Arc App - Location & activity Hack 3.13.1 + Redeem Codes
Your automatic quantified self
Developer: Digital Nomad
Category: Health & Fitness
Price: Free
Version: 3.13.1
ID: com.bigpaua.LearnerCoacher
Screenshots
Description
Automatically keep track of the places you visit, how you got there, and what you did while you were there. With a learning engine that gets smarter and more accurate the more you use it.
FEATURES
- The highest accuracy cycling detection available!
- Automatic running and cycling recording - no start button required!
- Automatic recording of places you visit, with analytics and statistics that evolve over time
- Automatic detection and recording of walking, running, cycling, driving, train, tram, bus, airplane, motorcycle, boat, skiing, snowboarding, wheelchair, and many more
- A learning engine that makes it possible to achieve increasingly accurate and detailed recordings of visits and trips, personalised specifically for you
- A searchable memory of your life's travels, searchable by places names, locations, activities, and more
- Export individual trips, or entire days, weeks, months, or years to standard GPX format files, for analysis and visualisation in hundreds of third party services and apps
AND MORE
- Collates place statistics, average visit durations, average calories burned, heart rate, and more
- Compare individual visit statistics to your averages
- Collates workout sessions, sleep times, and weather reports for each timeline item
- Altitude graphs for visualising mountain hikes, airplane flights, etc
- Daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly activity summaries, showing duration, distance, calories burned, and much more, for every activity type
- Automated daily and monthly exports in GPX format or full detail JSON files
- Save walking, running, and cycling workouts to Apple Health
- Moves app data importer
HEALTH DATA
Collection of Health data such as calories burned and heart rate requires an Apple Watch or other Apple Health connected device.
BATTERY USE
Arc is only awake and using GPS when you are active and moving. For the rest of the day Arc stays in a low power sleep mode, with GPS turned off, to conserve battery.
On a typical day of two to three hours of travel a single full battery charge should last from morning to evening without requiring extra recharging during the day. However longer trips (for example a long hike or cross country drive) may consume more than expected battery, due to Arc needing to be awake and recording, with GPS activated, for the duration of the trip.
For longer trips, I recommend plugging your phone into a car charger or battery pack, to avoid unpleasant battery surprises.
SUBSCRIPTIONS AND PURCHASES
A free trial, active subscription, or Lifetime purchase is required to use the app.
## Subscription Details
Your subscription will be charged to your iTunes account. At the end of the term your subscription will automatically renew in your iTunes account. You can turn off automatic renewal in your iTunes account settings at any time, but you must do so at least 24 hours before the end of the current term.
https://www.bigpaua.com/arcapp/terms
FEATURES
- The highest accuracy cycling detection available!
- Automatic running and cycling recording - no start button required!
- Automatic recording of places you visit, with analytics and statistics that evolve over time
- Automatic detection and recording of walking, running, cycling, driving, train, tram, bus, airplane, motorcycle, boat, skiing, snowboarding, wheelchair, and many more
- A learning engine that makes it possible to achieve increasingly accurate and detailed recordings of visits and trips, personalised specifically for you
- A searchable memory of your life's travels, searchable by places names, locations, activities, and more
- Export individual trips, or entire days, weeks, months, or years to standard GPX format files, for analysis and visualisation in hundreds of third party services and apps
AND MORE
- Collates place statistics, average visit durations, average calories burned, heart rate, and more
- Compare individual visit statistics to your averages
- Collates workout sessions, sleep times, and weather reports for each timeline item
- Altitude graphs for visualising mountain hikes, airplane flights, etc
- Daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly activity summaries, showing duration, distance, calories burned, and much more, for every activity type
- Automated daily and monthly exports in GPX format or full detail JSON files
- Save walking, running, and cycling workouts to Apple Health
- Moves app data importer
HEALTH DATA
Collection of Health data such as calories burned and heart rate requires an Apple Watch or other Apple Health connected device.
BATTERY USE
Arc is only awake and using GPS when you are active and moving. For the rest of the day Arc stays in a low power sleep mode, with GPS turned off, to conserve battery.
On a typical day of two to three hours of travel a single full battery charge should last from morning to evening without requiring extra recharging during the day. However longer trips (for example a long hike or cross country drive) may consume more than expected battery, due to Arc needing to be awake and recording, with GPS activated, for the duration of the trip.
For longer trips, I recommend plugging your phone into a car charger or battery pack, to avoid unpleasant battery surprises.
SUBSCRIPTIONS AND PURCHASES
A free trial, active subscription, or Lifetime purchase is required to use the app.
## Subscription Details
Your subscription will be charged to your iTunes account. At the end of the term your subscription will automatically renew in your iTunes account. You can turn off automatic renewal in your iTunes account settings at any time, but you must do so at least 24 hours before the end of the current term.
https://www.bigpaua.com/arcapp/terms
Version history
3.13.1
2023-09-14
- In Confirm/Edit view, places that overlap the visit are now grouped at the top
- Added little grey dots to items on timeline view that need confirm
- Added "Confirm place" and "Confirm [activity]" to long-press menus on timeline view
- The "Clean up" button for visits now also marks samples outside of the radius as 'bogus'
- Fixed the bug where timeline view would jump a day off when navigating from calendar view
- Added “clean up segments” and "Edit segments" buttons to the more/ellipsis meun on Item Details view
- Added little grey dots to items on timeline view that need confirm
- Added "Confirm place" and "Confirm [activity]" to long-press menus on timeline view
- The "Clean up" button for visits now also marks samples outside of the radius as 'bogus'
- Fixed the bug where timeline view would jump a day off when navigating from calendar view
- Added “clean up segments” and "Edit segments" buttons to the more/ellipsis meun on Item Details view
3.13.0
2023-08-14
- Added hiking activity type
- Allow saving of hiking, surfing, and swimming items to Health app
- Renamed "Convert moving segments to stationary" to "Clean up", and added a similar feature for path items
- "Clean up" for visit items now more aggressively cleans up when it's the first or second visit to a new place
- The Place Merge view now indicates which places in a potential merge are Foursquare places
- Hooked up place icons for a bunch of Foursquare place categories
- Allow saving of hiking, surfing, and swimming items to Health app
- Renamed "Convert moving segments to stationary" to "Clean up", and added a similar feature for path items
- "Clean up" for visit items now more aggressively cleans up when it's the first or second visit to a new place
- The Place Merge view now indicates which places in a potential merge are Foursquare places
- Hooked up place icons for a bunch of Foursquare place categories
3.12.1
2023-08-08
Fixed a crash on Visit Edit view.
3.12.0
2023-08-02
## New
- Moved Place Details to a new separate Place view
- Added a "Merge places" feature to the new Place view
- Added a "Convert moving to stationary" feature to Individual Segments view
- Added surfing activity type, and ability to import surfing workout routes
## Fixes and Improvements
- Improved header layouts and scroll behaviours on some views
- improved workout-route matching logic when importing workout routes
- Fixed imported workout route items not fetching some Health app data
- Fetch hourly weather data for timeline items as short as 10 minutes
- Immediate Place details updating if Place has few visits
- Correctly import swimming workout routes
- Moved Place Details to a new separate Place view
- Added a "Merge places" feature to the new Place view
- Added a "Convert moving to stationary" feature to Individual Segments view
- Added surfing activity type, and ability to import surfing workout routes
## Fixes and Improvements
- Improved header layouts and scroll behaviours on some views
- improved workout-route matching logic when importing workout routes
- Fixed imported workout route items not fetching some Health app data
- Fetch hourly weather data for timeline items as short as 10 minutes
- Immediate Place details updating if Place has few visits
- Correctly import swimming workout routes
3.11.0
2023-05-18
- Finally added photos to the Overview tab!
- Weather reports are now fetched for timeline items as short as 20 minutes
- Weather reports are now fetched for timeline items as short as 20 minutes
3.10.0
2023-05-05
## Added hourly weather reports
Each timeline item now shows hourly weather reports on its item details view. These reports are provided by Apple's WeatherKit service, which provides both current and historical weather data. This means you can look back through your timeline data and find out what the weather conditions were in the past (so long as the timeline item's date is after the launch of Apple's WeatherKit service, mid last year).
## Migrated to latest Mapbox SDK
This one is largely just a housekeeping task. Mapbox completely rebuilt their maps SDK a couple of years ago, and are now requiring everyone to migrate to the new version. This doesn't add any new maps features in Arc App, but it did take up a hefty chunk of development time, and as such represents the bulk of the changes in this update.
You might notice some small changes in the appearance of the maps, but otherwise they should continue to function the same as before.
Each timeline item now shows hourly weather reports on its item details view. These reports are provided by Apple's WeatherKit service, which provides both current and historical weather data. This means you can look back through your timeline data and find out what the weather conditions were in the past (so long as the timeline item's date is after the launch of Apple's WeatherKit service, mid last year).
## Migrated to latest Mapbox SDK
This one is largely just a housekeeping task. Mapbox completely rebuilt their maps SDK a couple of years ago, and are now requiring everyone to migrate to the new version. This doesn't add any new maps features in Arc App, but it did take up a hefty chunk of development time, and as such represents the bulk of the changes in this update.
You might notice some small changes in the appearance of the maps, but otherwise they should continue to function the same as before.
3.9.1
2023-04-12
Fixed the problem of the app getting suspended in the background on iOS 16.4.
3.9.0
2023-03-07
## Fully rebuilt all the charts on timeline item details views
- Heart rate chart is now colour coded by heart rate zones
- Speed and altitude charts show both points and line, to communicate the data noise versus the trend over time
- Histogram views for common speeds, visit durations, and visit arrival and leaving times are now displayed as horizontal bars, to better accommodate histograms with many bars
## Other bits
- Cleaned up the "Sleeps" section on item details view, with it now showing totals per sleep category (eg in bed, deep sleep, etc)
- Fixed the annoying bug that would kick you back to the timeline view while trying to do cleanup edits in the Individual Segments view
- Fixed Activity tab summaries incorrectly including duration and distance amounts from "bogus" items
- Fixed the calendar view not respecting the system setting for first day of week
- Significantly reduced the amount of nonsense moving type segments inside visits
- Heart rate chart is now colour coded by heart rate zones
- Speed and altitude charts show both points and line, to communicate the data noise versus the trend over time
- Histogram views for common speeds, visit durations, and visit arrival and leaving times are now displayed as horizontal bars, to better accommodate histograms with many bars
## Other bits
- Cleaned up the "Sleeps" section on item details view, with it now showing totals per sleep category (eg in bed, deep sleep, etc)
- Fixed the annoying bug that would kick you back to the timeline view while trying to do cleanup edits in the Individual Segments view
- Fixed Activity tab summaries incorrectly including duration and distance amounts from "bogus" items
- Fixed the calendar view not respecting the system setting for first day of week
- Significantly reduced the amount of nonsense moving type segments inside visits
3.8.2
2022-12-20
Arc now manually cleans up old temp files instead of waiting for iOS to do it, to avoid the app taking up excess space on some people's phones.
3.8.1
2022-12-07
Fixed a crash on launch that is affecting some users.
3.8.0
2022-12-05
This update introduces a new activity type detection system built with Apple's Core ML, with significantly improved accuracy, and fewer confirms/corrects needed!
Note that after the update it may take a day for the new ML models to be built, so you might see a temporary drop in accuracy until the daily background task has completed.
- Fixed custom visit titles not appearing if title is only one character long
- Fixed hiking workouts importing as incorrect type
- Dark Mode map now defaults to a more neutral map style (Note that you can override map styles for Light and Dark Mode in Map Settings)
Note that after the update it may take a day for the new ML models to be built, so you might see a temporary drop in accuracy until the daily background task has completed.
- Fixed custom visit titles not appearing if title is only one character long
- Fixed hiking workouts importing as incorrect type
- Dark Mode map now defaults to a more neutral map style (Note that you can override map styles for Light and Dark Mode in Map Settings)
3.7.0
2022-10-26
- Dark Mode support
- Home Screen widget
- Lock Screen widget
- All Visits view shows visits on map
- Home Screen widget
- Lock Screen widget
- All Visits view shows visits on map
3.6.1
2022-10-04
- Sped up loading of photos on timeline view on iOS 16 devices
- Various improvements to backup / restore / import systems
- Fixed workouts list not updating after adding/removing workout from timeline
- Other misc bug fixes
- Various improvements to backup / restore / import systems
- Fixed workouts list not updating after adding/removing workout from timeline
- Other misc bug fixes
3.6.0
2022-09-27
You can now import workouts from Health app directly into Arc’s timeline!
Tapping on the new red workouts button at the top of the timeline view will take you into the flow for importing and adding workouts to your timeline.
Note that only workouts that were recorded with location data can be imported. For example walking or running recorded on an Apple Watch or other wearable. Indoor or stationary workouts, eg yoga or strength training, don’t contain location data so can’t be imported. However their recorded calorie and heart rate data will still appear as usual in item details views.
## Other New And Improved Stuff
- Significant UI speed improvements
- Significant processing speed improvements
- The Split Segment view now zooms into the split point when nudging left/right
- The recording engine applies less aggressive smoothing, making use of the less erratic location data on newer phone models, for more accurate and detailed trip paths
- Monthly and yearly map views now update outdated map data when being viewed while plugged in to power
## Even More Stuff
- Improved auto place assignment for places that have/haven’t been visited recently
- Fixed the photo previews incorrectly appearing on subviews after closing full map view
- Places searches with accented characters work correctly again
- Tapping the date now opens the calendar view
- Individual Segments view now shows sample counts for each segment
- Lots of improvements in automatic timeline processing and cleanup
- Many more minor bug fixes and improvements
Tapping on the new red workouts button at the top of the timeline view will take you into the flow for importing and adding workouts to your timeline.
Note that only workouts that were recorded with location data can be imported. For example walking or running recorded on an Apple Watch or other wearable. Indoor or stationary workouts, eg yoga or strength training, don’t contain location data so can’t be imported. However their recorded calorie and heart rate data will still appear as usual in item details views.
## Other New And Improved Stuff
- Significant UI speed improvements
- Significant processing speed improvements
- The Split Segment view now zooms into the split point when nudging left/right
- The recording engine applies less aggressive smoothing, making use of the less erratic location data on newer phone models, for more accurate and detailed trip paths
- Monthly and yearly map views now update outdated map data when being viewed while plugged in to power
## Even More Stuff
- Improved auto place assignment for places that have/haven’t been visited recently
- Fixed the photo previews incorrectly appearing on subviews after closing full map view
- Places searches with accented characters work correctly again
- Tapping the date now opens the calendar view
- Individual Segments view now shows sample counts for each segment
- Lots of improvements in automatic timeline processing and cleanup
- Many more minor bug fixes and improvements
3.5.2
2021-10-21
- Faster backups and restores
- More frequent map updates in full screen map mode
- Show current location on map even if not viewing today
- Fixed invisible bogus segments on map when doing segment splitting
- More frequent map updates in full screen map mode
- Show current location on map even if not viewing today
- Fixed invisible bogus segments on map when doing segment splitting
3.5.1
2021-09-03
- Fixed some UI freezing issues, and sped up timeline view significantly
3.5.0
2021-07-01
This update finally introduces the new iCloud backups system! Phew, that took waay longer than I wanted. But the good news is it's orders of magnitude faster, and uses orders of magnitude less iCloud storage.
The new system will start working immediately on a new full backup (provided you've got it turned on in Arc's Settings -> Backup, Import & Export -> iCloud Drive backups). And once the first full backup has completed it will then free up the many gigabytes of space used by the old system. Relief!
The first full backup should take up to a few days to complete, and once finished will use up typically less than 500 MB of iCloud space. So yeah, it's much faster, and much smaller.
- New File Import view for power users
- Misc performance, reliability, and UI responsiveness improvements
- Misc UI/UX cleanups
The new system will start working immediately on a new full backup (provided you've got it turned on in Arc's Settings -> Backup, Import & Export -> iCloud Drive backups). And once the first full backup has completed it will then free up the many gigabytes of space used by the old system. Relief!
The first full backup should take up to a few days to complete, and once finished will use up typically less than 500 MB of iCloud space. So yeah, it's much faster, and much smaller.
- New File Import view for power users
- Misc performance, reliability, and UI responsiveness improvements
- Misc UI/UX cleanups
3.4.4
2021-02-19
- Major UI performance improvements!
- Fixed some time/duration formatting on chart/histogram views
- More prep work for the new backups system
- Fixed some time/duration formatting on chart/histogram views
- More prep work for the new backups system
3.4.3
2020-11-27
- Various bug fixes and stability improvements
- Lots of prep work for the new backups system
- Lots of prep work for the new backups system
3.4.2
2020-10-14
This update possibly works around the increased background terminations.
3.4.1
2020-09-25
Just minor housekeeping in this update. Nothing to get excited about. More fun stuff coming soon though!
3.4.0
2020-09-13
## Arc 3.4
Arc 3.4 is built to prepare your data for the next generation of Arc apps. As well as to provide a bunch of "under the hood" improvements to keep things running smoothly.
But the most important thing I need to let you know about is the massive bug in iOS 13, that makes it impossible for Arc to do its job! Judging by my overflowing inbox, many of you have already experienced this problem. It's a big nasty mess. To get the full details, and information on how to work around the problem, please read the Known Issues article.
https://changemap.co/bigpaua/arc-app/task/3863-ios-13-location-data-bug/
But back to stuff that doesn't suck: this update will migrate your data to a new "shared app container" on your phone, which will take a little while but is perfectly safe. (But don't test your luck by swiping the app closed or anything silly like that).
The shared app container is because the next generation of Arc App isn't "App", it's "Apps" plural!
## Arc Mini
Coming very soon is Arc Mini, a slimmed down, open sourced version of Arc, with just the core timeline recording and editing functionality. You can find Arc Mini already available on Github, for those who like to play with code. And once Arc Mini is available on the App Store it will share the same database as Arc App, so the two apps can live happily together, helping each other out with recording, processing, all that stuff.
https://github.com/sobri909/ArcMini
## Arc 4.0
Arc v4 is a whole new generation of Arc! The biggest release ever, with a fully reimagined UI, and a whole bunch of major new features. Exciting stuff! Arc v4 (and, well, Arc Mini too) are why it's been so long since the last Arc v3 update - Mladen and I been busy laying the foundations for this awesome next generation, next level stuff.
In case anyone has started to worry: No, these new apps won't be sold separately! Your Arc Backer subscription covers it all. If you're already a backer, you're already paying for Arc v3, Arc Mini, and Arc v4, and they'll all be ready to go the moment you install them when they arrive. I hate scammy extra costs too!
## Arc 3.4 misc details
- Database migration to prepare for Arc Mini and Arc v4
- Backups now automatically run when Arc is in the foreground and plugged into power
- Misc efficiency, stability, reliability, etc improvements
Arc 3.4 is built to prepare your data for the next generation of Arc apps. As well as to provide a bunch of "under the hood" improvements to keep things running smoothly.
But the most important thing I need to let you know about is the massive bug in iOS 13, that makes it impossible for Arc to do its job! Judging by my overflowing inbox, many of you have already experienced this problem. It's a big nasty mess. To get the full details, and information on how to work around the problem, please read the Known Issues article.
https://changemap.co/bigpaua/arc-app/task/3863-ios-13-location-data-bug/
But back to stuff that doesn't suck: this update will migrate your data to a new "shared app container" on your phone, which will take a little while but is perfectly safe. (But don't test your luck by swiping the app closed or anything silly like that).
The shared app container is because the next generation of Arc App isn't "App", it's "Apps" plural!
## Arc Mini
Coming very soon is Arc Mini, a slimmed down, open sourced version of Arc, with just the core timeline recording and editing functionality. You can find Arc Mini already available on Github, for those who like to play with code. And once Arc Mini is available on the App Store it will share the same database as Arc App, so the two apps can live happily together, helping each other out with recording, processing, all that stuff.
https://github.com/sobri909/ArcMini
## Arc 4.0
Arc v4 is a whole new generation of Arc! The biggest release ever, with a fully reimagined UI, and a whole bunch of major new features. Exciting stuff! Arc v4 (and, well, Arc Mini too) are why it's been so long since the last Arc v3 update - Mladen and I been busy laying the foundations for this awesome next generation, next level stuff.
In case anyone has started to worry: No, these new apps won't be sold separately! Your Arc Backer subscription covers it all. If you're already a backer, you're already paying for Arc v3, Arc Mini, and Arc v4, and they'll all be ready to go the moment you install them when they arrive. I hate scammy extra costs too!
## Arc 3.4 misc details
- Database migration to prepare for Arc Mini and Arc v4
- Backups now automatically run when Arc is in the foreground and plugged into power
- Misc efficiency, stability, reliability, etc improvements
3.3.1
2020-03-07
- Added French translations, and updated Japanese translations! Thanks to Fred and Kohji <3
- Improved stability of iCloud backups and automatic GPX/JSON exports
- Improved stability of iCloud backups and automatic GPX/JSON exports
3.3.0
2020-02-12
This release introduces translated / localised times, dates, distances, durations, and activity type names, for Japanese, German, Spanish, Catalan, and Thai!
Massive thanks to the Translations Team! PalminX, moritz, Oriol, and Kohji!
- Timeline item notes are now included in JSON export files
- Scatter chart instead of line chart for trip speeds
- Bug fixes for place Common Visit Times graphs
- Improved Last.fm track play import reliability
Massive thanks to the Translations Team! PalminX, moritz, Oriol, and Kohji!
- Timeline item notes are now included in JSON export files
- Scatter chart instead of line chart for trip speeds
- Bug fixes for place Common Visit Times graphs
- Improved Last.fm track play import reliability
3.2.0
2020-01-04
- Segment Splitting has arrived! Tap on a segment from the "Individual Segments" view, then the "Split" button, to fine tune the details of timeline items and activities down to the second.
- Added a new "Lifetime Backer" option, to get full access to Arc's functionality forever, with a single purchase.
- Possibly worked around an iOS 13.3 bug that causes location updates to randomly stop arriving.
- Added a new "Lifetime Backer" option, to get full access to Arc's functionality forever, with a single purchase.
- Possibly worked around an iOS 13.3 bug that causes location updates to randomly stop arriving.
Cheat Codes for In-App Purchases
| Item | Price | iPhone/iPad | Android |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arc Subscription · Monthly (Monthly Subscription) |
Free |
BJ414019794✱✱✱✱✱ | B315D2F✱✱✱✱✱ |
| Arc Subscription · 6 Monthly (Six monthly Subscription) |
Free |
BJ113485473✱✱✱✱✱ | 3E4706E✱✱✱✱✱ |
| Arc App Backer · Yearly (Yearly Arc App Backer) |
Free |
BJ735789151✱✱✱✱✱ | 710D1F7✱✱✱✱✱ |
| Arc App Backer · Lifetime (Pay once to use Arc forever) |
Free |
BJ250198751✱✱✱✱✱ | DA06005✱✱✱✱✱ |
Ways to hack Arc App - Location & activity
- Redeem codes (Get the Redeem codes)
Download hacked APK
Download Arc App - Location & activity MOD APK
Request a Hack
Ratings
4.3 out of 5
394 Ratings
Reviews
Gilad R.,
Solid app, sudden paywall could be explained better
I had to find the reason for suddenly blocking the app until payment in another negative review about the app being blocked by payment. I get it, and wouldn’t want the dev to lose money over a free utility. I was worried that my data was suddenly inaccessible, but the dev answered that I could pick a subscription and cancel during the free trial. Just seems wonky.
Also, there’s no mention of the privacy policy of the Foursquare APIs that became abruptly expensive. I hope the reason they’re not mentioned is that they’re not identifying.
The tool itself is pretty good. Helps identify places, maps points of interest and walking paths nicely, accurately, and without a huge battery hit. I quite enjoy it for traveling, but unfortunately I don’t do it often enough to justify monthly payment to view my past trips when I want to recommend spots to a friend.
I’d probably have to renew my subscription every time I want to see the app, which likely will mean I won’t end up doing so and only subscribe on trips. I wonder if a mode to view past trips without Foursquare APIs could be viable.
If you’re checking the app for the first time, like exploring places and tracking where you’ve been, I’d highly recommend subscribing to it.
Also, there’s no mention of the privacy policy of the Foursquare APIs that became abruptly expensive. I hope the reason they’re not mentioned is that they’re not identifying.
The tool itself is pretty good. Helps identify places, maps points of interest and walking paths nicely, accurately, and without a huge battery hit. I quite enjoy it for traveling, but unfortunately I don’t do it often enough to justify monthly payment to view my past trips when I want to recommend spots to a friend.
I’d probably have to renew my subscription every time I want to see the app, which likely will mean I won’t end up doing so and only subscribe on trips. I wonder if a mode to view past trips without Foursquare APIs could be viable.
If you’re checking the app for the first time, like exploring places and tracking where you’ve been, I’d highly recommend subscribing to it.
WarzauWynn,
Was great until the subscription
I used this app for 2 years until the subscription was forced. During that time it worked mostly good. For me, the real value of this app was merely having a reliable history of my location. This app is really good at consistently logging your location and not being killed off in background like some other location trackers. Unfortunately the subscription was forced in order to get any functionality, and the entire app is locked behind a subscription page now. I can't imagine subscribing to a log of my own gps location data, so if you're a user like me who doesn't care about any of the ML and life logging features, I guess it's time to look elsewhere.
I did read some confusing details that the author wrote in response to a critical review, but I still don't understand the subscription limitations. Unfortunately the app support link just goes to a marketing page that is devoid of support information. The confusion surrounding the subscription seems like it could be easily solved by putting an actual support page up.
I did read some confusing details that the author wrote in response to a critical review, but I still don't understand the subscription limitations. Unfortunately the app support link just goes to a marketing page that is devoid of support information. The confusion surrounding the subscription seems like it could be easily solved by putting an actual support page up.
Kcc622159,
Excellent app to track your whereabouts
Arc is the best app to track where you are. I'm simply the kind of person who likes knowing where I am on a specific date and time, and I like correlating with other sources like my photos. Arc is doing a wonderful job recording my location. For frequently visited locations like workplace, Arc can basically auto-confirm the place, whereas for new places I find it worthwhile to sit down for 10 minutes every day just to record them in the app.
That said the UI sluggishness of the app has been ongoing for quite a while, and that's a reason for taking away a star. Of course I understand that the app is dealing with many gigabytes of data from years of recorded activity, but the iPhone is a powerful smartphone. There shouldn't be sluggishness on the UI.
That said the UI sluggishness of the app has been ongoing for quite a while, and that's a reason for taking away a star. Of course I understand that the app is dealing with many gigabytes of data from years of recorded activity, but the iPhone is a powerful smartphone. There shouldn't be sluggishness on the UI.
randybruder,
“Control your data”
The app touts “Control your data.” Except that’s a lie—the developer changed the app to lock any data older than 30 days behind a paywall, so really they’re the one that controls your data, not you. If you want the data back, you’ll have to pay. Not only that, but there’s no option to export all of your data out of the app, so you’re held hostage to a subscription just to be sold the lie your in “control of your data.”
Edit:
The restriction hasn’t “existed for the past year” as the developer claims, I was able to view data more than a month old as recently as a few months ago. The restriction was added recently.
The developer also says there are “multiple export options” but they clearly indicate they are only for data moving forward, not your past data held hostage (on your own device) by the developer. Any past data you’ve accumulated is held hostage on your own device. The SQLite databases stored on your phone are inaccessible to the user. The “web exporter” mentioned by the developer is no where in the app.
Edit2:
I used the app as recently as August 1st and was able to view data more than a month old. I visited the Arc app website, there is zero mention of a web exporter.
I am not happy to have to repeatedly reply to antagonistic developer replies attempting to frame me as the liar in the conversation. Editing my review doesn't "antagonise and create animosity", it *warns* other potential users.
Edit:
The restriction hasn’t “existed for the past year” as the developer claims, I was able to view data more than a month old as recently as a few months ago. The restriction was added recently.
The developer also says there are “multiple export options” but they clearly indicate they are only for data moving forward, not your past data held hostage (on your own device) by the developer. Any past data you’ve accumulated is held hostage on your own device. The SQLite databases stored on your phone are inaccessible to the user. The “web exporter” mentioned by the developer is no where in the app.
Edit2:
I used the app as recently as August 1st and was able to view data more than a month old. I visited the Arc app website, there is zero mention of a web exporter.
I am not happy to have to repeatedly reply to antagonistic developer replies attempting to frame me as the liar in the conversation. Editing my review doesn't "antagonise and create animosity", it *warns* other potential users.
ardenhabersham,
This app makes me happy.
I like maps and like knowing what I did with my day. Beyond liking, it’s useful for time and mileage tracking. The route recorded is very precise. I can see my path carrying in groceries, parking the car and unparking. The moves interface was much prettier, softer, but there is so much information here that I can get used to the crisper feel. To Mr. Digital Nomad, a question as I can’t find another way to reach you. Did I actually see the map animate itself in reviewing it later? It unfolded like a video. I could see the paths I took unloading the car. Is that normally possible? I know I saw it but don’t know how to make it repeat. And, hey, thanks for this app. I’ve tried all of them I can find and you are the winner, standing tall.
vaticdart,
Want to Love, Still Miss Moves
While I definitely appreciate the privacy centered approach of Arc compared to Moves, I miss Moves.
I WANT to love Arc. A great deal of effort and love has gone into the app, and it shows. And I have donated around $50 to the developer in the last two years to support their efforts.
That said, its tracking for most of the activities I do is far worse than Moves. It consistently does things like think that I biked 35 miles at 43 mph, or that I walked 8 miles at 17 mph. It consistently mistakes my location for another that I marked once, months or years ago. At my old apartment it consistently thought I was at a bar 3 blocks away. Almost every day at my work it thinks I'm at a food truck 1/4 mile away. It doesn't seem to learn but just keeps making the same mistakes over and over.
That said, it is very good for cycling in the city. That is the one thing it seems to be better at than Moves. But for busing, taking the train, car share, and even walking, it's pretty bad.
Other reviews here say something similar to "not as good as Moves" and the developer seems to respond defensively. I suggest they take such criticism seriously, and with grace, rather than getting defensive.
I'm giving them until version 3.0 to get this app right, and then I'm moving on.
I WANT to love Arc. A great deal of effort and love has gone into the app, and it shows. And I have donated around $50 to the developer in the last two years to support their efforts.
That said, its tracking for most of the activities I do is far worse than Moves. It consistently does things like think that I biked 35 miles at 43 mph, or that I walked 8 miles at 17 mph. It consistently mistakes my location for another that I marked once, months or years ago. At my old apartment it consistently thought I was at a bar 3 blocks away. Almost every day at my work it thinks I'm at a food truck 1/4 mile away. It doesn't seem to learn but just keeps making the same mistakes over and over.
That said, it is very good for cycling in the city. That is the one thing it seems to be better at than Moves. But for busing, taking the train, car share, and even walking, it's pretty bad.
Other reviews here say something similar to "not as good as Moves" and the developer seems to respond defensively. I suggest they take such criticism seriously, and with grace, rather than getting defensive.
I'm giving them until version 3.0 to get this app right, and then I'm moving on.
Ndubbs87,
Almost there...
I used to love moves and since they collapsed I’ve been looking for a replacement and have been disappointed with moves lite and movesX and other similar programs. Arc is the best substitute I’ve found so far but 2 main issues:
1. It has data gaps all the time. I turned background app refresh on but it never worked so I always leave the app open, but sometimes it still has big gaps. Sometimes it says that iOS closed it...not sure how/why. Other times no reason there are just gaps...
2. I’m not sure if it’s impossible or just not user friendly to add activities when they were missed. E.g. today I was at a location for 2 hrs but it just shows driving from home to home for 2.5 hrs . I would like to add the location I traveled to and the time I was actually there, but I can’t find how to do that.
1. It has data gaps all the time. I turned background app refresh on but it never worked so I always leave the app open, but sometimes it still has big gaps. Sometimes it says that iOS closed it...not sure how/why. Other times no reason there are just gaps...
2. I’m not sure if it’s impossible or just not user friendly to add activities when they were missed. E.g. today I was at a location for 2 hrs but it just shows driving from home to home for 2.5 hrs . I would like to add the location I traveled to and the time I was actually there, but I can’t find how to do that.
superyb99,
Very good, but still room for improvement
After Moves died, I tried every single iOS moves tracker I could find. This is the best one, but it's not quite perfect.
Battery: I ran 5 moves tracking apps at the same time on my phone, and this one was by far the best balance for battery versus accuracy.
Accuracy: It's good, but there are sometimes bugs. For example, it seems to lose time at a venue, showing me at a place for 3 minutes while in reality I was there for over an hour. The time in between is not accounted for anywhere in the app.
UI: Well designed, but sometimes slow to respond even on the latest iPhone
Export functionality: It has exports, but they're still clunky. There's no way to export all your data, but it seems like it'll get there soon. It doesn’t look like there will ever be a Moves-like web API.
Cost: I appreciate the ability to donate monthly to sustain development! I would happily pay $10/month for this app ($120 a year), but that’s not an option, so I’m paying $5. If you like it, consider paying as well.
Battery: I ran 5 moves tracking apps at the same time on my phone, and this one was by far the best balance for battery versus accuracy.
Accuracy: It's good, but there are sometimes bugs. For example, it seems to lose time at a venue, showing me at a place for 3 minutes while in reality I was there for over an hour. The time in between is not accounted for anywhere in the app.
UI: Well designed, but sometimes slow to respond even on the latest iPhone
Export functionality: It has exports, but they're still clunky. There's no way to export all your data, but it seems like it'll get there soon. It doesn’t look like there will ever be a Moves-like web API.
Cost: I appreciate the ability to donate monthly to sustain development! I would happily pay $10/month for this app ($120 a year), but that’s not an option, so I’m paying $5. If you like it, consider paying as well.
BlossomMerz,
Great app, amazing developer.
My original review lamented the lack of an importer for data from the now defunct Moves app. The developer wrote me personally to say that he had implemented an importer. I asked if it was robust and he responded to tell me exactly how it would work and what to do if it didn’t. The importer worked perfectly, bringing in about 5 years of data.
And the Arc app? It’s fantastic! After you’ve been tracking for a while you can dig into entries to analyze things like how often you visit a particular location, how long you stay, what times you’re usually there, and much more.
And the Arc app? It’s fantastic! After you’ve been tracking for a while you can dig into entries to analyze things like how often you visit a particular location, how long you stay, what times you’re usually there, and much more.
Hoperabbit,
Okay
I have used this app since moves app disappeared. I still miss moves. Sometimes Counting steps doesn’t work and it frequently died. Now I reached to the conclusion that I need to find other app that is more reliable.
Another thing that I like to talk about is a donation. I know that software development takes time and effort and I need to pay for it. It would be great if I can afford to paying monthly donation as you suggested. There may be people who want donation not monthly but once or occasionally. I couldn’t find that option. If you give us an option to choose the amount and frequency you may get more supporters like me. The option that you suggested is way over my budget.
Another thing that I like to talk about is a donation. I know that software development takes time and effort and I need to pay for it. It would be great if I can afford to paying monthly donation as you suggested. There may be people who want donation not monthly but once or occasionally. I couldn’t find that option. If you give us an option to choose the amount and frequency you may get more supporters like me. The option that you suggested is way over my budget.
