If location services are available Maps n Trax can record you location at any time that the current location is available. Waypoints can also be recored automatcially at configured time periods or distances.
In Maps n Trax waypoints are always stored part of a ‘Track’. A Track in Maps n Trax is simply a collection of waypoints and although it may consist of an ordered set of waypoints representing a real track, path or route, it could also be an unordered collection of places of interest such as a directory or gazetter.
When saving or recording waypoints, they are always stored in the ‘Active Track’. The active track is simply the track that has been selected or created for the role of storing new waypoints. Any track can be selected as the active track and can have its active track status removed at any time.
If a waypoint needs to be stored and there is no current active track, Maps n Trax will automatically create a new Track and configure it to be the current active track. This means that in most cases users do not need to worry about which track is the active Track. For more information regarding management of Tracks and Waypoints (including managing the Active Track), see the section Managing Maps and Tracks.
NB: Waypoint Recording must be enabled in Settings for any of the waypoint recording features to work.
Save a Waypoint for the Current Location
- Tap the Save Waypoint item on the bottom toolbar of the Map View.
| Save Waypoint for Current Location |  |
The waypoint will be saved to the current Active Track. If there is no current active track, a new track will automatically be created and named according to the current date, time and time zone. This new track will be used as the active track until either a new active track is selected, or the current active track is deselected.
Save a Waypoint for any Arbitrary Location on the Map
- Press and hold on the map view for 1 second on the map location at which the new waypoint should be created.
- Choose the ‘Store Waypoint in Active Track’ button.
A red pin will appear on the map to make the location of the new wayoint. The waypoint will be saved to the current Active Track. If there is no current active track, a new track will automatically be created and used as the active track.
If the new waypoint is not quite in the correct location, it can be moved by triple-tap and drag in the same way as any other waypoint as long as it is represented by a pin image. For more information on moving a waypoint, see the section, ‘Moving a Waypoint’ at: Viewing Tracks and Waypoints.
Record Waypoints Automatically
- Tap the Auto Waypoints item in the bottom toolbar on the Map View.
| Auto Waypoints (Recording Off) |  |
| Auto Waypoints (Recording On) |  |
The Auto Waypoints item will change to show a tick (check mark) when recording is on or to show a cross when recording is off.
When auto waypoints recording is on, waypoints will be taken automatically according to the configurations for auto waypoints which can be modified in the Settings.
If there is no current active track when recording is turned on a new track will be created and configured as the active track.
If there already is a current active track when recording is turned on an action sheet will appear in which you can choose whether to store new waypoints in a new segment within the current active track or to automatically create a new track and set it to be the active track in which new waypoints will be stored. (For more information on Segments see the ‘Track Segments’ on the Terminology and Hierarchy of Maps N Trax Objects page.)
Recording During Sleep or Background
If the device is put into sleep mode or Maps n Trax goes into the background (eg for a phone call) while Auto Waypoints recording is on, waypoints will continue to be recorded periodically. However, waypoints may only be recorded according to time period and not according to distance, depending on the Auto Waypoint configuration in Settings.
Recording and Battery Use
Recording waypoints requires the location services to be enabled continuously even if Maps n Tracks is in the background or the device is in sleep mode. Using location services for accurate waypoints requires use of the GPS hardware in the device and this uses additional battery power. Therefore using Auto Waypoint recording without being connected to an external power source can drain the battery much more quickly than usual.
Therefore in most cases where waypoint recording is anticipated to take more than four hours using only battery power, it is recommended to use manual waypoint recording only. Battery life varies according to different devices and different usage patterns.