How to open and use GPS files on your phone
Before departure, you will receive access to either an app with the entire trip included, separate GPS files, or (in increasingly rare cases) a printed roadbook with directions. The app is easy to follow while many wonder how to handle the GPS files. In this article, we show you how to open and use a GPS file on your phone. There are many apps that can handle this; we use the popular Komoot as an example, but roughly the same method works in other apps.
GPS or GPX?
GPS simply means satellite navigation. GPX is the most common file format for a specific track that you can follow.
What phone do you have?
GPS files work on all phones but the procedure looks slightly different between operating systems.
- Install the app
Download Komoot from the App Store. - Open the GPX file
Tap on the file in the email you received. A preview opens, like an empty document. - Share the file
Tap on the Share symbol (square with upward arrow). - Choose app
Select Komoot. Sometimes the app is hidden under "More..." - Import the tour
The app asks if you want to import the tour. Confirm. - Start navigation
Open the tour in Komoot and tap "Start". The track you should follow is displayed on the map and your position is shown as a blue dot.
Tips!
- The GPS function is separate from the mobile antenna and thus works without mobile coverage.
- We strongly recommend, however, that you download the relevant map area for offline use. Then you are not dependent on data connection in mountains and countryside.
- Bring a power bank for longer days. You can save battery by turning off the screen between waypoints.
- Most apps record your own track while you follow the original one. Then you get your own version afterwards, exactly as you have walked. This uses slightly more battery.
- The GPS track is a tool and does not replace common sense and good judgment out on the trail. They are not always accurate to the meter.
- Feel free to test recording a track on the way to work before the trip, so you become skilled at using the app! You can also export and email the track to a travel companion so you can test the entire process from download to navigation.
Good luck and just contact us if you need help!
