[Wear OS General] bernarbernuli:
How to follow a hiking route from your watch with ViewRanger app

ViewRanger is a GPS navigation app that allows you to plan, navigate and share hiking or cycling routes. The app is optimized for use from your phone, and from your watch, even standalone from your phone. The app allows you to find routes near your GPS location, or you can search for routes in specific locations (these routes are uploaded by other users who have previously designed them).

This app is currently the best optimized for Wear OS watches as a hiking tool, another alternative to ViewRanger would be Oruxmaps, which is very complete in the Android Smartphone version but is not very "worked" in Wear OS.

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I. Installation.

On the phone, download, install ViewRanger, and log in (or create an account if you haven't already).

Make sure the phone is paired to the watch via bluetooth.

On the watch, download and install ViewRanger from the watch's Play Store, open the app, grant location permissions. The ViewRanger session on the phone will sync to the watch automatically, and you're done.

II. Description of ViewRanger in the watch

When you open the app on the watch you will see several screens by swiping left or right:​

Routes: In this screen you can find the routes you have recently opened, find a route close to where you are or access a collection of recommended routes. You can also find your downloaded routes and follow them or delete them from the watch.

Record route: In this screen you can start recording the track (route) on the phone. Recording from the watch is an exclusive feature only available on

Casio Pro Treck

watches.

Maps: In this screen you can view your location on a map, change the map type and download a map for offline use. Initially, the watch must be connected and online to view the maps, but they can be saved for offline use.

Coordinates: This screen shows your current GPS position and elevation.

Settings: Here you can delete the downloaded maps on the watch. Also on this screen, if the watch app is not connected to the phone app, you will see the option to "Logout" because if it is connected to a phone, the account is managed on the phone.

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III. Adding routes.

Before following a route you have to get it and add it in the app, there are several ways:​

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a. Add routes from the phone..​

Launch the ViewRanger application on the phone.

Searches and downloads a route to the phone.

Launch the ViewRanger application on the watch.

On the phone, open the selected route and press the "Start Route" button and you can follow the route on the watch and on the phone simultaneously. If you want to follow the route only on the watch press "Add to watch". The route will be uploaded to the watch (together with the offline maps). All routes saved in the watch appear in the Routes screen in the "Downloaded" section. Now, you can explore without phone or data connection.

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b. Add GPX routes from your phone​

Get the track of the route to follow, for example from a Wikiloc route that you download. The track must be in GPX format (not KMZ).

On the phone, start the ViewRanger app, click the three dots in the upper right corner and select the GPX file in "Import/Export" > "Import from external device"[/B]

Click the big + button in the lower right corner. Select "Start route" and go to the "Routes" tab and select the route in question.

Now to upload the route to the watch, click on "Create route from Track" and accept. Finally click on "Start route" and you will be able to follow the route in the watch and in the phone simultaneously. If you want to follow the route only on the watch press "Continue". The route will be uploaded to the watch (together with the offline maps). All routes saved on the watch appear on the Routes screen in the "Downloaded" section. Now, you can explore without phone or data connection.

Note 1: To download Wikiloc routes from your phone in GPX format, log in Wikiloc from your browser and search for a wikiloc route, inside the web page press the green "Download" button, select the "file" tab and finally "download".​

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Note 2: What is a track? A track is a record of where you have ridden. Inside the track it contains statistics such as length, speed and elevation.​

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c. Adding routes from the watch.​

Launch the ViewRanger application on the watch.

Go to the Routes screen and choose one of these options to search for and download a route:

"Recent" to view routes you have recently reviewed, downloaded or created.

"Nearby" to view routes within 1.5 kilometers of your current location.

Once downloaded, the route is saved in the watch (and offline maps). All routes saved in the watch appear in the Routes screen, in the "Downloaded" section. Now, you can explore without phone or data connection.

IV. Follow a route from the watch.

If you have your phone and watch in close proximity to each other, as soon as you start following a route on your phone it will be activated on your watch. The map that is open on your phone will be visible on your watch. In addition, you will be able to see live trip statistics, including GPS position, altitude, distance traveled and trip duration. While following a route, 5 screens can be consulted:​

Track: Allows you to start, pause, stop navigation.

Route details: You can view a compass arrow that directs you to the start or the next waypoint, or view a list of waypoints with directions.

Map: You can see the location where you are on the map. View the route itinerary on the map, and zoom and pan the maps.

Track statistics: You can see Duration, Distance, total ascent and total descent.

Statistics: Allows you to see the GPS coordinates and elevation of your current location.

When you finish following a route, go to the Tracks screen and select "Stop". You will then see a summary of your track. Scroll down and select "Done".​

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If you want to start the route without relying on your phone, on the watch go to the routes screen, select a route from the "Downloaded" option and press "Start."​

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Considerations when following a route.​

To zoom and scroll the maps, press once on the screen. Scroll the map as needed. Tap again to return to your GPS position.

You can change the map type (satellite view, OpenStreetMap...), to do so select on the "maps" screen the "map layers" option. Select the type of map. You will see the types of maps that are available and compatible with the watch.

You can get maps without internet connection, tap the "Map layers" button on the "maps" screen and select the type of map you want to save. Touch "Map Layers" again, select Download and expand the area of the offline map you want to download, finally select Save.