some weird reason tried to view anything but those maps (or a layer on top of those maps that had no transparency and no data).

You can run a test by picking a piece of terrain you've never visited, downloading some maps, turning off all connectivity and then zooming into it to see if Gaia has the data.

Thanks for the thorough reply. I'm 95% confident your steps are exactly what I did. But, I'll give your test idea a try and see how it goes.

 

[Todd & Meg]

I had that happen to me with a trip I was on in Colorado. Now after I download the maps I turn off WiFi and clear the the cache under Settings, Storage, Clear Cache. What happens is it stores the maps in the cache like it was downloaded, but it didn't download. I was on a trip to Utah last week and had all the maps I downloaded on my iPad.

Todd

 

[tangrignon]

Thanks for the thorough reply. I'm 95% confident your steps are exactly what I did. But, I'll give your test idea a try and see how it goes.

I've also built a route in the app and then asked it to download (up to 5) layers along that route.

In that case I noticed I had asked for so much data that it took a long time and it never quite all finished so when I got to the location, some of my layers were complete and others weren't.

My perception (which could be wrong) was that the data should have downloaded much faster than it did and I wondered about Gaia's server capacity and throughput.

So maybe you did everything right and it just never completed downloading?

Let us know if your test works!

 

[JButtress]

This is in beta. Not ready for production. I wouldn’t get too excited yet. Apple CarPlay, at least in my dads Honda requires the phone to be plugged into the vehicle. Bluetooth does not give you the same functionality.

Right now it shows the map and that’s about it. No data. You can’t pinch and zoom, create a waypoint, or anything else. That has to be done on the phone. See my screenshots.

I will stick with my iPad mount. Maybe get a new radio for my FJ for other reasons. I wouldn’t do it solely for Gaia GPS.

Did you lose any of your saved data from previous routes and such in Gaia when downloading the beta app?

 

[1Louder]

So, this weekend, I tried using Gaia offline maps for the first time. Prior to leaving the house, I downloaded onto my tablet the map of the area I would be in - it came out to around 330MB. However, I when I got out there, I could not work out how to load the map I downloaded, so my track just recorded onto the blank grey grid pattern. Maybe I am just missing a crucial step. Any advice?

Go to your saved files, maps, find the map layer you downloaded and say show on map. Gaia probably does better wordsmithing than me in its help section.

 

[HuddExpo]

Here is some more feedback on the recent CarPlay integration.

I have used it for more than 20 hours of off grid navigation over the last couple weeks. I also intentionally hid my phone along with making sure that I did not have cell service in order to force myself to use it as it works through my Sony head unit. I have learned quite a bit about what works well and what it lacking.

1. It's very nice having one less screen in the vehicle
2. Getting routes, waypoints, and maps downloaded ahead is paramount to a good experience
3. Zooming in/out works well
4. I do not like that that vehicle marker stays in the center of the screen and you cannot move the map around. This comes in handy in order to see what is out in front of you and allows to see what is coming up. This is something I used often on the tablet I used to run and really the only thing I miss badly.
5. You cannot set waypoints or start recording a track from the head unit. This would be nice, but not real critical, at least in the way I use it.
6. It never crashed, or acted oddly, so I am pretty pleased with the CarPlay version.

 

[Odyssey USA]

I got my premium membership last night and created a route for what ended up being an all asphalt trip. It seems I ended up not needing it for now but I’m looking forward to using it to locate trails later. I learned though. One thing that we struggled with was finding streets when zoomed all the way in. It seems some were not labeled or I was using a less ideal base map possibly? What layers should I use?

 

[1Louder]

I got my premium membership last night and created a route for what ended up being an all asphalt trip. It seems I ended up not needing it for now but I’m looking forward to using it to locate trails later. I learned though. One thing that we struggled with was finding streets when zoomed all the way in. It seems some were not labeled or I was using a less ideal base map possibly? What layers should I use?

For streets I would suggest Mapbox or search this thread and learn how you can add Google on your own.

 

[RoarinRow]

Here is some more feedback on the recent CarPlay integration.

I have used it for more than 20 hours of off grid navigation over the last couple weeks. I also intentionally hid my phone along with making sure that I did not have cell service in order to force myself to use it as it works through my Sony head unit. I have learned quite a bit about what works well and what it lacking.

1. It's very nice having one less screen in the vehicle
2. Getting routes, waypoints, and maps downloaded ahead is paramount to a good experience
3. Zooming in/out works well
4. I do not like that that vehicle marker stays in the center of the screen and you cannot move the map around. This comes in handy in order to see what is out in front of you and allows to see what is coming up. This is something I used often on the tablet I used to run and really the only thing I miss badly.
5. You cannot set waypoints or start recording a track from the head unit. This would be nice, but not real critical, at least in the way I use it.
6. It never crashed, or acted oddly, so I am pretty pleased with the CarPlay version.

Thanks for the feedback on the Apple Car. I’ve yet to use mine off road.