# Turn Your Phone Into a Bike GPS With Voice Turn-by-Turn Directions Follow any route turn by turn on your phone: big directions, voice prompts, the next 5 km profile, off-route warnings and night mode. Free, in the browser. Updated 2026-10-26 · TrailScout blog ## Quick answer Open a route in TrailScout on your phone and press Navigate (Ride → Navigate). Put the phone in a handlebar mount: you get big directions with the distance to the next turn, voice prompts using the phone's built-in voices (they work offline), warnings before steep climbs and descents, the profile of the next 5 km and an alert with the way back when you leave the route. The screen stays on, and a night version switches itself on at dusk. ## Key takeaways - Any route can be navigated — imported GPX, drawn or A→B — no special format needed. - Voice prompts use the voices built into the phone and work offline. - Three map views: 3D (tilted, turns with you), heading up and north up. - Start away from the route? Choose Go to the start, or join the route at its nearest point. A dedicated bike computer is great — but the phone in your pocket has a bigger screen, a better map and is already with you. With a handlebar mount and TrailScout's **Bike GPS**, it becomes a turn-by-turn navigator for any route. ## How to start navigating 1. Open the route in [TrailScout](index.html?app) on your phone (it needs the hosted app over https for location). 2. Press **Ride → Navigate**, or **Navigate** in the route panel (key `N` on a keyboard). 3. Allow location when the phone asks. 4. If you're away from the start, choose: - **Go to the start** — guidance to the start, then the whole route, or - **Follow route to end point** — join the route at its nearest point and ride only the rest. 5. Ride. The next turn, the distance to it and the map are always on screen. ## What's on the screen - **The next turn** — slight, turn, sharp or hairpin, left or right — with the distance to it, and the one after (“then…”). - **The map**, in one of three views: **3D** (tilted, the way ahead at the top, like a car navigator), **heading up** (flat, turning with you) or **north up**. Tap to switch. - **The profile of the next 5 km** — tap for the whole route — with your position on it. - **Distance left, arrival time and speed.** - **Waypoints ahead**: “Spring in 400 m”. *Screenshot: Bike GPS off the route, with the arrow back — Off the route: the warning, the distance back and the arrow.* ## Voice prompts Turn on **Voice** and TrailScout speaks the turns — “In 200 metres, turn left, then bear right” — and what's ahead: “Steep descent ahead, 18 percent”, “Climb ahead: 7 percent for 1.4 kilometres”. It uses the voices **built into your phone**, in your units, and works **without a connection**. On Android phones you can also turn on **vibration** at turns. ## Off the route If you are more than about 40 m (130 ft) from the route for a few seconds, Bike GPS warns you, shows the distance back and an arrow pointing to the route. **Way back** finds a route back to the route ahead along trails (needs a connection; offline, follow the arrow). Read more in [off-route alerts for cycling](blog/off-route-alerts-cycling.html). ## Long rides and night rides - The **screen stays on** while navigating (phones pause GPS for web pages when locked). - **Battery saver**: the map moves every few seconds, no animation, flat view — for long days. With **Darker map**, OLED screens use less power. - **Night version**: dark map and screen, automatically from dusk to dawn where you are, or always. See [keep your phone screen on while you navigate](blog/keep-phone-screen-on-bike-navigation.html). - **Full screen** hides the browser bars where the browser allows it. ## Record while you navigate Tick **Record the ride while navigating** in Settings → Navigate and your track is saved too. See [how to record a bike ride](blog/record-bike-ride-gps-phone.html). With an account, you can also [share your live position](blog/remote-mtb-ride-safety-checklist.html) with family. ## Before you go Download an [offline area](blog/offline-bike-maps-download-area.html) for the route — the map, terrain and points of interest then work without signal. ## Frequently asked questions ### Does Bike GPS work without mobile data? Yes — GPS works without data, voice prompts use the phone's own voices, and an offline area provides the map. Only **Way back** and recalculating need a connection. ### Can I use it on an iPhone? Yes, in Safari or installed to the home screen. Vibration at turns isn't available on iPhone. ### How much battery does it use? Screen-on GPS navigation uses a lot on any phone. Use the battery saver, a darker map and a small power bank on long rides. ### Can it navigate a GPX file from another app? Yes. Import the GPX and press Navigate — turns are worked out from the route's shape.