Degrees, Minutes, Seconds and More
We’ve made some improvements to the options for direct coordinate (latitude/longitude) entry in both TPE 4.8 for iOS and TPE 1.7.5 for Android.
Previously, in the iOS app you could enter coordinates directly by adding a new location and then editing the latitude/longitude fields. That option remains, as does the ability to use a URL to open the app at any lat/lon via a URL or link (see here), available in iOS, Android and web apps.
Now though, you can paste coordinates directly into the search fields of our mobile apps and the app will parse the coordinates for you. Multiple formats are supported including decimal degrees (e.g. 46.2234° N, 6.1467° E), degrees/minutes/seconds (e.g. 46° 13' 24.24", 6° 8' 48.12"), and degrees plus decimal minutes (e.g. N46° 13.404', E6° 8.802').
When sourcing coordinates from the web, you’ll encounter endless varieties of format, with some very peculiar choices of character to indicate degrees, minutes and seconds (e.g. here). We’ve tested our coordinate parsing with a wide variety of input, so you should find that things are recognised just fine. However, if you find a reasonably formatted example that you think we should recognize, let us know.
If you want to enter degrees/minutes/seconds, many apps will present you with a complex form with six numerical fields and two multiple choice fields for north/south and east/west. We think it’s much easier to just paste what you need into the search field and be done. And if you’re typing coordinates from a paper source such as a guide book, better not to have to look up to work out where to tap to the next field after every number.
The app updates are rolling out this week. We hope you find the changes speed up your photo planning when using latitude/longitude data!