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Data Export

Export your location history in multiple formats.

Supported Formats​

FormatExtensionUse Case
CSV.csvSpreadsheets, data analysis
GeoJSON.geojsonWeb mapping, GIS tools
GPX.gpxGPS devices, hiking apps
KML.kmlGoogle Earth, mapping

How to Export​

Bulk Export​

  1. Go to Data Management
  2. Tap Export Data
  3. Select the format
  4. Share the exported file via Android's share menu

Trip Export​

  1. Go to Location History → Trips tab
  2. Tap the export icon to export all trips for the selected day, or tap a trip card and export that single trip
  3. Select the format
  4. Share via Android's share menu

Trip exports include a trip column/property so each location is tagged with its trip number.

Export Data
Export Data
Auto-Export
Auto-Export

Scheduled Export (Auto-Export)​

Automatically export your location data on a schedule without opening the app.

Setup​

  1. Go to Settings > Auto-Export
  2. Select an export directory (files are saved there via Android's Storage Access Framework)
  3. Choose a format (CSV, GeoJSON, GPX, or KML)
  4. Set the frequency: Daily, Weekly, or Monthly
  5. Pick the Time (24-hour) in your device's local timezone. For Weekly, also pick a day of week. For Monthly, pick a day of month (1-31)
  6. Enable the toggle

You can also tap Export Now to trigger an immediate export using your current auto-export settings, without waiting for the next scheduled run.

Export Range​

  • All data - exports every stored location each time
  • Since last export - only exports locations recorded since the previous auto-export

File Retention​

By default, auto-export keeps the last 10 export files and deletes older ones automatically. You can change this in the File Retention setting - enter any number or 0 for unlimited (no automatic cleanup).

How it works​

  • Uses Android AlarmManager (setAndAllowWhileIdle) to fire at your configured wall-clock time. Typical accuracy is within minutes; Doze mode may delay by up to ~15 minutes
  • After each export the next alarm is armed automatically. Alarms also re-arm after device reboot
  • Exports fire at the configured time, not on enable. To run an export immediately for testing or backup, tap Export Now
  • Promotes to a foreground service during export, preventing Android from killing long-running exports
  • Streams data in chunks (10,000 locations at a time) to keep memory usage low even with very large datasets
  • Writes to a temporary file first, then copies to the export directory - if something goes wrong mid-export, you never get a partial or corrupted file
  • After copying, verifies the destination file exists and has the correct size before deleting the temp file
  • If the export loop is cancelled (e.g. by disabling auto-export), it cleans up gracefully without leaving partial files
  • Permanent errors (invalid config, directory access issues) fail immediately; transient errors (I/O failures) retry up to 3 times
  • If the selected directory becomes inaccessible (permissions revoked), auto-export disables itself and a notification prompts you to re-select the directory
  • A notification is shown after each export with the file name and location count
  • Old export files beyond the retention limit are cleaned up after each successful export
note

Monthly frequency uses a calendar month (e.g. Jan 15 to Feb 15), not a fixed 30-day interval. If the chosen day-of-month doesn't exist in a given month (e.g. day 31 in February), the export runs on the last day of that month instead. Daily, Weekly and Monthly intervals fire at the chosen wall-clock time via Android AlarmManager. Typical accuracy is within minutes.

File naming​

Files are saved as colota_export_<timestamp>.<ext> in the selected directory.

Storage Reference​

  • ~200 bytes per location
  • ~2 MB per 10,000 locations