WorldView

Nijat Aliyev

About this app

WorldView combines the camera, GPS and compass to show the direction of each country, how far away it is and the outline of its border. When a country is hidden behind the horizon because of the Earth's curve, its outline is still drawn as a thin line just below the horizon, as if the Earth were transparent. Lay the phone flat and a 360° radar opens: countries on the far side of the planet appear in their true direction too.

What you can do
• Point your phone in any direction and see the names, distances, directions and the angle below the horizon of nearby countries
• Tap a country card for its distance, compass bearing, local time, population, area and the route to it (which countries it passes over)
• Search for a country and choose "Show in camera": an arrow tells you which way to turn
• Neighbours mode: only the countries you share a border with, and the distance to the nearest border
• Qibla: the direction of Mecca on the camera and on the radar
• Sun and Moon: where they are, the Sun's path across the day, sunrise and sunset, the Moon's phase
• Quiz: point your phone at a country and see how accurate you are • Share a picture of the screen with any app you choose
• Follow north and your heading on the compass arc and the elevation scale; pinch the radar to zoom
• Use Azerbaijani, English or Russian; switch between kilometers and miles

No internet needed All country data is stored on your phone. The app has no internet permission: the camera image and your location never leave your device. Sharing only happens when you tap the share button, and you choose where the picture goes. No ads, no accounts, no tracking.

Good to know
• Outlines and distances are approximate. This is not a survey-grade border map.
• If the compass is inaccurate the app tells you; moving your phone in a figure-eight helps.
• Your phone needs a compass sensor. If you do not allow location you can pick a position by hand or use the Baku demo.

What’s new

Phones without a compass sensor now get an explanation and country search instead of an empty camera. Google Play will no longer offer the app to such phones.