Following a track
Open the track, then choose Follow this track in the menu or on the track's sheet. Pick the direction — towards the end or towards the start — and whether to record your own track at the same time. You can start from wherever you are: until you reach the track, the screen shows Join the track with the distance and a dotted line to its nearest point.
On the way, the screen shows:
- the distance and the climb left, and your estimated arrival time, from your recent speed or, at the start, from the terrain;
- the next waypoint and its distance;
- a progress bar along the track.
Alerts
- Off track. The phone vibrates when you stray further than the distance set in Settings › Navigation (30, 50, 100 or 200 m), and again when you are back on the track. The screen shows how far you are and a dotted line back to the track.
- Wrong way. You are warned if you walk the track in the opposite direction.
- Waypoints. An alert as you approach a waypoint of the open tracks, at a distance you choose (25 to 500 m).
- Arrival. The app tells you when you reach the end.
- Voice. Turned on in Settings › Navigation, a voice announces each kilometre or mile with the time, leaving and joining the track, and nearby waypoints, with their note.
Every alert can be tuned or turned off, during the outing too: the settings button at the top of the screen gives quick access to the map, rotation, alerts, vibration and voice.
Recording your own track
Choose Record a track in the menu. The time, distance, climb and speed appear at once.
- Screen off. Recording goes on with the screen off and the phone in your pocket. The notification shows the time and distance, and lets you pause, add a waypoint or finish without opening the app.
- Auto-pause. The recording pauses by itself when you stop, and resumes when you move on.
- Signal lost. If the GPS signal is lost for a while, a new segment starts, so no straight line crosses a tunnel or a gorge.
- Nothing lost. A draft is saved every 15 seconds and offered again if the app was closed by surprise.
- Waypoints. Add a waypoint where you stand, with an icon and a note.
- Saving. At the end, name the track and choose its activity: it is saved as a GPX file in your library.
In Settings › Navigation, recording profiles adapt the precision to walking and hiking, running, cycling, or a car or motorbike, and barometric altitude uses the phone's pressure sensor, when it has one, for a steadier climb.
On the screen
- Lock. The padlock blocks stray touches in a pocket or a glove; hold it to unlock.
- Dashboard. The gauge button shrinks the map and shows four big numbers, readable on a handlebar.
- Screen. The screen can stay on (Settings › Appearance), and the app can show over the lock screen during an outing (Settings › Navigation).
- Map. The map can turn with your direction of travel, with your position lower on the screen to see what lies ahead.
Bluetooth sensors
GPX Atlas connects to standard Bluetooth sensors: heart-rate belts, cycling speed and cadence sensors, running speed and cadence pods, and power meters. Pair them once in Settings › Navigation › Sensors; they connect by themselves when you start following or recording. Their values are shown on the screen and saved in the track, so the profile, colours and charts can use them later.
Heart rate and the other sensor values stay in your files, on your phone.
