World Explorer v0.3.0

Heads-up: your "% explored" number will drop after updating. Overlapping circles used to be counted several times; they are now counted once. The area you have explored is unchanged, only the percentage is now accurate.

Features

• Edge-to-edge display on Android 15+: the map draws under the status and navigation bars, with the buttons kept clear of them (#2428).

Fixes

• "% explored" counts overlapping circles once instead of adding them up (#2423).
• No crash after a reboot when location is not set to "Allow all the time"; tracking resumes when you open the app instead (#2424).
• First-launch permission prompts appear one at a time, so none get skipped; the map now shows the OpenStreetMap attribution (#2425).
• Gap-filling and nearby-point checks work across the ±180° longitude line and near the poles (#2427).
• Database upgrades are covered by a migration test, protecting your explored area on future updates (#2426).

Under the hood

• Android Gradle Plugin 9.4, Kotlin 2.4, target SDK 36 (#2428); kotlinx-serialization 1.11.0.

Install: download WorldExplorer-v0.3.0.apk and open it on your phone. It updates over the existing install and keeps your data.

World Explorer v0.2.1

Fixes

• Stop on the tracking notification now really stops tracking. Before, the app kept showing tracking as on, and reopening it or rebooting the phone quietly started tracking again. A stop from the in-app button also now sticks when you reopen the app. (#6)
• The explored trail no longer drifts. Smoothing used to re-run over your whole history on every app open, pulling bends straighter each time and joining the end of one trip to the start of the next. Now each point is smoothed once, never across trips, and sharp corners are left alone. Points that already drifted can't be restored; this stops any further drift. (#7)

Install: download WorldExplorer-v0.2.1.apk on your phone and open it. It updates over the existing app and keeps your data.

Full Changelog: v0.2.0...v0.2.1

World Explorer v0.2.0

First release of World Explorer through the managed pipeline. Download WorldExplorer-v0.2.0.apk below, open it on your phone and allow Install unknown apps when Android asks. It installs over earlier builds without losing your explored area.

Features

• Fog-of-war map over OpenStreetMap that clears as you move, with "% of the world explored" shown to five decimal places.
• Real-time trail while the app is open (1 s fixes). Battery-friendly 30 s tracking in the background, with a wake lock so trails don't break up on long drives.
• Straight-line gaps between fixes are filled in. GPS jitter is smoothed out of the saved trail.
• Opens on your last known position. Tracking resumes after a reboot.

Fixes

• Fog edges merge into one smooth ribbon instead of "beads on a string".
• "% explored" is measured against land area, not the whole planet.
• Centred launcher icon.

Behind the scenes

• New CI: lint, builds, and emulator tests of the real release APK on every change.
• MIT licence.