October 11, 2023
You’ve planned your route, packed your snacks, and now you’re at the trailhead. Your adventure is about to begin and komoot’s work here is done…or is it? Turns out komoot has a bunch of much-loved navigation features that you might not know about, may have forgotten about, or that you’ve never been quite sure how to use to your advantage. Here are four ways you can use komoot while you’re out on an adventure.
What it is: Like it says on the box, this feature enables the komoot lady (or man—depending on your phone settings) to tell you when a turn is coming up or holla at you if you accidentally leave the route. It’s a hands-free alternative to following the blue line on the map.
How to use it in the wild: Also like it says on the box. Turn on voice navigation at the start of your activity and you’ll be able to immerse yourself in the scenery, instead of keeping an eye on the map to ensure you’re still on track. Viva screen-free adventures!
What it is: This is a setting on your phone, rather than within the komoot app. Using komoot’s navigation while in flight mode saves your phone’s battery—especially useful for longer adventures.
How to use it in the wild: When you save a planned route, select “Store for offline use” on your phone. When you hit the road or trail, turn on flight mode before you start navigating your route. This effectively turns your phone into a GPS device, so it doesn’t waste “juice” trying to find signal or processing data.
What it is: Live updates on your position along the route’s elevation profile.
How to use it in the wild: When navigating on your mobile, swipe left to see your route’s elevation profile. The little dot on the profile indicates your position on the route, so you can see if you’re at the bottom of the first climb, or the top of the final one. Swipe again and you’ll also see how far you have left to go and how long it’s estimated until you complete the route. Use this intel to inform your next move: keep on trucking or adjust the route on the fly.
What it is: Adjust your route while you’re navigating.
How to use it in the wild: The elevation profile tells you you’re only halfway up the first climb. You realize you haven’t packed enough snacks. Your legs are tired and your adventure buddies seem to be waning. In short, you need a new plan. Turn off flight mode and (assuming you have mobile reception) adjust your route on the fly. You can reroute to a Highlight or Point of Interest (hi bike-friendly cafe that serves great cake!) or edit your route to direct you straight back to the start via the shortest route.
Want more komoot tips? Try these articles:
6 Insiders’ Tricks for Planning Your Perfect MTB Route on komoot
“Why Am I Hiking on a Road?” and Other Routing Mysteries Solved (relevant even if you ride a bike)
5 Tips that Go Beyond the Basics for Planning a Great Cycling Route with komoot