At the beginning of last November, Android launched a new file management system in applications. What this meant for Locus Map, we described in detail in the previous blog post. The subsequent reaction of our user base was rightly stormy - such interference with user freedoms was imagined by few. Neither did we. But even though we had Christmas behind the door, we went back to work, fought hard, and managed to soften the effects of the November restrictive measures at least a little.

More options for working with external maps

The original solution for moving external maps to the Locus/Maps directory in the private folder encountered the impossibility of displaying this folder in common file managers, even with all the necessary Android permissions, let alone saving anything to it. So we've added these new options for saving the external maps:

Import maps within the application

Until now, Locus Map only used import for tracks and points. You can now use it to import raster map files too. Choose Import from the Locus features menu and use the file manager to locate the map. Click it to get the map to the default map folder Locus/maps/.

Use of Android/Media folder for maps

This folder, which you can find both in the internal storage and on the SD card, remains open for the time being and can also be accessed by other applications. This means that, for example, Locus maps can be linked to the popular c:geo. So:

• move the raster maps to the Android/Media/menion.locus.android/maps directory using the system file manager
• similarly, move vector maps to the Android/Media/menion.locus.android/mapsVector directory

In Locus Map Pro, select the menion.android.locus.pro subfolder. Do not put vector map themes in the Android/media folder. You need to keep them in the default Locus/mapsVector directory, otherwise, the app will not load them.

Multiple subdirectories on the SD card

In the past, you could only move subdirectories with vector maps, elevation data, and backups to the SD card. We managed to solve how to get the following to the private folder on the SD card too:

• Locus/Maps directory - for raster maps
• Locus/mapsOnline directory - for definition files and online map cache
• Locus/data/geocaching directory - for user photos, spoilers, HTML listings, offline data, etc.

This will save you a lot more space in the internal storage!

P.S. If you can't run your Locus Map 4 or Pro reasonably without the "all files access", we have a special version for you to download from our repository. If you decide to install it, don't forget to turn off the automatic updating of Locus Map in Google Play.

Článek Again about Locus Map on Android 11 – the latest development se nejdříve objevil na Locus Map - mobile outdoor navigation app.

Google's Android operating system has always been an attraction for independent developers. It attracted above all with the range of freedoms it had offered since its first launch, by the speed of approving applications before they were published, by the minimum of restrictions, by its generosity. That's why we decided for Android right at the beginning of Locus development.

Over time, however, Google’s Android has been shown that too much freedom can bring problems - the instability of the system, the security risks, the increased energy consumption, and so on. That's why Google has been constantly "tightening the screws”, and with an increasing degree of rigidity, it is finding itself closer and closer to the competing iOS.

On the first of November 2021, there was another such iOS-like step in Android 11+, a very fundamental one for our apps:

Locus Map no longer has full access to the phone storage.

It can only use its own private folder in the Android/data directory. This solution promises better app responsiveness and stability. But what does it mean for such a complex app as Locus Map?

• All app data is deleted upon uninstall - the majority of devices show a warning prompt with the option to retain the app data in the storage. But especially Chinese devices erase the data without an option of restoring.
• No more use of other apps data - it is no longer allowed to share one common directory between Locus Map Pro and Locus Map 4.
• Limited options for custom sub-directories - the app can read/write data only in its private directories (both in internal and external storage). Only backup files can be stored elsewhere. Also, custom directories with geotagged photos are not supported - Locus can read from the default system media directory only.
• Disabled linking to maps from external folders - all raster maps can be stored only in /Locus/Maps/ directory, all vector maps in /Locus/mapsVector/ directory.

As a precaution we recommend:

• Set up an automatic backup of your tracks, routes, and points to Dropbox, Google Drive, or One Drive. Subscribers on Premium Gold should check if they have the automatic sync of their data turned on.
• regular backups of your downloaded maps especially from the commercial publishers. LoMaps can be re-downloaded for free at any time from Locus Store.

EDIT 12/29 2021:

Adding of the external maps

As the copying of external map files to the private app folder via system file managers remains an issue, we've added two options how to add external map files to the app without problems:

Import - select this option in the Locus feature menu and find the map file via the opened file manager. Locus Map then imports the map file to its default "Maps" directory.

Android/media - this folder is newly available for storing maps used in Locus. Copy your maps to this folder, the app will detect them and adds them to the maps manager automatically.

The latest update offers a smooth data transfer

As Google forces the developers to adapt to their latest measures, we have prepared a new Locus Map version tackling this situation as smoothly as possible.

Update of a single Locus Map installation

The greatest majority of Locusers use one application - Locus Map 4 or Locus Map Pro. Transfer or a single application data is, therefore, the simplest one:

• update on Locus Map 4.5 or Locus Map Pro 3.56
• during the app initialization, you are notified of the app directory /Locus/ stored in the unsupported part of the internal storage:

• after accepting it, you can select the private folder into which the data will be transferred - either in the internal storage or on the external SD card (can be a lot slower)
• you can also merge data from your custom-defined subdirectories:

• Locus smoothly transfers all the original data into its private folder
• after the app restarts, all is ready and working as before

If you need more information about a single Locus Map update and necessary data transfer, please visit the Locus Map user guide >>

Transfer of the app data when both apps are installed

Advanced users have often both our Locuses installed, they have their data scattered in custom sub-directories, maps placed in external folders. The data transfer in such a case runs in several possible scenarios. We did our best to cover all of them.

Please find detailed instructions in the Locus Map user guide >>

If you have any troubles during the app transfer please don’t hesitate and contact us at our helpdesk. We’ll do our best to deal with any issues.

Článek Android 11 brings a major change to Locus directories se nejdříve objevil na Locus Map - mobile outdoor navigation app.