GPS Android App for Walking

DollyTheSheep

Like many in 2019, I have decided to get fitter and lose a bit of weight.

It's been a while since i have been walking, I have my map and my compass and was wondering what the state of GPS is in 2019 on mobile phones.

Back in the day, people had to buy a GPS such as a Garmin Etrex or Magellan to get GPS coordinates.

Are they any good or recommended apps for Android that people use while walking? I assume you need a mobile signal (data) for it to work. I have seen many refs to GPS on phones over the years and wondered how I can now pair it up with an Ordanace Survey map.

EssexExile

If you buy Ordnance Survey maps now they come with a free download for your phone. I'm not sure what the app is capable of.

Just for walking I use MapMyWalk which records duration, speed, etc in the free version.

RumRat

ViewRanger will give you all you want, you can use the free 'Open street' maps or download Ordinance Survey maps.
It will work offline for the areas where you can't get a mobile signal, which is essential for any decent hike....
See HERE..

prenton01

Viewranger and OS maps are the best 2

I personally use OS maps it's £20 a year for subscription and what you can do is plan your walk on the OS website at home then save the route to your account then go to the app click on my routes then download the map so you don't need to use data while out and have phone on flight mode saving battery time.

When you are walking you click on follow route and you can see where you are at all times

Farway

I use Runkeeper, free and on Android. You can set it for other activities, like running, keeps tabs on distance time etc, and can pair with friend if you wish to compare efforts

Murmansk

I'd second that about the OS Maps app - it's about £20 per year and allows you to get OS Maps of the entire country on your phone - very good value.

Don't rely too much on it though as it'll probably use your phone's battery up faster than you'd normally do so best take a power bank with you to keep the phone charged and be sure to download maps for the area you'll be going to before you get there just in case there's no mobile signal in a remote place.

The location function on your phone will need to be switched on so it knows where you are - that should function wherever you find yourself as the satellites are always visible - unless you're in a deep ravine or wood.

DollyTheSheep

Thanks for the posts so far.

jeradon

I use MapMyWalk. It is easy to use and pretty accurate.

marlot

I use the OS map app. Most of my walking is in my local area, and I get a free download covering the map area. It can sometimes be hard to follow an obscure foothpath though, and I use a garmin gps64 then.

stragglebod

I use mapmywalk on desktop browser as I like the route planning options, then export the route to gpx and into the Android Ordnance Survey app for tracking and GPS on the walk itself.

olbas_oil

It's worth thinking about how you will use your phone. If you are planning in advance there are two things you'll need to download, a route and a map.

Lots of walking websites supply recommended routes (aka tracks) as gpx files. At its most basic this is a list of waypoints as GPS coordinates. You can also simply record where you go as a gpx track and save it. But the track will simply show as a line on your screen. You must overlay it on top of a map of the area.

Maps can be offline or online. Offline maps need downloading in advance. If you are walking in a remote area, you may not have a signal to download.

I far prefer a solution that means my phone will always have the map, wherever I am, whether or not I have a signal. I am now using Locus Maps. This is is free with a slightly annoying banner advert (I paid for the Pro version to remove it).

Locus supports vector maps. This is a much more efficient form of maps (rather than tile format) and makes it practical to store the whole of the UK on your mobile. You do lose some of the detail and shading, but If you are taking map and compass as well (which you should do as a safety issue) then you have the best of both worlds!.

It may be that I have a fairly cheap phone, but I have never found that the compass works that well. However the GPS is very accurate, and if I am recording my own track, it is very easy to move a few paces and work out which way I am going!


Using an app will give you lots of additional information such as speed, elevation, time spent resting etc.