[Closed] Is ViewRanger the best MTB phone navigation app out there?

What OS?

I like alpinequest on Android and Galileo on iOS with MOBAC to make the maps.

Routes I've logged with Viewranger have been very precise - exporting from there into other mapping stuff has shown them to be on-the-button accurate. I only really use Viewranger as a mapping app though, rather than navigation app - so I use it only to see where I am, not tell me where to go. I can see that it's probably a bit clunky for that.

I used to use it for logging, but unless I want something really accurate I just use the Strava app for that now.

I use it a lot as "where am I " app and as a sort of speedo to get statistics on a ride but I agree it is too clunky to use as a navigation tool

Motion-x GPS works well for me. The open source maps - labelled as Motion-x Terrain - seem pretty accurate. Whether it does the more advanced features you want is another matter

As per the other gps thread I just posted in..... 😀

Back country navigator on Android. Theres a 30 day trial version too.

Could the problem lie with using Strava to record the GPX routes, which I then import into ViewRanger? The location pins aren't very densely dispersed I noticed, but I haven'tried recording GPX routes using any other apps, so I lack a comparison.

That could be it. Alpinequest IIRC lets you choose the sampling frequency, and whatever it is I have it set to seems quite accurate.

I then upload the saved tracks to strava straight from the device via email - you just save the GPX then email upload@strava.com.

Motion-x GPS

great App for both tracking, following and exploring

In another one who keeps banging on about back country navigator. Take the free trial as said above so nowt to lose. Full OS maps to 1:25k, use off line, import GPS files, record your own route, there's even a course creator now which I've found really good.
It's a one off cost to buy the app then doesn't cost anything after that.
I think viewranger is free, but not with OS maps. I'd probably go with viewranger if you were happy to use it with open source OSM and OCM maps, which I wouldn't be.

I too have exported rides from strava to viewranger. The level of detail depends on the type of GPX file you upload in viewranger. Strava uses GPX "tracks" i believe, but to get an accurate re-creation on Viewranger you to need to convert the exported strava ride on somthing like GPSIES to a GPX "route" before you import it to Viewranger.

This produces a file with lots of pins/markers tracing the exact route you took. However i have no idea how to get viewranger to follow it, because it never seems to place my location accurately enough, plus there are various other settings to configure, with no meaningfull guide for doing just this.

perhaps someone who does this sucessfully could explain. Would be a very useful tool if it was simple/accurate to use.

I think the new OS app (currently on Beta test) will be my number 1 navigation app. I use Viewranger a bit but I rarely follow GPX routes. I like doing the nav "old school" with maps both paper and electronic

B.A.Nana - Member

In another one who keeps banging on about back country navigator. Take the free trial as said above so nowt to lose. Full OS maps to 1:25k, use off line, import GPS files, record your own route, there's even a course creator now which I've found really good.

yes, was sorted out in an update a few days after microsoft had messed with Bing Maps. it affected lots of platforms, not just BCN.

I wondered why it went rubbing. I changed phones and redownloaded the app bing maps where terrible.
Might have a look for an update.

As long as you download the maps to your device BCN is fine even if Bing/MS do break their system temporarily. You wouldn't navigate by downloading your maps as you go anyway. Bing might be OK but 3G and 4G might not...

I've just reinstalled it it's working lots smother but still giving me the odd patch of part OS map and part Bing. takes a while then loads into OS.
But download the tiles then all is well.

I hate bing

pk13 it should have updated automatically, I've had no patchy os maps since the update, back to normal afaic. you can 'clean' os maps by selecting an area to download, going to 3 dots at top right, selecting delete, selecting ok to 'clean up tiles'.

I use ViewRanger on iOS whenever I'm going on new unknown-to-me all mountain adventures. I plot the route manually using the web browser ViewRanger account getting my route info from other people's Strava or magazine routes and carefully plot my own version looking at the cycle maps, satellite map and flicking between them on ViewRanger until I'm roughly happy it might work out.

Then I save the route to my account, go to the iOS app and go through the clunky fandango to sync the route to the phone (with the latest version it is a little bit better but still not 100% user friendly).

Then when I'm out I'll stop and check where I am when I'm unsure and check I'm following the route using the app. I don't have the phone out all the time. I just stop and have a look. It's been brilliant for finding new trails. Especially when the start point or turning I need to find is unknown to me.

When I'm on an adventure like that I'm stopping to take photos and enjoy the view regularly so checking the ViewRanger app is no bother. It's just a really enjoyable way to mountain bike on real mountains.

If there's a better app than ViewRanger for this kind of thing I'd love to know about it.

I accidentally purchased the wrong OS tiles for ViewRanger and the guy who designed it got back to me within the hour ( late hours as well ) and sorted it all out for me.

Top customer service IMO

I'm another ViewRanger fan - I use it on an iPhone and iPad Mini in a waterproof case with a Garmin GLO GPS occasionally with route-planning done on the ViewRanger website. Just find it works really well and the latest update has improved the interface a fair bit too.

I think a lot depends on how you use stuff. There are lots of alternatives out there, but VR does what I want it to do and lots more.

The offers ViewRanger have every so often can make it a cheap way to get maps too. I'm still using the tile credit I got with an 11.99 purchase a year or so back.

gelert, back country navigator has a course creator on the app, really easy to use and no need to create it somewhere else. it's also quite useful for quickly checking the rough distance of an intended route. I've done a quick example of how it looks on the phone.
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