Hello! And welcome to the comprehensive guide to using the HiiKER apps. This article was created to give you a detailed breakdown of how to use both the HiiKER iOS app and the HiiKER Android app.

This article will be regularly updated should any features change or new features are added to the apps. You can also find these guides in our support chat FAQs.

  1. Downloading Offline Maps
  2. Downloading Map regions
  3. Using the Measurement Tool (PRO+)
  4. Change Measurement units
  5. Printing maps
  6. Live locator 
    1. Here is how you activate your Live Locator session
    2. How to view other hikers Location on HiiKER app
  7. Download GPX File
  8. Import GPX File
  9. Add Comment / Review
  10. Show Location
  11. Set Grid Preferences / Map Projections
  12. Show Accommodation and Amenities
  13. Sharing a trail
  14. Searching for a Trail
  15. Change map layers/styles
  16. Planning a route
  17. Record a Hike
  18. Edit Profile information
  19. Upgrade to PRO+
  20. Deleting your account
  21. Restore Purchases
  22. Use a Promo code
  23. Finding your User ID
  24. Donate to a Trail organisation
  25. Clear App Cache

Downloading Offline Maps

Step 1
To download offline maps first go to the overview page of the trail you wish to get offline access to.

Step 2
In the top right corner click the download icon

Step 3
From here, select the map style you wish to download. We have a large selection of different map layers for different uses. Choose the one that fits most with your needs of navigating while out on the trail.

Step 4
In the map overview page you can read about the map layer and click the orange “Download for offline use” button.

Step 5
You can then select the level of zoom detail you wish to have offline access to, from 0-12 to 0-14. 

This selection will affect the size of your download so be aware of the free space available on your device before continuing.

Step 6
When you have chosen your zoom level, tap continue and your download will begin. You will see progress of the download at the bottom of your trail overview page.

Step 7
When your download has been complete, that layer will now always be available offline for that trail. No need to activate it, it is now available through the trail overview map. Make sure to activate the layer you have downloaded. 

To manage your map downloads, revisit the map layer overview page, or head over to your settings to find the “Manage offline map downloads” page where you can view your collection and delete them if needed.

Downloading Map regions

Different to downloading maps for curated trails, downloading a map region allows you to download high-res sections/regions of your favourite map layers so that you can explore the landscape your own way completely offline.

Step 1

Starting off on the main map page, tap on the action button (+) in the bottom right-hand corner.

Step 2

Next, select “download map area” from the list.

Step 3

Next, find the area of the map you wish to download. Our advice is to expand the area slightly to include any nearby roads or access routes that you may need in case of an emergency. If the frame of the map turns red, this means you are too zoomed out to download. Tap “Confirm download area” when you have covered the area required.

Step 4

Next, choose the map layer you wish to download. Keep in mind that some map layers are only available in to PRO+ subscribers. For info on pricing, see https://hiiker.app/purchases.

NOTE – Map Quality

You can choose the resolution you wish to download. The higher the resolution, the bigger the download. And the bigger the area, the bigger the download will be! If you open your settings > Offline Map quality settings, you can set this for all downloads.

Step 6

Once the download is complete, you will be brought to the download manager, where you will see the maps you have downloaded for offline use*.

*Important to note that this is not where you would access the map for navigation, this is an image of the map area you have downloaded.

Step 7

You now have offline access to this map. To access it, you simply view it on any of the features where a map is present. So if you’re tracking a hike in an area you have downloaded, or if you are planning the next stage of your route, this can all be done offline.

Step 8

If you want to check the maps that you have downloaded, you can access via your download manager.

Checking your maps

By accessing your map downloads in an offline state, you will be able to ensure that the map you have downloaded will be available to you in offline mode.

Our advice: Download the map area you want to use offline using the steps above, then put your phone into airplane mode. You should be able to view your downloaded region in high resolution. Compare this to a non-downloaded region. It should be almost impossible to view. Example below.

Downloaded Region
Non-downloaded region

Using the Measurement Tool (PRO+)

Step 1
To find the measurement tool, Go to the map of the trail you wish to measure a section of and tap the “+” button in the bottom right. This will open our action menu where you can complete various tasks on the map. 

Step 2
Select the Measurement tool option to activate measure mode.

Step 3
To start, single tap on the map line where you would like to start your measurement

Step 4
Then tap again on the map line where you would like to end your measurement. Easy!
The bottom sheet data will now be replaced with the figures for the selected section including distance, estimated travel time, and elevation. 

To exit from measurement mode, click the green “x” on the bottom sheet.

Change Measurement units

Step 1
From the Profile page click the settings icon, then select “customise”, then “Measurement Units”. 

From here you can adjust the units the app uses to displace measurements and distance..

Printing maps

Step 1
Find the trail in which you are looking to download the print maps for. 

On the trail overview page, tap the blue “Print map” button.

Step 2
This will produce a high quality, fully printable PDF version of the trail map broken into suggested stages.
The first page contains a quick preview of each stage. The second page provides the map legend for the markers and patterns that you might see on your map. The following pages provide the detailed stage by stage maps. 

Remember, you can also retrieve print maps from the HiiKER.com website.

Live locator 

The HiiKER Live locator is a powerful way to share your location with your family, friends and hiking group. It will show your live location with a high level of accuracy while you are on your hike. 

You can use Live locator to share your own location and to view other people’s locations who have shared their Location link with you. 

Here is how you activate your Live Locator session

Step 1. 

Open any map screen in the HiiKER app 

Step 2. 

Tap the Live Locator button on the left of the screen towards the bottom 

Step 3. 

Toggle the Share Location button

Step 4. 

Select the finish time of the live session – Live Locator can be an intense battery user. Please keep in mind when selecting longer sessions

Step 5. 

Tap the share icon beside the URL under “Share link with others”. Choose the method of sharing this link – or copy the link so you can paste using another method, such as social media.

As long as your session is live, anyone with this link can view your movements. You can simply end the session by toggling the “Share location” button off. 

How to view other hikers Location on HiiKER app

Step 1. 

Open the link provided using the HiiKER app option on your smartphone

Step 2. 

You can now view this hiker on your smartphone through the app. You can also view some stats about their movement since the start of their session.

Step 3. 

If you are also hiking and you want to see all hikers who have shared their link on one map, simply open the live locator menu and toggle on the hikers you wish to view.

You can also use this function while recording or planning a route. 

Download GPX File

Step 1
Downloading a GPX is easy. Navigate to the trail you want to download. Tap the orange “Download GPX” button and save your GPX file to your device.

Import GPX File

Step 1
From the Map page, tap the “+” button to open the action menu.

Step 2
From the action menu, select the “Import a GPX option”

Step 3
Select the GPX file you wish to import from your device files and it will populate an editable trail into the HiiKER planner.

Step 4
You can edit the trail as you would any planned route and save it to your planned trails for future viewing! Easy!

Add Comment / Review

Step 1
To view/add trail comments or reviews head over to the trail overview page of your choice.

Step 2
Select the reviews option from the top tabs. From here you can view the latest and most popular reviews of this trail. To add a review, click the orange “Add a review” button.

Step 3
Give the trail a rating, fill out the review form and even add some photos from your hike.  

Step 4
To delete or edit a review you have made, click the “Three dots” option icon beside your review, then select “Edit” or “Delete” from the bottom sheet.

Show Location

Step 1
On any map, you can zoom to your location by tapping the location button.

Step 2
To use the device’s accelerometer to turn the map in the direction you point your device, double-tap the location button. To return to a normal manual map view, drag to a different area on the map.

Set Grid Preferences / Map Projections

Step 1
To change your grid references/map projections go to the profile page and then to settings.

Step 2
Tap the customise option. 

Step 3
Tap the projection option

Step 4
Select the projection you wish to use. 

Show Accommodation and Amenities

Option 1 – Step 1
Find the trail you want to view accommodation and amenities on. 

From the trail overview page, scroll the top tabs across and click the amenities option.

Option 1 – Step 2
From here you can view all of the amenities and accommodation categories. Click a category to load it onto the map. 

Alternatively, if you have a location in mind, enter the name of that location into the search bar to find it. Click it to load the location and details into the map.

Option 2 – Step 1
Find the trail you want to view accommodation and amenities on. 

Open the trail overview map by tapping on the map image.

Option 2 – Step 2
From here click the “+” button on the bottom right to load the action menu. 

In the action menu click the “Accom & Amenities” option to reveal a list of the categories available. 

Toggle the categories to show/hide them on the menu and close the pop up to browse!

Sharing a trail

Option 1
Found an interesting trail and want to share it on social media? Or share a link with your friends?
Go to the trail overview page of the trail you want to share and click the share icon in the top right of the page.

Option 2
From the pop up you can select the image you want to use in your social media post by swiping left or right. Then click where you want to send it, Instagram, Facebook, or copy a direct link!

Searching for a Trail

Step 1
Our search map offers a live filtering system to find the perfect trail..  One option is to simply move around the map to the location you want to hike. The numbers indicate a cluster of hikes in that area, so zoom in or tap on a cluster to see the individual hikes.

Step 2
If you want to see quick previews of the hikes in the area of you map viewport, swipe up on the bottom sheet and scroll through the list. Tap on a trail to open it’s overview page. 

Step 3
Another option is to use the search bar to search for trail name or a location where you wish to hike.

Step 4
Another way to find hikes is through our quick filtering system. Click the filter buttons beneath the search bar to reveal a set of sliders and category options to set parameters for distance, elevation, pre-defined tags and difficulty. Combinations of these parameters will narrow down the perfect trail you are looking for.
To quickly reset the parameters, click the red “Reset” button.

Change map layers/styles

Step 1
With HiiKER PRO +, we offer some of the best quality map layers for you to plan and navigate your hikes. On any of the map pages, click the map layers button to reveal the map layers bottom sheet.

Step 2
Here we set our Active and Inactive map layers. When you have multiple layers in the active area, you can blend the layers with the opacity slider. You can make really interesting combinations of layer with this feature! 

If you just want one layer to be shown, put it first in the list and set it to full opacity with the slider. Or simply deactivate the other layers. 

Step 3
To add more layers, tap the “Add more map layers” button. Select the map layer you wish to add and hit the “Add to map layers” button. 

Step 4
If you have too many layers in the bottom sheet or just want to remove a few, you can remove by tapping the map layer and selecting the “Remove from map layers” button on the map layer overview page.

New feature: Nearby & Suggested Maps

We now show you the best maps in your region and for a specific trail. With our new quick-save option on suggested map layers for trails, you can download a trail map with the best regional map in seconds.

Nearby Maps
Suggested maps with quick-save

Planning a route

Step 1
Want to follow you own path off the beaten track? Create your own plan with the HiiKER route planner.

Head to the map page and tap the “+” icon to open the action menu.

Step 2
From the action menu, you can plan a route in 3 different ways, Select “Plan a hike” to start a new hike, Select “Edit a planned hike” to edit one of your previously planned hikes or select “Import a GPX file” to import a GPX file that you have stored on your device and start a plan from it.

For this example, we will start from scratch with the “Plan a hike” option.

Step 3
To begin planning your route, follow the instruction in the green box and long tap on the area of the map that you want as your starting point. 

Continue to long-tap along the route you wish to follow on the map.

Step 4
While creating your route, HiiKER is working in the background calculating the stats for your hike including the estimate journey time, hike distance and elevation profile, all which can be seen in the data sheet at the bottom of the page. 

Tap the green “elevation Profile” bar to reveal the elevation profile graph. Dragging along this elevation graph will show you detailed information about specific points along the trail including terrain you may encounter, represented by the different colours on the polyline. 

Step 5
To insert an intermediate point, tap on the map line where you would like to intersect.  

Step 6
To delete a point, simply tap the marker you want to get rid of and hit the “delete” pop up. 

Step 7
If you want to undo or redo any action, you can do so with the undo and redo arrow buttons at any point.
Step 8
Our auto-snap tool will find the most suitable hiking route from your selected points. To disable this and use a straight line system, tap the magnet button to toggle auto-snap on and off.

Step 9
To save a hike, tap the “Save” button in the top right. Now you can give your hike a bit of detail and set a planned date for the hike. We’ll send you a reminder email for your hike the day before to make sure you’ve got everything ready!

Step 10
A full overview of your hike hike will now be available through your profile in your “Planned trails” list.

Step 11
Every planned trail you create will have an overview page with details of the hike. 

It is also where you can go to view the hike, edit the hike, share it with other, or download the GPX file to use elsewhere.

Record a Hike

Step 1
There are multiple ways to record a hiker with the HiiKER app. Once you’re ready to start tracking, click on the record tab in the navigation to view the options.

Option 1
The first option in the list is to start a recording without a route to follow. By doing this we allow you to track your own route using just the map and your own navigation skills! This option is great for walking well-signed trails when you don’t have a particular route or plan you want to follow.

Option 2
The second option is to “Track a known route”. This allows you to place a known trail onto the map that you can use to guide you as you record your hike.

Option 2.1
When you select this option, we provide you with a list of nearby trails to follow. Can’t see the one you are looking for? Type it into the search bar and find it from there. Once you have found your preferred guide trail, tap it to move to the record map.

Option 3
The third option allows you to record with one of your previously planned trails as a guide.

Option 3.1
If you have previously planned some trails with HiiKER they will show up here. Select one to use as your guide while you are recording.

Option 4
The fourth option allows you to record a hike with one of your previously TRACKED trails as a guide so you can retrace a recorded hike that you liked.

Option 4.1
If you have previously tracked some trails with HiiKER they will show up here. Select one to use as your guide while you are recording.

Step 2
To see, switch to the data page while still recording click the stopwatch button. This page shows you a more detailed view of your progress!

Step 3
To switch back to the map view, press the map icon button.

Step 4

You can pause your progress at any point with the orange pause button. 

While paused you can either resume your hike with the green “Resume” button, or finish up your recording with the blue “Finish” button.

Step 5

When you click finish, enter some details about the hike and tap “Save” to save the hike to you recorded hikes list where you can check out the overview and stats of your hike!

Edit Profile information

Step 1
To edit your profile and personal information, go to the profile page and tap the pen icon in the top right.  

Step 2
From here update your information and hit confirm when you’re ready to save. 

Upgrade to PRO+

Step 1
Our HiiKER PRO + subscriptions offer added functionality to keep you on track and informed while out on the trail. 

HiiKER PRO + adds to your toolkit things like GPX downloads, offline maps and high quality print maps, some of the most detailed map layers from map makers around the world such as Eastwest Maps, Harvey maps and OS map. 

To upgrade to HiiKER PRO +, tap any of the PRO + icons around the app, or head to the profile page and tap the “Check out our pro + features” button. 

Step 2
On the purchase page you will find a break down of the subscription costs available. Select the one that suits you and tap the green button to continue to your purchase. Monthly subscriptions can be cancelled at any time. 

Step 3
Tap the features tab to see a comparison of all of the subscription options and their features. 

Deleting your account

Step 1
To delete you account go to the profile page and tap the settings icon in the top right.

Step 2
From the settings menu, tap the delete button, then click confirm on the dialogue if you want to continue. Please be sure you want to continue, as you will no longer be able to access your account after doing this.

Restore Purchases

Step 1
If you have moved to a new device and are having trouble accessing your subscription, go to the HiiKER PRO purchases page and tap the “restore purchases” button.

If you are still not able to access your subscription upgrades then contact HiiKER support from the settings page or email info@hiiker.co

Step 2
If you are logged in and can’t access your purchases go to your profile, page tap the icon, and go to the purchases page. From here you can select the “restore purchases” option. 

If this does not work please check your Apple purchases to make sure the subscription is active and then check you HiiKER login details to make sure they match. 

If you still cannot access your purchases after all of this then contact info@HiiKER.co and we’ll help you out. 

Use a Promo code

Step 1
If you have received a promo code, go to the purchases page and scroll down passed the purchase options and tap the “Redeem promo code” option. Enter your code in the text input and tap the “Redeem” button. 

If you cannot redeem your code then contact HiiKER support from the settings page or email info@HiiKER.co

Finding your User ID

Step 1
If you need to find your HiiKER user id for customer support reasons you can find it at the bottom of the settings page. Tap the number to quickly copy it for pasting elsewhere.  

Step 1
Support rail maintenance and development is very important to us. So we are making trail donations simple on HiiKER. Head to the trail overview page of the trail you wish to donate to and tap the “Donate to this trail” button. This will direct you to the donation link managed by the trail organisation.

Step 2
We are growing our donation listings day by day. If we do not have the link to the donation page for a trail please help us to find it. 

Clear App Cache

Clearing the app cache can help to resolve some issues with the app, for example if it gets some corrupt data. If you are having a problem, reach out to support and they may suggest trying to clear your cache. This guide will help with that:

Step 1

Go to your profile by tapping on the profile button on the bottom navigation and then tap on the cog on the top bar

Step 2

On the list that appears tap on “Clear cache data”. You may loose some offline functionality after doing that (Not offline maps though!). So just click around to any functionality you want to use offline so the cache is reestablished.