Feature Request: Add support for external Bluetooth GPS receivers (like Garmin eTrex)
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Hello Mapy.cz Team and Community,
I’ve been using Mapy.cz for years and love its offline maps, intuitive route planning, and GPX import. It’s one of the best free outdoor apps available.
However, there’s a critical limitation for serious hikers, land professionals, and anyone navigating in difficult terrain: Mapy.cz cannot use external Bluetooth GPS receivers. It relies 100% on the phone’s internal GPS, which often fails in dense forests, deep valleys, or bad weather (5–15 m drift), and keeps the phone screen on, draining the battery rapidly.
My specific need:
I own a Garmin eTrex SE (waterproof, multi-band GNSS, 25+ h battery life). I can mount it outside my backpack where it has a clear view of the sky, but I cannot feed its accurate position into Mapy.cz. I’m forced to either:Use the eTrex SE as a completely separate device (losing the great Mapy.cz interface), or
Rely on the phone’s weak GPS and risk getting lost or running out of battery.
Why this matters:
Many competing apps already support external GPS:Locus Map
OsmAnd (with plugin)
Avenza Maps
Gaia GPS
Please consider adding a simple “Connect to external GPS via Bluetooth” option in Settings → Location. Even basic support for standard NMEA-over-Bluetooth devices (Garmin eTrex series) would be a game-changer.
Best regards,
Bartek -
@bartlomiej Hi, thank you for the very detailed description of the new feature. We really appreciate it—it helped us understand how it should work and what it’s for.
I’ve forwarded your idea to the team. At the moment, we are not planning to introduce this feature (our developers mention that external GPS modules are essentially no longer in use). However, the product team is aware of your suggestion.
Thanks again! -
Thank you.
I think you'd gain many users who use devices from the navigation giant, Garmin.
The point is that many people care about accurate route tracking, not always having to look at their phone.An external, weather-resistant GPS solution will always be in use.
It's more convenient, more accurate, and doesn't drain the battery.
Such an external GPS can be active for many days (my model can last up to two weeks of continuous positioning), and when we want to view it, we only need to pull out our phone or tablet for a moment.
We don't have to wait for the device to acquire satellites and we can be sure the position is correct.
Professional users use Garmin because it's an external device.
They're confident in its accuracy, but it would definitely be easier to view a map on their phone, and CZ maps are fantastic.
You have a chance to make a mark on the market here
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@bartlomiej Thank you for this information. I didn't know you can use external GPS-units in combination with applications on other divices. It would be great if this feature could also be addeded to mapy.cz. I use mapy.cz primarily for outdoor activities, but also to look around the globe as the maps are good and my data are not shared with big tech.
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