Development

a:Drake was originally written by LudekV; since 2021 lnavrat has been contributing and maintaining the current version. The source code is kept in a private GitLab repository.

The main place for bug reports, ideas and release announcements is the a:Drake discussion on the geocaching.cz forum (in Czech, English posts are welcome). Pre-release test versions are published there as well.

Please include the a:Drake version (About), device model and Android version, what you did when the problem occurred, and a screenshot if possible.

• Google Play versions contain no crash reporting library. Crashes and ANRs reach the developer anonymously through Google Play (Android Vitals) if sharing of diagnostic data is enabled on your phone.
• Test versions (from the forum, package cz.adrake.dev) contain ACRA: after a crash a dialog is shown and the report can be sent by e-mail. Nothing is sent without your confirmation.

Until 2020 issues were tracked in the GitHub issue tracker (migrated from Google Code). It is kept as an archive only – please report new issues in the forum.

Recent versions match the release notes in the app (About → Release notes). Versions 1.15 – 4.x are documented in the Czech version only.

• new: Wear OS watch app (Wear OS 3 or newer) – navigate to a cache right from your wrist
  • Send to Watches button in cache detail; install the watch app from Google Play on the watch
  • Direction arrow and distance computed from the watch's own GPS, falling back to phone data without a GPS fix
  • Vibration alerts when approaching the cache (same thresholds as on the phone)
  • Radar for the final approach (within 30 m) – cache in the centre, your position and track
  • Swipe from navigation to see the cache hint
  • Dimmed always-on display and battery-saving GPS based on distance and speed
  • Logging a find also ends navigation on the watch
• new: Drafts: LAB caches are skipped during bulk upload to the web (geocaching.com has no drafts for them) and the app reports how many were skipped
• fix: Tablets: the app no longer crashes when started full screen (two-pane layout)
• fix: Foldables: the app no longer crashes when switching between narrow and wide screen
• fix: Text fields have a border – in the light theme it was not visible in dialogs (e.g. nickname) where to type
• fix: Fixed crashes when editing a log, in pending logs and in the filter
• chn: Updated build tools and libraries

• new: Offline maps and themes via Storage Access Framework (SAF)
  • Mapsforge .map files can be picked from any location on the device or external storage – no longer required to copy them into the app's private data folder
  • Map themes can be loaded directly from a ZIP archive (Elevate, OpenAndroMaps, etc.) – no manual extraction needed
  • The chosen map and theme location is remembered between app restarts via persisted URI permissions
  • Internal map definition format extended: file:// path, content:// SAF URI, and legacy data-folder reference are all supported simultaneously
• chn: Old proprietary map engine removed – only Mapsforge maps from now on
• new: Preferences backup/restore via SAF to /Documents/aDrake or any public folder
• chn: Targets Android 17 (API 37); Mapsforge library updated
• new: Log images can be uploaded to drafts
• new: Battery optimization opt-in dialog (less aggressive than before)
• new: Bottom sheet dialogs in place of older popup menus (no transparency artifacts)
• new: Heading-up map rotation (map turns with your direction of travel)
• new: Live GPS status under the grid – fresh fix / waiting / no fix
• new: GPX and field notes (drafts) export via SAF to any folder
• fix: Foreground location service no longer broken on recent Android
• fix: Map state (zoom, position, rotation) correctly preserved across rotations and restarts
• fix: App no longer crashes during cache log refresh (race between background load and list rendering)
• fix: App no longer crashes when scrolling many cache logs (file descriptor leak in icon loading)
• fix: Multiple database cursor leaks closed (search, trackable list, image cache, map tile cache)
• fix: Latent bug: image cache could hang on a corrupted entry – now skipped instead of looping
• fix: NullPointerException in geocache types loading
• fix: Fixed map tile dropouts during heading-up rotation
• fix: Cache logs no longer disappear after refresh when the server returns an empty list
• fix: Distance in stop manager now shown with decimals
• fix: Quick search: results are kept after searching again, launch fixed
• fix: Runtime notification permission request (Android 13+)
• fix: Fixed trackable download (malformed URL parameter – HTTP 400)
• fix: Many crash & ANR fixes from Android Vitals – state restore after process death, foreground service timing, fragment race conditions, NPEs in various places
• fix: Various refactoring, deprecated API cleanup, more internal stability – but as always, expect surprises after a release this large

• fix: Support Mapsforge themes in ZIP files
• fix: Target Android 16 (O)
• fix: Mapsforge 0.26.1
• fix: fix some exceptions and bugs, but due migration more bugs could happens:(

• fix: Support PKCE verification during OAuth2
• fix: Mapsforge 0.20
• fix: fix some exceptions
• fix: update of system libraries
• fix: online download mapnik tiles for OpenStreet maps

• fix: Minimum is Android 5.0 (Lollipop)
• fix: Mapsforge 0.17

• fix: a:Drake has same enabled features as a:Drake plus

• fix: Minor fix for Android 10 and hires display

• fix: Upgrade libs to Android 10 (SDK 29) - required by Google
• fix: Mapsforge 0.14

• fix: API read by GC code
• fix: Processing of corrected coordinates

• fix: Fix of new API data processing

• new: New Geocaching API
• new: Approximate distance between all cache waypoints
• new: Character table – order, ASCII, Braille, semaphore, flag alphabet
• new: Show hint on compass tab
• fix: Added permission to write to SD card
• fix: Fix of downloading nonexisting pictures - listing flickering
• fix: Deleting of all trackables – only current tab is cleared

• new: Library Mapsforge 0.10.0
• fix: Internal changes required by Google
  • Move to newer Android libraries – slightly changed look
  • New authorizations and notifications concept
  • Migration from Eclipse to Android Studio

• new: Reload caches in the map using long press of cache button
• new: Layer button can be set to select style of Mapsforge map
• new: Gallery – fix of rendering, new compact layout
• new: Action bar for pending logs
• new: Attach picture from attachments to log
• new: Support for navigation in Waze
• new: Searching ignoring accents (beta)
• fix: Fix of (image) downloading from the web
• fix: Fix of hiding of visited waypoints in new (beta) map

• fix: New map engine
  • Fix of keeping last position and zoom
  • Optimalization of rendering (label as text instead of bitmap)
  • Adjust of reading of caches
• new: Option to center map to reference point

• new: White background of small cache markers (points) in the map
• new: Optional joining of waypoints, order by prefix
• new: Map and icons are scalable separately
• new: Improved color picker
• new: Library MapsForge 0.9.0
• fix: Time in exported tracks

• new: (beta) New maps, old map engine of own production replaced by Mapsforge with enhancements. Can be switched in map settings.
• new: Library MapsForge 0.8.0
• new: Filter by date of hide
• new: Sum of variables in formula solver
• new: Customizable tab order in cache detail
• new: Sorting of quick map selection items by drag
• new: Option to always show ad-hoc waypoints on the map
• new: Images download – https, option to switch-off and download selected image by tap
• new: (5.15.9) Update of cache status from logs
• fix: Storage selection – internal/external (new detection of SD card)
• fix: (5.15.8) Finds counter in exported drafts
• fix: (5.15.8) Drawing of caches in the new map after zoom in/out
• fix: (5.15.8) Scale bar in the new map
• fix: (5.15.8) Restart of the new map
• fix: (5.15.9) Reading of caches from GC Live
• fix: (5.15.9) Refresh of listing

• new: Minor bug fixes

• new: Waypoint editor redesigned
• new: Waypoint prefix dislayed in list
• new: Sorting waypoints by name or distance
• new: New options of automatic marking of visited waypoints
• new: Option to keep particular logs over refresh
• new: Automatic extraction of variables from formula
• new: Support of GPX format Groundspeak PQ and GeoGet v2
• new: Basic support for Lab Cache
• new: Selection of storage – internal/external
• new: Error reporting (must be enabled in settings)
• fix: Support for HTTPS in URL of cache

• new: Mapsforge 0.6.1
• new: Recursive evaluation of formula, for example [[A+B]C[D+E]+26]
• new: Calculated variables, for example X = A+B+C
• new: Automatic marking of visited waypoints
• new: Visualization of visited waypoints in list
• new: Settings – new page for waypoints
• fix: Test of map availability corrected
• fix: Fix of the dark theme
• fix: Refresh of MTP after field notes export

• new: Mapsforge 0.6.0
• new: Sharing link to the cache
• fix: Fix of the dark theme
• fix: Icon for marking of the cache changed to star, new option in filter

• new: Warning of waypoints older than the latest version of the listing
• fix: Reading PQ from Gc Live
• fix: Searching around map center and displaying of its coordinates in filter summary

• new: option to hide visited waypoints on the map
• fix: unified format of cache name in search results and map context menu
• fix: map – improved performance of reading of caches, corrected colors of small points

• fix: fixed copying of text from listing

• fix: bug fixes

• fix: starting application via notification
• fix: a few minor bug fixes

• fix: switching GPS on/off fixed
• fix: processing of images in gallery improved

• fix: quick search fixed (Plus only)
• fix: (not) saving of notes fixed

• new user interface
• major part of application was rewritten

• new: sharing of coordinates with other apps
• fix: change of navigation target

• new: minor improvements
• fix: bug fixes

• new: image gallery, storing images offline
• fix: saving of waypoits from averaging
• fix: GPX import – listing, better progress bar
• fix: lost of note after Gc Live update
• fix: opening cache detail from map, if data source is Gc Live

• new: navigation to a cache or waypoint using Google maps
• fix: map issue

• new: trip statistics, averaging the coordinates
• fix: filter on Ice Cream Sandwitch 4.0.x
• fix: update of Google maps URL - <b>remove /sdcard/adrake/map-config.xml, new one will be created</b>
• fix: optimization of map
• fix: shorter delay before map context menu is displayed
• fix: modified time of signal playback when approaching the cache
• fix: formula solver, brackets, unarny minus, better normalization

• new: formula solver
• fix: number of fixes

• new: copy, paste and delete of waypoint coordinates
• fix: new German translation
• fix: Live cache list - open detail and back
• fix: rotate map with context menu visible
• fix: disabled reading of Waymarks from Gc Live

• new: turn off GPS when not used
• fix: automatically switch to Geocaching Live if database is empty
• fix: map - absolute path for map file, fixed empty URL, improved downloading of tiles
• fix: progress dialog while saving log
• fix: behavior of settings activity
• fix: Attended as default log type of Events
• fix: crashes in filter by position
• fix: crashes in list of caches

• new: download of 10 last logs of the cache
• new: automatic loading of other caches in the list from the web
• new: mass update of status of selected caches
• new: basic cipher toopls
• new: option to ask for the way of sending logs
• new: track log manager
• new: filter coordinates from ad-hoc waypoints or by address
• fix: search by stars
• fix: switch reading of bearing back from GPS to compass
• fix: bearing in compass and map in landscape mode

• new: filter by size, difficulty and terrain
• new: projection of waypoint
• new: detail of waypoint - digit sum of coordinates, user defined protection against overwriting on import
• new: use GPS Status if available
• new: sending longs to the web - option to save as Field Note or promote to log
• fix: screen of ad-hoc waypoints
• fix: moving of map to navigation target (turns off moving map automatically)
• fix: loading of waypoints in cache detail - too strict filter

• fix: test of final waypoint on database selection
• fix: layoutu of browse file dialog
• fix: new keys for Geocaching Live <b style=“color:red”>(new login reccomended)</b>
• new: sorting of caches list
• new: move to SD card enabled (requires Android 2.2 and newer)

• new: option for rounding of field note time
• fix: restart of application when HOME button was used
• fix: export of Field Notes in UTF-16
• fix: a few errors, which could be reason of crash

• new: option to hide track on map
• fix: invalid message “Not authorized” on cache download
• new: disabling of filter options if Cache Code is filled
• new: map - green background for all caches with final waypoint, where it makes sense

• The first public release