With Easter Week comes good weather, and many Spaniards decide to go hiking in the mountains to enjoy everything nature has to offer. At SPC, the Spanish technology company specializing in the development of consumer electronics products, they offer five useful recommendations to ensure the experience doesn’t go wrong thanks to the help of our smartphone. Your phone can become your best lifesaver in the mountains.
Going to the mountains is one of the favorite hobbies of many Spaniards who seek a physical and mental escape from their daily lives, and more specifically, from their busy city life. Fortunately, thanks to smartphones, it has long ceased to be a risky adventure, as we can go hiking through the forests without fear of getting lost and no one knowing where to find us. Next, SPC, the Spanish technology company specializing in the development of consumer electronics products, offers five tips to enjoy natural life thanks to smartphones.
Always locatable with your smartphone
If you go alone to the mountains, on foot or by bike, it can be difficult to locate you if, unfortunately, you have an accident. Luckily, there are apps that allow you to stay connected permanently so your location is sent or even automatically alert emergency services with your GPS coordinates if an accident leaves you unconscious.
But if, for whatever reason, you don’t think such caution is necessary, you can always rely on WhatsApp, a universal app, and send a trusted person your permanent, real-time location for up to eight hours.
Discover new routes with your phone’s GPS
Well equipped, with the right apps, your smartphone will show you a new world to discover, even when your mountain trip is to places you already know. There are apps that, based on your location, offer routes that other users have already traveled, with difficulty levels and tips for hiking them, depending on the terrain or conditions. This way, your outings will always be varied, even if you move around the same area.
An emergency? Call 112
Before heading to the mountains, it’s wise to plan your route well, using apps like the ones mentioned above, combined with a slightly different exploration: checking phone coverage. Most phone operators offer on their websites a map of 2G coverage areas so you can at least make a call in case of problems or know where the nearest coverage zone is.
Fortunately, you can always call 112 in an emergency, and if your operator has no coverage in that area, the call will be routed through another operator’s network. But keep in mind this number is only for real emergencies.
Always keep your battery fully charged
It’s essential to go out with your phone fully charged if you’re going to spend the day outdoors. If you barely make it through your regular day, it will surely be hard for your phone to last a whole day outside. The best advice for a rural outing is to set the screen to maximum brightness for good visibility outdoors. Also, the device will be constantly searching for coverage and 3G or 4G connection. Likewise, GPS, necessary for navigation or following unknown routes, also consumes a significant amount of power.
Ideally, if you’re unsure your phone will last, carry an external battery to connect it to when its power starts to run low. You can also turn off functions you don’t need, like Bluetooth. Put it in airplane mode or turn it off completely if you’re in a group with others connected and won’t need it. You never know when it might come in handy.
Take good care of your smartphone
You know that extreme cold and heat are not good friends of smartphones, as the battery and screen can suffer greatly. Neither is rain or direct sunlight on the screen a good ally. Always try to keep your phone within a temperature range between 10 and 30ºC, and avoid extreme outdoor conditions like high humidity, a sworn enemy of your phone’s internal components.
To help with this, you have several options: a case to protect it, a bag to shelter it, use it hands-free only so it stays in your backpack… In short, preserve it so it serves you when you really need it and don’t use it unless necessary, because the mountains are usually not the best environment for its care.
