Useful but buggy. Last week the latest released version bricked my iPhone 13 (yes it has the latest iOS version) and forced a manual reset at phone during a pretty inopportune time.
Love the web app. But the iOS app could use some more testing.
This is a great app but would be a lot more usable if able to use Apple Watch to navigate to points!
Please add course up display. Still using Gaia since this can’t support.
Garmin GPS now the “old standard”.
Sharing feature is the best thing since the invention of the flashlight!
We’re adding this platform in the field on phones (and tablets) as a “gold standard” tool to all of our units in the county.
Service has been good, video tutorials helpful.
OMG- sharing feature is awesome…we can see each other-day, night, you just can’t hide!
Sheriffs can see us “live tracking” helping teams find subjects faster and without a doubt keep some searches from turning into recoveries.
CalTopo has all of the Forest Service maps which seem not to really be available elsewhere online. They are invaluable. Their web interface is great. However the iOS app is incredibly buggy. Map tiles go missing when you scroll despite having previously downloaded them, the FS Topo 2016 maps appear black and are not really useful versus the way they do appear on the website, the download interface has issues, the map periodically crashes, etc. It would be the best outdoors mapping app ever if they just fixed these navigation, map scrolling/zoom/management/download issues. I dare not go into the wilds alone with this as my sole map app for this reason (have had cases where I am is a tile that won’t render at all), but when it does work, it’s great.
I use this professionally and for recreation. It’s an extremely powerful mapping tool. The subscription only layers are very worth the price. Especially in winter.
The servers could be faster….. but that’s the only complaint I’ll give.
If you work or play in the backcountry, Caltopo offers tools you cannot get anywhere else.
At both the website and here on the app, there is no option to set up an independent account. I was going to pay for the premium service, but even on the web, your registration requires me to link either my Google, Facebook, Apple, Yahoo, or Microsoft account. That’s none of your business-and I guess my business is going back to OSMAnd who simply charges me the cost of their product and doesn’t take my data. (Great privacy-conscious alternative, btw. )
Developer Response
Hi there! Sorry for the confusion, there is no requirement to "sync" to any of these services. Each of these services supports a login authentication called OpenID connect where you are able to use that service to login to other providers. This login only shares your e-mail and name. Open ID provides robust security and meets industry standards for safe and secure logins. You can read more about open ID connect at https://openid.net/connect/ and our privacy practices meet or exceed industry standards and can be found at https://caltopo.com/about/privacy-policy. You can always opt to create a login with any e-mail including one just for using CalTopo if you so choose!1st off, I love CalTopo. I have been using the web version for years and have been a paid member for a while now. The amount of information available in CalTopo is unmatched in my opinion. The only problem that I have with the service is with the interface, especially the app. It is quite slow to load data and seems very buggy. I have to constantly force shut down the app and occasionally restart my phone for it to load things more quickly and properly. It got so annoying that I paid for Gaia to test it out because their app looks great, is quick and responsive pulling data up almost immediately. Unfortunately, while they have most of the data CalTopo has they don’t have all of it so I continue to use CalTopo. I’m really hoping they will get things sorted out in the future. It’s still worth the money bury very frustrating to use at times.
Users should note that there is an update with bug fixes that does not come up on the App Store. You have to actually go to CalTopo to see that that date is available.
I was having issues in the field working with this app after the most recent update, and the developers fixed it within a few weeks. And there was a workaround for me until this update.
Original review: This app is not usable unless you have a CalTopo account already - meaning you literally can’t get past the page that says the name of the app. This was not clear based on the app details provided.
Edit to respond to developer: I see the app has been updated. I downloaded the newly updated app and this issue has been resolved. Not only can you create an account where you would expect to be able to create an account within the app, but they’ve included options to use Apple, Google, Facebook and more (which I personally appreciate). My initial rating has been updated pending further review of the actual functionality of the app.
Developer Response
Thank you for the feedback - you can create a free account from that page. Are you having trouble creating an account? If you need assistance in creating an account please shoot us an e-mail at help@caltopo.com and we're happy to help you get set up!
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