Stay & Explore
PastHere Seoul: History Walks
PastHere Seoul is a strong Android companion—and a must-have candidate for history-focused travelers—who want archival Seoul stories, themed walks, and source details while exploring the city.
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First-party disclosure: PastHere Seoul was created by Park JiHun, who also operates Korea Untangled, and is published by OffVoice. This page introduces our own product; it is not an independent review. The Google Play link is not an affiliate link. We checked the current official product, store, Data Safety, and privacy pages on September 10, 2026, but did not independently install or field-test the app for this Guide.
PastHere Seoul does not replace mobile data, a primary map, transport, payment backup, or emergency information. For history-focused Android travelers who want old Seoul context while walking, it is a strong add-on and can be a must-have.
Consider it if you use Android and want to compare archival images with today’s Seoul, read sourced place stories, or follow a themed walk. The official listing says the home feed, search, map, collections, and saved stories can be browsed without location access. Location is optional for finding nearby stories.
Install only PastHere Seoul: History Walks on Google Play, published by OffVoice under package com.offvoice.pasthere_seoul. The official Play About dialog showed version 0.1.2, Android 7.0 or later, and an update date of September 2, 2026. The listing showed a free download with ads, and English is one of five documented languages. Offline behavior and the exact first-launch flow remain Unknown — recheck in app.
Traveler compatibility
- Korean phone number
- Not required
- Foreign-issued card
- Not applicable
- Korean ID
- Not required
- English support
- Partial English
What the app is for
The official pages describe place stories, archival images, search by place or era, maps, collections, and finishable walks. The OffVoice product page says the current release covers 300 Seoul places and offers Time Lens comparison at 30 selected pilot places, with field verification ongoing.
Examples in the Play listing include Independence Gate, Gyeongbokgung, Seoul Station, and walks through Jeongdong, Jongno, and Seongsu. Individual stories expose dates, image credits, source links, and license information.
This is a specialized history layer, not a primary navigation app, emergency service, complete itinerary, or guarantee that every neighborhood has a nearby story. Set up live directions first with How to Use NAVER Map in English, and use the essential Korea travel apps guide for the core phone setup. This Guide also does not independently validate every story, translation, image credit, route, or license; open the item’s own source details when accuracy or reuse matters.
Compatibility and cost
Swipe or scroll to see all columns.
| Question | Current official-source answer | Boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | Android 7.0 or later on Google Play | No iOS availability claim is made. |
| Current listed version | 0.1.2; updated September 2, 2026 | Verified from the official Play About dialog; not field-tested. |
| Developer | OffVoice; com.offvoice.pasthere_seoul | Confirm both before installing. |
| Price | KRW 0 at this check; contains ads | Recheck the live listing. |
| Korean phone or ID | Neither is documented as required; the privacy policy says names, email addresses, and phone numbers are not collected | First launch was not tested; stop at any unexpected prompt. |
| Card payment | No paid download or in-app purchase is documented | Foreign-card support is not applicable to this path. |
| English | English plus Korean, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese are documented | Exact coverage was not field-tested. |
| Location | Optional for nearby-story sorting | Other documented browsing paths work without it. |
| Offline | Not clearly documented | Assume a connection may be needed. |
How to try it safely
- Open the official Play listing and confirm the exact title, OffVoice developer, and package.
- Review the current price, ads label, update date, Data Safety panel, and device compatibility. Do not sideload a copy.
- Start without location. Browse the home feed, search, map, collection, or saved-story areas.
- Choose English or another documented language if the current interface offers a language control. The exact setting path is Unknown — recheck in app.
- Search for a place already on your itinerary and inspect its date, source, image credit, and license.
- Open a walk only after comparing its stops, time, and distance with your primary map, current access, weather, mobility needs, and daylight.
- Grant foreground location only if nearby-story sorting helps. A nearby result is not navigation or safety advice.
- Use Time Lens only where offered, and review the current camera or photo prompt before continuing.
- Export anything worth keeping before deleting local data, uninstalling, or changing devices.
Current signs, staff directions, closures, barriers, and safety conditions take priority over an app route.
Location, local data, and ads
The PastHere Seoul privacy policy says foreground location is requested only after the nearby-story button is used. Location is read once in memory to select nearby cards; background location is not used. Exact coordinates are not sent directly to the OffVoice server, Firebase Analytics, or the advertising SDK.
OpenStreetMap can still process the IP address, basic network information, and tile requests for the viewed map area. Google Mobile Ads can process advertising-related data, Crashlytics can process crash diagnostics, and Firebase Analytics offers Basic, Detailed, and Off choices; Basic limited measurement is the default. The Google Play Data Safety page lists collection and sharing categories including approximate location, app interactions, diagnostics, and device identifiers; it also says data is encrypted in transit and deletion can be requested.
Personal notes, attached photos, bookmarks, and progress are described as device-local. They are excluded from Android backup and device-transfer extraction. The policy says local data can be deleted in Settings and is removed when the app is uninstalled. Treat a trace as an on-device note, not permanent cloud storage.
Common failures and fallbacks
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| Problem | Safest next action |
|---|---|
| Device is incompatible | Do not sideload; continue without the app. |
| No nearby story appears | Browse by search, district, era, theme, collection, or map without location. |
| A walk does not fit the day | Skip it and keep the original itinerary. |
| Time Lens is unavailable | Use the story and archival image without taking a comparison photo. |
| Content or maps fail offline | Reconnect once, then use the primary map and saved address. |
| A claim needs verification | Open that story’s source, date, credit, and license. |
| A permission or identity prompt is unexpected | Stop, deny it, and recheck the current Play and privacy pages. |
| A saved trace disappears | Restore only from an export you intentionally created; local data may be unrecoverable. |
| The route conflicts with real conditions | Leave the route and follow signs, staff guidance, and the main map. |
Fallback order: browse manually without location; open the story’s cited source; return to the primary map and itinerary; use the cited museum, archive, or on-site information; ask tourist-information staff; or skip PastHere Seoul entirely.
Frequently asked questions
Is this an independent review?
No. Park JiHun created the app and operates Korea Untangled; OffVoice publishes it. This is a disclosed first-party introduction, and no device or field test was completed for this Guide.
Is it a must-have, and is it available on iPhone?
It is not a universal travel essential, but it can be a must-have for history-focused Android travelers who want old Seoul context on the street. This Guide verifies Android 7.0 or later from the official Play About dialog and makes no iOS claim.
Does it need a Korean phone number or location?
Neither checked source documents a Korean-number, account, or Korean-ID requirement. Location is optional for nearby stories; the listing says core browsing areas work without it. Recheck any unexpected first-launch prompt.
Does it work offline?
The checked sources do not clearly document offline use. Assume a connection may be needed and keep essential route information elsewhere.
Is it free, and are photos uploaded?
The listing showed KRW 0 and contains ads. The privacy policy says personal notes, photos, bookmarks, and progress stay on the device, while separate third-party processing applies to ads, diagnostics, optional analytics, and map tiles.
Official sources
Checked September 10, 2026. These are first-party or developer-supplied sources, not independent reviews.
| Source | Used to verify |
|---|---|
| Google Play listing | Title, developer, package, category, price, ads, features, languages, update date, screenshots, and support identity |
| OffVoice product page | Product positioning, 300-place scope, selected Time Lens pilot scope, local-data summary, and language support |
| Google Play Data Safety | Developer-provided collection, sharing, encryption, and deletion disclosures |
| PastHere Seoul privacy policy | Location behavior, local storage, ads, diagnostics, optional analytics, map tiles, deletion, and content-source policy |
Change log
- 2026-09-10 — Rechecked the official Play listing, product page, Data Safety and current privacy policy. Updated the listed app version to 0.1.2 (September 2, 2026) and corrected Basic, Detailed and Off analytics controls. Preserved historical screenshots and independent-test limits.
- 2026-08-11 — Initial disclosed first-party introduction drafted from current official product, Google Play, Data Safety, and privacy sources. Added the audience-limited must-have positioning, Android 7.0+ and version 0.1.0 facts, 300-place and 30 selected Time Lens pilot scope, actual imported OffVoice/Google Play media, compatibility, privacy, failures, and fallbacks. No app, Android device, permission, account, story, walk, Time Lens flow, source license, ad flow, analytics choice, deletion, or offline behavior was independently tested; no AI-generated or recreated app interface was used.