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Tracks

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Overview​

Track on the map

Feures Tracks functionality lets you create and save routes so you can easily return to them later or share them with others. A trip planning feature lets you customize your routes based on your preferences and interests. You also get access to preloaded routes to popular destinations and attractions.

  1. Main Features.
  • All tracks in OsmAnd are stored in the folder:
    Menu β†’ My Places β†’ Tracks.
  • The Tracks tab in the OsmAnd app provides a convenient way to manage and interact with your saved tracks. This feature allows you to record and save tracks completed during travel or outdoor activities.
  • A track on a map is Trip recording or Plan a route with or without marked points on it. OsmAnd track file is in GPX format.
  1. You can add or create tracks in OsmAnd in the following ways.
  1. Tracks management special features in OsmAnd.
  • Enabling and disabling tracks on the map.
  • Customizing the appearance, edit and analyze tracks.
  • Use for navigation.
  1. OsmAnd has no limit on the number of tracks to store and display.

  2. There are three options to display Tracks on the map.

Formats: OsmAnd uses GPX format for tracks and points.
Import: the app can import GPX, KML, KMZ formats of tracks and points.

Create / Edit Track​

Tracks is a powerful tool for tracking journeys, recording routes and Points of Interest (POIs) in real-time, and for later analyzing and sharing data.

Track recording​

Track on the map Track on the map

You can create a new track by starting a record in the Tracks tab or using the OsmAnd Trip recording Plugin and Widgets. Trip plugin is a special tool designed to record your journeys, walks, and other activities.

  • New track. In this field you can tap the Start Recording button to record a new track. You may need to confirm your battery settings (for Android) before you start.
  • Currently recording track (Android) / Recorded track (iOS).
  • Menu. Tapping the three dot menu (for Android) or long press (for iOS) opens the track menu. During track recording, in this field you can see how many kilometers have already been recorded and how long the recording is in progress. The Stop button allows you to pause the recording, and to finish it, press the Save button.

Baterry optimization (Android only)​

Track on the map iOS

Select an optimisation setting. To prevent the app from asking you the next time you make a selection, tap the Don't ask anymore button.
NOTE. Optimizing battery usage in Android can cause gaps and inaccuracies in recorded tracks. If you encounter such problems, try changing the battery usage mode to Unrestricted.

Coordinate input​

⚠️ Android only
This feature is currently not available for the iOS version of the OsmAnd app.
  • Menu β†’ My Places β†’ Tracks β†’ Earth button at the bottom of the screen
  • Menu β†’ Map markers β†’ More β†’ Coordinate input

Coordinate input Options menu Android

  • In the pop-up menu, you can enter your own track name or save it by default.
  • Tap Save to save the added points as a new track.
  • You will find your track in My places menu Menu β†’ My Places β†’ Tracks β†’ Map markers. Read how to add points by coordinates:
  • Coordinate input article.

Plane route​

Menu β†’ Plan a route β†’ Open existing track / Import track

Plan a route modify-track-android

The Plan a route tool allows you to create new routes as GPX tracks, modify existing tracks, and import new ones.

Plan a Route tool enables users to modify both pre-existing GPX tracks and imported tracks.
Read more in the article Plan a route tool.

Tracks menu​

Menu β†’ My Places β†’ Tracks

My places tracks Android

The Tracks tab provides several types of menus for related actions and settings.

My places tracks seaching function Android

Tap the πŸ” button at the top of the device screen to open the track list sorting menu.

Available:

  • Search by track name.
  • Sort by for better search if you can't remember the title.
  • Filter if you need the specific characteristics of the track.

Three-dot menu​

My places tracks sort function Android

  • Select. This menu item allows you to select the folders and routes you need to manage them further.

  • Sort subfolder. The selected sort order on the Tracks tab applies to all levels of subfolders and tracks.

  • Add folder. If you need to organize your routes and tracks into logical categories, the app provides the ability to quickly create a new folder and name it. This helps to structure your navigation information.

  • Add smart folder. This is a tool for automating data organization. Folders automatically sort routes and tracks according to specified criteria.

  • Import. If you have tracks you want to add to OsmAnd, you can use the import function to upload files from your device.

Selection mode​

My places tracks sort function Android

The Select menu item provides options for managing folders and tracks. This feature allows you to select multiple tracks or track folders. You can also select all tracks and folders by tapping the special Select All button at the top of the screen.

Once you have made your choice, the following steps are provided:

  • Show on map. With this feature you can display the selected tracks on the map to better understand their location and relationship to each other.

  • Share. If you want to share selected data with other users or save it to a cloud service, the Share feature allows you to send tracks and folders using different sharing methods.

  • Upload to OpenStreetMap. You can submit selected tracks to OpenStreetMap, contributing to the development and improvement of the data.

  • Move. You can organize your data by moving selected tracks and folders to other folders.

  • Change appearance. This option allows you to customize the appearance of selected tracks, making them more visible and recognizable on the map.

  • Delete. If the selected tracks or folders are no longer needed, the Delete function allows you to delete them, with the app providing confirmation options to avoid accidental deletion.

Sort by​

⚠️ Android only
This feature is currently not available for the iOS version of the OsmAnd app.

My places tracks sort function Android

OsmAnd provides a convenient option to sort tracks. This is especially useful if you have a lot of them or if you are searching by certain features.
Tap the Sort by button at the top of the list to open the track list sorting menu tool.

Sort menu:

  • Nearest. Shows tracks that are close to your location.
  • Last modified. The tracks in the list are sorted by which ones have been changed recently.
  • Name: A - Z. Sorting tracks in the list by name from A to Z.
  • Name: Z – A. Sorting tracks in the list by name from Z to A.
  • Newest date first. The tracks in the list are sorted by the date they were created. The newest ones first.
  • Oldest date first. The tracks in the list are displayed so that the oldest created tracks are at the beginning.
  • Longest distance first. The tracks are sorted so that the longest by distance are at the top of the list.
  • Shortest distance first. At the top of the list are the shortest tracks.
  • Longest duration first. Tracks are sorted so that the ones that took the longest are listed first.
  • Shorted duration first. At the top of the list are the tracks that took the least amount of time to complete.

Filter​

My places tracks

Osmand provides convenient track management tools, one of them is filtering in the Tracks tab to help organize and manage all tracks on your device, as well as more detailed and customizable track searches by various parameters to quickly find tracks that meet specific requirements.

  • To access the Filter screen, tap the Search icon πŸ”, in the Sort by row on the right, tap Filter.
  • After selecting the required filters, tap the Show button in the lower right corner of the screen. The number of filtered tracks is displayed in brackets.
  • You can clear all configured filters using the Reset all button.
  • The configured filter set can be saved as a new Smart folder using the button in the upper right corner of the screen.

My places tracks

Available filters:

  • Filter by name

    My places tracks

    • This filter allows you to search for tracks by their title.
    • Enter a title or part of a title to filter tracks matching the specified text.
  • Folder

    My places tracks

    • The Folder filter allows you to search for tracks in one or more existing folders.
    • Select the needed folders to display the tracks in the search list.
  • Duration

    My places tracks

    • This filter allows you to customize your search by the duration of the recorded tracks.
    • You can select a duration range in hours and minutes to find tracks matching your time limit.
  • Time in motion

    My places tracks

    • This filter helps you find tracks during which you were in motion.
    • Select a range of time in motion to display tracks that match your parameters.
  • Length

    My places tracks

    • This filter allows you to customize your search by track length in kilometers or miles.
    • Specify the required length range to find tracks of a specific length.
  • Average speed

    My places tracks

    • This filter helps you sort tracks by average speed.
    • Select the average speed range to search for tracks.
  • Max speed

    My places tracks

    • This filter allows you to search for tracks with a specific maximum speed.
    • Select from the suggested range of maximum speed values to find tracks that match this parameter.
  • Uphill

    My places tracks

    • This filter searches for tracks that go up a slope or have a positive elevation.
    • Tracks that include sections with the selected uphill are displayed.
  • Downhill

    My places tracks

    • The Downhill filter searches for tracks that are descending or have a negative elevation.
    • Finds tracks that include downhill sections for the selected values.
  • Average altitude

    My places tracks

    • This filter helps you find tracks based on average altitude.
    • Specify a range of average altitude to find tracks with these parameters.
  • Max altitude

    My places tracks

    • This filter searches for tracks according to their maximum altitude above sea level.
    • Specify a range of maximum altitude to find tracks matching the selected parameters.
  • Date of creation

    My places tracks

    • The Date of creation allows you to filter tracks by date.
    • Specify the required time period to find tracks that were created then.
  • Nearest cities

    My places tracks

    • The filter allows you to search for tracks that pass close to specific cities or settlements.
    • Select one or more locations to find tracks passing through them or nearby.
  • Country

    My places tracks

    • This filter allows you to search for tracks recorded in a specific country or region.
    • Select specific locations to find related tracks.
  • Color

    My places tracks

    • The Color filter helps you search for tracks by colors that have already been applied to the appearance of existing tracks.
    • Select one or more colors, or Not specified for items that do not have a specified color, to find the tracks you need.
  • Width

    My places tracks

    • This filter searches for tracks according to their width. Only the parameters that existing tracks have are listed.
    • Select one or more parameters or Not specified to find tracks with a specific width or without this attribute.
  • Other

    My places tracks

    The filter provides additional options for finding and filtering tracks that have special characteristics.

    • Visible on Map. With this feature, you can find tracks that you have selected to be shown on the map.
    • With Waypoints. This filter helps you find tracks that contain waypoints, places that were marked during track recording, for example. With this filter, you can easily find tracks with important waypoints, such as vacation spots or notable events on your trip.

Smart folder​

⚠️ Android only
This feature is currently not available for the iOS version of the OsmAnd app.

My places tracks sort function Android

Smart Folder is a special type of folder that provides intelligent and automated features for organizing and managing tracks.

  1. Automated organization. Smart folder can automatically sort files within itself based on specified rules or criteria. For example, you can set up a Smart folder so that all tracks created on a certain date are automatically moved to that folder.
  2. Filtering and searching. This folder can provide options to quickly search for tracks within itself using various filters and keywords. These help users to quickly find the tracks they are looking for.
  3. Dynamic Refresh. Smart folder can dynamically update its contents based on Refresh function. This allows you to always have up-to-date information inside the folder.
  4. Customize Rules. You can customize rules that determine which files should be included in the Smart folder.

Create Smart folder​

To create a smart folder, follow these steps:

  1. Tap the three-dot menu icon in the upper right corner of the screen in the Tracks tab.
  2. Select the Add smart folder option from the menu that appears after tapping the icon.
  3. Set the parameters of the smart folder:
    • Name the folder (Enter a new name) for identification.
    • Specify track filter parameters from the Filter list. These parameters determine which tracks will be automatically displayed in the smart folder.
  4. Save the settings. Tap Show in the lower right corner of the screen, and then tap the Save button.

After completing these steps, the Smart Folder will automatically collect and display tracks matching the specified filter parameters.

Folder menu in Tracks tab​

My places tracks sort function Android

Once created, the Smart folder is displayed with a special icon in the folder list in the Tracks tab. To manage it, tap the three-dot menu in the folder field.

  • Details. Opens the entire list of tracks in this folder.
  • Show all tracks on the map. If there are many tracks in a folder, it is not recommended to map them all, it may take a long time.
  • Rename. Changing the folder name.
  • Refresh. Allows you to update the track list.
  • Edit filter. You can change the track filter settings for the current Smart folder.
  • Export. You will go to Menu β†’ Settings β†’ Actions tab, where you can export all tracks from the folder.
  • Delete folde. You can only delete the Smart folder, not the tracks. A warning message will appear on the display. The deletion will be irreversible.

Internal folder menu​

My places tracks sort function Android

Go to the Smart folder and tap the menu with three dots in the upper right corner of the screen. The following actions are available in this menu:

  • Select. Allows you to select all or only certain tracks for further interaction with them.
  • Refresh. Updates the track list according to the specified filters.
  • Edit filter. Moves to the Filter screen where you can configure track filtering for the folder.

Select in Smart folder​

My places tracks sort function Android

This screen allows you to select the tracks you want, as well as a list of suggested actions:

  • Show on map. Unlike Show all tracks on the map, this function allows you to customize the display of tracks selectively.
  • Share. Allows you to export tracks using Export to File.
  • Upload to OpenStreetMap. You can load the selected tracks into OpenStreetMap.
  • Move. Moving selected tracks to another folder.
  • Change appearance. Allows you to change the appearance of all or specific tracks in a folder.
  • Delete. Deletes only the folder with its settings. The tracks displayed in this folder are not deleted.

Export tracks from Smart folder​

  1. Exporting tracks that are in the Smart folder is available through the menu in the folder field of the Tracks tab.

    • Tap the three-dot menu, then select Export.
    • You will go to screen Menu β†’ Settings β†’ Export to File β†’ My Places β†’ Tracks.
    • Tap Continue and select an available resource to export the osf file.
  2. Settings and the Smart folder itself belong to Global Settings, so you can export, import and save it to Cloud by selecting OsmAnd Settings in Menu β†’ Settings β†’ Export to File β†’ Settings.

  3. You can export tracks using the Select menu item in the three-dot menu within a folder.

  • Tap Smart folder in the folder list.
  • Tap the three-dot menu in the upper right corner of the screen.
  • From the three-dot menu, choose Select, then Share.

Import / Export track​

Import​

There are two options for importing a track file into OsmAnd. The first is importing by clicking on the track file, the second is importing by the My Places menu action.

  1. Importing track by taping to GPX (KML, KMZ) track file (massengers, email, Drive, File managers). It suggests to open it by OsmAnd app. Importing tracks save in "Import" folder of My places menu:
    taping to the chosen GPX file β†’ opening it by OsmAnd.
  2. Importing button in My places menu β†’ Tracks.
  • Track GPX file.
  • Multitrack GPX file: saving as one GPX track or selected tracks.
  • Tracks added manually to the OsmAnd folder are imported without restarting the application.

Export​

import multitrack import multitrack

Exporting one or more track files to any messenger, email, file managers, Drive or app is possible in several ways.

  1. By Track Context menu β†’ Share.
  2. By My Places menu β†’ Tracks β†’ … β†’ "export" button. Exporting more than one track by a bundle (It's the case of Local Backup).
  3. By Local backup file. Exporting GPX-tracks as OSF-file.

Export GPX file to an external storage device (iOS)​

Export with Context menu in iOS

To export a GPX file to an external storage, do the following:

  • Open the Context menu of a track on the map in one of the following ways:
    • By tapping a track in My Places, the map shows up with the context menu opened for the track.
    • By tapping a track directly on the map.
      In any case, make certain the track is visible on the map.
  • Tap Export.
  • Select the required storage to export the GPX file to.

Manage tracks​

After recording and saving, tracks can be managed as follows:

  • In My Places, you can view all GPX data that has ever been recorded.
  • In Configure map, select a specific track and display it on the map.
  • With the Context menu of the track on the map, so that to adjust the appearance, to update points on the route, to view segments, to start navigation along the track/segment, and/or other options.

Folder statistics (Android)​

Menu β†’ My Places β†’ Tracks tab

At the bottom of the list in the Tracks tab, and below the list of tracks in each of your folders, there is an information section that allows you to view the overall summary statistics for the tracks in the selected folder. All values are displayed in the units you have selected.

My Places with tracks in Android

  • Number of Tracks in the folder.
  • Total sum of Distances.
  • Sum of Uphills.
  • Sum of Downhills.
  • Sum of Duration time.
  • Total Size of downloaded files in MB.

View all tracks​

Menu β†’ My Places β†’ Tracks tab

My Places with tracks in Android

All tracks ever recorded are automatically displayed in My Places. This is the central storage of all user-generated information, organized in tabs according to the main criterion of saved data. There are favourites, notes, and tracks. Browse through Tracks tab to find any trip recordings.

More information about My Places, and/or Tracks stored in it can be found in the relevant sections of the current documentation. However, it makes sense to underscore here that:

  • The internal organization of the Tracks tab in My Places can be managed with the Trip recording plugin settings described above.
  • This is a useful place to consult with in case of doubts, for example, on what/if something is recorded, what/if something is visible right now on the map, and so forth.
  • My Places is perfect for any inventory work: tap the triple points/arrow at the right side of a track to manage it with any of the options, such as Move, Rename, Share, etc.

Single track menu​

Folder menu​

import multitrack

To open the folder menu, you need to:

  • Android - tap the three-dots menu in the field with the required folder.
  • iOS - to make a long-tap on the field of the folder.

Actions:

  • Name. Displays the selected folder name, creation date and the number of tracks it contains.
  • Show all tracks on the map (Android only). Shows all tracks in the folder on the map. It is not recommended, if there are a lot of tracks, the device may freeze.
  • Edit name (Android) / Rename (iOS). Changing the folder name.
  • Change default appearance (Android) / Appearance (iOS). You can change the appearance of all tracks in a folder.
  • Export. You go to the Menu β†’ Settings β†’ Actions tab, where you can export all the tracks in the folder.
  • Move. You can move the selected folder to another existing folder or create a new one.
  • Delete folder. Allow you to delete a folder. A warning message will appear on the display. The deletion will be irreversible.

Delete folder​

Menu β†’ My Places β†’ Tracks tab

My Places with tracks in Android

You can delete a folder with all the tracks it contains. To do this:

  • Tap on the three-dot menu of the folder you want to delete.
  • At the bottom of the menu, find the Delete Folder option.
  • Note that this action is irreversible.

Follow track​

Navigation β†’ Settings β†’ Follow track β†’ Select

My Places with tracks in Android

Places from which tracks can be opened.

  • Plan route β†’ Open existing track
  • Plan route β†’ Add to a track
  • Navigation β†’ Follow track β†’ Select
  • Markers β†’ Groups β†’ Add β†’ Track waypoints
  • OsmAnd Development β†’ Settings β†’ Simulate your position β†’ Select track
  • Quick action β†’ Simulate your position β†’ Select track

Show tracks on map​

Tracks are an individual data layer that can be shown or hidden using the corresponding option in the Configure map menu or in the My Places menu. In addition, when you tap on Tracks, a track selection dialog appears, allowing you to choose which track or multiple tracks to display on the map.

For a specific profile, to display a track on the map, open Configure map and tap Tracks. Then from the opened dialog, check the needed track. To hide a track, either uncheck it from the list of tracks, or toggle off the Tracks option in the Configure map menu: Menu β†’ Configure map β†’ Tracks.

Show tracks on the map in Android Select a track to display in Android

To display a track on the map another way, open the My Places menu and then Tracks. The Visible folder displays the tracks already selected. In the Rec, Import and Tracks folders, you can select one or more tracks to display on the map by tapping the Show on map icon on the bottom menu of the screen. Go to: Menu β†’ My Places β†’ Tracks tab.

Show tracks on the map Android

Options of context menu​

Context menu of a track in Android

When a track is displayed on the map, tapping on it, the track context menu appears. For detailed information about each available option, refer to the respective section of the current documentation. Here is an overview of the options:

  • Basic info to show the distance, ascending and descending areas, description and quick action buttons, such as whether to show the track on the map, its appearance, points and if to place the track for navigation.
  • Graphs for analysis of altitude and speed.
  • Tab for any overview and/or updates of points and waypoints.
  • And other options: appearance, analysis of split intervals, sharing, editing, renaming, etc.

When you tap the track directly on the map, the track context menu appears, providing a basic overview of the track as well as more analytical data for investigating the route and making adjustments to points and waypoints, if necessary. You can also edit the track with the Plan route tool, in the context menu open the track in this tool and edit it: delete or add points, cut the track before or after a certain point. For more information, refer to Track Context Menu.

Change folder​

All recorded tracks are stored My Places. This is the only storage location for tracks. Even when moved, tracks are moved between folders in My Places. However, as soon as a new track is created, it is automatically saved to the default folder in My Places. The default folder is one and the same for all new tracks. After showing up in the default folder, tracks can be moved to any other preferred folder, as follows:

  • Select more options from the Context menu of a track on the map.
  • Tap Change folder and select another folder in My Places to store the track in.

Default folder in My Places for saved new tracks: Menu β†’ My Places β†’ Tracks tab.

The default folder can be established in Trip recording settings as one of the following options:

  • The Rec folder, which is one folder for all tracks.
  • The Rec/yyyy-mm folder is created individually for each month and contains tracks recorded during that month.

Then you can move the track to any other preferred folder in the My Places using the:

Context menu on the map​

To move a track to another folder inside My Places, you can use Context menu of a track on the map as follows:

  • Open the Context menu of a track on the map in one of the following ways:
    • By tapping a track in My Places, the map shows up with the context menu opened for the track.
    • By tapping a track directly on the map.
      In any case, make certain the track is visible on the map.
  • Tap Options.
  • Tap Change folder from the opened Options list.
  • Select a folder to move the track to.

More options in Android Change folder in Android

Context menu in my places​

To move a track to another folder in My Places, you can use Context menu of a track in My Places as follows:

  • Open: Menu β†’ My Places β†’ Tracks tab.
  • Tap the triple points on the right of the required track.
  • Tap Move from the opened context menu.
  • Select the folder to which you want to move the track.

Move with My Places in Android

Read more about Tracks​