Gaia GPS: Offroad Hiking Maps

A Google user

5 years ago

This app has a lot of great features. I particularly like all the available layers and the ability to add multiple layers with custom opacity. The cloud sync is really useful too, especially since you can view your data on their website. Unfortunately the app has quite a few usability issues. The most frustrating for me is that downloading maps is very slow and buggy. This is a really important and useful feature, but it's almost unusable as it's currently implemented.

Andrew McMahon

1 year ago

By far the most feature-rich navigation/mapping app available... HOWEVER, it is horrendously glitchy (likely due at least in part to the offensive number of trackers they tie to it. I pay for the premium version of this app: at that price point they shouldn't be trying to data mine dry with two of the more aggressive trackers in the industry). And forget about customer service. It just outright doesn't exist

Cal Dowd

1 year ago

All tutorials I could find were for an older version so pretty much unusable. Some features are apparently for iphone only. One glitch I found is that the map legend information box is partially hidden by the bottom menu. When I clicked the icon for full screen, the information button disappeared so only part of the legend is readable. I gave up and went to Alltrails. There's probably more bells & whistles to this, but till they get their act together, they are of no use.

Max H

1 year ago

$20 price increase from $40 to $60 on July 3, 2024. So in 3 years we're expect to shell out $180 for 90% static map usage. Just to access premium maps. Should be a one time purchase. My subscription will not be renewed after this. Super over priced. I've been a subscriber for many years. All done. Reply to comment: Your maps that the majority of premium users utilize are static. The more appropriate pricing is a one time $40-60 purchase only. Which other services offer. Same maps.

David Shinabarger

1 year ago

Been using this app for years. Recently got a smartwatch and am considering using a different app so that I can navigate trails with the watch without having to pull up my phone on the Pixel 2 Watch. They also recently updated the UI sometime in 2023 and changed the icons and removed labels from some of the key icons so figuring out how to download a section of map offline is very confusing and difficult now.

John Helms

1 year ago

Good app for my use, but this latest update caused loss of some data from last 2 months of my saved hikes. Primarily only loss of the title or header at this time. -----Weird------. I'm using this App on a Samsung phone with Android 13, FWIW. EDIT / the problem described above was actually caused by an Android update that had turned ON battery optimization for my apps. So, during actual use, GAIA would go to sleep while screen was locked. This took me a good long while to figure out!!

David

1 year ago

Been using this app since launch. It's always had issues with saving maps (can take days and repeat attempts to download) but was very usable offline. Last year updates have not improved interface but were just annoying. Feb 24 update just deleted all map saves and now app freezes and won't download any maps. Unusable garbage. Too bad it used to be one of the best.

Cat Perry

1 year ago

Really isnt user friendly to find nearby trails. Seems like it's best for tracking, but dont we all have strava, garmin, apple watches for that?? There is no "trails nearby" map view; only a list view, and in list view you cant even sort by Closest, Difficulty, etc. Which is wholly the point of a trail app. Really disappointed. Plus the location accuracy is a bit off but that is reasonable I guess. (E.g. trail starts 400 feet from where it says it does.)

Dan Freeman

1 year ago

2 Requests for Gaia developers: 1. Provide a gauge so you can tell the level of zoom on the screen. Sometimes when riding off the grid, there's no way to tell if you're viewing 50% magnification or 90% 2. Need a lock screen option to prevent accidental touches. Too often the nav screen is blocked by a waypoint dialog box after the screen gets accidentally touched, or it changes from "hourglass" navigation to something else and you don't realize until you're off course. Still the best nav app

jridge16 x

1 year ago

Used to be a great app - I've used it for many years. Now half its functionality is broken - offline downloaded maps don't work anymore, download routes/tracks hardly work as well. Folder structure is completely non-intuitive - as an example, I tried to download an offline map, it asks me what folder to put it in, when I supposedly finish the download, the folder can't be found, nor can the downloaded map. Any tutorials you find are outdated, as they made an update to the software last year.

George Clark

1 year ago

I have 3 apps that will track my hikes. I monitor distance, altitude, moving time. Gaia is the worst app of the 3. It used to work fine. But t's become unreliable. It takes up to 2 minutes for it to acquire the GPS signal. And it can lose the signal frequently and not get it back for up to 30 minutes. So a distance reading is totally wrong. The problem isn't the GPS signal. I've used all three apps at the same time, and the others never have issues. Same issue happens on two different phones.

Travis Terrell

1 year ago

Well worth the price if you use a lot of the maps/layers. So nice to combine them, though some layers don't combine that well. Still, nothing as flexible available. HOWEVER, it's missing a few features from the iPhone version. It also needs an easier way to switch map dark/light modes. It's not automatic as in most map apps, and the setting is buried deep in the menus. (Btw this would be GREAT as an open-source app! (And still have a paid subscription to use proprietary map layers.)

Will Hynes

1 year ago

Excellent app with great features, however, the lack of significant improvement coupled with the upcoming (2nd in one year) price increase means I'm cancelling my subscription. Less than a year ago it was only $40 per year and now they're gonna try to charge $90 a year for the same product with no justifiable reason. Get fooked Outside

Joel Watts

1 year ago

App has worked great. I like that I can download maps. Many places has no service and this feature solves that problem. I especially like that I can record hikes on trails that dont seem to be on any map. Best GPS app I've found Update, I've had this app for over two years and I'm still very happy with its features. It's also great when driving.

Justin Lippi

11 months ago

I like this app and have paid for premium for a couple years. unfortunately the price keeps increasing without adding features I actually use, and some of the features such as search seem to be getting worse. it seems the product direction is going towards targeting a different market. I really just need gps maps offline. I'll try caltopo and see if it fits my needs; my understanding is that app is not trying to do too much.

Sarah Ponce

1 year ago

I like to use Gaia when I have cell service and am going on a short enough hike that I don't need to worry about battery usage. I find that it does everything it's supposed to and the features are all really helpful. Because it requires a subscription to use offline, I am looking into other options. Like most people, I am sick of literally every single thing requiring a subscription. I would be perfectly content if they just put ads on the free version or even had a one-time fee.

James McCalvy

11 months ago

The app itself seems pretty good. I've been using it for a few years now, and the maps have been useful and pretty accurate. I've used it from Backcountry skiing, Mtb, hiking, and overlannding. I just haven't used it enough in the last year to justify keeping it. Especially with a $30(?) price hike, bringing it to $71.90 for the year. I've also never used the Outside+ subscription that comes with it. Maybe have different subscription levels? With the Outside+ and without?