Organic Maps May 2026: Full CJK Support on Android, Custom Track Colors, and New Theme Park Attractions

Open Source Maps That Respect Your Privacy

In an era dominated by Google Maps and Apple Maps, Organic Maps offers a completely different alternative. The application is built on OpenStreetMap data, contains no ads, no tracking, and no data collection. All maps are stored locally on the device and can be used offline. On May 27, 2026, the team released a new update with significant improvements for Android, iOS, and Linux users.

🔗 Official Website: organicmaps.app 🔗 GitHub Repository: github.com/organicmaps/organicmaps

What Is New in the May 2026 Update?

This update is the largest in several months, focusing on three main areas: improved CJK language support on Android, advanced track customization tools, and new tourist attractions added to the map database.

Full CJK Support on Android

One of the most important features in this update is full support for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean (CJK) fonts on Android. Previously, users of these languages faced issues with character display, where text would appear as blocks or empty squares. With the new update, the application displays proper fonts based on the device’s language settings, making the experience smooth and clear for speakers of these languages.

Custom Track Colors on Android

For Android users who record GPS tracks during trips, the application now includes a full color picker for tracks. You are no longer limited to a small set of colors. You can now choose any color you want to customize your track, helping to distinguish between multiple tracks on the same map.

The image below shows the new color picker interface on Android:

HTML Descriptions for Tracks on Android and iOS

Both Android and iOS users can now add text and HTML descriptions to their tracks, just like bookmarks. Press the pencil icon to edit the track and add a detailed description. This feature is useful for travelers who want to document trip details such as points of interest, trail duration, difficulty level, or any other notes.

New Theme Park Attractions

The application added a new set of icons for entertainment and tourist landmarks: ceremonial gates, water slides, water parks, roller coasters, and complete theme parks. Your map will now display these places with distinctive icons, making them easier to find when planning family trips.

Additionally, icons were added for boules, cycling, and motorsport places, improving the representation of sports and recreation facilities on the map.

Public Transport Improvements

Display of public transport routes for stations and area objects has been fixed. Now, when tapping on a station or bus stop, you will see the routes that pass through it. This change makes planning travel via public transport easier and clearer.

General Improvements and Data Accuracy

All map data comes from OpenStreetMap as of May 27, 2026, ensuring you have the latest real-world changes. Road shield display in Australia and New Zealand has been fixed. Street and house address accuracy has been improved. Several stability and performance issues affecting user experience have also been resolved.

iOS-Specific Improvements

On iOS, the application added support for high-quality text-to-speech voices. The app will automatically pick the best installed voice for the requested language, with an option to download enhanced voices from settings. A bug where track renaming did not properly update the new name has been fixed. The recenter button in CarPlay has been fixed, as well as a crash that occurred when adding a bookmark on a hiking or cycling route.

Android-Specific Improvements

In addition to the features mentioned above, issues with the track place page and the “Open In” button that allows sharing the track with other applications have been fixed.

Linux and macOS Improvements

Chinese translations have been added to the .desktop file, improving the application’s appearance in the application menus on Linux and macOS systems.

How to Get the Update

Linux

The application is available on Flathub as a Flatpak package. This is the recommended method to receive automatic updates and integrate the application securely into your system.

flatpak install flathub app.organicmaps.desktop
flatpak update app.organicmaps.desktop

Android

The update is available on multiple stores: Google Play, F-Droid, Huawei AppGallery, Accrescent, and Obtainium. Choose the store you prefer.

iOS

The update is available on the App Store.

You can also download the application directly from the official website at get.omaps.org.

How to Join Beta Testing

For those who want to try new features before release and provide feedback, you can join the beta testing program on both Android and iOS through the official app stores. This helps the team discover bugs and improve the application before the update reaches millions of users.

Summary

The May 2026 update of Organic Maps proves that the application is not just a free alternative to Google Maps, but a serious competitor offering unique features. Full CJK support opens the application to millions of new users in East Asia. Track customization tools make it the best choice for hikers, cyclists, and travelers. The addition of theme park attractions and ceremonial gates improves the experience of searching for entertainment venues. This application is a model of free software that delivers real value without sacrificing user privacy.

Quick Links

https://organicmaps.app

https://get.omaps.org

https://flathub.org/apps/app.organicmaps.desktop

https://github.com/organicmaps/organicmaps

https://f-droid.org/packages/app.organicmaps