# Nestour GPS β€” Beta installation and API keys **Applies to Nestour GPS 0.15.0 (beta)**, released 5 November 2026 Β· Android and Windows Β· the beta works until **28 February 2027** Β© 2026 The Development Team. All rights reserved. This guide takes you from nothing to a working Nestour GPS: install it, choose your language, then get your own API keys. Most of it is about the keys. Lines marked πŸ†• are new in 0.15.0. Links and sign-up steps were checked on the providers' sites on 5 November 2026. Provider sites change often. If a screen looks different, look for Β« API keys Β», Β« Credentials Β» or Β« My account Β». --- ## 1. Install on Android 1. The development team sends you **NestourGPS-0.15.0-arm64.apk**. Open it on the phone or tablet (from the download notification, your Files app, or the message it came in). 2. Android asks to allow **Install unknown apps** for the app you opened it with (Files, Chrome, Gmail…). Allow it, go back, and tap **Install**. 3. Play Protect may warn about an unknown developer. Tap **More details β†’ Install anyway**. That is normal for an app that does not come from the Play Store. 4. Open **Nestour GPS** and answer its questions: - **Location**: allow it, and choose **Allow all the time** when Android offers it (Android often asks in a second step: **Settings β†’ Apps β†’ Nestour GPS β†’ Permissions β†’ Location β†’ Allow all the time**). With that the logbook and the warnings keep working with the screen off. - **Notifications**: allow. They bring the places ahead, traffic, the next stretch of a long route and reminders. - **Physical activity**: allow. It tells walking from driving in the logbook. 5. **Battery, important for trips:** **Settings β†’ Apps β†’ Nestour GPS β†’ Battery β†’ Unrestricted**. On a Samsung, also open **Settings β†’ Battery β†’ Background usage limits** and make sure Nestour GPS is not in Β« Sleeping apps Β» or Β« Deep sleeping apps Β». Without this, Android may stop the GPS after a few minutes in your pocket. **Updates:** install each new APK over the old one. **Never uninstall first**: uninstalling deletes your favourites, plans, trips and keys. ## 2. Install on Windows 1. The development team sends you **NestourGPS-0.15.0-windows-x64-setup.exe** (or the .msi). Run it. 2. Windows SmartScreen may say Β« Windows protected your PC Β». Click **More info β†’ Run anyway**. The app is not signed with a paid certificate, which is why Windows warns. 3. Start **Nestour GPS** from the Start menu. 4. A PC usually has no GPS. Give it a position one of three ways, from the position menu at the top: - Windows location: **Settings β†’ Privacy & security β†’ Location** on, with Β« Let desktop apps access your location Β». - A **USB GPS** stick: plug it in, choose **πŸ’» USB GPS (serial)**, then **Connect GPS**. - None: choose **✍️ Manual location** and type a place. That is fine for planning trips at home. ## 3. Language, units and the beta date - πŸ†• **Beta key (first):** since 0.15 the beta needs your personal beta key: see Β« Nestour beta key β€” required Β» in section 4. Until you paste it, the app is only **the simple GPS**: the standard map, your position, the instruments and your data. Searches and places say Β« This needs your beta key Β». That is normal, not a failed install. - **Language:** the app follows the device's language. To change it: **Setup β†’ πŸ–₯ Display β†’ App language β†’ Suomi**. The beta speaks English, French, Chinese (δΈ­ζ–‡) and Finnish; any other device language gives English. The place descriptions have their own setting: **Setup β†’ πŸ”Ž Places β†’ Language of descriptions and facts**. - **Units:** **Setup β†’ πŸ–₯ Display β†’ Units** (From the language, Metric, US, UK). - **The beta ends on 28 February 2027.** The app reminds you two weeks before. After that date your data stays visible and exportable, but searches and new trips stop. The development team will send a new version before then. The **Help** tab shows the version and the end date at the bottom. --- ## 4. API keys: what they are and which you need πŸ†• Apart from your **Nestour beta key**, the app works without any key. Everything runs on your device and talks directly to the map, place and AI services. Some of those services need you to have your **own key**: a long code that says Β« this is me Β» to the service. Each tester makes his own keys. They are free or cost a few cents, and they stay on your device. Nobody else, the development team included, sees them. **How to enter a key (the same for all of them):** **Setup β†’ πŸ”‘ Keys & AI** β†’ paste the key in its field β†’ **Save** β†’ **Test** (when the row has one). A window says βœ… Works or ❌ Doesn't work, with the reason. A saved key never shows again: the field says Β« saved β€” type a new one to replace it Β». **Remove** deletes it. ### Summary | Key | Status | What you get | Cost | |---|---|---|---| | πŸ†• Nestour beta key | **Required** | The beta itself: places, planning, maps, turn by turn | Free | | OpenTripMap | **Recommended** | More places, better stars | Free | | AI provider (one of several) | **Recommended** | ✨ 3 facts, translated descriptions | Free (Gemini, Groq) or a few cents | | TomTom | **Recommended if you drive** | Traffic ahead, times with traffic, lanes, speed limits, TomTom map | Free, no card | | Mapy.com | Optional (hiking, skiing) | Hiking and winter maps across Europe | Free | | Google Contacts | Optional, advanced | Your contacts' addresses as destinations | Free | | Nextcloud contacts | Optional | Addresses from your Nextcloud | Your own Nextcloud | | Own Overpass server | Not needed | Searches from your own map server | β€” | | IGN SCAN 25 | **Not needed in Finland** | France's 1:25,000 hiking map | Professionals only | **For Finland and the Nordics:** get **OpenTripMap**, an **AI key** and **TomTom** (if you drive). Add **Mapy.com** for hiking or skiing in Lapland and the fells. Skip IGN: it is France only. The Swiss map (swisstopo) needs no key and only covers Switzerland. The sections below each stand alone. Do them in any order. --- ### πŸ†• Nestour beta key β€” required **What it does:** unlocks the beta. Without it the app is the simple GPS (the standard map, your position, the instruments and your data). It is not an API key for a service: it is your personal licence for the beta, checked on your device without going online, and it ends with the beta on 28 February 2027. **Where to get it:** your download page on nestour.app shows it. Until the site hands them out, the development team sends it to you. **How to enter it:** copy the whole key (one long line starting with Β« eyJ Β»), then **Setup β†’ πŸ”‘ Keys & AI β†’ 🎟 Beta key** (at the top) β†’ paste β†’ **Save**. The app starts again in the beta, and the line under the field says Β« Beta key valid until 28 February 2027 Β». **On a second device:** paste the same key there too. ⬆ Import keys file does not carry it, and the beta key must be in place before you import keys. --- ### OpenTripMap β€” recommended **What it adds:** a large database of sights (museums, churches, castles, viewpoints, monuments) with a popularity rating. With it the app finds more places and gives better stars (β˜…β˜…β˜… worth the journey … β˜… interesting). It also helps the fuel search. **Without it:** places still come from OpenStreetMap and Wikipedia. You see fewer of them and the stars are rougher. **Cost and limits:** free plan, 5,000 requests a day and 10 a second, for non-commercial use. No card. **How to get it:** 1. Go to **https://dev.opentripmap.org/register** (the old address opentripmap.io no longer works). 2. Fill in your name, e-mail and a password, solve the captcha, and click **Sign up**. Confirm your e-mail if asked. 3. Sign in at **https://dev.opentripmap.org**. Your API key is shown in your account page. 4. Copy the key. **Where to paste it:** **Setup β†’ πŸ”‘ Keys & AI β†’ OpenTripMap key** β†’ **Save** β†’ **Test**. Test answers Β« OpenTripMap answers: N places within 2 km Β». --- ### AI provider β€” recommended **What it adds:** **✨ 3 facts**, three surprising facts about a place, written by an AI. It also translates place descriptions into your language when the article does not exist in it (for example a Finnish text for a German castle). You need **one** provider. Each provider you set up keeps its own key, so you can switch back later without typing it again. **Without it:** no ✨ 3 facts and no translations. Descriptions come in the place's own language or English. **Cost:** a place costs a fraction of a cent. Two providers have a free tier: | Provider (name in the app) | Where to get the key | Cost | |---|---|---| | **Gemini** (easiest free start) | https://aistudio.google.com/apikey | Free tier with a Google account, no card | | **Groq** | https://console.groq.com/keys | Free plan with daily limits | | **Claude** | https://platform.claude.com/settings/keys | Pay as you go: buy a little credit first (Billing) | | **ChatGPT** | https://platform.openai.com/api-keys | Prepaid credit, from $5 (separate from a ChatGPT subscription) | | **Mistral** | https://console.mistral.ai (API Keys) | See their plans | | **DeepSeek** | https://platform.deepseek.com/api_keys | Prepaid credit | | **OpenRouter** | https://openrouter.ai/settings/keys | Free models: 50 requests a day; 1,000 a day after buying $10 of credit | | **Ollama** / **Other (OpenAI-compatible)** | Your own AI server at home | Free, your hardware | **How to get a Gemini key (the free start):** 1. Go to **https://aistudio.google.com/apikey** and sign in with a Google account. 2. Accept the terms if asked, then click **Create API key**. If it asks for a project, let it create one. 3. Copy the key (it starts with Β« AIza Β»). In Finland (EU), Google handles free-tier data under its paid-service terms. Outside Europe, the free tier lets Google use what you send to improve its products. The app only sends place names and short texts. **Where to paste it:** **Setup β†’ πŸ”‘ Keys & AI β†’ AI for ✨ 3 facts and translations** β†’ choose the provider β†’ paste the **API key** β†’ leave **Model** empty (the app uses a sensible default) β†’ **Save** β†’ **Test**. Test answers Β« The AI answers: … Β». --- ### TomTom β€” recommended if you drive **What it adds:** - **Traffic ahead**: jams, roadworks and closures on your road, as you drive. - **Traffic on the map**, and **journey times with traffic** when you plan. - **Lanes and exit signs** in turn-by-turn navigation. - Better **speed limits** and **fuel stations**. - The **TomTom map** (day and night) as a map choice. TomTom covers Finland and the Nordics well. **Without it:** no traffic. Routes, lanes and speed limits come from OpenStreetMap's free services, which are good but less complete. **Cost and limits:** free, **no credit card**. The free allowance is counted **per month** and per API (for example 2,500 traffic-incident requests and 20,000 routes a month). That is enough for personal use. If a month runs out, traffic simply stops until the next month and the rest of the app goes on. **How to get it:** 1. Go to **https://my.tomtom.com** and create an account (**Get started** / **Sign up**). Confirm your e-mail. 2. In the dashboard, open **Keys** (or **API keys**). A first key is usually there already. If not, create one. 3. If the key lets you choose products, make sure **Traffic**, **Map Display**, **Routing** and **Search** are on. 4. Copy the key. **Where to paste it:** **Setup β†’ πŸ”‘ Keys & AI β†’ TomTom key** β†’ **Save** β†’ **Test**. Test answers Β« Key works: N traffic incidents within 25 km Β». N can be 0 on a quiet day: that still means it works. --- ### Mapy.com β€” optional (hiking and skiing) **What it adds:** two extra maps, **πŸ₯Ύ Mapy hiking** (marked trails, huts, contours) and **β›· Mapy winter** (ski runs, cross-country tracks, lifts). They work everywhere and are best across Europe. In Finland they are useful for Lapland, the national parks and the fells. **Without it:** the other maps stay (standard, satellite, terrain). **Cost and limits:** free, 250,000 credits a month, enough for personal use. Nothing is charged unless you turn on paid consumption yourself. **How to get it:** 1. Go to **https://developer.mapy.com/account/** (Β« My Account Β»). 2. Sign in with a **Seznam account**, or create one there (Seznam is the Czech company behind Mapy.com). Use an e-mail address you read: they write when credits run low. 3. Create a new **API project**. Its first API key is created automatically. 4. Copy the key. **Where to paste it:** **Setup β†’ πŸ”‘ Keys & AI β†’ Mapy.com key** β†’ **Save**. This row has no Test button. To check it, open **Setup β†’ πŸ–₯ Display β†’ Map** and choose **πŸ₯Ύ Mapy hiking**: the map should show, with the Mapy.com logo at the bottom left. --- ### Google Contacts β€” optional, advanced **What it adds:** your Google contacts' postal addresses appear in the destination picker, so Β« drive to Mum's Β» is one tap. Contacts are read when you search, never copied. **Without it:** you type addresses yourself. On Android, **πŸ“± This phone's contacts** (below) often does the same with no key at all. **Cost:** free, but it takes about 15 minutes in Google's developer console. **Ask the development team (hello@nestour.app) before you try it.** **How to get it:** 1. Go to **https://console.cloud.google.com** and sign in. Create a project if asked. 2. **APIs & Services β†’ Library** β†’ search **People API** β†’ **Enable**. 3. **APIs & Services β†’ OAuth consent screen**: fill in the app name and your e-mail, and add yourself as a test user. 4. **APIs & Services β†’ Credentials β†’ Create credentials β†’ OAuth client ID**, type **Desktop app**. 5. Copy the **Client ID** (it ends in .apps.googleusercontent.com) and the **Client secret**. **Where to paste it:** **Setup β†’ πŸ”‘ Keys & AI β†’ Google Contacts** β†’ **OAuth client ID** and **Client secret** β†’ **Save** β†’ **Sign in with Google** β†’ allow Β« See your contacts Β» β†’ **Test**. --- ### Contacts from this phone and from Nextcloud β€” optional **πŸ“± This phone's contacts** (Android) needs no key. **Setup β†’ πŸ”‘ Keys & AI β†’ Contacts** β†’ switch it **On** and allow the contacts permission. Only postal addresses are read. **Nextcloud** (only if you have one): type the **Nextcloud address** (https://…), your **user name** and an **app password** (Nextcloud β†’ Personal settings β†’ Security β†’ Β« Create new app password Β», not your login password) β†’ **Save**. **↻ Check** shows how many addresses each source found. --- ### Own Overpass server β€” not needed This is a field for people who run their own OpenStreetMap search server. **Leave it empty.** The public servers are used, and that is what you want. --- ### IGN SCAN 25 β€” not needed in Finland **What it adds:** France's official 1:25,000 hiking map, in France only. **Who can get it:** IGN gives this key only to French professionals and associations (the sign-up at https://cartes.gouv.fr asks for a SIRET company number). Without it, the free πŸ‡«πŸ‡· IGN plan map still works in France, and Mapy hiking covers France too. **Skip this one.** --- ## 5. Move your keys to a second device In the beta, **⬇ Export keys file** is greyed out (Β« Available with a licence Β»): the app does not make the keys file. The simplest way: **type the keys on each device** (section 4), then press **Test** on each key. From a Windows PC where the keys work you can also copy its **keys.json** (in %APPDATA%\com.tjepkema.touristexplorer) to the other device and pick it in **Setup β†’ πŸ”‘ Keys & AI β†’ ⬆ Import keys file**. Then **delete every copy of the file**: in Download, in the e-mail or message you sent, and in its trash. The file holds your keys in plain text. --- ## 6. Feedback and the debug file - **Feedback:** **Help β†’ βœ‰οΈ Send feedback** opens the form on nestour.app, with the version, platform and language filled in. You can also write to the development team (hello@nestour.app). Say what you did, what you expected and what happened. A screenshot helps. - **Something went wrong on the road?** Soon after the problem: **Setup β†’ πŸ“¦ Your data β†’ 🐞 Debug log β†’ 🐞 Export the debug file**, then **β†— Share** and send it to the development team (hello@nestour.app) with a line on what happened and roughly when. The file holds positions and network requests from about the last 5 hours. **It never holds your keys.** The full user guide (USER-GUIDE-EN) explains everything else: planning trips, the logbook, the instruments.