Hikers Assistant Plus

September 7, 2024

• Added horseback riding to activities and saddle horse to waypoint icons • Added on-trail home screen button to add transportation waypoint(s) • Added hike log menu option to delete hikes (or travel) less than 1/4 mile in length • Modified waypoint editor to use the icon name as the waypoint name when changing the icon • Updated waypoint icons in watch app • Fixed bugs in TDX and HKX archivers

August 9, 2024

- Updated signing certificate - Fixed bug in retrieval of weather alerts

April 21, 2024

- Added several activities, both active (e.g. skiing) and passive transportation (e.g. all-terrain vehicle), for GPS and calorie calculations - Improved base map downloading efficiency and speed - Added flags to indicate country of loaded trail system - Added map coordinate and country checks to confirm availability of USGS maps and servers - Changing activity now automatically changes the GPS distance filter - Modified the on-trail navigation bar to allow user to easily change trail/city mode and activity - Limited Thunderforest OpenCycle and Outdoors maps to countries where USGS maps are not available - Improved off-trail files and folders screens - Fixed various bugs

February 5, 2024

- The on-trail module can now be run in City (streets with internet) and Trail (wilderness with no internet) modes selectable from large buttons on the Home Screen. - The on-trail progress bar was extended to show both pedometer and GPS data, depending on hike type. - On-trail buttons (tasks) were completely overhauled. The lock button again is a simple lock/unlock. The lock progress subsystem was removed, including the As Needed hike option. All actions were meant to simplify tasks and make them easier to accomplish outdoors. - A new trail info button (task) was added to show you altitude, closest waypoint, closest trail, sunrise/sunset, and moon phase. This replaces several previous buttons. - The compass button is now active--it points to north on a one-second repeating timer. Likewise, the waypoint distances now include active pointers (mini-compasses) so you can avoid opening the full compass if an accurate site-line is not needed. - Five new on-trail add-waypoint buttons were added. Most require only one touch in an icon selector to be complete. The other requires a couple of touches to record audio for an audio waypoint. Four of the buttons show you common subsets of possible icons: trail, city, site, and animal. - The on-trail weather forecast shows only key data, in larger text, to make it easier to read outside. Nearly all on-trail buttons and text have been enlarged and modified to show high contrast colors to make their use outdoors easier. - The off-trail module for trip preparation was also improved. A new create and edit route subsystem was added to both the off-trail map and the route editor. A similar edit track subsystem was added to the track editor. The system is vastly improved over the prior implementation. - A declination and weather map have been added to support larger trail systems. You can load multiple declinations or weather forecasts for different localities. - An activity & weights screen was added to allow easy changing of the activity type (hike, run, cycle, or paddle) before you get on-trail. Both user and pack weights can be easily changed. Both activity and weights are factors used to calculate on-trail calories. - The daily motion log was removed, and a trail days log was added. Each trail day covers from the first time you go on-trail on a day till the last time you leave the on-trail module on that same day. This was intended to show your activity on multi-day hikes when you don’t want to use battery for Add Track, Quick Trail, or Quick PED. - A waypoint media property was added that can point to image, PDF, or audio files. The on-trail map’s waypoint popup was improved to include a play/show button for media. - Numerous minor improvements and bug fixes were also made.

December 6, 2023

• Fixed on-trail new waypoint code to properly accept initial icon • Modified on-trail quick icon selection • Modified GPX file generator to support extensions needed to fully recreate trails for other users • Modified icon selector screen to show icon and icon name in navigation bar title • Minor changes to streamline and improve architecture

May 21, 2023

- Version Notice provides warning of possible MapKit issue while in Airplane Mode. Map overlays (routes and base maps) are intermittently not shown. Behavior appears in iOS 16.3 and 16.4.1. - Added QuickMap for on-trail use. QuickMap uses CoreGraphics, not MapKit. Performance is slower than Map, but QuickMap will not be affected by issues with MapKit. QuickMap provides a streamlined method for checking whether the user is on the trail. - Replaced the viewer folder with a media folder. The media folder contains all images, PDF's, audio (and eventually) video files. All existing images, PDF's and audio files were automatically moved to the new media folder. - Added a Shared Files (Imported) folder as a holding directory for files imported via the iOS sharing utility. For security purposes imported files are no longer put directly into your documents (or app inbox) folders. Imported files can be previewed (read only), and then if desired moved or copied to your documents or media folders or deleted. - Changed map waypoint elevation to used preferred unit rather than both meters and feet. - Modified the waypoint text editor (table of waypoints) to allow changing single icons (swipe) or multiple icons at once (menu option). This might be used when you import a GPX file with waypoints and the default icon is not your preference. - Modified USGS Imagery download methodology to adapt to USGS changed services. Imagery should again download at zoom levels greater than 15. - Various bug fixes, including: (1) Updated keyboard for decimal data entry such as latitude and longitude to allow full range of punctuation, (2) Modified code to allow user to delete last remaining track in the track editor, (3) Brought 'cloud activity indicator' (i.e. download progress) back to front of view stack (makes it visible) and enlarged the indicator, (4) Modified on-trail lock screen data presentation to prevent intermittent overwriting of lines of information, (5) Modified Elevation Profiles, when in on-trail mode, to correctly draw the closest trail (route or track) first, and show the user's position on that trail.

December 7, 2022

- Now saves trail files (*.trail) using Apple's secure coding methods. Any save updates to the new format. A global update method is also provided to convert old (*.trdat) to new (*.trail) files. - All screens now support both Light and Dark device display styles. - Magnetic declinations can now be retrieved from NOAA's NGDC servers. Declinations are automatically retrieved for map center points and refreshed when opening maps after 30 days. A declination editor is provided for longer trails that allow the user to specify an unlimited number of different declinations. Stored or pre-retrieved declinations allow the user to avoid using the internet while on the trail. - Modernized the compass screens on both the iPhone and watch.

November 19, 2022

• Added weather Forecast to on-trail modules. New forecast uses Apple Weather™ and is available on devices running iOS 16+. If you are running an older iOS, you will not see the new Forecast module on your app. The 'old' on-trail Weather module uses Dark Sky which will stop being supported March 31, 2023. On that date, the old Weather module will no longer appear on the On-trail Home screen. • Added activity type (run, hike, cycle, or paddle) to both iPhone and watch apps to assist with handling GPS errors (speed dependent) and calorie calculations. • Added workouts to the watch app. When Run Workouts is set to ON in Preferences, you will see additional watch screens. Workout stat screen(s) will appear with a left swipe from the standard hike progress screen. Two workout screens are provided. Preferences gives you a choice for your primary: one that imitates progress as much as possible and one that focuses more on calories and heart rate. You can switch hike modes (monitor iPhone, QuickTrail, QuickPed, or 'As Needed') on the watch while continuing a single workout session. When you end the workout, data is sent to the iPhone for recording in the Daily Motion Log. The workout will also show up in the Apple Fitness app. If you want to Run Workouts, you need to approve the app's access (read and write) to the Health Data request that appears on your iPhone and/or watch. Else the workouts will not function properly. We do not collect any of this data, it is only summarized in your app and saved in Apple's Health app. • An enhanced on-trail Lock module now shows you screens containing progress stats, waypoint and trail distances, and maps. A Preferences setting allows you to turn on FaceID to switch between lock screens and to exit lock mode. This maintains the Lock module's goal of preventing inadvertent touches while an iPhone is in a pocket or pack. But the new Lock information screens let you avoid unlocking during most hikes (or runs, cycles, or paddles). • A new iPhone on-trail hiking mode, As Needed, that does not use GPS tracking or produce constant pedometer data. This is meant as a minimal battery on-trail hiking mode similar to the one in the watch app. This mode allows the Hike Log to now show 'As Needed' hike stats using end-of-hike pedometer data. The new mode has its own sets of Lock module data screens. For progress stats, you do a single pedometer query and a single GPS fix. For waypoint and trail distances, you do a single GPS fix. Likewise the map will do a single GPS fix. Although with the map you can turn on/off constant User Tracking & Heading when needed. • New GPS Error and tracking error waypoints that show up on maps as a big D or epsilon (respectively) after creating a track. Both waypoint editors provide menu options to remove those error waypoints. Preferences has a setting to allow these waypoints to be turned ON or OFF. • Added a simple map to the watch app's on-trail options. Apple's WatchKit permits a simple map that cannot be rotated, allows only five annotations (waypoints), and does not allow polylines (trails). To counter the map's inability to rotate, we added a centered radar that rotates with the watch. When it points at an annotation, your watch heading points to the waypoint in real space. • Implemented a max heart rate notification screen and fat burn zones for the Apple watch. You can turn them ON or OFF in Preferences. These function are intended ONLY to aid you in monitoring your heart rate during your workout. They should NOT be used for medical purposes. Be aware that Apple watch heart rates may be inaccurate. • Fixed various bugs.

August 13, 2022

- Now able to show current hiker's track progress and location by touching 'footprints' on map screen - Allows direct upload from documents folder to iCloud - Adds a camera button to viewer folder to allow photographing of maps and other images - Now accepts sharing (import) of images directly from the Apple Photos app. Note videos cannot be imported. - Added a variety of filters and viewing options to the iCloud folder - Fixed various bugs

February 11, 2021

- Added a daily motion log that shows steps, distance, floors up and floors down for each day. The log pulls from the iPhone's pedometer database, which retains data for only 7 days. The log is updated when Hikers Assistant+ is opened or when the user refreshes the log. If the app is not used at least once a week, the log may have days missing. If a hiker is out for multiple days and does not want to create a track (GPS and battery considerations), they will still have a record of daily progress. - Revised GPS start-up code to reject locations with a large horizontal position error. Also added a distance-between-points check to tracking locations. Going into a restroom (or bad GPS reception) can give you a bad GPS fix. If it's too far from the previous (good) location, it's thrown out. - Added an entry to the home page folder menu to show GPS errors encountered while tracking. This will allow users to understand when and where GPS errors occur, and potentially how to avoid them. - Updated watch complications. - Added code to update old icon names to new icon naming conventions. Fixes bug where a waypoint's icon does not show up on a map because it uses an old, unrecognized icon file name. - Modified the hike log to allow editing of hike distance. This will permit users to correct their log if they encounter tracking issues. Also added speed and time-on-trail to the hike log table of hikes. You no longer have to open a hike to see this data. - Modified swipe buttons to uniformly use a light icon/text on a dark background. Also added a 'rename (file)' swipe button to the viewer editor table. - Added sort options to the text-based waypoint editor. - Modified the mapping of user locations to zoom to a map region of about 1/4 mile in diameter. - Added popup 'wait' notices while GPS is initializing or the altimeter is being calibrated. - Fixed various bugs.