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Colota - GPS Location Tracker

Self-hosted GPS tracker. Open source, geofencing, offline mode, no telemetry
New in version 1.14.0
- Tracking restarts itself when the phone stops delivering locations
- Tracking no longer gets stuck on Pause after a geofence is deleted
- Geofence heartbeat records points offline and when the server is unreachable
- Merge adjacent trips from the Trips selection bar, or split one by tapping the map
- Elevation gain and loss count less altitude noise as climb
- Trips show an average speed instead of 0 km/h when points carry no speed
- Large point counts show as 123K or 2.0M
Colota is an open-source GPS tracking app that sends your location to your own server over HTTP(S). It works offline, supports geofencing, and doesn't share any data except with your configured backends.

Features


  • Self-Hosted - Works with Dawarich, GeoPulse, Home Assistant, OwnTracks, Overland, PhoneTrack, Reitti, Traccar or any custom backend that accepts JSON over HTTP

  • Privacy First - No analytics, no telemetry, no third-party SDKs. Licensed under AGPL-3.0

  • Works Offline - Fully functional without a server. Locations are queued locally and synced when connectivity returns. Export as CSV, GeoJSON, GPX or KML

  • Offline Maps - Download map areas to the device for use without an internet connection

  • Scheduled Export - Automatic daily, weekly or monthly exports to a local directory with file retention management

  • Location History - Daily summaries, trip segmentation, manual trip merge and split, per-point notes, calendar with activity dots and per-trip export

  • Import Your History - Bring in existing tracks from GeoJSON, Google Timeline, GPX, KML or CSV

  • Encrypted Backup - Password-protected archives of locations, settings and geofences

  • Reliable Tracking - Foreground service, auto-start on boot and exponential backoff retry

  • Geofencing - Pause zones that automatically stop recording locations

  • Tracking Profiles - Automatically adjust GPS interval, distance filter and sync settings based on conditions like charging, car mode or speed

  • Flexible Sync - Instant, batch or offline modes. Restrict sync to Wi-Fi, a specific SSID or VPN

  • App Shortcuts - Long-press the app icon to start or stop tracking directly from the home screen. Compatible with automation apps like Tasker and Samsung Routines

  • Quick Setup - Configure devices via colota://setup deep links or QR codes

  • Authentication - Basic Auth, Bearer Token, client certificates (mTLS) or custom headers

  • Dark Mode - Full light and dark theme support



The FOSS variant uses Android's native LocationManager and has no Google Play Services dependency.

Versions

Although APK downloads are available below to give you the choice, you should be aware that by installing that way you will not receive update notifications and it's a less secure way to download. We recommend that you install the F-Droid client and use that.

Download F-Droid
  • Version 1.14.0 (45) suggested Added on Aug 21, 2026

    arm64-v8a armeabi-v7a x86 x86_64

    This version requires Android 8.0 or newer.

    It is built and signed by F-Droid, and guaranteed to correspond to this source tarball.

    Permissions
    • access location in the background
      This app can access location at any time, even while the app is not in use.
    • access approximate location only in the foreground
      This app can get your approximate location from location services while the app is in use. Location services for your device must be turned on for the app to get location.
    • access precise location only in the foreground
      This app can get your precise location from location services while the app is in use. Location services for your device must be turned on for the app to get location. This may increase battery usage.
    • android.permission.ACCESS_LOCAL_NETWORK
    • view network connections
      Allows the app to view information about network connections such as which networks exist and are connected.
    • view Wi-Fi connections
      Allows the app to view information about Wi-Fi networking, such as whether Wi-Fi is enabled and name of connected Wi-Fi devices.
    • run foreground service
      Allows the app to make use of foreground services.
    • run foreground service with the type "dataSync"
      Allows the app to make use of foreground services with the type "dataSync"
    • run foreground service with the type "location"
      Allows the app to make use of foreground services with the type "location"
    • have full network access
      Allows the app to create network sockets and use custom network protocols. The browser and other applications provide means to send data to the internet, so this permission is not required to send data to the internet.
    • show notifications
      Allows the app to show notifications
    • run at startup
      Allows the app to have itself started as soon as the system has finished booting. This can make it take longer to start the phone and allow the app to slow down the overall phone by always running.
    • ask to ignore battery optimizations
      Allows an app to ask for permission to ignore battery optimizations for that app.
    • prevent phone from sleeping
      Allows the app to prevent the phone from going to sleep.
    • com.Colota.DYNAMIC_RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED_PERMISSION

    Download APK 43 MiB PGP Signature | Build Log

  • New in version 1.13.0
    - The Stationary profile now records a point at each interval while the device is still
    - Auto-export file names are now customisable with {date}, {time} and {device} placeholders
    - Add {device} to the file name to keep retention per device model when several phones share an export folder
    - Stationary heartbeat points no longer show up as 0 m trips in the history
    - Delete a single point by tapping it on the map and using the trash icon in its popup
  • Version 1.13.0 (44) - Added on Aug 13, 2026

    arm64-v8a armeabi-v7a x86 x86_64

    This version requires Android 8.0 or newer.

    It is built and signed by F-Droid, and guaranteed to correspond to this source tarball.

    Permissions
    • access location in the background
      This app can access location at any time, even while the app is not in use.
    • access approximate location only in the foreground
      This app can get your approximate location from location services while the app is in use. Location services for your device must be turned on for the app to get location.
    • access precise location only in the foreground
      This app can get your precise location from location services while the app is in use. Location services for your device must be turned on for the app to get location. This may increase battery usage.
    • android.permission.ACCESS_LOCAL_NETWORK
    • view network connections
      Allows the app to view information about network connections such as which networks exist and are connected.
    • view Wi-Fi connections
      Allows the app to view information about Wi-Fi networking, such as whether Wi-Fi is enabled and name of connected Wi-Fi devices.
    • run foreground service
      Allows the app to make use of foreground services.
    • run foreground service with the type "dataSync"
      Allows the app to make use of foreground services with the type "dataSync"
    • run foreground service with the type "location"
      Allows the app to make use of foreground services with the type "location"
    • have full network access
      Allows the app to create network sockets and use custom network protocols. The browser and other applications provide means to send data to the internet, so this permission is not required to send data to the internet.
    • show notifications
      Allows the app to show notifications
    • run at startup
      Allows the app to have itself started as soon as the system has finished booting. This can make it take longer to start the phone and allow the app to slow down the overall phone by always running.
    • ask to ignore battery optimizations
      Allows an app to ask for permission to ignore battery optimizations for that app.
    • prevent phone from sleeping
      Allows the app to prevent the phone from going to sleep.
    • com.Colota.DYNAMIC_RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED_PERMISSION

    Download APK 44 MiB PGP Signature | Build Log

  • New in version 1.12.2
    - Map no longer over-zooms on single-point days
    - Fixed a false pause at a stale location on startup
    - FOSS: more reliable GPS on Android 12+ and a crash fix on GPS-less devices
    - Fixed a paused geofence wrongly resuming after a restart
    - Fixed the Stationary profile getting stuck active while still driving
    - Fixed the dashboard showing the server unreachable while syncing worked
    - Fixed tracking silently stopping after restoring a backup
  • Version 1.12.2 (43) - Added on Aug 10, 2026

    arm64-v8a armeabi-v7a x86 x86_64

    This version requires Android 8.0 or newer.

    It is built and signed by F-Droid, and guaranteed to correspond to this source tarball.

    Permissions
    • access location in the background
      This app can access location at any time, even while the app is not in use.
    • access approximate location only in the foreground
      This app can get your approximate location from location services while the app is in use. Location services for your device must be turned on for the app to get location.
    • access precise location only in the foreground
      This app can get your precise location from location services while the app is in use. Location services for your device must be turned on for the app to get location. This may increase battery usage.
    • android.permission.ACCESS_LOCAL_NETWORK
    • view network connections
      Allows the app to view information about network connections such as which networks exist and are connected.
    • view Wi-Fi connections
      Allows the app to view information about Wi-Fi networking, such as whether Wi-Fi is enabled and name of connected Wi-Fi devices.
    • run foreground service
      Allows the app to make use of foreground services.
    • run foreground service with the type "dataSync"
      Allows the app to make use of foreground services with the type "dataSync"
    • run foreground service with the type "location"
      Allows the app to make use of foreground services with the type "location"
    • have full network access
      Allows the app to create network sockets and use custom network protocols. The browser and other applications provide means to send data to the internet, so this permission is not required to send data to the internet.
    • show notifications
      Allows the app to show notifications
    • run at startup
      Allows the app to have itself started as soon as the system has finished booting. This can make it take longer to start the phone and allow the app to slow down the overall phone by always running.
    • ask to ignore battery optimizations
      Allows an app to ask for permission to ignore battery optimizations for that app.
    • prevent phone from sleeping
      Allows the app to prevent the phone from going to sleep.
    • com.Colota.DYNAMIC_RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED_PERMISSION

    Download APK 43 MiB PGP Signature | Build Log