How to open a GPX file on Android

What Android does and doesn't do natively

Android, like iOS, has no built-in GPX viewer. The system recognizes the .gpx extension as a file but no first-party app renders the route. The user-facing behavior:

• Files by Google. Tapping a .gpx in Files by Google opens the Open with chooser. There is no built-in preview — Files treats the file as a generic document and hands it off to whatever the user picks. Same behavior in Samsung My Files, Mi File Manager, and most third-party file managers.
• Gmail and chat app attachments. Tapping a .gpx attachment in Gmail, WhatsApp, Telegram, or Signal opens the Open with sheet. Save to device puts the file in Downloads; Open with sends it directly to a GPX-aware app.
• Google Maps Android app. Cannot import GPX. The supported flow is Google My Maps on the web, which accepts KML/KMZ. The Google Maps spoke covers the conversion-and-import flow that finishes with the custom map appearing under Saved → Maps in the Android app.
• Chrome on Android. Tapping a .gpx URL directly typically displays the XML in a text view. The viewer at viewmygpx avoids this by accepting the file through a file picker rather than via direct URL load.
• Nearby Share. Android's Nearby Share transfers .gpx files between Android devices like any other file. The receiving device sees it in Files; the same Open with handoff applies.

The Android landscape for GPX is richer than iOS in two respects: there are more capable free apps (OsmAnd and Locus Map are both Android-strong), and Android browsers handle the file picker more uniformly across browser brands. Otherwise the architecture is the same: browser viewer for visualization, dedicated app for following.

The simplest path: viewmygpx in Chrome

For visualization without an install, the browser-based viewer is the fastest path on Android. The full flow:

1. Open Chrome. Or any modern Android browser — Firefox, Edge, Brave, Samsung Internet all support the Storage Access Framework picker the viewer uses.
2. Go to viewmygpx.com. Homepage is the viewer. No banner, no popup, no sign-up.
3. Tap the drop zone. Android opens the system document picker (Storage Access Framework), which surfaces files from device storage, Downloads, and any cloud providers you have linked (Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive). Pick the .gpx file.
4. The route renders. Chrome parses the file and draws the polyline on the map, generates the elevation profile, and computes the stats panel.
5. Optional — convert and download. The viewer offers one-tap conversion to KML, KMZ, CSV, or GeoJSON. The converted file saves to the Downloads folder via the browser's download mechanism.

Nothing uploads to a server. Parsing happens entirely in Chrome via the browser's built-in DOMParser. The map tile provider sees the geographic area you are viewing (necessary for tiles), not the file itself.

The best Android apps for GPX files

For following a route in the field, an installed app is the right tool. Android has a deeper free-app ecosystem for GPX than iOS — particularly OsmAnd and Locus Map, which are both built around OpenStreetMap data and GPX as a first-class file type. Ordered by how often we recommend them:

OsmAnd — best free for offline mapping

OsmAnd accepts GPX from the Android Open with sheet and renders the route over OpenStreetMap data. The free tier covers offline maps with a per-month download limit; OsmAnd+ (a one-time in-app purchase) removes the limit. Routing supports walking, cycling, road, off-road, public transport, and ski modes. The breadth of free functionality on Android is unmatched. The OsmAnd Tracks documentation covers the import flow and the track styling options.

Komoot — best for following with voice navigation

Komoot opens GPX from the Open with sheet and converts the file to a Tour. The routing graph snaps the line to known paths; voice turn-by-turn navigation is included on the free tier. Offline maps require either a region purchase or Premium. For polished UX over raw capability, Komoot beats OsmAnd. The Komoot import guide covers the Android flow and the snapping behavior.

Locus Map — power-user Android-only

Locus Map (free and Locus Map Pro) is an Android-native app built around GPX. Track styling, multiple offline map sources (LoMaps, OSM, OpenAndroMaps), planning tools, and elevation profiles. Pro adds the heavier features: Wear OS support, voice commands, augmented-reality overlays, advanced track recording. For users outgrowing OsmAnd, Locus is the next step up. There is no iOS equivalent — Locus is one reason many cyclists pick Android.

AllTrails — paid only for GPX import

AllTrails+ supports GPX import via Custom Maps on the website. The imported map then syncs to the AllTrails Android app for offline use. Free tier does not support GPX. For trail discovery and recording on top of imported routes, AllTrails is one of the best UX-polished apps on Android. The AllTrails guide covers the paywall and the import flow.

Strava — fitness recordings only, web upload required

The Strava Android app cannot import GPX. To upload from Android, open Chrome at strava.com/upload/select and pick the .gpx through the Android file picker. The activity syncs to the Strava Android app within seconds. The Strava guide covers the Activity vs Route choice and the virtual-ride pitfall.

Maps.me — fully free, fully offline

Maps.me opens GPX (after a free conversion to its internal format) and renders the route over OpenStreetMap data downloaded for offline use. No subscription, no limits. Routing is sparser than OsmAnd; for users who don't need advanced routing, Maps.me is a clean free fallback.

Garmin Connect Mobile — for Garmin device owners

Garmin Connect Mobile on Android cannot import GPX directly. The web upload at connect.garmin.com syncs to the Android app and onto a paired Edge, Forerunner, or fenix. The Garmin Connect guide covers the Activity vs Course distinction and the device-sync flow.

Sending a GPX into an Android app via Open with

The Open with chooser is the universal Android handoff between a .gpx file and a GPX-aware app. The file manager UI varies by phone brand, but the underlying chooser is the same:

• From Files by Google. Long-press the .gpx, tap the three-dot menu, then Open with. Or tap the file once, then Open in (Android 13+).
• From Samsung My Files. Tap the file, then the three-dot menu → Open with.
• From Gmail. Tap the attachment, then the share icon. The Open with sheet appears.
• From WhatsApp / Telegram / Signal. Tap the attachment, then the three-dot menu → Open with.
• From Chrome download notifications. Tap a just-downloaded .gpx in the notification shade to fire Open with directly.

Android caches the user's preferred handler per file type. If you tap "Always" the first time, future taps go straight to that app. To change it later, go to Settings → Apps → Default apps → Opening links and clear the GPX association.

Common pitfalls

Browser shows GPX as a wall of XML text

Tapping a direct .gpx URL navigates to the file as text. Android browsers have no built-in GPX renderer. The fix is to use a viewer that accepts the file via a picker — open viewmygpx.com first and pick the file from there, instead of tapping the GPX URL.

Open with chooser doesn't show my mapping app

The chooser only shows apps that have registered as GPX handlers. Confirm the app is up-to-date — older versions of some apps drop their GPX handler in favor of cloud-sync flows. If still missing, force-stop and reopen the app to re-register its intent filters; on persistent issues, reinstall.

Strava app says "open at strava.com" — is the app broken?

The Strava Android app intentionally redirects GPX imports to the web upload page; this is by design rather than a bug. Open Chrome, sign in to strava.com, and use the upload page on mobile-web. The activity syncs to the Strava app afterward.

Imported route in OsmAnd is offset from the actual trail

OsmAnd renders GPX as recorded — it does not snap the line to its routing graph by default. If the route looks offset, that is the GPS noise in your file, not OsmAnd. To smooth, open the file in the viewmygpx editor (browser-based) and apply elevation smoothing or trim the jittery sections, then re-import.

File downloaded but cannot be found

Chrome on Android saves downloads to Internal storage → Download. Some Android skins (Samsung, Xiaomi) hide this folder by default. Open Files by Google → Browse → Downloads to see all browser-downloaded files. The notification shade also keeps recent download entries with a tap-to-open shortcut.

Privacy on Android

A GPX file is plain XML — no script, no executable, no embedded tracker. The only sensitive data is the coordinates. When you drop a file onto viewmygpx in Chrome, the file never leaves your phone: parsing runs in Chrome, the polyline draws in Chrome, the conversion to KML or CSV also runs in Chrome. The map tile provider sees the geographic area being rendered (necessary for tiles), not the file content.

When you share the file to a third-party app like Strava or Komoot, the app uploads the file to its servers. That is the normal cost of using a cloud-backed service; the privacy posture is whatever that platform's privacy policy says. For files that contain a home-start coordinate, configure each destination platform's privacy zone before uploading. The viewmygpx privacy policy covers what the site itself collects (effectively nothing about the file content).

Sources

• TopoGrafix — GPX 1.1 schema
• Google — Files by Google: Find, share, manage, back up files
• Google — Import map data into My Maps
• OsmAnd — Tracks (GPX) documentation
• Locus Map — Tracks Import
• Komoot — Import a GPX or FIT file
• Strava — Upload Files to Strava from a Computer