GPS inside audio recordings
A field recording is easier to understand when its place is preserved with it. In supported builds, Voice Voyager can store start and end positions or a timed movement track inside the audio file itself. You can also choose a separate GPS companion file.
Why this helps
Imagine recording a walking interview, a habitat survey, or a site inspection. A place name written afterward may be too vague. A timed track ties each accepted GPS point to the recording's playback timeline, so you can seek through the sound and see approximately where that moment occurred. Paused time is excluded from that timeline.
Keeping the route with the audio also helps when a recording is copied out of its original folder. A compatible Voice Voyager reader can recover the recording's GPS, time, duration, and identity from the standalone file when the diary companion file is missing. This does not recover written notes, tags, photos, or drawings; those remain in the diary archive.
Choose what to capture
| GPS mode | Result | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Off | No Voice Voyager location is recorded for the new session. | Location-sensitive interviews or indoor notes. |
| Start/End | Records a start point and an end point when fixes are available. | A stationary interview or a visit with a known beginning and end. |
| Track | Records a sequence of accepted points along the audio timeline. | Walking surveys, travel logs, inspections, and mobile reporting. |
Recording GPS requires permission and a usable device fix. A session with no valid location points has no embedded route. Voice Voyager filters obvious location jumps, but phone GPS remains approximate and can be incomplete indoors or under poor reception. A photo imported from the library may still have location data of its own even if recording GPS is Off.
Choose where GPS lives
Open Settings → GPS tracking → Recording GPS storage and choose:
- Embed in audio: Voice Voyager writes the recording's route into a supported audio file when that entry is saved. This is the default for new settings. The companion diary file still holds written details and attachment locations.
- Separate GPS file: The route stays in the recording's .gps.json companion file, and Voice Voyager removes its own route data from the audio when that entry is saved or edited.
If embedding cannot be completed and verified safely, Voice Voyager keeps the route in the companion file. Changing the setting alone does not rewrite the entire existing library; it takes effect when individual recordings are saved or edited.
What survives a file move
A full diary archive keeps the recording together with its notes, tags, dates, images, and other entry details. When GPS is embedded and the companion file is present, Voice Voyager can rebuild the route from the audio if the companion file says the embed was verified. A standalone supported audio file with embedded GPS can also restore the route and recording identity on its own. For complete field notes, keep or export the full diary archive.
The separate Windows and macOS diary reader can open a full archive ZIP, search its entries, play audio, show saved routes, and follow a moving map marker. It is a read-only companion; its public installer availability may differ from the mobile release. See desktop archive review.
Sharing and privacy
If Sync GPS tracks is disabled, Voice Voyager removes its own embedded route from temporary audio copies used for cloud transfer and strips it from downloaded audio before import. Your local source recording is preserved. This does not erase GPS from copies you exported earlier or from files already uploaded before you changed the sync setting.
Compatibility and limits
- Voice Voyager reads its own GPS data in supported M4A, MP3, and Ogg audio. Other apps may play the sound without displaying the route.
- Converting or editing audio in another app can remove custom location data. Keep a full archive or route export when the route matters.
- Photos and drawings are linked to the diary entry; their timeline positions and locations are preserved with diary metadata, not embedded as image files inside the audio.
- Embedding needs valid GPS points and a supported, writable local recording. If it fails, the separate companion file provides the fallback.