FAQ: Apps for navigation on the bike

You don't just take any sat nav for a bike tour, there are special apps for this. Numerous readers have asked us questions about this, which we answer here.

(Image: Von Thomas via Pixabay)

Sep 2, 2024 at 8:43 pm CEST

8 min. read

c't Magazin

By

Arne Grävemeyer

Special apps can help you plan a carefree bike tour. Some of them allow pedal cyclists to plan, archive and share routes quite conveniently. Above all, however, the smartphone app gives you local knowledge and also points out places of interest. We tested seven apps for bike-friendly route planning and navigation in c't. Numerous readers asked us further questions after the test or sent in good tips themselves.

komoot: All on the same tour

Many tour leaders plan a komoot tour for their group, share it with followers or in general and share the link with their fellow cyclists. But what if changes need to be made shortly before the planned tour, for example because a roadworks site opens up on the route? Does the manager have to send out a new link every time there is a change, in the hope that the riders will keep track and follow the right tour?

It's easier now. At the end of March 2024, komoot introduced the new "Organize group tour" function. The tour leader opens their planned tour and selects the menu item of the same name. A window then appears showing an invitation link as a QR code. Participants open this link by scanning the code and can then access the tour. The planner can also invite participants by entering their e-mail addresses.

In the group tour, each participant has online access to the current tour planning. This means that the participants see all the changes that the tour leader has entered as soon as their devices update the group tour. However, the participants do not receive an automatic notification that their tour has been changed.

In addition, the leader still has the familiar problems when they want to revise their tour on their smartphone: the existing route cannot simply be touched and moved as in the browser on the PC. When adding a new route point on the smartphone, you have to pay close attention to whether you are adding a new destination point or a new waypoint to the route. Although a destination point near the middle of the route rarely makes sense, the routing algorithm often interprets entries in this way and, if necessary, leads the tour back to the actual destination and exactly to the last added detour as the new end point.

When the planner creates a group tour in komoot, all riders can access the current route online. However, they do not receive a change note in the event of last-minute updates, — When the planner creates a group tour in komoot, all riders can access the current route online. However, they do not receive a change note in the event of last-minute updates.

Outdooractive: Reschedule on your cell phone?

If you want to edit your Outdooractive tour on your smartphone while on the move, it's not so easy. Whenever you mark a point on an alternative route with a long tap, this location is set as the new destination point and the app plans a course from the previous destination to it. Is there really no way to improve the existing route on the smartphone?

Outdooractive makes a clear distinction between a waypoint on the route and a destination point, which is automatically accepted if the user marks a point outside the existing route. To create an alternative route, the user must first define a waypoint on the existing route (press and hold the point for a second, then "Insert intermediate point"). The new waypoint can then be grabbed and moved on the smartphone display, and Outdooractive automatically adjusts the rest of the route. The order of the waypoints on the route is retained.

OsmAnd+: Free of charge via F-Droid

OsmAnd is an open source project, can't you get the premium app for free?

In fact, the F-Droid app store for free open source software also offers the paid version OsmAnd+ for download free of charge in addition to OsmAnd Free. If you want to support the project and thus also the development of new functions, you can make a voluntary donation via the platform. Above all, OsmAnd+ allows users to download unlimited maps for offline access.

OsmAnd: Recalculate routes offline

Many bike navigation systems allow you to download maps and route data so that you can navigate without an internet connection. But is it possible to change and recalculate the route offline while on the move?

The OsmAnd apps on your smartphone can indeed find new routes to your destination offline. The only problem is that the route planning functions on the smartphone display are significantly limited compared to the web app. However, the user can at least add intermediate destinations or have a completely new route calculated.

Naviki: Quick help for circular routes

Often you don't just want to get to a certain destination; you certainly don't want to go back the way you came. But where can I find help if I want to plan a circular route?

Even the free version of the Naviki web app offers an interesting function for planning a circular route that roughly adheres to a specified route length. To do this, select the menu item "Plan route" and activate the circuit symbol in the selection box at the top. Then enter a start-destination address and use the slider to select the appropriate route length.

The app automatically compiles a handful of different tours based on the specifications, in different directions, sometimes as a real circular route or as a loop, sometimes with small detours to places of interest. A separate button even allows you to reverse the direction of the tour, whereby it is automatically rescheduled slightly.

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As with simple route planning, the usual functions are also available when editing the circular route: You can grab the route and drag it onto other paths, in which case it adapts as if magnetically, and the tool plans the rest of the route accordingly. With this procedure, however, the specified route length is usually not adhered to.

Naviki offers a function in the free web app that automatically suggests several circular routes for a starting point and a specified route length. The user can scroll through these using the arrow keys on the left, — Naviki offers a function in the free web app that automatically suggests several circular routes for a starting point and a specified route length. The user can scroll through these using the arrow keys on the left.

The circular route function is also interesting for users of other bike navigation apps. A tour pre-planned and saved in Naviki can always be downloaded, for example in GPX format, and then fine-tuned and used with your favorite app.

Rerouting, is that necessary?

You plan your bike tour on the PC with all the details and are already looking forward to the beautiful routes and good views – and then you take a wrong turn and the sat nav immediately calculates a new route. In case of doubt, the whole plan is thrown out the window. Does it have to be like this?

It doesn't have to be. The Outdooractive app, for example, does not recognize rerouting at all. The user is simply informed that they have moved away from the planned route and is told the distance and direction of the new route.

With komoot, users can make a conscious decision as to whether they want to allow rerouting or not. To do this, select the gear symbol for the settings in the smartphone app under the "Profile" menu item at the top and then "Navigation" under "App settings". The slide switch under "Automatic rerouting" switches automatic rerouting on or off during the tour. There is even a shortcut in the current navigation: after clicking on the loudspeaker symbol, a window opens with the most important navigation instructions, including the slide switch for "Automatic rerouting".