Apps How difficult to build an app that tracks how far I walk?

[Android Andy]

I'm a programmer but I've never written an Android app (or any mobile app.) I'd really love to have an app that tracks how far I've walked and can also do time and distance arithmetic.

Here's what I'm thinking. I love to run/walk. Let's say I want to set a goal of running/walking 5 miles in 80 minutes. I want to be able to see in real time, how much of those 5 miles I've covered and what average speed I have to maintain to meet my goal. For example, when I first enter 5 miles in 80 minutes into the app, the display should show that I need to maintain a 16-minute mile. Let's say I cover the first mile in 20 minutes. Then I've got 4 miles left to cover in 60 minutes so the display should show me that I have to do a 15-minute mile. I want the display to be constantly updating. That will motivate me to speed up or to slow down depending on what pace I have to average over the remaining time.

Is this an easy app to develop? If so, how would I proceed to learn what I need to learn?

Thanks!

 

[23tony]

I assume you're wanting to write this app for the learning experience? Because if you just want the app, there are already apps that do what you're asking.

So going with that assumption - I would suggest starting with something simple first. If you already know Java or Kotlin, you've got an edge, but working in Android Studio with the APIs and all the peculiarities of Android can be overwhelming, and you're going to need to engage with system services to do what you're asking.

To work toward that end, I would start with a very simple app that just opens pages, acts on taps, processes some input, etc - just to get your head wrapped around how Android code works.

Your app consists of two parts, from what I'm reading: a location tracker and a timer. So make one of each. Do a simple timer, build up the complexity a bit. Then do a simple map app, and add tracking (my JustAMap would be an example of a SIMPLE map app). At this point you now have worked with all the parts of what you're trying to build and should be ready to integrate them all into a single app.

Hope that helps!

 

[Android Andy]

Wow! Is there an app that does this already! Please point me to one. I want a working app more than I want to write one.

Thank you!

 

[Android Andy]

p.s. I know that there are lots of apps that track time and distance but I've not seen an app that counts down and shows me what speed I need to maintain to meet my time goal.