Mapsforge configuration

The Mapsforge offline map provides both online and offline maps. Offline maps have the advantage that you only need to download the map once — afterwards it is always loaded from local storage, which saves a lot of data.

About map files and render themes

• A map file contains all the data (streets, buildings, etc.) needed to display a map. To use an offline map, download a map file, copy it to your phone, and configure the path to it in your Mapsforge settings.
• A render theme is a set of rules and icons that changes the map's style. It is not mandatory — Mapsforge already ships a default theme (Osmarender) — but some custom themes can make the map look even better. Render themes are usually distributed as a zip file: download it to your SD card, extract it (you should see a folder containing an XML file), then configure the path to that XML file in your Mapsforge settings.

Example: configuring Mapsforge to use a standard offline map

1. Switch your map to Mapsforge (tap the icon in the bottom-left corner, select "Set base map", then "Mapsforge").
2. In the Mapsforge configuration screen, select map type "Offline map".
3. Enter the path to the map file. It needs to be in the media or app directory, e.g. "/sdcard/Android/media/com.greenalp.realtimetracker2/files/" or "/sdcard/Android/data/com.greenalp.realtimetracker2/files/". If you don't have a map file yet, see the download instructions below.
4. If you want a custom render theme, you can also enter the path to its XML file.

How to download a map

Several websites provide Mapsforge-compatible maps for download. Start with the official Mapsforge mirror (the supported version is "v5" at time of writing). Click the country/region you want, download the map file to your notebook or PC, then copy it from there to the correct target folder on your phone via USB cable — mobile apps cannot copy the file themselves because they cannot access the target folder. Map files tend to be quite large.

Special hint for hikers

Some websites provide specially rendered maps for hiking or cycling. For example, Open Andro Maps provides cycling and hiking maps with contour lines. To use them you need both a map file and the Elevate render theme:

1. Open Map Downloads on your notebook or PC and download the map you want.
2. Open Map Styles, scroll down to "Elevate" and click "Manual Download".
3. When both downloads are complete, unpack the map and the render-theme zip files, then copy the map file (extension ".map") and the render-theme folder via USB into the app directory on your phone (e.g. "/sdcard/Android/data/com.greenalp.realtimetracker2/files/").
4. In the Mapsforge settings, configure the path to the map and to the render-theme file "Elevate.xml".

Hint: to enter a path in the Mapsforge settings, tap the text box to pick the right auto-suggested file path — you don't need to type it.

Important: newer Android versions no longer support reading map files from your SD card or download folder. Instead, copy the file to "/sdcard/Android/data/com.greenalp.realtimetracker2/files/" on your phone — download it to your notebook or PC first, then connect your phone via USB and copy it directly under the correct path. A file-browser app on the phone cannot do this; it has no access to that directory and would just show it empty.