Apple watch

Topo GPS is also available for Apple Watch. The Topo GPS watch app is an ideal companion to the iPhone app. It allows you to easily follow a route or navigate to points using your watch.

If you have installed the Topo GPS app on your iPhone, you can navigate to the Apple Watch app on your iPhone. Here scroll down to the available maps and tap ‘Topo GPS’ to install the Topo GPS app on your watch.

The main interface of the watch app contains a map. You can manipulate the map in the following ways:

• Scroll the map: put a finger on the map and drag it around.

• Zoom the map in and out: use the small round wheel on the side of the watch, also known as the watch crown.

• Center the map on your location: tap the center button on the bottom left of the screen. The map will now stay centered on your location. If you tap the center button again, the map will rotate into your direction. You can cancel centering/rotation by tapping the center button again.

On the top of the screen a bar is shown with a measure. If you tap it you can change it from current speed, to altitude, to distance to go.

Below the top bar, the amount of map tiles available offline is shown. If you tap this label, you can download the region so it is available for offline use. It works the same as on the iPhone. If you have no internet connection and your iPhone is nearby and has stored the required map tiles, downloading will proceed via a bluetooth connection directly from your iPhone.

Routes and points

To load routes and points on the map on your watch app, you need to load them on the map on the iPhone version of Topo GPS. The routes and points that are loaded on the map on the iPhone app appear automatically on the map on your watch app. For this, it is important that bluetooth is enabled (See iPhone/Watch settings). If a routes or point does not appear, it might help to remove the route or point from the map on the iPhone, and add it again to trigger a reload.

If a point has appeared on the map on the watch app, you can tap it to view the details of the particular point.

Menu

On the bottom right of the screen a circular button is shown. If you tap it, the menu will be openend. In the menu you can choose between the following options:

• Maps: If you open this screen, you can change the map, to for example a topographic map, OpenStreetMap or aerial imagery.

• Layers: Here you can add a layer to the map. For example a coordinates grid or a bicycle node network.

• Settings: This contains the settings screen of the watch app. Here you can set a few options regarding Topo GPS. These are: Downloading map tiles via mobile network, Show route distance indicators, Units (metric or imperial) and Prefered coordinates format.

• Help: Here some tips are displayed.

• Search. On the bottom of the menu screen a search bar is shown. If you tap the search bar you can enter a location. The point will then be added to the map. If you tap the point the details are displayed. In this point details screen you can also tap the ‘Plan’ button to plan a route to that point. The route will be drawn on the map.

Recommended settings

For the best Topo GPS experience on your Apple Watch we would suggest you to set the following options.

Return to clock

• Go to: Apple watch > Settings > General > Return to clock

• Choose Topo GPS and set ‘Return to clock’ to customized and choose: ‘After 1 hour’.

Advantage: This allows Topo GPS to stay active as the main screen, and then you do not have to tap the Topo GPS icon everytime you want to see where you are at your route. You just turn your wrist and Topo GPS appears. Highly recommended.

Wake duration

• Go to the Apple Watch Setting > Display and Brightness.

• Scroll to bottom and set Wake duration” to “Wake for 70 seconds”.

Advantage: If Topo GPS becomes active the screen stays active for about 70 seconds. In many cases of navigation that is useful, because 15 seconds might be too short.

Background location duration

• Open the Topo GPS watch app

• Go to Menu > Settings

• Scroll down to the section ‘Background location duration’.

• Set the option ‘Background location duration’ to 10 minutees.

Advantage: This leaves the GNSS chip running when Topo GPS is in the background for at most 10 minutes. This will increase the battery consumption, but the great advantage is that it does not take time to find your current position. Your position is immediately shown at the right place if you turn your wrist. You should make sure that you look at Topo GPS at least every 10 minutes. If the gap is longer, this is not a problem, but then it will take some time to find your current position.

Notifications

• Open the Topo GPS watch app

• Go to Menu > Setting

• Scroll down to the section ‘Notifications’.

• Here enable ‘Warning’ when leaving a route.

Advantage: If you (accidentally) leave a route that you are currently following, a warning notification will be send to your watch. It is important to have ‘Background location’ duration set to 10 minutes to be able to use this.

Watch complication

• Go back to the main clock of the Apple Watch.

• Pess long on the main clock of the watch.

• Swipe to the right to the section ‘complications’.

• Tap on one of the available spots.

• Scroll down in the list of apps and tap ‘Topo GPS’.

• Confirm the option ‘Zoom to your location’.

Advantage: A small Topo GPS symbol will be shown next to your your main clock. If you tap this, the Topo GPS app will be opened immediately at your location. A handy way to have Topo GPS quickly available.