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Geocaching iPhone App Wishlist


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As someone who exclusively uses her iPhone to geocache, I have to say that there have been some great improvements to the app lately, and I appreciate that Groundspeak is working on making the experience better.

 

During all of the changes, I've been thinking about the features that would make the app PERFECT (at least for me), and I'd welcome any additions to my "Iphone App Wishlist". This is not me whining, I know the app is a work in progress.

 

1. Add/remove caches to lists - love the recent addition enabling looking at lists, but its a pain that I can't edit the list in the field.

 

2. Map lists - I'd love to be able to see all of the caches on my list in map form.

 

3. Needs Maintenance log - right now I can only log a found, dnf, or note - but a needs maintenance would be super handy!

 

4. Favorite points - I know others have said this as well, but I hate having to remember to come back to the site to award favorite points.

 

5. Attributes - another well-voiced frustration on these forums. It's worth repeating!

 

6. You're getting close - can we disable it? Disable the sound? Nothing like trying to be in "stealth mode" and having that loud sound announce your presence to everyone around you :)

 

This is by no means an exhaustive list - but these features would give us less dependency on the website while out in the field, which would be incredibly helpful. Thanks Groundspeak!

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Everything you've mentioned, plus...

 

7) Field Notes - I use these for every single log, so without having them available I still can't even use the app for my regular day-to-day caching

 

8) Archived/Disabled Caches - There needs to at least be a way to search for these on the app. I understand keeping them off the default search and map, but you should still be able to bring them up by searching the GC Code like you could in the old app.

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If I were to switch to the Groundspeak app, I would want to see these features as well:

 

1. Import gpx files from other sources.

 

2. Export cache list as a gpx file - very handy if I want to transfer files to my dedicated gpsr while in the field.

 

3. Link to offline routing apps, such as Navigon, Here, or Pocket Earth directly from the cache page.

 

4. In-app ignore function (in case I want to temporarily hide a cache to or change my mind and want to stop ignoring in the field)

 

5. Edit cache page, including description or coordinates.

 

6. View page source.

 

7. Coordinate projection.

 

8. Ability to merge, filter, and edit lists

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I'd like to see the maps in the new app improved. The maps in the old PAID geocaching were infinitely superior especially for urban caching. For example, if you look to navigate to a cache in Central Park, NYC in the paid app, you see the trails that lead through the park. But they aren't on the map to the new geocaching app. This is going to be devastating when Groundspeak stops supporting the paid app. In addition, you can't zoom in as close on the new app. I don't understand how something as basic as the maps took such a huge regressive step as Groundspeak is seeking to evolve the app.

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For all the reasons above and all the reasons in many other threads, I have to say that I'm deeply disappointed in Groundspeak.

 

The new app is terrible. It's flat-out terrible. It was released "not ready for prime time." With so many features obviously missing and so many features implemented poorly, Groundspeak's pushing us to migrate to the new app is unconscionable.

 

On top of that, closing access to the API to prevent third parties from building better applications makes it clear that Groundspeak wants strangle-hold control over the game. This is the absolute opposite of the "open" movement common in the software industry today. Instead, this is proprietary, protectionist, and anti-competetive.

 

TL;DR: Groundspeak pushing members onto a terrible application and preventing anyone else from making better ones is dirty pool.

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On top of that, closing access to the API to prevent third parties from building better applications makes it clear that Groundspeak wants strangle-hold control over the game. This is the absolute opposite of the "open" movement common in the software industry today. Instead, this is proprietary, protectionist, and anti-competetive.

1. While they aren't currently accepting new API partners, that hasn't always been the case. There are quite a number of apps on both the iOS and Android platforms that are using the API, and some are very highly-regarded and widely preferred over the official apps.

2. Groundspeak is under no obligation to follow the "open" movement. If they feel it's in their best interest to keep the API proprietary and closed to new partners, I don't see why they shouldn't be able to.

 

As for the rest of your post, I wholeheartedly agree. I think there must have been some technical or legal reason that forced Groundspeak to prematurely kill off the old app and roll out this unfinished one, and they aren't at liberty to tell us the reason why.

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On top of that, closing access to the API to prevent third parties from building better applications makes it clear that Groundspeak wants strangle-hold control over the game. This is the absolute opposite of the "open" movement common in the software industry today. Instead, this is proprietary, protectionist, and anti-competetive.

1. While they aren't currently accepting new API partners, that hasn't always been the case. There are quite a number of apps on both the iOS and Android platforms that are using the API, and some are very highly-regarded and widely preferred over the official apps.

2. Groundspeak is under no obligation to follow the "open" movement. If they feel it's in their best interest to keep the API proprietary and closed to new partners, I don't see why they shouldn't be able to.

 

As for the rest of your post, I wholeheartedly agree. I think there must have been some technical or legal reason that forced Groundspeak to prematurely kill off the old app and roll out this unfinished one, and they aren't at liberty to tell us the reason why.

 

While I think you're irrationally forgiving with them as to "why," I agree there's no law requiring Groundspeak to be anything other that closed, proprietary, and anti-competetive.

 

At this they excel.

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On top of that, closing access to the API to prevent third parties from building better applications makes it clear that Groundspeak wants strangle-hold control over the game. This is the absolute opposite of the "open" movement common in the software industry today. Instead, this is proprietary, protectionist, and anti-competetive.

1. While they aren't currently accepting new API partners, that hasn't always been the case. There are quite a number of apps on both the iOS and Android platforms that are using the API, and some are very highly-regarded and widely preferred over the official apps.

2. Groundspeak is under no obligation to follow the "open" movement. If they feel it's in their best interest to keep the API proprietary and closed to new partners, I don't see why they shouldn't be able to.

 

As for the rest of your post, I wholeheartedly agree. I think there must have been some technical or legal reason that forced Groundspeak to prematurely kill off the old app and roll out this unfinished one, and they aren't at liberty to tell us the reason why.

 

While I think you're irrationally forgiving with them as to "why," I agree there's no law requiring Groundspeak to be anything other that closed, proprietary, and anti-competetive.

 

At this they excel.

 

What's anti competitive about them not allowing other businesses access to their system? Is their data on their equipment.

 

I'd consist being anti competitive as actively discouraging or harming other geocaching services.

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I think there must have been some technical or legal reason that forced Groundspeak to prematurely kill off the old app and roll out this unfinished one, and they aren't at liberty to tell us the reason why.

While I think you're irrationally forgiving with them as to "why,"...

I don't think I'm being irrational at all. I just don't see how anyone in any universe could consider the way they did things to be a good business move. Unless something has gotten into the water (or maybe the air?) at GSHQ, I believe the Lackeys are intelligent enough to understand this and that there must be some other reason why they had to do things in such an illogical fashion. An embarrassing technical reason (e.g. they lost the source code due to poor backups) or a legal reason (e.g. some kind of lawsuit that they aren't allowed to publically discuss) could explain why not a single peep has made it out to the public about why things went down the way they did.

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Hi all, first post to this forum...

 

I've just upgraded from an iPod to my nephew's "old" iPhone 4, which runs iOS7. Both have the 30-pin plug and I use a Bad Elf GPSr, which is brilliant.

 

Is there a way of getting the old Groundspeak classic app? The new Groundspeak app won't download, as it says I need iOS8, but it doesn't offer old versions like other apps do in the App Store.

 

At this point I'm thinking I'm screwed - I can't go geocaching at all. Surely other people run iOS7 still?

 

Skogpingvin (Bill)

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- Field Notes

- Route to Arrow/Icon -> Apple Maps, Google Maps, Navigon

Not to sound like a broken record and there certainly can be supported added to the free GC.com app, you get what you want and more in the current Cachly app. I was frustrated with the free app in a few areas including how it displayed the original coords for a solved puzzle cache and Cachly handles it well. I wouldn't pay for something that I could get for free, but if you cache enough, the rather insignificant $5 is well worth it.

 

You can see some highlights from a recent presentation -

 

Again - no problem waiting and hoping but at the velocity we're all currently seeing change with the GC.com app, it might be a very long while.

 

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Thanks so much for pointing out the Cachly app. When I recently got a new iPhone, for some reason it wouldn't run the classic app when I transferred it from my old one. I couldn't find updates for it so I downloaded the new app. When I tried to use it I wanted to cry. It is virtually useless for the type of high terrain caching I like to do. So I was stuck using my old iPhone 4. Cachly seems to address just about every deficiency in the new Groundspeak app and it's very easy to use. The map support alone is well worth the $5.

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Did anyone from Groundspeak reply to this? Try riding a bike and have the " getting close" pop up at every cache on a 365 cache trail..

 

jens985

Premium Member

Group:+Premium Members

Posts:1

Joined:01-January 11

Posted 23 April 2016 - 05:19 AM

As someone who exclusively uses her iPhone to geocache, I have to say that there have been some great improvements to the app lately, and I appreciate that Groundspeak is working on making the experience better.

 

During all of the changes, I've been thinking about the features that would make the app PERFECT (at least for me), and I'd welcome any additions to my "Iphone App Wishlist". This is not me whining, I know the app is a work in progress.

 

1. Add/remove caches to lists - love the recent addition enabling looking at lists, but its a pain that I can't edit the list in the field.

 

2. Map lists - I'd love to be able to see all of the caches on my list in map form.

 

3. Needs Maintenance log - right now I can only log a found, dnf, or note - but a needs maintenance would be super handy!

 

4. Favorite points - I know others have said this as well, but I hate having to remember to come back to the site to award favorite points.

 

5. Attributes - another well-voiced frustration on these forums. It's worth repeating!

 

6. You're getting close - can we disable it? Disable the sound? Nothing like trying to be in "stealth mode" and having that loud sound announce your presence to everyone around you :)

 

This is by no means an exhaustive list - but these features would give us less dependency on the website while out in the field, which would be incredibly helpful. Thanks Groundspeak!

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Did anyone from Groundspeak reply to this? Try riding a bike and have the " getting close" pop up at every cache on a 365 cache trail..

Read… maybe. Take on board or acknowledge… no.

 

GS's actions have made their position on this new app clear: dumb it down, saddle it with an atrocious interface, fill it with videos and gratuitous animations & messages which slow down navigation, and ignore community feedback. The app's still incredibly buggy and feature deficient, and development is glacial.

 

It's the official app, I really wanted to like and use it.

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Did anyone from Groundspeak reply to this? Try riding a bike and have the " getting close" pop up at every cache on a 365 cache trail..

Read… maybe. Take on board or acknowledge… no.

 

GS's actions have made their position on this new app clear: dumb it down, saddle it with an atrocious interface, fill it with videos and gratuitous animations & messages which slow down navigation, and ignore community feedback. The app's still incredibly buggy and feature deficient, and development is glacial.

 

It's the official app, I really wanted to like and use it.

 

What do you use instead?

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What do you use instead?

 

Cachly: lovingly crafted interface, easy to use, stable, tons of features (including real offline support, field notes, draft logs, logging NM), regularly updated, and every forum post is diligently & quickly responded to.

 

The (API enforced) limitation of sometimes only seeing 50 caches at a time is a nuisance, but can be managed fairly easily, and is being mitigated further in V2.

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Did anyone from Groundspeak reply to this? Try riding a bike and have the " getting close" pop up at every cache on a 365 cache trail..

Read… maybe. Take on board or acknowledge… no.

 

GS's actions have made their position on this new app clear: dumb it down, saddle it with an atrocious interface, fill it with videos and gratuitous animations & messages which slow down navigation, and ignore community feedback. The app's still incredibly buggy and feature deficient, and development is glacial.

 

It's the official app, I really wanted to like and use it.

 

What do you use instead?

Another vote for Cachly. Supports a basic approach if that is all an individual needs and is flexible enough to support sophisticated users. For the price of less than 2 cups of coffee, you can have an app that doesn't make you frustrated. Best $5 I ever spent on the App store. http://www.cach.ly/

 

It's not uncommon for me, even when sitting at a desktop computer, to fire up Cachly vs use the GC.com site.

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Wow! All of the above. I've been using the classic app on my 6S forever, but still have the free app on my phone too. Yesterday I tried using the free app exclusively to see what issues it had. All of the above and more. I'm getting ready to teach a class to a bunch of Scouters (adults) who want to be able to help their boys with the Geocaching Merit Badge and make it a family affair. One of my caching buddies is helping me and will take the Droids while I do the iOS crowd. We know they want to use the free app, but he's prepared to discuss c:geo and I'm ready to talk Cachley. It's sad that Groundspeak isn't providing full functionality to their apps for premium users. I guess if you're a newbie, it's just fine.

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So incredibly disappointed to see that the Classic app (which I paid good $ for) has begun to display a message that it will cease to work on March 23rd :sad: . I have both, but use the new app as a vehicle navigator to the cache location only, and then use the Classic for the hunt as it is vastly superior to the new app. The lack of attributes and that stupid "you are getting close newbie chime" makes it unusable for me. I also find the mapping much better in the Classic.

 

I have been resisting, but I think it is time to purchase one of the competitive apps people have been recommending.

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My day started on the wrong foot: I got a message informing me of the demise of the app that helped me obtaining 99% of all the caches I ever found.I brought an expensive GPS but don't even use it unless cell coverage is poor. I tried to use the new one but it lacks everything I been using for 6 years. The lack intuitiveness making it use frustrating at best. With a March 31 deadline, they better have a plan to bring the Official App to at least the level the old one was 4 years ago! :(

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The Classic Geocaching app is superior to the new version.

I have to say the current app being push on me is garbage, don't like it one bit.

I hope Groundspeak will be persuaded to to maintain the old version.

My biggest gripe is that you cannot save a log to send later on.

Sincerely,

vo2rs

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On top of that, closing access to the API to prevent third parties from building better applications makes it clear that Groundspeak wants strangle-hold control over the game. This is the absolute opposite of the "open" movement common in the software industry today. Instead, this is proprietary, protectionist, and anti-competetive.

1. While they aren't currently accepting new API partners, that hasn't always been the case. There are quite a number of apps on both the iOS and Android platforms that are using the API, and some are very highly-regarded and widely preferred over the official apps.

2. Groundspeak is under no obligation to follow the "open" movement. If they feel it's in their best interest to keep the API proprietary and closed to new partners, I don't see why they shouldn't be able to.

 

As for the rest of your post, I wholeheartedly agree. I think there must have been some technical or legal reason that forced Groundspeak to prematurely kill off the old app and roll out this unfinished one, and they aren't at liberty to tell us the reason why.

 

Their best interest should be in listening to their premium members and adding features we need or they're going to see premium membership counts drop. I'm on iPhone but since they're retiring the classic app I'm retiring my fundage for premium unless I find an app that works similar to classic.

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Ugh. I got the notice that the classic app is being disabled. I tried the new official one, and found it to be an unintuitive mess. Where are my personal notes? I use those all the time for hints and puzzle solutions. Where is search by name? Where can I quickly browse user photos?

 

Sadly, I won't be able to use the official app for geocaching. Time to invest in a third party app, I guess. Very disappointing.

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I just downloaded the new iPhone app as I thought it would be good to get on board early before the classic app is retired. What a terrible disappointment! I'm going to the Getty Museum today and wanted to get the Earthcache that's there. Much to my surprise, in neither compass or map mode does the secondary waypoint show up. How is one to navigate to a secondary waypoint that's clearly listed on the on-line cache page but not available in the field via the app?

 

And where is there a help feature for the app to figure out what these nonintuitive menus mean?

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I, too, have just started using the new app. My God, how disappointing.

It's cludgy- and the "help" sucks! I know what a traditional cache is. I don't need the how to cache videos and explanation in the help, I need help in how to use the app.

 

They took something that worked and replaced it with a frustrating nightmare.

 

I'm going to look into cachly and some of the other 3rd party apps.

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I'll throw in that it would be great to be able to click a username from a cache log and be able to send them a message, much like you can select to contact the CO of a cache. It would be great to be able to send a message to the most recent finder of a cache, or to someone who found one of my own caches without having to go and search out their username (which doesn't even work all the time).

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The Classic Geocaching app is superior to the new version.

I have to say the current app being push on me is garbage, don't like it one bit.

I hope Groundspeak will be persuaded to to maintain the old version.

My biggest gripe is that you cannot save a log to send later on.

Sincerely,

vo2rs

 

Also for us a big issue. In the Netherlands WiFi isn't available everywhere. When we travel abroad we have to pay double, so we stay offline.

There's no possibility to save logs and send them later.

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Agree with TeamKroket and others above.

Have been forced into this new app, and it's capabilities and interface are so far below the old app that it has me rethinking my whole dedication to this hobby until I find a replacement.

I want the old app back please! As the saying goes, if it aint broke, don't fix it!

 

My current rig is my old iPhone with a plug in chip from Bad Elf, and it works brilliantly! Until now that is. This horrid, annoying app won't let me even save a log before posting (WTH?)

No more cache hides for me until I find something that works. And if that doesn't happen, then maybe I ditch my premium membership dues and replace this hobby for something else (I hear orienteering is fun).

 

Thanks for those who recommended Cachly. Trying it out. Hopefully this will save the day.

Edited by dantreeman
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Also for us a big issue. In the Netherlands WiFi isn't available everywhere. When we travel abroad we have to pay double, so we stay offline.

There's no possibility to save logs and send them later.

It has been announced by Groundspeak that "draft" logs will be available in the app before 3/23.

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For all the reasons above and all the reasons in many other threads, I have to say that I'm deeply disappointed in Groundspeak.

 

The new app is terrible. It's flat-out terrible. It was released "not ready for prime time." With so many features obviously missing and so many features implemented poorly, Groundspeak's pushing us to migrate to the new app is unconscionable.

 

On top of that, closing access to the API to prevent third parties from building better applications makes it clear that Groundspeak wants strangle-hold control over the game. This is the absolute opposite of the "open" movement common in the software industry today. Instead, this is proprietary, protectionist, and anti-competetive.

 

TL;DR: Groundspeak pushing members onto a terrible application and preventing anyone else from making better ones is dirty pool.

 

In the iPhone area, Apple is clearly moving towards 64 bit only apps. Has not happened yet, but it is on the horizon, and when they get there, all of the no-64 bit apps will be deprecated. Suspect this is why Groundspeak is moving from the old app to a new one. That being said, I agree with many that there implementation of the new app is poor, and their lack of transparency and failure to get input from their end users is disappointing, albeit the norm.

 

About 65% of the catchers I know cache with a mobile phone as opposed to a GPSr. Of that group, I know no-one who uses Groundspeak's app (new or old). There are a lot of third party apps out there for both iPhone and Android, many with better feature sets and with developers who are more sensitive to and interested in their customer's needs.

 

I've done well with a GPSr and a notebook since 2005, so I'll stick with that.

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I have just read through the posts in this thread and, sadly, have to add my voice to the chorus "Groundspeak has made a right mess of the introduction of a replacement to the Classic app".

 

I think the main problem is to have created a cheapo free app and then decide to upgrade it, for whatever reason, rather than conceive an ideal app and build it from scratch.

 

It is one thing to have a wish list but another to have to put on a wish list a load of features that were already appreciated by premium members in the Classic app. I too have only recently bothered to struggle with adapting to a downgrade which is visually greatly inferior to the Classic. I have some sight problems and this app and its maps are not friendly for me.

 

In addition to the issues raised already in this thread (Getting Closer is a disaster! as is the lack of the comprehensive field notes of the Classic which are supposed to be available in 10 days time!), the navigation is poor. To unlock the navigation is terribly fiddly then, when you get close and want to zoom in using your touch sensitive screen, the navigation locks again - uh why???

 

I wish I'd looked at the forum topic a few weeks or months ago as I think I am going to have to buy Cachley or a.n.other, and now only have a 2 days to familiarise myself with it and create / download some lists before going travelling...

 

AnTsInRpAnTs

Edited by Keystone
potty language removed by moderator
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I fully support it,

especially

- personal cache note

- attributes

- needs maintainance log

- where are the waypoints, which were created with the old app?

g.zelli

I want to see Field Notes and Personal Cache Notes brought back with the new App. They are not the same thing. Field notes is a really useful function when you are out on a trail, offline and finding several similar caches but need to remember which were DNFs, NMs, etc whereas Personal Cache Notes are essential for solving puzzles, calculating coordinates for multi/offset caches. Because the PCN also syncs with the website it is perfect for switching between home and field use. There is a separate thread for Personal Cache Note. For me, this is the one thing I miss the most with the terrible new iPhone app. I have used an iPhone for all four years I have been caching and if this new app is not fixed I will probably go and get myself a proper GPS device. Maybe it's the push I have needed. But I like my phone and am an Apple-holic. :huh:

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I want to see Field Notes and Personal Cache Notes brought back with the new App. They are not the same thing. Field notes is a really useful function when you are out on a trail, offline and finding several similar caches but need to remember which were DNFs, NMs, etc

In case you weren't aware, Field Notes are now available in the app. It is called "Drafts" now. It works both online and offline. You can read details in the latest Release Notes thread.

 

I agree that it would be great to see Personal Cache Notes in the app.

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Where are my Souvenirs?

I miss being able to view the souvenirs I have earned. This was possible in the older app -

@Groundspeak: Is this in your backlog of pending enhancements to the new app?

I agree!

 

One of the common personality traits of most catchers I know is they like to collect things....... like Caches......and Souvenirs.

 

TB

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I'd love to see my current location displayed on the main screen like in the old app, rather than having to drill down several layers to get it, then back to refer to another cache, then drill down again, and back again, etc. Really dumb how it is now. Better yet, just scrap the "new" app, and continue to support the original one. It works. Very unwise decision to create a "new" app. But, we get what we pay for.

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Seems I posted this in the wrong spot a few minutes ago....

 

I can't find any way to download PQ's in the new app. Is that feature no longer supported? If not, is there a way to convert a PQ to a list? How about .gpx to list? Gpx to list would be most awesome, as I often start with a PQ route then choose select caches to make a gpx file for download into my GPSr.

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