- ****ALERT **** July 14th 2011 **** PLEASE READ *****
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Last week we gave Apple a fully tested app for review, which they approved yesterday. Coincidentally, a server security certificate managed by the old company expired last night, which is what is causing the registration and download errors. we, as the new company, weren’t notified until today (Argh!)
We’re hoping to have it fixed today, but it might take until tomorrow morning. We’re doing everything we can to have it fixed as quickly as possible.
We apologize for the inconvenience!
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- ALERT: Having trouble registering the new Unlimited update? PLEASE READ!!
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Well, we had a little hiccup in our release of the 4.2.1 AccuTerra Unlimited - our registration database server was temporarily showing an error that kept users from registering, and then nobody could install new maps.
First things first- We’re very sorry.
Now- the good news is that the fix is relatively easy. In order to get the app to start the registration process over again, we need you to delete and re-install the app from your device. Here’s how to do it:
1. Delete the app off your iPhone by pressing an holding the Home Screen icon and pressing the ‘x’ in the corner. It’s necessary to delete it so that will clear out the error in the app is stuck in a registration loop.
2. Then go to the App Store and ‘re-purchase’ the app. It may look like you are going to have to buy it again, but iTunes will recognize that you have already purchased the app and you won’t be charged.
3. Relaunch the app, and the fresh registration process will begin. You should be able to complete the registration process after these steps.
If you’re still having trouble, email us at accuterraservice@gmail.com with the email address that you used to register, and we can delete the database entry altogether for a totally fresh start (but that would still require a re-install).
We apologize for the problems. We’ll make up for it with some expanded features in the coming months….
-The NeoTreks AccuTerra Team
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- Have an iPhone 3G and having trouble saving a track?
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Recently we have received several reports from other customers about not being able to save tracks, and we have determined that 3G iPhone customers using the Apple iOS4 and our AccuTerra Version 4.2 app are unable to save tracks which are recorded in areas outside of cell reception. Since this function has long worked with prior versions of Apple OS, we hope that a future Apple iPhone OS version will solve this issue.
Although we can not resolve the problem by changing our code, we have a workaround - turn off WiFi before you begin recording your trek. Turning off WiFi will allow you to record and then save your adventure. (And by the way - if you’re out of 3G network & WiFi range, you should turn off those device functions regardless because they’re battery hogs).
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- I am getting a “GPS location is required” error and I can’t use the app!
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You’ll see this message if you have turned Location Services off on your iPhone, or if you declined to allow the app to use your location when you first launched it.
Easily fixed - you must first enable Location Services for the AccuTerra App:
- Close the AccuTerra app completely (on your multitasking panel as well) and go to the iPhone Home Screen
- Select the gray and white “Settings” icon
- Select the “General” menu
- Select “Location Services”. There you have two choices:
1. Enable Location Services for all your installed applications“OFF” button, and it will change to “ON.”; or,
2. Scroll down and turn on Location Services for the AccuTerra app(s) you have installed. Please note that AccuTerra Unlimited will be at the bottom under “Unlimited”.
- Click the round “Home Button” to save your Location Services settings.
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- The app is crashing on me - what do I do?
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As with most apps, there are occasional temporary glitches (sometimes called ‘bugs’) that occur without explanation. The more complex the App (AccuTerra is fairly complex) , the more code that it contains which can get hung up or timed out. Variation combination of devices (3G, 3G S, iPhone 4) and operating system versions can cause some of these issues to arise in code that has been historically stable. We have found that almost all of these crashes can be solved in one of two ways:
1. Try a hard reset to clear the application memory from the iPhone. This will not harm your iPhone in any way.
- Press-hold the Home button (big circle below the screen) and the Sleep/Wake button (on top of the iPhone) simultaneously.
- Continue holding both buttons (Ignore the “Slide to power off”) until the iPhone shuts off and begins to restart.
- You may let go when you see the silver Apple logo.
- You have completed a hard reset successfully.
2. If that doesn’t work, re-install the app (delete from the phone, and sync from iTunes).
If neither one of these actions solve your issue, you may have encountered a true code error. Please use our contact form below and describe the actions that lead to the crash as best as possible.
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- What version of AccuTerra app am I using?
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- Go to Apple’s home screen.
- Tap “Settings” (the gray “gears” icon).
- Scroll down and tap on the icon for the app you want to know about (AccuTerra).
- A screen indicating the application’s version level will appear immediately.
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- My adventures are showing an inaccurate start and stop time.
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Since the release of the iPhone OS4, some of our customers are experiencing a discrepancy in the time displayed on a saved adventure. We are in contact with Apple to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.
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- Can I multitask on my 3G?
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Multitasking is a new feature in Apple’s iOS4, but it is only available for the iPhone 3G S and iPhone 4. As a result, if you are not using those two iPhone models, you will not be able to utilize the multitasking features such as opening a second app or taking an incoming phone call, nor will the app be able to continue to drop breadcrumbs when your iPhone is in “sleep mode.” Because this feature resides in your iPhone, we are not able to provide you with a workaround.
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- Can I edit a Saved Track once it’s complete?
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Yes. Go to Library by tapping Map View in the upper left, then tap the Library icon in the slide out dock which will appear.
- Tap the Adventure’s name, and look for “Edit Adventure” (just above “Walking Tour”).Selecting “Edit Adventure” will position the map with the trek on it so the breadcrumbs are visible.
- Tap a breadcrumb to select it.
- You may move it to a new place by dragging it. You may delete a crumb by tapping the minus sign against it.
- Breadcrumbs with photos attached may not be changed in any way in this version.
- Once completed, tap “Save Changes” to save and confirm your choice.
- Tap “Exit Edit Mode” to exit without saving any changes you made.
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- What Exactly Are Continental Tiles?
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Continental tiles refer to a certain type of tile that will provide “wide area” data. You might say they are the opposite of our HD tiles which provide very high resolution data. There are two ways to obtain continental tiles, either through installing the largest size grids in the grid view, or purchasing the state maps from within the app.
If you have purchased the Colorado State map, for instance, you will have the continental tiles installed for that state. If you want the HD tiles for that state, you may then go to the grid view, zoom in, and select the HD tiles to install for your areas of interest within that state. In effect, the HD maps for National Parks and other recreational areas provide a convenient way to obtain HD tiles for a specific area of interest.
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- I downloaded a state or park, but I don’t see the HD detail?
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It’s important to note that an entire state’s worth of HD tiles can exceed 5GB of memory on your iPhone; and chances are you’re not going to hike every square mile of that state anyway. Therefore, we allow you to select as much or as little detail as you need for your adventures, with respect to how much memory you want to load onto your device. However, you may download no more than nine tiles at one time - we limit that number in order to keep files sizes under the limits of a network connection.
- DOWNLOAD the Continental tiles from Map View > Maps
- Enter Grid Mode from the main map screen (top middle button)
- Zoom into the map until you see grey tiles - if you have purchased that state or have AccuTerra Unlimited, you may then press and hold to select up to nine AccuTerra HD map grids
- Once you’ve selected the nine desired tiles, press the “Download” icon on the lower panel and watch as the images are installed on your map.
For AccuTerra On-Demand users: if you request additional downloads beyond the first nine free ones, and you will be prompted to select and purchase that state or recreation area from our in-app store.
With AccuTerra Unlimited once you have purchased the app, you have unlimited access to every map grid in the country.
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- Will AccuTerra be available for [insert country name here]?
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Right now, AccuTerra apps cover the contiguous United States plus Hawaii, and AccuTerra Europe covers Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and portions of Italy. We have no immediate plans to expand to other countries at this time, but we will post updates to the website when we make more areas available.
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- What’s the difference between the road and trail symbols?
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- How do I display Points of Interest (POIs) such as campgrounds, trailheads and restrooms?
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POIs cannot be installed through downloading through the Grid Mode. Because our POIs are assigned to a defined area such as a Park, National Forest or state, you’ll need to download a specific product through our Maps product list.
Tap the ‘Map View’ button on the upper left of the main map screen, and select ‘Maps’ from the slide-out menu. Search nearby, pick from a category, or just get your state. With AccuTerra Unlimited, it’s all included. AccuTerra On Demand provides individual areas at a reasonable price.
Once your area of interest downloads and is installed within the app, you can then select POIs from the points arrow to display.
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- Why are the HD maps a little fuzzy when I zoom in really close?
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When we create AccuTerra HD maps, they are actually at a pretty high resolution - “print quality”, and therefore take up a lot of storage. If we kept them at a high resolution in the App, a relatively small National Park would quickly take up the limited storage capabilities of your iPhone and would take quite a while to download. In order to allow the app to load maps quickly and display without the lag that you see with web-served maps, we compress them to work within the iPhone as efficiently as possible. Of course, the trade-off is that a very close zoom will show as pixilated, or “fuzzy” We felt that the storage capacity and importance of having the map function on the device - by still showing a discernible location on the map - outweighed the quality issues at the highest zoom levels.
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- How do I import trails from Google Earth or a trails website?
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Saved GPS tracks can be created a number of different ways, and those tracks or points can be downloaded and displayed on your AccuTerra application. Two popular options:
A) Find a track or a point on a User Generated Content site, such as the Trails Co-Op.
B) Create a Placemark or Draw a Path using the Draw feature on Google Earth, and save it as a KML file to your computer.
Once you have a KML built and saved to your Documents, upload it to The Trails Co-Op and create a web link (you can also create trails from The Trails Co-Op if you are registered). You’re now ready to import that track or placemark into AccuTerra, Map Candy, or the HIKE application. If the link is displayed, it will look something like this: http://redtrails.com/getKML.php?s=5179U2117 . If the link is embedded in a tag, such as this: Yosemite Falls Trail, simply right click the link and select “Copy link Location”. Paste the link into an email to your iPhone email account, and send it. Once that email is on your device, you can copy / paste the link into AccuTerra.
1. Launch AccuTerra from your device, and go to Library -> Import.
2. Enter the full path of the uploaded KML into URL box, and give it a proper name.
3. Click Import button.
If there are any problems, you will receive a prompt to assist you. If the import is successful, you will see a “badge” appear on either the “Adventures” or “Placemarks” tab, depending on your KML.
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- What do AccuTerra maps look like?
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The State map bundles are rendered at the same scale as USGS 7.5’ maps; commonly known “Quads”. The scale ratio is approximately 1:24,000.
AccuTerra HD maps provide three times the zoom as the State level maps; or approximately 1:7,500. In other words: to cover a State level map in HD, it requires nine HD images:
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- What makes AccuTerra different from other recreational mapping applications?
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Most mapping applications on the App store can record your position & track your progress, but they require a network or WiFi connection to view it on the map. AccuTerra maps are stored in your phone’s memory, so even if the closest cell tower is too far away to give you a signal, you can access your position on a detailed color map through the GPS antenna on your iPhone 3G or iPhone 3G S.
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- Does my GPS work beyond Cell coverage?
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Yes. Your GPS can be accessed nearly everywhere you have an open “view” to the sky. The GPS functionality within the application will locate your position at all zoom levels, and the geo-coded maps provide an accurate location in terms of latitude and longitude. Most importantly, AccuTerra gives you the added advantage of having a large area of maps available on your iPhone’s memory, regardless of WiFi or cell signal coverage. What good is knowing your geographic position if you can’t see it on a map, right?
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- How detailed are AccuTerra maps?
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The standard for recreational maps is a USGS 7.5’ topographical quad. These printed maps, shown a scale of 1:24,000 or 1 inch = 2,000 feet, are sold at outdoor shops for about $5. The average AccuTerra state download contains the equivalent of about 800 quads, or about 47,000 square miles, and are priced at $9.99. If you were buy the equivalent regional maps in paper format, you could easily spend over $4000!
Some iPhone map applications offered these same paper map formats, scanned and repackaged for the iPhone. Most find the experience results in slow-scrolling, difficult to read maps that can be upwards of 30 years old. They often have only one level of zoom, and users are required to slowly download each individual map in order to view a relatively small area.
AccuTerra maps, however, have been updated and optimized specifically for the iPhone. We verify, update and re-draw these maps into a full-color ‘hill shade’ background that provides a 3D-like appearance to highlight scale and terrain. We also include public land use boundaries, such as National Forests, Bureau of Land Management lands, and National Parks, to make it easy for you to quickly identify private or public property. Finally, AccuTerra maps include a huge collection of out recreation points of interest, from a database of over one million locations.
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- Why is the road data limited to certain highways and streets?
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AccuTerra maps are designed for recreational use, and will give you trail and outdoor recreation information that no web-based mapping application can provide. We focused on providing you the most detailed-possible off-road data in recreation areas, while the more commonly used web-based mapping applications are most useful when you’re not on the trail.
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- What is a “Walking Tour”?
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This unique feature allows users to ‘play back’ their saved trails on the map to friends and family after their adventure is over. The saved track is displayed within the map, while photos taken during the hike are shown as a slideshow in the upper right corner. Note: during the Walking Tour playback, other functions of the App are temporarily disabled.
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- How do I check AccuTerra into and out of my iTunes library?
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When you connect your iPhone to your computer, your iTunes library will display all your apps under your “Applications” folder. By using the Sync function in iTunes, you can put a check next to the applications in the folder that is labeled as your iPhone. By ‘unchecking’ the AccuTerra application, you can safely remove it from your iPhone in order to make room for other apps. IMPORTANT: If you do not wish to permanently delete the application, leave it in the iTunes Application folder and do not delete it.
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- Can I listen to my iPod music while I’m using AccuTerra?
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Of course. Far be it from us to keep you from listening to the theme from ‘Rocky’ while on your hike.
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- Does AccuTerra enable me to route my drive or hike, like a car navigation system?
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The application does not provide turn-by-turn routing on-road or off-road. AccuTerra maps offer the best outdoor recreational detail and the broadest coverage of trails and backcountry roads of any iPhone application. AccuTerra is not intended for use as an “on-road” navigation product, but is perfect for use beyond coverage typically provided in available road map applications.
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- Is AccuTerra available on other devices?
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Although having outdoor maps on your iPhone or other mobile device is convenient, some outdoor enthusiasts require a dedicated GPS device that can withstand the rigor of a rugged and sometimes wet environment. In fact, AccuTerra maps were originally developed to meet the highest mapping standards for outdoor recreational GPS devices.
AccuTerra has been available on select Magellan outdoor GPS devices since 2008. Full US coverage will also be available for certain Bushnell outdoor GPS devices this summer, and on a new line of outdoor GPS devices from Lowrance this Spring. For more details, please visit our GPS Products Page.
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- I’m concerned about my battery life while using AccuTerra - what can I do to save power?
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Using the GPS antenna in your iPhone does consume battery life, so try to minimize battery drain with these tips:
- If you are going to be out of cell range, go ahead and disable the 3G network through your iPhone settings function. [Settings > General > Network > turn off “3G”]
- Disable the WiFi network as well. [Settings > General > Network > turn off “WiFi”]
- Set your screen brightness as low as possible [Settings > General > Brightness]
- For longer trips, consider an external battery. There are many available, with varied pricing, and should offer 1-2 full recharges to the iPhone’s internal battery.
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- Will AccuTerra’s GPS tracking work in the iPhone’s Airplane Mode?
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No. Apple has disabled all radios and antennas within Airplane mode. So you can view the maps, but you would not be able to locate your current position, or start/stop tracks.
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- What are AccuTerra’s Terms of Use?
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Hey- you asked.
Terms of Use
AccuTerra® is a product of Intermap Technologies™ Inc. (“Intermap”). This data is provided to you “as is, as available” and you agree to use it at your own risk. Intermap and its licensors (and their licensors and suppliers) make no guarantees, representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, arising by law or otherwise, including but not limited to, content, quality, accuracy, completeness, effectiveness, reliability, fitness for a particular purpose, usefulness, results or use to be obtained from the data, or that the data will be error-free.
All descriptions given of AccuTerra as to function are for reference only and are not a guarantee. The AccuTerra product regularly accesses GPS satellites, and therefore may have an impact on your unit’s battery life. Intermap has no control over the operation of GPS satellites or the availability of their signals. In situations where adequate signals cannot be obtained, the GPS system may not work at all.
Any map information provided by AccuTerra is intended for recreational use only. You may find that the locations of points of interests may differ from the map. Likewise, any content included is not real-time, may contain inaccuracies, and may differ from actual current conditions. AccuTerra is not intended, nor should it be used, for any primary navigational use, whether by air, water, surface or subsurface means. Intermap will not assume any responsibility for personal injury arising out of the use of the product. Your personal judgment and common sense must always take precedence over information provided by the AccuTerra product. If you feel that information provided by AccuTerra places you in an unsafe situation, or routes you into an area which you consider unsafe, do not follow the route. AccuTerra is not a substitution for a dedicated GPS, a printed map and compass, and/or local information.
We reserve the right to make changes or improvements in our products from time to time without incurring the obligation to install such improvements or changes on equipment or items previously manufactured.
While reasonable effort has been made to ascertain the accuracy of information presented herein, no warranty is given as to the accuracy of any data or their utility for any specific purpose whatsoever. Points of interest are selected from, and their locations are based upon, public record, and their location herein conveys no rights beyond knowledge of their location.
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- My issue isn’t addressed in either the User Guide or the FAQs. What next?
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Please use our Contact page, or ask us a question on Twitter
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