How to Record a Track and Export It as GPX on iPhone

TL;DR

Tap Record on the map to log a breadcrumb track in the background (points about 10 m apart). View distance, duration, elevation gain and an elevation chart afterwards, colour the line by speed, and export to GPX. It needs the Always location permission.

The problem

You want to remember where you went: to retrace a line in poor visibility, log a route for a report, or share a hike. A fitness app wants an account and uploads your route. And a phone that sleeps in a pocket loses the track unless something is allowed to keep running.

Steps

  1. On the Map tab, tap Record. The first time, you’ll see a note that recording runs in the background and uses more battery, and iOS asks for Always location access. Choose Keep Only While Using if you will keep the app open, or Always Allow for pocket recording.
  2. Walk. You can pause and resume, and the timer excludes paused time.
  3. Tap stop. The track is saved.
  4. Open Tracks to browse, rename, delete or export by swiping a row.

What’s saved and shown

  • Distance, duration, average speed and elevation gain.
  • An elevation profile (with enough points).
  • The line on the map. Choose Single colour, or By speed: fast sections green, slow ones red.
  • Optionally a live speed badge pinned to the moving point while recording.

Points are logged only after you’ve moved around 10 m, so standing still doesn’t clutter the file.

Export

Open the track and tap Export GPX, or swipe the row in the list and choose Export. Send it by AirDrop, save it to Files, or open it in another GPX app. GPX imports back in as well.

Battery tips

  • Lower the screen brightness; screen is the larger drain.
  • Use Low Power Mode if you can accept slightly sparser updates.
  • Carry a battery pack for long days and keep the phone warm in cold weather.

Privacy

Tracks are stored on the device. Nothing is uploaded unless you share the file.

FAQ

Does it keep recording with the screen off? Yes. Recording uses background location, which needs the Always location permission, requested only when you start a recording.

How often does it log points? A point is only saved when you have moved at least about 10 metres since the last one, which keeps files small.

What do I get in the stats? Distance, duration (excluding pauses), average speed and elevation gain, plus an elevation chart.

What format is the export? GPX. You can share it from the track list or the detail screen.

Does recording drain the battery? More than normal use. The app shows a battery-use warning the first time.

The app MGRS GPS →