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Navigate by Track

Overview​

The Navigation by track (GPX) option allows you to follow a predefined route or track on a map. It can be particularly useful for outdoor activities such as hiking, cycling, or off-road driving, where having a planned route improves safety and efficiency. If you are traveling in an organized group, this feature helps you and each member of the group have the same route information as the others.

The Navigation by track option can also be used in the everyday life. You can use a previously recorded track or create a track and share it with your family or friends instead of explaining the route to them. You can also use the routes on the OsmAnd map for navigation. How to highlight them on the map and what their colors mean is described in the Routes section of the Vector maps article.

Navigation by track screen Android

Select the Track​

Before using the Navigation by track option, you need to display the track on the map. OsmAnd supports track as a line (Geometry) and track as a route (Route) or combination of them (OsmAnd by Plan route). If you have a track as a collection Waypoints, you can use Markers navigation.

  • Geometry track will have very basic navigation by default and won't provide accurate turns, street names and turn lanes. To get missing information, you need to use Attach to the roads tool.

  • Route track will calculate route between route points by selected profile. Basically, all route points will be considered as intermediate points. If you route consists > 50 points, it's very likely that it's misconfigured Geometry track.

  • OsmAnd track consists of both geometry and route parts, and it's suitable to provide exactly the same guidance as navigation by default. These tracks are produced by Plan route or Web version. It's possible to resave this track to Geometry only track as Simplified to be used in 3rd party programs.

Start GPX Navigation​

Select track to navigate Android 1 Select track to navigate Android 2

Navigation on a track can be started using the quick action button in the track context menu (opened by selecting one of the highlighted tracks on the map, or by tapping a track file in the My Places section of the Main Menu) or from the navigation menu, which is opened by tapping:

Choose Segments​

Segments Android

For navigation, if the selected track consists of multiple segments or tracks, you can select either a specific segment or the entire GPX track file. When importing you can choose whether to save it in a single file or in multiple files.

Follow Track options​

  • Navigation → Settings → Follow track
  • Tracks Context menu → Options → Follow track

Navigation by track screen Android

  • Edit (pencil icon next to the track name). Opens the track in the Plan a route tool.
  • Select another track. Select a different GPX file for navigation.
  • Reverse track direction. If this setting is enabled, the direction of movement along the track is reversed.
  • Attach to the roads. Configures attaching a track to the roads.
  • Point of the track to navigate (Android) / Navigate to (iOS). You can select how to navigate from my location to the track: to the Start of the track or to the Nearest point on the track.
  • Choose Navigation type for the first and last segment: either build a straight line or use the routing type from the current profile.

Attach to the Roads​

Attach to the roads 2

The Attach to the roads option is available in the Follow track menu. When enabled, OsmAnd uses the Plan a route tool to align the selected track with the nearest allowed roads based on the chosen navigation profile and threshold distance. This improves route information in route details section and provides detailed voice instructions during navigation.

How it works:

  • OsmAnd matches each track point to the nearest road within the set threshold distance.
  • Threshold distance (default: 50 meters) defines the maximum distance a GPS track point can be from a road to be attached to it.
  • When switching between navigation profiles, the app automatically reattaches the track to roads allowed for the selected profile.
  • If the track contains a large number of points, the attachment process may take some time. A progress indicator (orange status line) will display the ongoing attachment process.
  • Once the attachment is complete, the Apply button becomes active, allowing the modified track to be used for navigation.

Automatic Attachment to the Roads​

OsmAnd automatically snaps routes to roads when using the Plan a Route tool:

  • When selecting waypoints, the route automatically aligns with the nearest available road (except for Straight Line Routing and Direct-to-Point Routing).
  • If no roads are detected (e.g., in off-road environments), the route may follow straight-line segments instead.
  • The route can be manually adjusted by dragging waypoints to different locations.

By default, the Attach to the Roads feature runs automatically when a track is selected for navigation. If needed, this setting can be adjusted. For more details, refer to Detailed Track Guidance in the Navigation Settings article.

Points​

Start / Finish Point​

You can specify the start and finish point for a route other than the start/finish specified in the GPX file. Just change it the same as you do for Navigation.

In the Follow track menu, you can choose whether you want to navigate from your current location to the start point of the track or to the nearest point on the GPX track. Also, you can choose Navigation type that will be used for the start and end segment of your route.

Waypoints​

If the track has waypoints, you can use Show along the road and Voice guidance to get notified about Points of Interests. You can add Waypoints to an existing track via Context menu, track need to be visible on the map.

Intermediate Points​

When preparing or navigating a GPX track, you cannot add intermediate places you plan to drive through within that track. You can only assign start and finish points in addition to the track or segment you are planning to follow.

Guidance​

Navigation by GPX track contains the same voice instructions as route navigation. However, some turns or traffic circles may not be interpreted correctly because there is no information about road intersections in GPX, except for GPX files created by OsmAnd. To eliminate these problems, you should use the Attach to the roads feature.

During navigation, you can use various options such as zooming in or out, panning the map, or switching to a different map style. If you deviate from the track, OsmAnd will automatically recalculate the route to bring you back on track. You can also adjust the speed of the track and set audible alerts for approaching points or deviations from the route.

This article was last updated in January 2025