How to track your GPS route?

Control runs both on Apple Watch and iPhone, so you can use the Control app to track your GPS route. But you can basically use any GPS Watch (like Garmin, Polar or Suunto) or other devices like gps loggers to store the GPS track. If you prefer some other mobile phone sports or GPS app you can naturally use those, though using the Control app makes the process of importing the track bit easier.

Garmin watch users can import activities directly from Garmin Connect. For those who don’t use the Garmin, Control iPhone app or Apple Watch App, you need to export the course in either as GPX or FIT file. Pretty much all sports watch manufacturers support at least either GPX or FIT file export, so regardless what watch or device you have you can use Control to analyse your GPS route.

Ways to import GPS track

In short Control Supports the following way to import your tracks:

• Track your GPS route using Control app on iPhone
• Track your GPS route with Apple Watch and import to iPhone
• Import GPS track from GPX or FIT file
• Import GPS track from Apple Health
• Import GPS track from Garmin Connect
• Drag and Drop FIT or GPX file to Control on iPad

Track your GPS route using control app on iPhone

If you don’t have an Apple Watch or any other GPS enabled fitness tracker this probably the easiest way to track your route if you don’t mind carrying a phone with you while orienteering.

Before starting your run open Control app in your iPhone and in the main view tap New run, and once the GPS position fix is good enough you can tap Start recording. Control will start to log your route. While running you can mark the control points and at the finish tap Stop to stop logging.

Track your GPS route with Apple Watch and import to iPhone

Route logged with Control Apple Watch app synchronizes automatically to your iPhone so, you don’t need to do anything else than open Control app on you iPhone and your route is automatically visible there.

If you have accidentally deleted the route from Control you can send it also manually from Apple Watch. By opening the course you want to synchronize from the Last runs view on Apple Watch and selecting the Send to phone.

Import GPS track from GPX or FIT file

First you need to move the file to your iPhone or iPad before you can import the file to Control. You can do this in many ways, such as:

• Air Drop file from Mac to iPhone/iPad
• Synchronize file to your device using some file sharing service like Dropbox, iCloud Drive, OneDrive, Google Drive, Box, etc.
• Use your iOS device to export the GPX or FIT file from your activity tracker manufacturer’s application and save it to your device
• There are likely many other ways to move the files like emailing the file to your self

GPX and FIT files can be either imported from Control app or by sharing the file from Files app to to Control.

Importing GPX or FIT file in Control

Once you have the file on your device, in the main view tap New run and select Import File. Browse to the file location on your phone or iPad and select it.

Importing GPX or FIT file from Files app to Control

While in Files app, press the file until the context menu opens. Select Share and choose Control as target where to share the file.

Import GPS track from Apple Health

Open Control app in your iPhone and in the main view tap New run, select Import Workout, choose the course you want to import and select Import.

Import GPS track from Garmin Connect

Open Control app in your iPhone and in the main view tap New run, select Garmin Connect, choose the course you want to import and select Import.

If your course is not visible, scroll to the bottom of the screen and select Get older activities. Already imported routes are listed at the bottom of the screen.

First time you try to import courses from Garmin connect, you will be instructed how to authorize Control to fetch activities from Garmin Connect.

Drag and Drop FIT or GPX file to Control on iPad

You can use iOS’s capability to run multiple windows in parallel to drag and drop GPX or FIT files to Control. You can do this by opening Apple’s Files app and opening Control to another window parallel to Files app. Navigate in Files app to file you want to import and drag it to Control-window.