How to Get Routes on a Coros Watch

The ability to navigate along a route is one of the best features of a GPS sports/outdoor watch, at least if it works well. Here, how to get routes into the Coros app and how to transfer them to a Coros watch.

To Get Routes

Coros works via its app, so this is where you will need to get routes. Meaning, you need to get them onto your smartphone.

No Route Creation in the Coros App

The Coros app does not have any functionality for creating routes in the app, on any kind of map. Thus, you will need to create routes or find and download them in some other way.

Download Possibilities

Oftentimes, race organizers offer gpx tracks/routes for download. Various outdoors portals also have them e.g. for the hiking trails they present. Sometimes individuals also share them. And there are lots of tools which can be used, which I’ll need to get to in a separate post (some time).

Find or create a gpx, and download it to your smartphone. (On an iPhone it often seems to help to send that file to yourself by email; iOS tends to change or work with downloads in ways that make things difficult otherwise.)

On Android, a direct download works. Or a file transfer.

Importing GPX Into the Coros App

Use a files app to find the gpx you want to use, go into the downloads folder (or to the email where you have attached the gpx), click on the gpx, and your smartphone should offer you an options menu to “Open with…”

Coros App: GPX file "Open with" menu

The Coros app should be shown in those options, so just click on that and the gpx should automatically get opened as a new route in the app.

(Why all “should”? Some files apps do not show certain app options. In that case, it’s easiest to simply use another one. Sometimes, there are issues with the gpx files which make them incompatible.)

If the file was successfully imported (it was opened in the app, and the track and data look right), don’t forget to click “Save” in the upper right corner to actually save this new route.

Coros App: Display of GPX file / route details

Using Recorded Tracks as Routes

If you have a track among your recorded activities that you want to use as a route to navigate along (because you did a preview of a race course that does not have a gpx to download, went on a hike for which no one has shared the route, etc.), you can simply click the “share” button on the page showing the details of this activity, then choose “Add to my route”.

Coros App: Share existing (previously recorded) track

This will import this track into your library of routes.

“My Route”

New routes are saved in one’s personal profile tab (the third one from the left that looks like a shield), which shows one’s name and location (country) and summary, medals, 3rd party app connections… and “My Route”

This section of the Coros app is your library of routes. Here, you can save however many routes you want to (and can still handle sensibly).

It shows the basic track, the length, the name you have given that route, and the file size.

Clicking on such a route tile, you get to the details with map view, total distance, elevation data and profile. The “edit” button here allows you to change the name of the route; the “share” button to export the gpx.

Routes here are not yet on the watch, though.

Transferring Routes to Watch

To transfer routes to your watch, you need the watch tab of the app, the one labeled “Device”.

Coros App: Device page

There, in the “Route” part, is the big “Import from Library” button/line. Tapping on this opens a/the “My Route” screen on which routes to “add” to the routes on the watch can be selected.

When the adding was successful, the route’s tile will be shown on the “Route” page, of course.

The thing to know is that there can be up to 10 routes on the watch at a time. Adding more than that number will not work – and that is why there are separate sections for “My Route” in one’s profile – for one’s full library of routes – and for the “Route” on the watch (page).

If you want to see how something of this works with a Coros Apex, here’s an older video that shows some of it:

Might be time for an updated video…

Deleting Routes

If you want to delete a route from the watch, swipe left on it in the “Route” page of the watch to open a “Delete” button (which deletes the route from the watch memory, on this screen, not from the route library).

Coros App: Deleting routes

To permanently delete a route, from your library, open “My Route” in your profile and swipe left there to open the same “Delete” button – but this one, let me repeat, deletes the route from your library. So, you’d have to have a gpx of it somewhere to import that route again later.

4 responses

  1. Lyndsey Turner Swift Avatar
    Lyndsey Turner Swift

    When I import gpx file into Coros app and watch the route is correct but the distance is wrong – so 8.5 km hike on OS map was showing as over 10 miles on Coros app and watch for the exact same route.

    1. Hmmm, interesting. First question would be if the gpx is really correct; I’ve regularly seen issues there. (Easiest check might be to import it somewhere else and check if it’s as-original or changed there.)

  2. Murali Chinnakonda Avatar
    Murali Chinnakonda

    Hey Gerald,

    if I have waypoints in a GPX file, will it show up on the watch? In your section “Using recorded tracks as routes” you show a picture with numbers in circles from 1 to 7…..what are those? Are they waypoints?

    thanks!

    Murali

    1. I’ll need to update; Coros just updated app and watches to support waypoints (what they call “checkpoints,” iirc)

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