In this guide, we'll walk you through the activities feature in OS Maps. How to create and record activities, plus how to review your activity history.
Activities:
As well as following routes, you can also track, record & log your activities; whether as a followed route or just as an activity by itself. Activities are private to you and are saved so that you can keep track of all your activities over time, a log of where you've been, how far and how fast you've been.
1. To access your activity history, head to the 'Activities' tab and you'll see your activity dashboard. Here you can choose how far back you want to see your activities by changing the date at the top of the screen.
2. You can tap on a specific activity to see more details about that activity, showing distance, time, average speed, elevation change and a map view of where that activity took place, as well as any descriptions or notes that you added at the time of recording.
3. If you want to record a new activity, you can do this either by starting to follow a new route (see steps outlined in Following Routes guide) or by selecting 'Record an Activity' in the 'Activities' tab.
4. Once you start recording an activity, it will track your location, time, distance and speed whilst the recording is taking place. You can pause, resume or finish the activity at anytime by selecting 'Pause'
5. When you have finished an activity, you will be given the option to name it and add a description or any notes that you want.
6. Once saved your activity will appear in the activity dashboard for you to review at a later date.
7. You can also manually add an activity from the activities dashboard. Head back to the 'Activities' tab and select the '+' icon in the top right corner
8. From here you can choose one of your own routes, or a bookmarked route to turn into an activity. Simply tap on the route, add the date of your activity and it will be saved in your dashboard
9. Once saved your activity will appear in the activity dashboard for you to review at a later date.
10. Finally, you also have the option to turn an activity into a route to review & follow at a later date. Choose an activity from the activity dashboard and select 'Turn activity into a route'
11. Add the relevant details for your new route and tap 'Save' to save the route to your routes list.
When following routes or recording activities, it is important to be aware of the impact that this can have on your device's battery life, so it is important to use these features only when necessary.
Top tip: If you're concerned about battery life, do not use the record or follow functions, as this requires the device to constantly update your location. Instead, show the route on screen, and check your position against the route manually. You may need to wait a few seconds after unlocking your device for the location to update.
To maximise battery life, you can also use your device's built-in power saving options by reducing the time to standby/sleep, turning down screen brightness, turning off WiFi and Bluetooth and using any other power saving features.
For more help & support on using OS Maps, head to our FAQ pages where you'll find the answers to common questions.