Tools Home

How to Record a Trip with OSMAnd: A Complete Tutorial

This tutorial will guide you through the complete process of recording a trip using OSMAnd's Trip Recording plugin, from initial setup to saving your recording. The instructions focus on basic operations without any customized settings.

Overview of Trip Recording

The Trip Recording plugin captures your routes, movements, and workouts. It allows you to record trips, create new tracks, display recorded ones on the map, and manage existing records. All recordings are saved as GPX files which contain your route as a series of points with location, time, and other data.

Prerequisites

  • OSMAnd installed on your device
  • GPS enabled on your device
  • Basic understanding of OSMAnd interface

Step 1: Enable the Trip Recording Plugin

  1. Open OSMAnd app on your device
  2. Tap the Menu button (three horizontal lines in the top-left corner)
  3. Select Settings from the menu
  4. Tap Plugins in the Settings menu
  5. Locate Trip Recording in the list of available plugins
  6. Toggle the switch to enable the plugin
  7. The Distance/Start-Stop widget will be automatically added to your screen

Note: The Distance/Start-Stop widget will show different states:

  • Gray: Inactive (not recording)
  • Red: Currently recording
  • Yellow: Paused

Step 2: Prepare for Recording

Before starting to record, ensure:

  • You are in an area with good GPS signal
  • Your device has sufficient battery life
  • You have storage space available for the recording
  • You are ready to begin your trip

Step 3: Start Recording Your Trip

You have several options to begin recording:

Option A: Using the Distance/Start-Stop Widget

  1. Locate the Distance/Start-Stop widget on your main OSMAnd screen
  2. Tap the widget to begin recording
  3. You may see a dialog with basic options:
    • Logging interval is set to default (5 seconds) - no need to change
    • Tap Start to begin recording

Option B: Using the My Places Tab

  1. Tap the Menu button (three horizontal lines)
  2. Select My Places
  3. Tap on the Trip recordings tab
  4. Tap the + button or the Start recording button

Option C: Using Quick Action (Alternative)

  1. You can add a quick action button to start recording from your main screen
  2. Go to Settings → Map settings → Configure widgets
  3. Add a trip recording quick action button

Step 4: Monitor Your Recording

During recording, you'll see real-time data including:

  • Distance traveled: Total distance covered in your trip
  • Time elapsed: Duration since recording started
  • Average speed: Your average speed during the trip
  • Uphill/Downhill: Elevation gain and loss measurements

The Distance/Start-Stop widget will remain red while recording is active.

Step 5: Pause or Stop Recording

To Pause Recording:

  • Tap the Distance/Start-Stop widget while recording (turns yellow to indicate paused)

To Resume Recording:

  • Tap the yellow Distance/Start-Stop widget (turns red again)

To Stop Recording:

  1. Tap the Stop button in the Distance/Start-Stop widget dialog box
  2. Or go to Menu → My Places → Trip recordings tab and tap the stop button
  3. On Android devices, you can also use the system notification to stop

Important: When you stop recording, your track is automatically saved.

Step 6: Access Your Recorded Trip

After stopping the recording:

  1. Go to Menu → My Places
  2. Select the Trip recordings tab
  3. Your most recent recording will be listed at the top
  4. Tap on the recording to view it on the map
  5. You can:
    • View the track on the map
    • Check details like distance, time, and elevation
    • Share the GPX file with others
    • Export the track in various formats

Basic Recording Settings (Default Values)

OSMAnd uses sensible default settings that work well for most users:

  • General logging interval: 5 seconds (record GPS point every 5 seconds)
  • Minimum displacement: Default setting (reduces data noise)
  • Minimum accuracy: Default setting (or disabled)
  • Minimum speed: Default setting

These settings don't need to be changed for basic trip recording.

Tips for Better Recordings

  • Start recording a few seconds before you begin moving to ensure the start point is captured
  • In areas with poor GPS signal, recording may pause automatically and resume when signal improves
  • Save your recordings to cloud storage for backup
  • Review your track after recording to confirm it shows your actual route
  • Use the map to view your recorded route alongside other map layers

Troubleshooting Common Issues

GPS Signal Issues

  • Ensure location services are enabled for OSMAnd
  • Try recording in an open area away from tall buildings
  • Wait a few seconds for GPS to lock before starting

Battery Drain

  • Trip recording does use more battery power
  • Consider bringing a portable charger for long trips
  • Close other background apps while recording

Large File Sizes

  • Recordings with more frequent GPS points create larger files
  • The default 5-second interval provides good balance of detail and file size

Conclusion

Recording trips with OSMAnd is straightforward once you understand the basics. The Trip Recording plugin makes it easy to capture your journeys, workouts, and adventures in a standard GPX format that can be shared and used with other mapping applications. With the default settings, you can start recording immediately without any complex configuration.