v1.4 — Free & No Ads
Surroundings
Your smart local guide. Walk around and discover the history, art, and stories behind the places around you.
Your smart local guide. Walk around and discover the history, art, and stories behind the places around you.
Automatically find nearby points of interest using WikiData, Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, and Wikimedia Commons.
Explore discoveries on an interactive map with free basemaps. Premium MapTiler styles available with your own key.
Learn why streets are named the way they are — uncover the history behind every corner of your city.
Create guided walking tours connecting nearby discoveries with pedestrian-optimised routes via OpenRouteService.
Get rich AI-generated descriptions powered by Google Gemini, Groq, OpenAI, or Anthropic — bring your own key.
Listen to descriptions read aloud in your language with customisable voice, speed, and pitch.
Get notified when you approach interesting places. Configurable radius and cooldown to avoid noise.
Available in English, Italian, Spanish, French, and German — with localised content and voices.
No sign-up, no login, no profiles
All data stored on your device only
API keys secured with Android Keystore
Zero advertising, zero analytics pixels
Surroundings uses publicly available open data. No proprietary databases, no hidden costs.
| Source | What it provides | License |
|---|---|---|
 OpenStreetMap / Nominatim | Map data, reverse geocoding, POI discovery | ODbL |
 WikiData | Structured POI metadata | CC0 |
 Wikipedia | Article summaries & details | CC BY-SA |
 Wikimedia Commons | Nearby images | Various open licenses |
 CARTO | Free basemap tiles | Free for all uses |
 Mapillary | Street-level imagery & map points | CC BY-SA |
These features activate only when you provide your own API key in the app's Preferences. The app works great without them.
| Service | What it enables | Free tier |
|---|---|---|
| MapTiler | Premium basemap styles | Yes — free account available |
| OpenRouteService | Pedestrian walking routes | Yes — 2,000 req/day |
| Google Gemini | AI-generated POI descriptions | Yes — free tier |
| Groq | AI-generated POI descriptions | Yes — free tier |
| OpenAI | AI-generated POI descriptions | No — paid API |
| Anthropic | AI-generated POI descriptions | No — paid API |
| Mapillary | Street-level imagery on the map | Yes — free access token |