The best app to track where I've walked on iPhone
If you want an app to track where you've walked on iPhone, look for one that records actual routes, imports walks from Apple Health, and keeps working without signal. Untrod does all three, and it colours walked streets orange while streets you have not walked yet stay white.
What people actually want
People usually want a map that fills in as they walk. Not a step counter, and not just a list of workouts. They want to see every street they have covered, including paths through parks and quiet lanes near home.
Untrod is built for that. It is an iPhone app for walking your city, and it shows how much of your neighbourhood and city you have covered. It has maps for about 300 cities, built from OpenStreetMap. Outside those cities, the app says it is not in your town yet, but walks still record.
What to look for before you choose
The useful tests are simple.
- Does it record a GPS route, not just steps?
- Can it bring in past walks from Apple Health?
- Does it work offline and sync later?
- Can you see coverage by neighbourhood or city, not only one route at a time?
Apple Health matters because it gathers health data from your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and other apps, and it automatically counts walking and running distances. Apple also says an app can create a route in HealthKit and associate it with a workout, which is how route-based walks can reach a walking app like Untrod Apple Support Apple Developer Documentation.
How Untrod records your walks
Untrod records walks with one tap. It works without signal and syncs later. That matters if you walk through places with patchy reception, like a park path or a side street under tall buildings.
Untrod can also add past and new walks from Apple Health, but only if they have a GPS route. Step counts alone cannot be added. That means an Apple Watch workout with a route can count, but a plain step total cannot.
There is no Apple Watch app in Untrod. Walks recorded on an Apple Watch can still reach Untrod through Apple Health if they include a GPS route.
What counts as walked
Untrod counts everywhere you can walk: streets, footpaths, park paths, lanes and unnamed streets. It does not count sidewalks drawn separately, driveways, parking aisles, private service roads or tracks.
A street counts once your GPS track follows most of its length. Crossing the end of a street does not count. If you walk the same street many times, it still counts once.
That makes a difference on real streets. If you cross a short lane at the corner but never walk most of it, it stays white. If you walk the full length of a path through a park, it turns orange.
How the map and coverage work
Untrod shows the streets you have walked in orange and the streets you have not walked yet in white. You can also see the percentage of your home area, each neighbourhood and your city that you have covered.
The map data comes from OpenStreetMap, and Untrod uses a fixed copy that is refreshed a few times a year. When the map updates, it never takes away streets you have already walked.
A long walk home through a neighbourhood of narrow streets adds coverage. A few repeat walks on the same main road do not move the map much.
Other apps people may compare
Fog of World is available on iPhone and iPad, and its App Store listing describes it as a real-life travel and exploring game where you remove the fog on the map by exploring the world App Store. Its website says it launched in 2012, was the first app to bring the fog of war idea to the real world, and keeps data only on your device with no user accounts required Fog of World.
Wandrer has free and paid plans. Its free plan includes connecting and syncing 50 past activities from Strava and 10 downloadable maps in Garmin, KML or Wahoo format, while the paid plan includes unlimited downloadable maps and regular base map data updates Wandrer subscriptions. Its FAQ also says upgraded users get all historical activities processed and access to the Wandrer Browser Extension Wandrer FAQ.
Strava is broader. It says its mobile app and website connect millions of athletes, works with your mobile phone or GPS device, and is available on iPhone, Android and web Strava. Its subscription page lists routes, segment leaderboards, advanced training analysis, route recommendations and offline maps Strava subscription.
When Untrod is the right fit
Untrod fits best if you want the city map itself to fill in as you walk, with offline recording, Apple Health imports, and a simple view of neighbourhood and city coverage. It is in beta and not on the App Store yet, so the right next step is the waitlist at untrod.app.
If you want a broader sports app, or a different kind of map game, one of the others may fit better. If you want a street-by-street record of where you've walked on iPhone, Untrod is built for that.
Questions
What is the best app to track where I've walked on iPhone?
If you want streets coloured in on a map, Untrod is built for that. It records GPS walks, can import route-based walks from Apple Health, and works offline.
Does Untrod work with Apple Watch walks?
Yes, if the Apple Watch workout has a GPS route and reaches Apple Health. Untrod does not have its own Apple Watch app.
Can I add past walks to Untrod?
Yes. Untrod can add past and new walks from Apple Health, but only walks with a GPS route. Step counts alone cannot be added.
Does Untrod work without signal?
Yes. Walks can be recorded without signal and sync later.
What counts as a walked street in Untrod?
Untrod counts streets, footpaths, park paths, lanes and unnamed streets. Crossing the end of a street does not count, and a street counts once even if you walk it many times.
Is Untrod on the App Store?
No. It is in beta and not on the App Store yet. People join the waitlist at untrod.app.
Ru built Untrod alone in Kraków and walks the city most evenings, usually down a street the map still shows in white.
