I initially built this for cops… now it has over 1000+ users
I built LOC8 around a very specific problem I ran into on the job. Sometimes you just need to know exactly where you are fast, without opening a map, zooming in, and trying to make sense of everything while a lot is going on.
The original use case was law enforcement, especially for moments on foot or right after things settle down enough to get updated location info out. Open the app and it shows your current address, nearest cross street, GPS coordinates, heading, elevation, and a location code right away.
What I did not expect was how many people outside that world would find it useful too. It ended up getting used for travel, rideshare pickups, roadside issues, hiking, unfamiliar neighborhoods, crowded events, and just those moments where you need to tell someone exactly where you are without fumbling through Maps.
There is also an Apple Watch app for the quick location check, while the iPhone app handles the broader tools like pinning locations, saving them, tracking location codes on the map, and routing back to pinned spots later.
One example is our homeless outreach team. They can go into rural parts of town, pin a camp or another hard to describe spot, and later come back and track right back to that same location using the map and compass.
It is a simple app, but it solves a real problem. That has led to it growing to more than 1,000 users, which has honestly been pretty cool to see.
Curious what people think, and what you would want added or changed.