AlpineQuest & OfflineMaps

Hi - I've been experiencing a problem with AQ "freezing" on startup - my phone (Moto G5) has recently been updated to Android Oreo 8.1.0 and it has only happened since then, so I don't know if this is just a coincidence.

Scenario is this - I have got local storage OS map .qct files which I use most of the time, so when starting AQ I get a startup message
Please Wait
'OS50_DISK01.QCT'
... and the load never completes.

The work around I've found is to

• "Force Stop" AQ

• Rename the .qct file so AQ can't find the one its looking for

• AQ therefore loads instantly with one of the default maps (Open Map Roads)

• Then if I select the (renamed) .qct file from the available maps, it loads perfectly

So it seems like on startup it is somehow unable to find the last local file it had loaded - strange

Hi ,
It would be great if you could test the last beta version of AlpineQuest to check if you also have this issue.
To get it, open the Play Store application -> My applications -> AlpineQuest and click on the "Become a beta tester" button close from the bottom of the app description page.
Sorry for the troubles,
Best regards

Exactly the same issue. Just updated my Moto G5 to Oreo (reluctantly but was so fed up with the constant update nag) and now AQ doesn't load qct. Freezes. If I turn the phone off and turn on again it will load. There doesn't appear to be an exit in the AQ menu?
edit ...
I just tried going into settings,apps, alpine quest, and force stop. Then closed it by swiping off the screen, and it will reopen. Closed again by swiping and it reopended again? Very weird? Oreo bug. Moto G5 bug? Or AQ bug. v2.1.1

Well forget that fix. It worked a couple of times. I put the phone on charge. Tried it a couple of minutes later. FREEZE. Tried force stop in settings. Still won't open. Tried rebooting the phone and still won't open. Very very weird. This was the only app I had that ill open QCT files.

OK, here's another fix that seems to work, but I don't know for how long.
Open the qct file with ES File explorer. And tell it to always open qct with AQ. That worked. For now anyway.

10 mins later. Still working ok and opening the files.

Would you believe it? 10 mins later and that fix is no longer working. It is freezing again and I had changed nothing and hadn't opened anything else in between.

OK, I'm still trying to sort this. I use the paid version of AQ. I bought it specifically to use with my QCT maps!
I installed the light version. It worked a couple of times, interestingly it does show 'close' in the drop up menus. As I say worked a couple of times, then freeze. Same problem.
I then tried putting my qct files in different locations, like downloads etc. Still freezes.

I think it's an Oreo issue. When you close the app, it doesn't really close. You have to close it twice.

Hopefuly AQ will sort this with an update?

Bonzodog wrote: ↑Wed Nov 14, 2018 9:36 am OK, I'm still trying to sort this. I use the paid version of AQ. I bought it specifically to use with my QCT maps!
I installed the light version. It worked a couple of times, interestingly it does show 'close' in the drop up menus. As I say worked a couple of times, then freeze. Same problem.
I then tried putting my qct files in different locations, like downloads etc. Still freezes.

I think it's an Oreo issue. When you close the app, it doesn't really close. You have to close it twice.

Hopefuly AQ will sort this with an update?

OK, first off, AQ works perfectly well under Oreo, at least it does for me on my Moto G5S+ following the recent stock OTA upgrade from Nougat. Actually, that's not strictly true as initially it did not work due to my non-standard storage location on the extSD.

Knowing that Motorola will never provide any firther OTA upgrades for the G5S+, I decided, first, to root it with Magisk and then to find a way to get the non-standard extSD location to appear writeable to AQ. Note that my extSD is set up as portable storage device, and NOT as an extension to the OS RAM, which would be madness, IMHO.

Getting extSD write access is a simple matter of adding the WRITE_MEDIA_STORAGE permission to the AQ manifest. This requires root access to get control of the /data/system partition, where you need to modify the packages.xml file. As I've written about this before, I'm not going to provide precise instructions again. Once this permission is in place, you can choose any extSD location for map storage in AQ. The great thing is, that unlike with Marshmallow, you only need to do this once. Subsequent upgrades to AQ DO NOT affect its ability to write to non-standard extSD folder locations.

There is also a setting in Developer Options, Force allow all apps on external, which may also need to be set (not certain about this).

Now I don't use QCT maps, however, I do use a comprehensive OSGB map of the entire UK in 50K and 25K resoutions in native AQ format and it works perfectly running off my extSD card under Oreo. I don't see why it would be any different for QCT maps.

Thanks Yemble. I only just saw the reply, for some reason gmail binned the notification. Shame I didn't see it 30 mins earlier could have saved myself £2.29! I just reinstalled all Offline Map app, which is pretty much the same thing as AQ, as the new update offered support for QCT for an additional £2.29. It worked, but only briefly just like AQ. It's basically the same blooming app.

BUT, I looked into developer options per your suggestion .... There is also a setting in Developer Options, Force allow all apps on external, which may also need to be set (not certain about this). .... turned that on and the freeze has cleared on AQ and Offline maps.

My SD is also formatted as external storage. I've found complications in the past with android when I 've tried the other option too.

I have OS Maps for the whole of the UK in QCT format and find them useful for some things, though the free Open Topo maps are better in some respects.

Anyhow, thanks for Developer Options fix, seems to have sorted it! I've never rooted a phone, maybe it's something I should try. I found it on XDA forums but I assume it's not without some risk of screwing your phone?

EDIT

I spoke to soon. Both apps worked only briefly AQ and it's sister both freezing again. How difficult is it to root a G5?

Same freeze problem on updating to Oreo 8.1. I am on ASOP Extended with a 2014 Moto E. It worked perfectly on Nougat. Beta version displays same problem. I have tried several fixes but like in all other posts they only help briefly.

One way I found to beat the freeze up is , close the app , go into settings, open apps, open AQ , storage , and delete data and cache. It will open next time but in base map and then you can open a qct. file.

Hi again and sorry for the delay,

Bonzodog wrote:Shame I didn't see it 30 mins earlier could have saved myself £2.29

Just contact me by email for a refund, no problem at all.

I'm still trying to understand what's happening here, not easy.
I'd have more questions if possible:
- Did the app "un-freeze" after some time (even a very long)? Because if so it would be great if someone could make an error report from the app after a freeze occurred, having access to the log file would be very helpful;
- How many maps do you have in the same folder?
- Are you maps on an external SD card or in the internal memory? If they're on the SD, have you tried if the freeze occurs when restoring a map from the internal memory?

Sorry again about this problem
Best regards

Bonzodog wrote: ↑Sun Nov 18, 2018 8:57 pm How difficult is it to root a G5?

Well it was easy for me, but then again I've been rooting my phones for several years now

Motorolla phones are easier to root than most as they provide an on-line tool for unlocking the boot loader. Your first step should be to find the Moto G5 thread on XDA, where there will be a wealth of info, plus links to stuff you need.

Basically the steps are:

1) Unlock the boot loader with Motos on-line tool
2) Download the correct TWRP Recovery and the Android flashing toolkit (sorry, I've forgotton its name) to a Windows PC
3) Flash TWRP Recovery onto the phone from the PC using FastBoot (from the toolkit)
4) Download latest Magisk ZIP to PC (and ideally also onto the extSD from your phone)
5) Boot phone to recovery and use TWRP to install Magisk (side loaded from the PC, or preferably direct from the extSD)
6) Reboot and phone should now be rooted

There may be a few other minor things to do, but essentially that's all there really is to it.

May I start by praising Alpinequest. I have used it for over 4 years and I find it excellent. The freezing is the first major fault I have met.
The freeze after updating to Oreo occurs whether the maps are embedded in the Android data folder or in a folder in my adopted internal sd card. Frustratingly sometimes it works sometimes it does not. The application hangs when loading the first map. If i remove that map it freezes on the next one. Clearing the application's data means I then have to select the same location by hand. It then scans all maps flawlessly. The relevant section of the log is given below. It just stays permanently onPause. I have 59 maps in the folder.

[13:35:30.653] cag: loading stage: Please wait
[13:35:30.654] bmn: restoring used map painters...
[13:35:30.659] dwj: loading previously used map '/storage/emulated/0/alpinequest/maps/Memory Map Os 25k 257 Crewe And Nantwich.qct' (39.99MB)...
[13:35:30.662] dvh: loading header of QCT map '/storage/emulated/0/alpinequest/maps/Memory Map Os 25k 257 Crewe And Nantwich.qct' (39.99MB)...
[13:35:30.701] dvh: - done in 38ms
[13:35:30.701] dwj: header loaded, loading data...
[13:35:30.709] bkv: starting generation of 'explorer257_crewe_and_nantwich' (8x4)
[13:37:29.496] <AlpineQuestActivity.onPause()>

geoffers wrote: ↑Thu Nov 08, 2018 5:01 pm Hi - I've been experiencing a problem with AQ "freezing" on startup - my phone (Moto G5) has recently been updated to Android Oreo 8.1.0 and it has only happened since then, so I don't know if this is just a coincidence.

Scenario is this - I have got local storage OS map .qct files which I use most of the time, so when starting AQ I get a startup message
Please Wait
'OS50_DISK01.QCT'
... and the load never completes.

The work around I've found is to

• "Force Stop" AQ

• Rename the .qct file so AQ can't find the one its looking for

• AQ therefore loads instantly with one of the default maps (Open Map Roads)

• Then if I select the (renamed) .qct file from the available maps, it loads perfectly

So it seems like on startup it is somehow unable to find the last local file it had loaded - strange

I'm "glad" I'm not the only one who has been experiencing this ...

However (fingers crossed) the issue does now seem to have been corrected - if I exit AQ and/or "force-stop", when restarting everything now seems to load OK. I'm now running 2.1.1b which was updated on 17th Nov (6 days ago) so maybe this has fixed the issue

In answer to your recent queries...

Psyberia-Support wrote: ↑Wed Nov 21, 2018 11:58 am
- Did the app "un-freeze" after some time (even a very long)? Because if so it would be great if someone could make an error report from the app after a freeze occurred, having access to the log file would be very helpful;

I didn't wait for long as it seemed stuck in a loop - maybe it would have timed out but wasn't sure. If it does freeze again I'll have a look in ../alpinequest/logs & see if there's anything of use there.

- How many maps do you have in the same folder?

There are 14 *.qct maps in the ../alpinequest/maps folder

- Are you maps on an external SD card or in the internal memory? If they're on the SD, have you tried if the freeze occurs when restoring a map from the internal memory?

I've got my SD card formatted as extended internal storage, so as far as the phone is concerned: yes,the map folder is in internal memory