OSM Viewer on mobile that can import/display gpx overlay?

Unsure which category this post belongs in, Support but also possibly Ideas?

I have been really enjoying routes. Instead of stopping to check node finder and see what roads are uncovered in my lifemap, I plan a route before I go out and I stick to it. I run with my phone in my hand and location tracking on, so I glance down at it often but I don’t have to stare at it. The purple route line is easy to follow my blue GPS dot along.

The problem is that my hands are a bit sweaty, and my fingers or the edge of my hand might tap another pat of the screen, such that sometimes I inadvertently change the page in Chrome. Then, on the run, I have to go back, or reload the page. In a city, this is inconvenient; in the countryside, where my 4G can be very spotty, this can be a massive hindrance. This problem could be solved if I could view OSM maps offline and overlay my routes gpx, preferably in an app rather than Chrome.

I tried checking the Android App Store for an OSM Viewer app that could upload the gpx traces we can export from the CS route viewer, but the only app I found that seems like it should be able to (OsmAnd) doesn’t seem to be able to import the [name].gpx.xml output from CS Routes download button, and the appjust seems very busy anyways with a lot of functionality I’m not interested in. So…has anyone else found a good app for viewing OSM on mobile, with offline maps and ability to import and overlay gpx traces?

I know there’s already an idea posted Create a CityStrides app which, if culminated, would probably solve this problem! Maybe with the increasing functionality of CityStrides there is a growing impetus to do this?

1 Like

@kevincharlespels I have been using mostly printed paper maps that I carry with me in a plastic baggie (to solve the sweaty hands problem). I also use a belt for my phone, which makes it a pain to take out… But yesterday I contemplated an arm band… The type with a window, so I don’t have to pull my phone out of the belt, which is starting to fray.

I have seen apps that upload routes to Garmin devices. I own an FR235, so it’s my only reference point.

Since @JamesChevalier recently added RouteBuilder to the site, I wonder if it outputs a GPX file? What might also be interesting is node locations, so you could avoid missing one? And then wonder how that ties in with the routing apps?

Anyway, that’s my 2 cents.

Happy hunting!

1 Like

Yes - the Routes tool can output a gpx file, although when I do it on mobile (Chrome, Android) it is a .gpx.xml file and I don’t really know if that matters or not…

The reason I prefer to run with live lifemap tracking is I live in an area with a lot of eucalyptus groves, and the trail paths between them can look pretty similar. The route trace from OSM and live GPS tracking helps keep me on the correct path in an environment where wrong turns can mean a lot of extra ascent, and I often do pretty long runs to begin with…

1 Like

I tried sending a route to my watch for the first time this weekend, and I was very pleasantly surprised. It shows the route, actual trace, on/off route status, and turn notifications. It was a bit weird in that it doesn’t actually show a map, just lines but it worked surprisingly well, I didn’t have to use the map on my phone at all. Could be an option for you?

2 Likes

That would probably be superb. Last year I got a .gpx of a nearby trail from the county website, but never really figured out how to open or use gpx files in Garmin Connect app or what to do on my watch (a Fenix 5). Is there a how-to you could link me to?

On the Garmin Connect website go to Training → Courses, there’s a “Import” link below “Create a Course” in the dialog window. Once you have completed the import you can “Send to device” and it should be available when you next synch. Your Fenix 5 might support actual maps as well (I have a FR 245).

3 Likes