Downloads
Get the Android app:
- from the Google Play Store
- or the IzzySoft Android Repository
- or download the APK file: WalkersGuide-Android-3.2.1.apk
Table of contents
Source code
Both the app and the server component are free software and licensed under the GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE.
GitHub Repositories:
- Server: git clone https://github.com/scheibler/WalkersGuide-Server.git
- Android Client: git clone https://github.com/scheibler/WalkersGuide-Android.git
Publications
The foundation for the WalkersGuide project was the diploma thesis with the title ” “Navigationssystem für blinde Fußgänger und ÖPNV-Nutzer” (“Navigation system for blind walkers and public transportation users”). It was completed at the TU Dresden, faculty of computer science in march 2014.
The thesis starts with a state of the art chapter, which lists current navigation aids for the blind and also covers some related research projects. After that follows a list of user requirements. The main part contains a concept for such a navigation system, based on the priorly defined user requirements. One of the concept’s key components is the integration of the public transportation system into the route calculation process. After a chapter about the prototypal implementation follows an evaluation of the created navigation system.
The document is only available in German and can be downloaded here: PDF and BibTeX.
Apps change log
Version 3.2.1
Date: 2025-01-12
- Fixed: The app’s tab bar was potentially being overlapped by Android’s navigation buttons at the bottom of the screen.
- New public transport provider: Deutsche Bahn
Version 3.2.0
Date: 2024-12-31
New entries in the redesigned apps main menu:
- Navigate to a street address
- Navigate home
- Plan or record a route
- Open a GPX file
- Share your location and open a shared location link from others
Sub tab reorganization:
- The Track subtab moved from the Overview tab to Points
- The Overview tab now includes the additional subtabs Collections and History.
Text to speech:
- Speech rate can be adjusted in the app’s settings
- A message queue has been implemented to prevent navigation instruction interruptions.
- Announcements now include bearing updates to the next route point, in addition to continuous distance updates while navigating.
- Fixed a bug where Talkback would take precedence over the distance and bearing announcements from the app’s TTS, frequently interrupting them.
Routes:
- New presets for way class weights. Makes it easier to calculate routes for different use cases like hiking or walking in urban areas.
- GPX file export added
- Current coordinates are now automatically resolved to their closest address when used as the starting point for route calculation.
- Fixed: Route calculation previously failed if one or more via points were included.
Additional user interface changes:
- New talkback actions for the bearing and location buttons in the
toolbar
- Bearing: Switch between values from compass or satellite, Enable/disable simulation
- Location: Speak current address, Show GPS details, Enable/disable simulation
- Point context menu:
- New entry: Navigate directly to this point
- Rename and add annotation entries were moved into the edit sub menu
- Precise bearing in degrees was added to the distance and bearing label in the point details (see the already existing menu item with the same name in the navigate tab for details)
- More compact layout for the track tab
- Fixed a bug in the tab bar below the toolbar: Tabs were sometimes duplicated.
Other:
- Enter latitude/longitude using the DMS input format (degrees, minutes, seconds)
- Support for Android 15
- Ukrainian translation added
Version 3.1.0
Date: 2024-07-08
- POI categories:
- New: post boxes and intersections with railway tracks
- Reorganized:
- services has been divided into public and other services
- named intersections has been divided into fully named intersections and partially named intersections (the latter is helpful if you walk on small paths and want to know if there is an intersection with a bigger street nearby).
- Click on post addresses in your contacts app or .gpx files in your file browser to open them in WalkersGuide directly
- More detailed information for pedestrian crossings
- New settings:
- Prefer localized names and descriptions from the OpenStreetMap if available. For example a Japanese restaurant may provide an English translation of its name.
- Optionally you can disable the previously introduced fused location provider again. It improves the GPS accuracy especially indoors but may cause problems for some users.
- Many smaller bug fixes and improvements like more precise route instructions
Version 3.0.0
Date: 2024-03-10
New features:
- Pin and track points and routes
- Record your own routes
- Collections to group and manage your points and routes
- Improved GPX file import
- Support for Android 14.
Additional changes
The structure of the app has also changed. The “Favorites” tab has been replaced by the “Overview” tab. Your existing favorites were transferred to a collection and can now be found in the overview tab under the pinned profiles section.
The tab bar at the bottom of the screen is now permanently visible, allowing for easier switching between the main views of the app.
Some tabs now have their own tab bar. If available, this is located in the top area of the screen. For example, the “Overview” tab has two sub-tabs called “Pin” and “Track”. The newly named “Routes” tab, next to it, is divided into the sub-tabs “Navigate” and “Record”.
You can also quickly access all sub-tabs from other parts of the app. To do this, focus on the corresponding tab at the bottom of the screen and perform a long click or swipe through the Talkback actions.
Version 2.3.1
Date: 2023-06-14
- Fixed a crash in the plan route dialog
Version 2.3.0
Date: 2023-06-10
- New Talkback actions to switch between point profiles: Focus the profiles button in the points tab and swipe left or right to switch between profiles more quickly.
- New point details information:
- All points: Link to the corresponding wikidata website
- Stations: Show network and operator if available
- Bug fixes:
- Check if location provider exists before requesting location updates
- fixed some problems in the points tab menu
Version 2.2.0
Date: 2023-05-18
Favorites: Routes are displayed in addition to points now (see the tab bar on top) Router: New Talkback accessible mini map of the next intersection GPX Import: Added option to import route from GPX file in reverse order
App settings:
- New option: Screen remains active as long as the app is in the foreground.
- New option: Keep Bluetooth headphone connection alive to prevent truncated voice commands.
Changes in the main menu
- Options “Enter address”, “Enter coordinates” and “Point from link” now open the respective points details activity instead of creating a favorite point automatically.
- Moved route GPX import from router fragment option menu into main menu (same behavior as described above)
Other:
- EditText: ENTER key press on a physical keyboard triggers the configured action like start a search
- public transport enabler library updated (2023-05-18)
Version 2.1.3
Date: 2023-02-08
- Fix: Filter invalid entries in the station departure list
Version 2.1.2
Date: 2022-11-14
- PointFromCoordinatesLink dialog: Decode URL before parsing
- Minor improvements for the last known location retrieval
Version 2.1.1
Date: 2022-09-25
- Support for Android 13
- Added new context menu option “delete”, to remove entries from the point and route history
- Fixed broken VVO public transport provider
- Smaller bug fixes in the router tab
Version 2.1.0
Date: 2022-07-17
Router tab:
- Basic GPX file import
- Added dialog to jump to any route object
- Show elapsed / total distance in instruction label
- New option to show the exact bearing in degree to the next route point
Other:
- Additional options to create favorite points from the apps main menu
- Allow negative latitude / longitude values in the “Enter coordinates” dialog
- Several small bug fixes, for example in the route planner dialog
Version 2.0.0
Date: 2022-04-17
- Support for Android 12
- Separate tab for favorites
- Share points with other users
- Support for app shortcuts on device launcher
- Context menu for points and routes, UI simplified
- Many small improvements and bug fixes
Version 1.2.0
Date: 2020-12-27
- Dark mode support
- Settings import and export
- Departures and trip details views reworked
- PTE version from December 2020 fixes the broken VVO provider
Version 1.1.0
Date: 2020-07-15
- Trip details for public transport departures added
- New send-feedback dialog in the apps main menu
Versions before 1.0.0
The WalkersGuide app versions up to 0.5.1 are not longer supported.