Smartphone apps show maps well, but the maps for offline use are large. Since the phone will be used out of cell coverage, the maps will have to be downloaded. This can take a significant amount of time–about 7 hours for the state of Washington. Maps must be downloaded for every zoom level. (Handheld maps are mathematical models that can zoom to any level, add or subtract detail, and supply location and elevation data. a GPS can easily hold maps for the U.S.A. and the world.) Washington topographic maps on a smartphone also occupy 3.5 gb of memory–a substantial memory hit for just the smallest state west of the Mississippi river. Smartphone battery life is short in the winter–about 3 hours. Winter conditions can adversely affect phones that are built for less rigorous settings. If you use a smartphone in the woods in winter, get a waterproof case and a battery extender for it.
Setup of a GPS app for a phone is easy. Use the menus to find the maps needed for a tour and download them. By selecting just the tour area, the map downloads will be more conservative of download time and memory use.
This is a map produced by MotionXGPS. A compass rose is shown top left. Top right are the coordinates of the phone.
Setting the phone GPS app is much easier than the same process on a handheld GPS. Most of the settings are on a few screens. The variety of options on the phone are much less than those on the handheld GPSr.
This is a data page produced by MotionXGPS.
Setup of MotionXGPS for iphone
GPS Setup for MotionXGPS iphone App
Maps are obtained via the Setup>Maps menu. MotionXGPS has two main pages: Map and Menu. Tracks can be managed from the Menu.
| Item | Setting | Location |
| Units | Km | Map>Map Options>Units |
| Compass | true | Map>Map Options>Compass |
| Speed Format | Speed | Map>Map Options>Speed Format |
| Page Sequence | 2 Pages: Map and Menu. No dedicated page button. | |
| Coordinate Format | UTM | Map>Map Options |
| Map Datum | WGS 84` | Cannot be changed |
| Map Spheroid | WGS 84 | Cannot be changed |
| Display | Numeric Degrees | Menu>Setup>Heading |
| Orientation Lock | Portrait | Menu>Setup>Display |
| Screen Capture | iphone feature | iphone |
| Battery Save | many battery save options | search for battery save MotionXGPS |
| Map Data Fields | 1 | Map shows UTM easting and northing |
| Map: OpenCycleMaps, others. USGS for upgrade price of about $6. | Download maps for only tour area. The maps used by MotionX take substantial time fo download and a lot of memory to store. | |
| Satellite System | GPS + GLONASS | |
| Profiles * | Save a profile for Snowshoeing | Menu>Setup>Track Recorder |