iPad Mini as GPS Using Sygic, CoPilot, Motion-X GPS Drive Apps

Another great app with much better map display that Galileo is Pocket Earth. Same map data but better displayed with thicker lines etc.

Thanks for all of the good information in this thread! It seems that this is one of the more recently active threads involving iOS apps. I am about to head out on a 4000-mile, twenty day trip on the Great Continental Divide Route and the COBDR, and am working to find a good and reliable app to run my GPX tracks in. I have used Rever in the past, and I like it, but I worry about not being able to get a cellular data connection at times.

So, I am currently downloading PocketEarth Pro to give that a try!

I haven't tried using my iPad Mini on the bike yet, but I have used it in the car, and I've played around with my iPhone 7+ on the bike. I'm still not completely satisfied with the results for motorcycle use -- the feature set still can't match my Garmin Montana 600 without using multiple apps simultaneously -- but it works great in the car or for relatively basic bike use.

I use Copilot for basic road routing, and I've played around with a good variety of other apps, including Pocket Earth Pro, Galileo Pro, OsmAnd Maps, GaiaGPS, and MotionX. Out of those, Pocket Earth Pro works best for me. GaiaGPS has some nice features but is an immediate reject for me because of its extremely poor offline map downloading ability (I want to download detailed vector maps of entire regions, not specific zoom level tiles that I have to highlight manually). Other apps that don't have offline maps, like inRoute, are useless to me -- too many places I like to ride have no cell service. I just downloaded Scenic and will be putting it through its paces soon.

By the way, the Garmin GLO works great with the iPad Mini (mine is the Wifi-only model). It can also be used with the iPhone instead of the built-in GPS receiver -- the GLO is an aviation-quality unit and updates much faster than the iPhone's built-in GPS chipset does, which is actually noticeable when using the app (map scrolls more smoothly, especially when moving fast).

--mark

Anyone here know if the Lifeproof ipad Mini 4 case fit in the Lifeproof ipad mini cradle?

you really don't want to rely on cellular data to create routes, or draw map tiles. look for a client that will let you CREATE routes, store tracks and store map tiles, completely offline. the social media apps like rever are fine for casual street rides near cities, but once you leave cellular service their shine wears off very quickly.

Did you ask LifeProof? They'd know for sure.

Yes, I spoke to them. Amazing what they don’t know. Had to talk to three people before I got someone that even knew what the cradle was. In the end they said if the box said it fit the mini 4 it does, if the box said mini 1, 2, and 3 it didn’t. You can however find packing that says just mini or mini 1 and 2, but it’s the same cradle that fits the three, but the packaging didn’t say three until the 3 was released. From the hat I can find, the cradle was discontinued before the 4 released, so there never would be a box that said 4. Independent reviews I’ve from some say it does fit the 4. I got lucky and found a wholesaler that had two left, so I bought them. Finding the Nuud case is a whole other pain in the ass. I’ve ordered them from several sites saying they had them in stock only to get an email the following morning saying my order had been canceled because they were out of stock. Not sure why LifeProof discontinued a case for a current product but they did. The only place I can find them is eBay with prices that are hugely inflated, $399 for the case and $175 - $275 for the cradle. I bought the two cradles I got today for $31 a piece.

Wow! LOL

I'm using a Big Squeeze tablet mount from HondoGarage on my Ural. My friend's using the Perfect Squeeze for his phone with the Buzz-Kill Vibration Isolator on his DRZ.

They have a 10% discount for inmates and when I had an issue with one of the items, they replaced it immediately at no charge.

http://www.hondogarage.com/index.php/catalog/devicemounts

I use the perfect squeeze for my phone.

Any suggested amount of storage?

I'll be downloading maps for but using the iPad ONLY for GPS

as big as you can afford, you'd be surprised how big some map updates can get. I think my maps curently use about 30GB of my 128GB mini 3.

I think that's going to depend on your apps. I picked up a used 16gb Mini2 with cellular to use, and with Sygic, Earthmate for my InReach, Google Earth and the usual house apps, I only use about 6gb. That's with western Canada and US maps downloaded for my apps, and then I have another 6gb of music on it for streaming to the helmet. When the right deal pops up, I plan to grab an inline external memory stick to keep the music and any entertainment media on, but no issues for me so far...

I’ve joined the iPad crowd, hopefully get my first ride with it this weekend. I have my inReach paired to it, but it appears only Earthmate is using the gps location from the inReach. Anyone know if there is a way to make the inReach the default location device?

I don't know if that is possible, but might be a question for DeLorme support. As far as I am aware, the ipad is just a remote interface and it's only communicating with the device through the app (hence why you must pair the devices through the app, and not the ios settings menu). The explorer is not outputting the gps data in a generic format that the ipad can use for other apps or location services.

If you have a cellular ipad, it has it's own on-board GPS receiver, and will use that for the other apps. If not, you would need to use a plug in gps card or tether to your phone for the gps location. I have tried the tethering through my phone with my other wifi-only ipad, and it works but is slow and laggy, and burns power at an increased rate on both devices. That's why I picked up the ipad 2 with cellular.

My iPad is a mini 4 with cellular, and all of the current iPad 128GB iPad mini’s, WiFi and WiFi + cellular have gps. My inReach is a Garmin, delorme is basically history. Anyway the inReach and iPad link via Bluetooth not through the app. I’m pretty sure the ability to use the gps from the inReach is app specific. I’ll have to do some more research.

If you have a pad without gps, then a good solution is to use Garmin's GLO, a bluetooth GPS device that when paired with the pad will provide very accurate location info to whatever apps need it

Nope, the wifi only model does NOT have a GPS chipset.

It says right on Apple's website that all models of iPad Mini 4 have GPS and GLONASS.

No, this is what's on the apple website. Scroll down to location:

https://www.apple.com/ipad-mini-4/specs/



All models

• Digital compass
• Wi‑Fi
• iBeacon microlocation

Wi-Fi + Cellular models

• Assisted GPS and GLONASS
• Cellular

Yep, I see that now. I was looking at another page where it compares all models of the iPad. It's a little misleading if you ask me.