- Android — Released
First version release
The first public Old Ways release: the Android version is available now.
Maps, Terrain & Georeferencing
Bring old maps back to life.
Explore historical maps and detailed terrain, or bring your own map image into the real world by georeferencing it directly on your phone.
Historical Archive
History, already placed on the map.
Old Ways already offers a growing archive of historical maps — georeferenced and ready to explore. You don't need to bring your own; browse the archive and lay history directly over today's landscape.
ArchiveBrowse georeferenced historical maps already available in Old Ways.
Terrain & Relief
Terrain, revealed in high detail.
Terrain brings out hills, valleys, slopes and landforms, with roughly 30 m detail and finer data in selected areas. Use it on its own or together with historical maps and other Old Ways layers.
- Free
Relief
Ready-to-use terrain shading.
- Pro
Relief Enhanced
Adjust lighting, relief strength, shading and colors.
- Premium
Relief Professional
Professionally tuned terrain rendering with curated styles.
Tune the relief
Pro- Lighting
- Direction, height and multiple light sources.
- Relief strength
- Control how strongly landforms stand out.
- Shading
- Five shading methods.
- Colors
- Four color presets or your own custom colors.
Terrain availability depends on coverage and requires an internet connection.
Personal Map Georeferencing
Any map can become your map.
Georeferencing sounds technical — it simply means locking a picture of a map onto real-world coordinates. A personal map or photograph becomes a real-world layer that you align yourself, on your device.
Work with large, high-resolution map images — even files hundreds of megabytes in size, depending on your device.
01 / 04
01Import
Import a personal map or image from your device.
- Large high-resolution images supported, depending on device
- Up to 30 control points
- Manual fine-tuning
- Exports to a local map file
Local & On-Device
Your maps stay with you.
Work with your personal maps right on your device — from georeferencing to export.
Local storage
Your personal maps are stored right on your device.
Export & backups
Export your maps to move them or keep a backup copy.
Field Tools
Take the map into the field.
One connected toolset for exploring maps and terrain on the ground — measure distance and area, check elevation between two points, see where you are, and save the places that matter.
GPS
See your current position on the map in real time.
Saved Points
Save important places with names and find them on the map later.
Who It's For
Built for people who read maps closely.
Historical Research
Browse the archive and compare historical maps with today's landscape.
Local History
Overlay historical maps to trace how a neighborhood or town has changed.
Field Exploration
Carry your own georeferenced map, GPS position and saved points on the ground.
Terrain Study
Read the relief and chart elevation before and during a hike.
Map Enthusiasts
Georeference your own maps and compare them with the historical archive.
What's Next
Always moving toward new possibilities.
- Android — Released
Vouchers and Codes
Use vouchers and promo codes to get bonuses and special offers.
- Android — Released
Relief Professional: Red Diamond
A professional relief style that makes subtle changes in the terrain's tone easier to distinguish for detailed terrain analysis.
- Android — Released
Historical Map Repositioning
Reposition an existing historical map overlay directly on the main map while preserving its settings.
In DevelopmentNo earlier than v1.1.0Point import
We're building import of files with geographic points, such as historical places and points of interest.
In DevelopmentNo earlier than v1.1.0Luftwaffe aerial photography
We're working toward exploring historical aerial photography directly in Old Ways.
Not StartedNo earlier than v1.2.0Relief Professional: Early Spring
A multicolor professional relief style that helps distinguish terrain variations, elevation patterns and visual differences across the landscape.
Not StartedNo earlier than v1.2.0App Page Guide
An interactive guide to the main Old Ways pages for users who haven't gone through the app introduction yet.
Not StartedNo earlier than v1.3.0Editing Existing Maps
Edit maps you have already created or added locally, without having to recreate them from scratch.
Not StartedNo earlier than v1.4.0Report a Map Problem
Report poor historical map image quality or incorrect georeferencing so the issue can be reviewed.
Discover more with Old Ways.
Historical maps, terrain, your own materials and field tools — in one app.