Proximity alert
possibility that the application will alert (with sound) when the position is proximity from a selected waypoint (With choice of proximity distance)
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My use of Gaia falls into two categories :
1) Firing up Gaia to see if I am "on the trail" or "which way to go"
2) Using Gaia to set a way point and navigate to that point. Either by line of sight directionally (if I am bushwhacking) or by traversing path until that point. That point has some function, its where I need to pay attention to not miss a turn off, or I want to make a new navigational path. In this later case I have to keep the app open often, instead I'd really like to set a proximity alert, put the phone/app in my bag/vest and then wait for Gaia to alarm me.
PS. I work in software. These "voting" mechanisms as a way to show the "need" is not really a good way to assess need or interest. What if no one else asks for this? Or knows to ask? or to vote? For example more people are following this than voted, did they even know what vote vs. follow was?
But what if you built it because its the "right thing to do" and everyone loved it? ;)
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I third, fourth, whatever this request. I'm teaching a digital navigation class where Gaia is the recommended GPS app, and while I stress the use of waypoints to mark things like critical junctions and decision points, it is disappointing that you can't be alerted in some way when you are close to the waypoint you are being guided to. You would have to keep pulling out your phone to recheck, and by that point you may have blown past it. Some kind of alerting mechanism would be fantastic!
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I don't mean to be anti-Gaia GPS, but in the interest of helping out those that need this feature, I have moved on to using Locus Map Pro and haven't looked back. It works very reliably to alert proximity. Scalability without slowdown with massive number of POI is very good also, I have thousands of POI in my trip groupings sometimes.
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I would like to see a proximity alert also at the folder level. Say I have a folder containing several waypoints (POIs). If I am near any of them, I would like a proximity alert. I would like to be able to set that proximity to sometimes be 100m and for others I'd like it to be 10km.
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Also adding my vote. This is a very important function of a GPS and on of the reasons why I still carry a dedicated unit as well as using Gaia on my phone (t.b.h. it is also more rugged and takes AA batteries, both super useful).
IMHO Proximity alerts are important for navigating more difficult terrain. For instance alpine environments where you could mark cliffs, glacier, and set a proximity alarm to keep you away from hazards even if you make a navigation error or visibility is poor. I do use this often as a "safety catch" (multiple overlapping proximities alerting waypoints acting as a barrier).
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I'm involved with search and rescue. For many reasons a proximity alert is would be very beneficial. It's absence in the Gaia product is a chief complaint among SAR members and the primary reason Gaia is not used by them, relying instead on Garmin products.
It just can't be that tough to add.
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Heh, I keep getting email updates on this thread. 3 years and I still can't believe this feature isn't in.
I remember back in Gaia's early days they put in suggestions from the community like distance measuring. These days, I feel like it was the wrong investment in the app, and I've moved on to Locus Map Pro. For those who run Android phones, this is an excellent and viable choice.
On trips, I use Locus to alert me on several thousands of speed traps on a map in regions I am passing, as reference so that I can get a heads up to check my speed.
For the great outdoors, I also use it for geofencing type usage, like some people on here need, so I might not fall off a cliff or other dangerous zone because I end up doing a lot of hiking in the pitch black and adverse weather conditions for photoshoots.
Also to some folk's requirements, it supports waypoints dumped into a folder, and so from that, you can create construct a "line barrier" as a bunch of waypoints in one folder. Also it allows setting radius to POI for alert, alert once, continuous with specifiable pause time between alerts.
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I would also love this feature. Even if it is just a special ‘alert’ type waypoint. When I am cycling it is too hard to keep looking at my phone at every intersection so a beep or other noise would allow me to only look when I am at or near a waypoint that I added to indicate a turn. Would be helpful also for navigation in winter when trails are not visible. PLEASE!!!!
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This is absolutely astonishing to me. This cannot be a hard feature to add. Heck, make it a premium feature - I would pay more!
I love hiking and paddling, but I also love to combine my geocaching hobby with my outdoor hobbies. A proximity alert would be incredibly helpful.
I pay $20/year for Gaia and have been a subscription member for a LOT of years. This simple feature is an area of competitive advantage for me. I'm planning a hike tomorrow for the day after Thanksgiving. I'm going to give Viewranger a try.
Gaia... do you really want to keep losing members because of this?
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I have used GAIA for only a few weeks now. Main Reason I switched to it was that I could import NZ hunting area maps. Also stayed in a camground at a marine reserve for the last week that triggered the same interest: Geofencing.
Would be cool if Gaia could warn when entering or leaving a certain area. Ie leave your hunting area - very good to know without constantly checking location - and location checking eats battery due to screen activity.
Leaving or entering the marine reserve area - also good to know when you can fish and when not.
So pulling this all together it would be cool if there was a function for an alert when entering or leaving a user-defined area or spot (waypoint / area) -
I use GAIA for off-road adventure motorcycling following tracks. I will put waypoints at certain sections that require an action (turn/stop/etc...) PROXIMITY WARNINGS ARE A MUST! Having a visual "Dist to Next" along with an audible tone that is selectable by the user for a specified distance (a hiker needs less distance than a motorcyclist) is a key feature, especially when you need your eyes up and out and not staring at the phone. i'm no brilliant software guy so I don't know how hard it would be to incorporate this feature, but looks like people have been wanting this for over 3 years. Any word on when we can expect this feature? Never?
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I've been a Gaia user since I got into bikepacking a couple years ago. I recently moved to a busy city and I've been trying to ride all the roads and paths in the city (usually in the middle of the night). I started researching the ability to build gpx routes (and mine are pretty crazy) and then import them into an android app that will do turn by turn directions. I've found that there aren't really any options out there for that, but the waypoint-proximity alerts are the next best thing. Pretty disapointed to learn that Gaia doesn't have this feature. Might it be coming soon? I really want to minimize the time I'm looking down at the gps route on my phone screen (and obviously save phone battery by have the screen off more often)... thanks Gaia!
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Please we need proximity warnings on waypoints to find springs and turn offs it would have been very helpful this week in the San Gorgonio Wilderness. It has been requested for 5 years per this thread, what is wrong with you guys not responding to users requests? For every request here know there are probably 100 who thought about it but did not take the effort to search for and leave a post!
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I'd also love to see this feature, as it'd save me pulling my phone out every few minutes to make sure I don't miss a turn on the trail. If you're concerned about spotty GPS coverage causing you to miss a waypoint because there was no alert (which I begrudgingly concede could be a saftey/liability issue), the app could also alert when GPS coverage is lost if a waypoit alert is set.
I see that AllTrails has a similar "wrong turn" feature:
https://support.alltrails.com/hc/en-us/articles/360028989752-What-are-wrong-turn-alerts-
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