Navigate your next trail with Apple Watch: Unlock the Potential of Your Apple Watch Ultra
Apple Watch Ultra aspires to be a direct Garmin competitor for outdoor sports. And with brighter screen, extended battery life and dual-frequency GPS it has a potential to compete with some Garmin models, especially for non-professional athletes.
My biggest issue with Apple Watch is lack of native outdoor maps. Its built-in Apple Maps wouldn’t be much help if you were out for a hike or mountain biking, and though the new Compass app is a good start, it’s far from what a fully functional outdoor maps should be.
Luckily, we can still use some of third party apps to transform any Apple Watch to great navigation tool.
What apps do we need?
- Mapy.cz (Free) — to generate GPX file
- WorkOutDoors ($6.99) — for offline maps and navigation
How to create a GPX file?
GPX is a common GPS data format used by most of modern navigation apps. It’s just a description of waypoints, tracks and routes.
You can generate GPX file just using Google Maps and it should work just fine for public routes, but for more remote locations Mapy.cz is the way to go.
Mapy.cz
This free app offers stunning UI, dedicated iPhone and iPad applications, and a variety of outdoor-related features. From trips recommendations to GPX file export. It supports a variety of activities including hiking, cycling (road or mountain biking), cross-country skiing, and even kayaking (in selected locations). I’ve personally tested the app on many trails in different part of Europe, and it worked wonderfully.
Planning your trip is simple. Start by selecting pin points or use the “Trip around” option to help you find the optimal route based on distance and duration. Once you find the perfect route, just tap export, and you’re ready to go!
Offline maps and navigation
WorkOutDoors is the best option I have found so far. It’s packed full of features like offline maps, GPX support, and the ability to enable topographic data — perfect for those long hikes in the wilderness. The only thing that’s missing is turn-by-turn directions, but here’s hoping the developers add this soon.
Plus, if you don’t like the look, you can personalize the interface. Change the colours of the map, choose which elements are visible, and alter even the precision of the map. You can also use one of predefined themes.
Importing GPX and sending to Apple Watch
Find your file on Route list → Tap to open it → click: “Send to Watch”
On Apple Watch:
Go to Settings → Routes → Select your file.
Start training
You can start your training directly in WorkOutDoors apps, but it can also be used in Map-Only mode (If you prefer a different app for tracking your activity). From my experience, Apple’s native app is more stable and reliable for activity tracking, especially with all features added in iOS 16. I usually switch between these two apps during my trainings.
(Tip: You can switch between two last opened apps by double-clicking the Digital Crown.)
The Apple Watch Ultra may be full of flashy marketing slogans, but it’s still missing some essential features. With right combination of third party apps Apple Watch can be a great tool for any outdoor adventure.
Share your favorite third-party apps for Apple Watch in the comments!
