Skip to main content

Global settings

🚧 This article is incomplete

This article is incomplete & needs to be reviewed. You can help by creating a pull request.

Overview​

Global settings are general settings for all profiles in the OsmAnd application. These are the basic settings for the OsmAnd system and all changes made will affect the entire application.

Menu β†’ Settings β†’ OsmAnd settings

Profiles General Settings Android Profiles General Settings Android

General​

This section contains the basic settings of OsmAnd, such as selecting a profile when the application loads, language selection and the folder in which the data will be saved.

Default profile​

OsmAnd uses the default profile, Browse map, as the first profile for new users and also if this profile has been selected by the user to be used each time the application is restarted. You can choose any profile, Last used and Browse map too, from the list as default.

  • Last used - selects the profile that was last used.

  • Default profile - You select the profile that will be used when starting OsmAnd. Can be changed in the application settings.

General Settings Default profile Android

CarPlay profile​

This profile is only available for iOS. It uses your car's audio and video systems to display its data on your phone.

note

This settings is not available for Android

To read about the capabilities of Android Auto within the OsmAnd application, see the corresponding article in the Navigation section.

Display language​

Display language option is used to change the language of the entire app, including pop-up prompts, internal text, messages, etc. Up to Android 12, OsmAnd allows you to customize the display language according to your preferences directly within the app. Starting from Android 13 and for iOS devices, display language can be only changed in the system settings (see how to change per-app language preferences in Android and iOS).

Menu β†’ Settings β†’ OsmAnd settings β†’ Display language

General Settings Language Android

note

On some Android devices (Xiaomi with Muiu 14), there is no way to set app languages individually in the system settings, so the language of OsmAnd can only be changed together with the language of the whole system. You may consider referring to the GitHub discussion for additional information.

Data storage folder​

For Android you can find all information about OsmAnd data and change storage folder in Global settings.

Menu β†’ Settings β†’ OsmAnd settings β†’ Data storage folder

Profiles Storage Settings Android Profiles Storage Settings 1 Android

OsmAnd usage:
Here you will find all the data size information for each data category: maps, guides, contour lines / hills / slopes, tracks, audio and video, tiles, other.

Change storage folder

Here you can change the folder for saving OsmAnd data on your device.

  • Internal app memory. Only OsmAnd app has access to its data and none of external apps.
  • Shared memory. No longer available.
  • External storage 1. Only 1 OsmAnd app has access and Admin apps and USB.
  • External storage N. SDCard: Only 1 OsmAnd app has access and Admin apps and USB.
  • Multiuser storage. Only 1 OsmAnd app has access but it's shared between multiple Android users.
  • Manually specified. Depends on the path.

Map rendering engine​

Menu β†’ Settings β†’ OsmAnd settings β†’ Map rendering engine

General Settings engine rendering Android

In the Android version of the app, you can switch between map rendering Version 1, originally implemented in the OsmAnd app, and Version 2, which uses the OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) programming interface for rendering two- and three-dimensional graphical objects. The iOS version uses only OpenGL for map rendering.

FeaturesVersion 1Version 2 (OpenGl)
Cross-platformNot used in iOS version.Fits both versions.
GPU / CPU dependentRecommended for low-performance or outdated devices.Powerful rendering engine.
Only available for OsmAnd 4.3 and later versions, and in test mode for OsmAnd 4.2.
3D modeIt is possible to view the map in 2D, and you can change the viewing angle to get a 3D view.You can view the map in 2D and 3D.
Map displayThe whole map is rendered as a set of tiles, and markers, lines and text are already inside these tiles.First, the entire tile pack is rendered, and then the available symbols are applied to the map, layer by layer.
Transparent symbols overlay / underlaySupports all settings.Does not support raster layer on top of vector text.
Online mapIt does not support the display of Π‘ontour lines if the map source is any online tile map.When the map source is an online map, 3D maps are also used, and the display of Π‘ontour lines on the map is supported.
Weather pluginYou cannot use this plugin.Convenient to use with the plugin.

The image for the 3D view of the map is loaded tile by tile, then all the symbols. The rendering speed of the map depends on the number of 2D and 3D graphical objects on it, and directly on the performance of your hardware. Therefore, Version 2 (OpenGL) cannot be used on low-performance devices.

renderingrenderingrendering

Privacy and security​

OsmAnd allows you to choose whether or not to share your activity in the app, the ability to edit your history and use the proxy (Android only) of your choice.

note

For more information see OsmAnd privacy and security policy.

Analytics​

Analytics (Android) or Send anonymous data (iOS) - this setting allows you the choice whether or not to provide anonymous data about Downloaded Maps and Visited Screens (Android).

info

Data about your location or the places you view on the map is not collected.

Menu β†’ Settings β†’ OsmAnd settings β†’ Analytics

General Settings Collected data Android

Identifiers​

⚠️ Android only
This feature is currently not available for the iOS version of the OsmAnd app.

A UUID (Unique User Identifier) is generated for each installation of the OsmAnd application and sent to the servers during map loading. A random UUID is used to download offline maps from OsmAnd servers to control rational use of server resources, predict traffic usage, and provide general monthly reports on map downloads. The UUID changes every 3 months.

Starting with OsmAnd version 4.3, you can disable the collection of user data when using the OsmAnd app. Then the UUID will not be sent with any download request.

You can read more information in the Terms of use (ToS).

Menu β†’ Settings β†’ OsmAnd settings β†’ Privacy and security β†’ Identifiers

UUID Android

History​

The application records the history of previously entered data (history) in the following categories: Search, Navigation, Map markers. Using the switch on the appropriate tab (Search history, Navigation history, Map markers history), you can enable/disable logging for this category of entries. You can also manage (view, delete, and share) previously recorded data.

Menu β†’ Settings β†’ OsmAnd settings β†’ History

General Settings History Android General Settings History Android

  • Backup as file (Android) or Export (iOS) - is used to make a backup file of your Search / Navigation / Map markers history.
  • Clear all history (Android) or Delete all history (iOS) - is used to delete all history entries recorded untill now.

History options​

You can delete one or more items from the history list or share them as a file (to access these functions in iOS, tap Edit button).
To delete or export multiple records at once, mark checkboxes in front of the desired records and then tap Export or Delete buttons.

General Settings History Android

Proxy​

⚠️ Android only
This feature is currently not available for the iOS version of the OsmAnd app.

Proxy - this setting allows you to configure a HTTP proxy for all network requests. You can set the Proxy Host and Proxy Port.

Menu β†’ Settings β†’ OsmAnd settings β†’ Proxy

General Settings Proxy Android

Other​

In this section of the OsmAnd settings, you can configure the notifications you receive, the location service, and how your application settings are saved.

Dialogs and notifications​

Dialogs and notifications - this setting allows you to turn on/off pop-ups, dialogs and notifications. This is the Start-up message and the Download map dialog (for example, a promotion, a quiz, an event, etc.).

General Settings notifications Android

Location source​

OsmAnd provides you with a choice of services to determine your location.

You can choose which Google Play or "Android API" services OsmAnd will use to determine your location. This can be useful for devices without Google Play services or in case of inaccurate location or altitude data when recording tracks.
OsmAnd receives data from the resources Google Fused Location Providers and Android GPS and Network Providers.
You can switch Location source in: Menu β†’ Settings β†’ OsmAnd settings β†’ Location source.

Auto-backup

Auto-backup​

⚠️ Android only
This feature is currently not available for the iOS version of the OsmAnd app.

Android or OsmAnd Cloud can save your data and app settings.

By default, the Android system backs up your OsmAnd settings and Favorites map markers so you can restore them on new devices or after reinstalling. The size of this backup is limited to 25MB.
If you are using OsmAnd Cloud, it is best to disable this feature to avoid misunderstandings after reinstallation.

General Settings notifications Android

OsmAnd can warn you about speed cameras, but only if the laws in your country permit it.

Uninstall speed camera​

Menu β†’ Settings β†’ OsmAnd settings β†’ Legal β†’ Uninstall speed cameras

General Settings Cameras Android General Settings Cameras Android

This setting allow you to activate or deactivate the speed cameras' POI. You will need to restart the OsmAnd application to apply the changes.

In some countries or regions, using speed camera warning applications is illegal. You must make a choice depending on the laws in your country. Select Keep active, and you will receive speed camera alerts and notifications. Select Uninstall and all data related to speed cameras, such as warnings, notifications, and POIs, will be deleted until you completely reinstall OsmAnd.

Read about alerts for speed cameras on your route in the article Navigation widgets in the Alert widget section.

Build your own Map (advanced)​

Build your own Map

OsmAnd gives you the possibility to upload a self-created map. OsmAndMapCreator can be used to create any maps supported by OsmAnd. To create a Vector map you will need an OSM file (.pbf, .osm.gz, .osm.bz2) and to create an Online sqlite map you will need the url of the base tile.

More information can be found in the My data section Maps article.

Local Resources​

Local tab Android 1 Local tab Android 2

The Local tab (Menu β†’ Download maps β†’ Local) shows how much space OsmAnd takes up, in the form of a line chart and a list with a breakdown of each data type. All data is grouped into three sections, sorted by the largest section at the top. The data categories within the sections are also arranged according to the space available. The colors and size of the chart fragments correspond to the corresponding partition and the amount of memory used.

Data type overview and toolbar​

If you select a category on the Local tab and tap it, a graph appears showing how much space the selected category occupies in the total space of the partition.

Local category overview Android 1 Local category options Android 2

Above the graph is a toolbar with the options available for that data type. In most cases (except for standard graphs), only two options are available.

  • Search (magnifying glass). Allows you to search for specific data by name only in the selected folder.
  • Three dots menu (Android only)

After tapping on the three dots in the right corner of the toolbar, you can access additional actions (Android only):

  • Select. Allows you to select items and perform further actions only on them.
  • Import. Redirects to internal storage where you can select a file to import.

You can also perform some actions on list items using the three-dot menu located in the right corner of each entry.

Local category item actions 2 Local category item actions

For most data categories, only the Information option is available. If you click this option, you will be redirected to the Local data item overview screen. Additional actions are available for maps.

  • Deactivate/Activate. Hides/shows the map for traversal/use in settlements.
  • Update. Loads the latest version of the map.
  • Rename. The name of the card can be changed to make it more recognizable.
  • Remove. Deleting a card from the device memory.

Local data item overview​

Local data item overview Local data item overview 2

The Local Data item overview screen provides information about:

  • Data type
  • Size
  • Creation date of a single entry stored by OsmAnd
  • Delete

Standard maps additional option​

Local data sorting options

For Standard maps, there is an additional option to sort them.

  • Map name (ascending or descending) - is useful if you want to find a specific map quickly.
  • Country name - allows arranging your maps geographically.
  • Newest or oldest date of modification - this option may be useful if you would like to see recently updated maps or if you're looking for older versions.
  • Large or small size - may help to identify large maps if you are concerned about storage space.