Import and export GPX files: take your rides and routes with you

Save a ride as GPX

Open a ride in the ride summary. Below the cards you find the row “Save as GPX” with the hint “Save the file to your device”. A tap opens the Android save dialog, where you pick the folder and the file name. The app needs no storage permission for this. The file holds your recording with time, elevation and speed in GPX 1.1 format, with the speed in the Garmin extension. Strava or Garmin therefore read it as a real recording and not as a planned route. You can only export your own rides.

Privacy zones and GPX

Exporting a ride includes the complete recording, also the stretches inside your privacy zones. The file is meant for you. Check it before you pass it on, especially if your tour starts at your front door. You also save a route from “Routes” with “Save as GPX” in the route's menu. It holds only the geometry without timestamps, because a route says where you rode, not when. For a route shared from a ride, the stretches in privacy zones were already cut off when it was shared, so they are missing from the file.

Import a GPX file

In “Routes” you find the button “Import GPX”. You pick a file, and the hint line reads “Choose a file - it becomes a private route under ‘Mine’”. After the import the app says “Route imported”, and you find the route under “Mine”. The name comes from the file. DriveBattle calculates the key figures, length, curves and round-trip detection, from the geometry and takes nothing from the file header. The app rejects a route under 2 km.

Which files the app reads

The app reads GPX tracks with one or more segments, GPX routes and files that contain only waypoints. Files with and without a namespace declaration work, and so do files edited by hand. The file size is limited to 5 MB. The app thins dense recordings with one point per second to at most 3000 points, because the router cannot process more. The import rejects files with a DTD declaration. Files from Garmin, Kurviger, calimoto or Strava can be imported as long as they contain a route.

Riding imported routes

An imported route is a plan, not a ride. It does not count toward your kilometers, gives no XP and appears in no leaderboard, because a file does not prove that a route was ridden. By default it is private. You can share it later like any other route. You can navigate it like one of your own rides: the app lays the course on the road network, you trim the start and end and start the navigation. The page on “Ride again” describes this flow.

What it costs

GPX export of a ride, GPX export of a route and GPX import are part of Premium, and the server checks this on every request. During the beta everything is unlocked. After that Premium is paid, the purchase runs through Google Play and Google Play shows the price. Without Premium your GDPR data export stays available, it does not depend on Premium status.

Frequently asked questions

How do I save a ride as a GPX file?

In the ride summary tap “Save as GPX” and pick the folder and file name in the Android dialog. The app needs no storage permission. This works only with Premium.

How do I import a GPX file as a route?

In “Routes” tap “Import GPX” and pick the file. It appears as a private route under “Mine”. The import is Premium.

Do I get kilometers or XP for imported routes?

No. An imported route is not a ride. It brings no kilometers, no XP and no place in leaderboards.

How big may the GPX file be?

Up to 5 MB. The route must be at least 2 km long. The app thins dense recordings to at most 3000 points.

Does the export of my ride contain time, elevation and speed?

Yes. The export of a ride carries timestamps, elevation and speed, and it also contains stretches inside privacy zones. The export of a route has only the geometry, without time.

Is GPX free in DriveBattle?

No, export and import are part of Premium. During the beta everything is unlocked, after that Premium is paid.