aprs.fi Android & iPhone app 3.0.0: Offline maps!

[Heikki Hannikainen]

Hi,

Version 3.0.0 of the aprs.fi app is now available on the Apple App Store
and Google Play Store!

The new version finally brings in an Offline Maps feature, which has been
requested quite a few times over the years. The feature is included in the
Extra Features subscription (i.e. requires subscription payment to
download and use).

The offline maps are based on OSM data, and can be conveniently downloaded
and managed directly within the app in the More -> Offline maps menu.

The downloaded data is vector data, and the actual map tiles are rendered
on by the app, on the device, from the vector data, as you zoom in and pan
around.

There is one quirk that will need a bit of attention and improvement: map
labels (street and place names) are not rendered in the offline map tiles
yet, but are rather rendered by Google/Apple maps on the respective
platforms. I could flip on the label rendering, but then there would be
two sets of labels on top of each other; I'll have to figure out how to
fix that, or perhaps have a switch to select if OSM or Google/Apple labels
are drawn. Stay tuned.

https://ios-guide.aprs.fi/#_offline_maps

Version 2.11.0 (on July 19th) added a feature to block messages from
selected callsigns. There have been some automated spamming bots out
there, as well as messaging loops between bots, and this feature should be
helpful.

https://ios-guide.aprs.fi/#_blocking_messages_from_stations

- Hessu, OH7LZB / AF5QT