How Do You Generate GPX Files from Apple Maps?
Jaseel S7 min read
In this article 10 sections
Generating GPX files using Apple Maps and a GPX converter is a simple way to obtain your travel routes for various use cases, such as planning trips, creating travel animations using the roads traveled, or showcasing the routes.
Imagine you want to create a travel animation video that shows the route from your business location to the nearest city. A GPX file of the exact destinations is essential for making such videos.
This will guide you in generating GPX files from Apple Maps to create videos with your routes.
What are GPX files?
GPX files are digital data of your travel route. They record your entire route using GPS data, including the exact location, routes, and stops.
You want to generate GPX files to save the routes you plan to explore or the ones you have already completed, and use them to create travel animation videos using tools like Travel Animator.
What are the use cases of GPX files?
- Save your road trip routes or hiking routes to keep the memories. You can use the GPX routes to follow in the future.
- Animate your travel route using tools like Travel Animator.
- You can use the GPX file with GPS apps or devices to stay on track.
- Share your routes with your friends or followers. It will help them to know the exact route if you’re traveling as a team.
- It helps to keep a document of every route you’ve traveled.
How to generate GPX files from Apple Maps?
- Open Apple Maps on iPhone or iPad.
- Enter your starting point and destination. Add destinations as you need using “Add stops”.
- You can shuffle the order of routes by dragging up and down.
- Copy the full URL of the route that is visible in the share button.
- Convert the link to GPX files using any GPX conversion tool, such as https://mapstogpx.com, https://gpx.studio, or https://www.gpsvisualizer.com.
- Upload the entire link to any one of the tools and convert it into a GPX file.
- Download the file to your device or save it for future use.
What to Expect From an Apple Maps Route Link
Apple Maps doesn’t have a GPX export button. What you get from the Share sheet is a link to the directions, and the converter has to read that link and rebuild a track from it. That’s why the result depends so much on which tool you pick.
Some converters are built mainly around Google Maps URLs, so an Apple Maps link may be rejected or turned into a file that only holds your start, end and stops. Before you spend time on a long route, test the converter with a short one, like a 20-minute drive across town. If the downloaded file shows the actual roads when you open it in a GPX viewer such as gpx.studio, you know the tool handles Apple Maps links properly.
On iPhone, files you download in Safari usually land in the Downloads folder of the Files app. Note where yours went, because that’s where you’ll pick it from when you tap Add GPX in TravelAnimator.
How to upload a GPX file in Travel Animator? - Steps-by-step guide
- Open the Travel Animator App and sign up. Sign in if you already have an account.
- Start creating your travel animation by importing GPX files. Tap on “route menu” that you can see in the top right corner of the screen.
- Click on “Add GPX” and upload the GPX file you want to create an animation video from.
- You can customize the destinations and add elements like travel models, map styles, duration, and so on.
- Travel Animator provides high-definition and 4K quality animation videos. Choose the quality and export the video to your device.
- There is an option to directly share your videos on various social media platforms to showcase them.
If Your Apple Maps Link Won't Convert
You still have good options when no converter gives you a clean file.
- Rebuild the stops in Google Maps. Enter the same start, stops and destination, then copy the route link. TravelAnimator can plot a Google Maps link directly, so you skip the GPX step entirely. Our guide to generating GPX files from Google Maps covers that route if you’d still rather have a file.
- Add the stops inside TravelAnimator. Search each place by name, then long-press a stop and turn on Real Routes so that segment follows actual roads. It works segment by segment, so repeat it at every stop except the last.
- Use a recorded track instead. If you logged the trip with a GPS app or watch that exports GPX, that file reflects the roads you really drove, which a planned Apple Maps route can’t.
Best Practices for Creating a Travel Video Using GPX
- Before exporting, remove unnecessary turns or stops to make the video clean.
- Choose the best map styles that match your vibe and destinations.
- Add labels for cities, stops, and highlighting places. Combine images with your route for a professional and standard story.
- Make sure the animation is not too fast or too slow.
Checking the Imported Route Before You Style It
Once the file is in TravelAnimator, play the preview before adding anything else. Look at three things: the route starts where you expect, the stops come in the right order, and there are no straight lines cutting across land where a road should be. Straight jumps usually mean the converter only saved your stop points.
If the path is accurate but looks shaky, toggle Smoothen Route to tidy small zig-zags. Keep it off if you want every turn shown exactly. When the route runs backwards, you don’t need a new file; the Invert Route option flips the direction in one tap.
Are you planning to create travel videos with more features?
Travel Animator offers an option to upload GPX files, allowing you to create travel memories using the actual routes you took. Apple Maps, along with GPX converting platforms, helps to generate such routes easily. After uploading your routes, use Travel Animator’s advanced features to make the video look more stunning and professional. Upgrade to Travel Animator Pro and enjoy the advanced features, including HD and 4K quality exporting.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are GPX files?
GPX files are digital data of your travel route. They record your entire route using GPS data, including the exact location, routes, and stops.
What are the use cases of GPX files?
Save your road trip routes or hiking routes to keep the memories. You can use the GPX routes to follow in the future.
What should I check before trying to convert an Apple Maps route to GPX?
Check that the conversion tool explicitly supports the route or input format you have. After obtaining a GPX file, import it into TravelAnimator and compare the resulting path with the intended journey.
Can Apple Maps export a GPX file directly?
No. Apple Maps doesn’t offer a GPX export. You share the route as a link and use a third-party converter to turn it into a GPX file, or you recreate the same stops in another tool. Always open the converted file and check that it follows real roads before importing it into TravelAnimator.
Why does my converted Apple Maps route show straight lines?
The converter probably saved only your start, stops and destination, not the road path between them. Try a different conversion tool, or add the stops in TravelAnimator and enable Real Routes at each stop so every segment follows real roads. Preview the route again before you export.
Can I paste an Apple Maps link straight into TravelAnimator?
TravelAnimator’s direct link import is made for Google Maps links, through the Paste Google Maps Link option in the route menu. For an Apple Maps route, convert the link to GPX and use Add GPX, or rebuild the stops in Google Maps and paste that link instead.
