[app url=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/onmap.me/id886650724″]
Sometimes we like our apps to be big, flamboyant affairs – high production values, incredible levels of interaction and detailed design infrastructure, all wrapped up in a sleek user interface. But sometimes a “less is more” approach is better suited for the task at hand. Take onmap.me as an example: a bare-bones, minimalistic location tracking app which puts functionality ahead of style or flash.
Designed by TestDevLab, onmap.me is about as basic a location tracker as you could get. Once installed, hitting the app icon takes you directly to a world map zoomed in on your current location. No menus, no setup options, just a “Share location” button sitting unpretentiously at the bottom of the screen. From there you are given two choices: share your current location as a once-off marker with Static, or Live, which allows your location to be tracked for as long as you like.
And that’s just about all there is to it. Either of the tracking options lets you share your location via email, text message or as a copied link (perfect to paste into Whatsapp or whichever texting app you may prefer). The Static link lets those you’ve shared it with see where you are at that moment, while the Live link directs the viewer to a map where they can follow your movements until your preset timer runs out or you manually close the session. Once the session ends, the map page expires for anyone you have shared it with.
There’s no doubting that onmap.me does what it sets out to do with little fuss. The question, though, is whether there is much demand for something like this. It’s hardly an app that most will use on a daily basis, but could be quite useful in specific situations – perhaps you’re traveling through a dangerous area and would feel safer knowing someone is keeping an eye on your progress; maybe you’ve taken a wrong turn on your route and need a helping hand to set you back on track; or you have a notoriously shady partner who likes to wander off on his or her own, and would like to keep tabs on their whereabouts? Hardly the basis of a successful relationship, but it happens!
Whatever your reasons, there may come a time where you want to share your location – either in place or on the move. Should that situation arise, onmap.me offers a incredibly simple solution. It’s not beautiful, it’s not packed with features, but it’s not meant to be. Not the sort of thing most would spend money on, but as a free addition to your app arsenal, it may be worth having just in case.