Any Geocache apps for Android?

[first78]

My friend has just discovered geocaching but does not have a gps...are there any apps (especially free ones) that she could get on her Android so she could start caching?

[+mpilchfamily]

Search Geocaching in the Android market place. One of he better apps is provided by Groudspeak. There is a free version but its very limited and doesn't work the same way as the full version. The full version is only $10 and it helps to support the sport of Geocaching. Well worth the money IMO.

[+CacheFreakTim]

Groundspeak has the official Geocaching app for Android. It is not free, but I have used it and it is pretty slick.

[+ryanr69]

Look for c:geo.

 

It is VERY good, FREE, and the livemap is superior to the Groundspeak app.

[+BlueEagle23]

My Android Geocaching app of choice is GeoHunter, which uses Pocket Queries (requires premium membership.) Does everything well, even field notes that can either be saved to a file and uploaded to geocaching.com later or sent on the fly via SMS (text messaging.)

 

I use c:geo to load a few caches on the fly from geocaching.com without having to run a PQ or transfer files, but this requires a data connection with a good signal and drains the battery faster. (You can store the caches for later and/or import PQ/GPX files.) Comes in handy to touch the cache URL in an email and have it load up on the device right away, especially for FTF attempts. However, to mark a cache as found, you must log an entry that is posted real-time on the geocaching.com cache page (again, requires data connection and drains battery.) You could save the log to post later, however, apparently there isn't a field notes feature.

 

Another program that I pretty much keep just for backup is Columbus. It has an attractive interface and nice features, now even shows live online map like c:geo as well as post logs directly to geocaching.com, but it does not show recent logs for imported PQ/GPX files. I don't know why, but you have to press the Logs button from the menu and then it will download the last few logs from geocaching.com. If you want to view the cache hint, you must press the Hint button in the menu. The hint will then be displayed on the screen for three seconds. No field notes and buggy GPX import process (required third-party file manager that converts spaces in the folder/file name to %20 that you must then manually change back to a space.) Two things that I really like about Columbus: 1) all waypoints can be shown on the map along with the geocaches, which is useful for locating parking and other points of reference at a glance without having to go through each cache; 2) in addition to the list of imported/saved caches, Columbus also provides a Travel Bug inventory list from all of the caches.

Edited June 1, 2011 by BlueEagle23

[Great Wight Hunters]

BEWARE:

 

Groundspeak have updated their "official" app to V2. It is now completely broken on my HTC Magic. Can't open any cache details making the app useless.

[+eusty]

...although it runs mostly faultlessly on my phone and it loads better than the V1.

 

So reasons for both sides!!

[+mizdirection]

I have used c:geo, it is a free app that updates new caches very frequently. I uploaded a new cache today to geocaching.com and found it through this app within seconds of the notification. Up here in the Pacific Northwest, where any tree cover makes most handheld GPS bounce like a yoyo, I get spot on to cache using the satellite view most of the time. When I don't it is strictly cache blindness on my part.

 

 

My friend has just discovered geocaching but does not have a gps...are there any apps (especially free ones) that she could get on her Android so she could start caching?