Know your next turn before you reach it, on your phone, your watch or out loud.
Turn-by-turn navigation is now live in HiiKER. When you record a hike on a planned route, HiiKER shows clear on-screen directions for your next turn and gives you a spoken cue as you get close. You spend less time checking the map and more time enjoying the walk.
You asked, we built it
This was one of the most requested features from our community. To be honest, we weren’t sure about it at first. Turn-by-turn feels like something for driving, and hiking is often about reading the land and taking your time.
Once we started testing it on our own hikes, we changed our minds fast. It’s now something we use on nearly every outing. It doesn’t take the place of the map. It just means you don’t miss the junction you were chatting your way past.
Turn by turn instructions, also available on HiiKER Watch app.
What it does
- Your next turn, at a glance. A banner at the top of the recording screen shows your next move, like “Turn left in 330 m”, with the turn after it underneath so you can see what’s coming.
- Audio cues before each turn. HiiKER speaks up as you approach a turn, so your phone can stay in your pocket. Cues keep playing with the screen off.
- Off-route warnings. If you drift off your route, HiiKER tells you and helps you get back on track.
- On your wrist. Directions also appear on Apple Watch and Wear OS, with a large, bold arrow you can read in a glance mid-stride. On iPhone, your next turn shows on the lock screen too.
- A full list of directions. Look through every turn on your route ahead of time, or check what’s coming at any point on the trail.
- Your route, your words. When you plan a route, you can edit the wording of any instruction or add your own prompts, like “Cross the stile by the old gate”.
Plan on the web, follow on the trail
Turn-by-turn works with routes you plan in the HiiKER web app as well as in the mobile apps. Plan your walk on a big screen at home, and the directions will be ready when you start recording.
Why it matters
- Fewer wrong turns. Easily missed junctions, forks in forest tracks and faint paths across open hillside are where most navigation slips happen.
- More heads-up hiking. You get the guidance without having to look at your phone.
- More confidence on new ground. It helps on unfamiliar routes, early starts, or when the weather closes in and you’d rather not get the phone out.
- Built for hikers. The directions come from your planned route, not a road network, so they follow the trails you actually chose.
Turn-by-turn navigation is available now for PRO+ members on iOS, Android, Apple Watch and Wear OS. Update the app, plan a route and head out. There’s a step-by-step guide in Turn-by-turn navigation on our support site.
