How to Navigate a GPX File on iPhone

To navigate a GPX file on iPhone, you need an app that can open GPX files, display the track on a map and follow your GPS position along the route. If you are heading somewhere with weak mobile coverage, the app should also let you store the required maps on the phone before you leave.

What is inside a GPX file?

A GPX file is a standard format used to store tracks, routes and waypoints. In adventure riding and off-road navigation, the GPX usually represents the exact path you want to follow rather than simply a destination. That is different from normal road navigation, where the app decides the route between two points — with a GPX, the route decision was already made by whoever created the track.

How to open a GPX file on iPhone

The general workflow is the same in any GPX-capable app:

1. Save or receive the GPX file on your iPhone.
2. Open it from Files, Mail, Safari or any app that exposes the iOS share sheet.
3. Choose a GPX-compatible navigation app as the destination.
4. Confirm the track appears correctly on the map.
5. Download the maps you will need before travelling into areas with poor coverage.
6. Start navigation and follow the track.

Navigating a GPX with OffTrail on iPhone

Open the GPX file and choose OffTrail from the iOS share menu. AirDrop also works — send the GPX straight from another Apple device and pick OffTrail when the file arrives. Once imported, the track appears on the map with course-up following and off-track alerts; OffTrail keeps up to five GPX tracks loaded at once, each in its own colour.

If the maps for your ride are already downloaded, the whole navigation works without continuous mobile coverage — see offline GPX navigation for what exactly stays available. In the car, the same track shows on Apple CarPlay. The broader picture of GPX navigation in OffTrail covers export, recording and route generation.

OffTrail is free on the App Store and Google Play.

Frequently asked questions