Urban Archive Explore History

Urban Archive Explore History

The City is Your Museum

227 ratings
76 reviews
Free

Details

  • Released
  • Updated
  • March 8, 2017
  • April 20, 2023

Features

Urban Archive Explore History screenshot #1 for iPhone
Urban Archive Explore History screenshot #2 for iPhone
Urban Archive Explore History screenshot #3 for iPhone
Urban Archive Explore History screenshot #4 for iPhone
Urban Archive Explore History screenshot #5 for iPhone
Urban Archive Explore History screenshot #6 for iPhone
Urban Archive Explore History screenshot #7 for iPhone
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About

Explore NYC's past with a vast mobile archive of historical images. Compare then-and-now photos of streets and buildings, uncovering history at its original location. Partnering with over 30 cultural institutions, it brings the city's heritage to your fingertips.

Tens of thousands of mapped historical images
Daily image additions
Instant then-and-now photo creation
Explore history where it happened
Partnership with 30+ NYC cultural institutions
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What users say

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What's New in Urban Archive Explore History

2023.2

April 20, 2023

Improved analytics and bug fixes for a smoother experience

User reviews

Nose

No está para el de Nuevo León (México) cienega de flores😩

Urban Archive is a wonderful resource for old photos

One of the best apps ever

Amazing concept, but big frustrations

This kind of app is exactly up my alley. In fact, I looked it up after having had a similar app idea. “I wonder if anyone else has made this,” I thought. Wonderfully for my curiosity (and disappointingly for my lost app opportunity), I found Urban Archive.

It does exactly what I wanted from an app like this. The location-based history tidbits are awesome. There’s tons of interesting information here, not just stuff I don’t know, but stuff I wouldn’t have even thought to inquire about.

But there are also big frustrations in terms of usability. My biggest one is that history notifications only take me to page maybe half the time. The other half, the app opens to only a map with lots of purple dots, but no information or overlay. Occasionally the information comes up after a short delay, which brings me to another issue: the app is sluggish and buggy at times. Many times I’ve tried to open the day’s history only to be greeted with an “oops” and no additional info. I simply dealt with these issues for a while because I love all the stuff I’m learning, but I’m so irritated at this point that I’m just deleting the app. I really hope the developers of this app can go on a proper bug hunt and make this app a pleasure to use because it has so much potential.
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Great Stuff

Makes walking down the street a completely new experience. Love history and this just makes you appreciate the past by seeing how things have changed (or haven’t). Love this app!

Very nice but…

The app itself is amazing and I love to use it when I am strolling around Manhattan. I am a history buff and this app is almost always active on my phone. However! Lately I have seen super recent pictures that don’t deserve to be on the app, like random scaffolding instead of an actual building, a family portrait recently taken after a 2023 bike ride! Are we joking here? A bike ride ?
I seriously hope that the developers start moderating the picture uploads because the app is losing value becoming a free for all.
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User experience

🐞

Reported Bugs

8 issues

History notifications fail to load content approximately 50% of the time

Bug

App opens to map with purple dots but no information overlay

Bug

Audio tour files crash at Museum of the City of New York

Bug

Clicking on map items yields 'search timed out' errors

Bug

New layout caused disappearance of previously visible locations

Bug

Clicking locations produces no response or action

Bug

Oops error messages when opening daily history

Bug

'Content coming' placeholder text persists indefinitely

Bug

Requested Features

7 requests

Expand app to more cities worldwide

Feature

Time period filtering for historical photos

Feature

Improved error correction mechanism for user-submitted data

Feature

Walking path and navigation integration

Feature

Visited location tracking and management

Feature

Content availability outside NYC boroughs

Feature

More extensive NYPL and NYC Municipal Archives integration

Feature

FAQ

What does the Urban Archive Explore History app do?

This app provides the largest mobile archive of historical images for New York City. It allows users to uncover history by mapping tens of thousands of historical images across the five boroughs and comparing them with current streetscapes.

What are the key features of this app?

Key features include access to a vast collection of mapped historical images, the ability to add new images daily, and the functionality to create instant then-and-now photos of buildings and city streetscapes for a direct historical comparison.

Is this app free to use?

Yes, the application is available for free. There are no in-app purchases or advertisements mentioned, suggesting a completely free experience for users.

Who is this app for?

This app is designed for anyone interested in New York City's rich history, including history enthusiasts, urban explorers, photographers, and tourists looking to discover the city's past in a unique and interactive way.

How does the app help me recreate history?

The app allows you to take current photos of buildings and streetscapes and instantly compare them with historical images from its archive. This feature enables you to see how locations have changed over time and visually recreate historical moments.