The magic of Oruxmaps lies not in the pre-installed tiles, but in a single, powerful file: .
<onlinemapsource uid="1" > <name>OpenStreetMap Standard</name> <url><![CDATA[https://tile.openstreetmap.org/zoom/x/y.png]]></url> <copyright><![CDATA[© OpenStreetMap contributors]]></copyright> <onlinemapsource> And a more advanced one with explicit zoom constraints: Oruxmaps Online Map Sources.xml
/Internal Storage/oruxmaps/mapfiles/onlinemapsources.xml The magic of Oruxmaps lies not in the
<url><![CDATA[https://tiles.stadiamaps.com/tiles/alidade_smooth/zoom/x/y.png?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY]]></url> For servers requiring custom HTTP headers (e.g., Referer ), Oruxmaps does not support header injection via XML alone. You would need to use a proxy or switch to a different map source. Here is a curated list of reliable sources to include in your XML file. These are known to work as of 2025 and respect usage policies. Satellite & Hybrid | Name | URL Template | Max Zoom | |------|--------------|----------| | Google Satellite | https://mt1.google.com/vt/lyrs=s&x=x&y=y&z=zoom | 22 | | Bing Aerial | https://ecn.t3.tiles.virtualearth.net/tiles/aquadkey.jpeg?g=1 | 21 | | ESRI World Imagery | https://server.arcgisonline.com/ArcGIS/rest/services/World_Imagery/MapServer/tile/zoom/y/x | 19 | Topographic & Outdoor | Name | URL Template | Region | |------|--------------|--------| | USGS Topo (current) | https://basemap.nationalmap.gov/arcgis/rest/services/USGSTopo/MapServer/tile/zoom/y/x | USA | | OpenTopoMap | https://tile.opentopomap.org/zoom/x/y.png | Global | | IGN France (classic) | https://wxs.ign.fr/paris/geoportail/ortho/1.0.0/ortho/zoom/x/y.jpg | France | Nautical & Marine | Name | URL Template | |------|--------------| | OpenSeaMap | https://tiles.openseamap.org/seamark/zoom/x/y.png | Transport & Bicycle | Name | URL Template | |------|--------------| | OpenCycleMap | https://tile.opencyclemap.org/cycle/zoom/x/y.png | | Transport Map | https://tile.memomaps.de/tilegen/zoom/x/y.png | Part 7: Troubleshooting Common XML Errors Even a single typo can break the entire map sources list. Here are the most frequent issues. 1. Oruxmaps Shows "No Online Maps" After XML Change Cause: Malformed XML – missing closing tag, invalid character, duplicate UID. Fix: Validate your XML using an online validator (e.g., xmlvalidation.com). Pay special attention to CDATA sections and ampersands (&) which must be written as & . 2. Map Shows Blank or Black Tiles Cause: Wrong URL pattern. Oruxmaps uses zoom , x , y . Some servers expect z , row , or col . Also, check zoom constraints – you may be zoomed out beyond the server’s min zoom. Fix: Compare your URL with working examples from the same tile service. Try the URL in a web browser first. 3. Map Loads but Attribution Overlaps Cause: Missing or incorrect copyright tag. Fix: Add a <copyright> element containing the required text. Oruxmaps displays this in the map info panel. 4. Slow Performance or App Freezing Cause: Too many map sources (over 500) or a source with an unreachable server. Fix: Split sources into multiple XML files (name them onlinemapsources1.xml , onlinemapsources2.xml ). Oruxmaps loads all XML files in the mapfiles directory. Part 8: Advanced Techniques – WMS, TMS, and Quadkeys Oruxmaps supports not only standard XYZ tiles but also Web Map Service (WMS) and TMS (Tile Map Service) with quadkeys. Adding a WMS Source WMS requires a GetMap request. Example for the USGS NAIP imagery: Here is a curated list of reliable sources
<onlinemapsource uid="301"> <name>USGS NAIP WMS</name> <url><![CDATA[https://services.nationalmap.gov/arcgis/services/NAIP/ImageServer/WMSServer?request=GetMap&service=WMS&version=1.3.0&layers=0&styles=&format=image/png&transparent=false&width=256&height=256&crs=EPSG:3857&bbox=west,south,east,north]]></url> <type>WMS</type> </onlinemapsource> Note: WMS is slower than XYZ tiles. Use sparingly. Bing tiles use a quadkey instead of x/y/zoom. Oruxmaps converts automatically if you use quadkey .
Introduction: Why Default Maps Are Never Enough Oruxmaps is widely considered the gold standard for outdoor navigation on Android. Unlike simplified apps like Google Maps or AllTrails, Oruxmaps offers professional-grade features: GPX tracking, offline raster maps, voice navigation, and support for dozens of map formats.
However, many new users install the app, look at the default online map list, and feel underwhelmed. You might see a few OpenStreetMap variants, a Bing aerial layer, and perhaps a forgotten test server.