Google maps to Zumo XT?

Jazbee

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I've had a search about but nothing popping up...... can you plan a route on Google maps on either PC, ipad or phone and send to the XT as a GPX file?
 
Cheers

I got as far as being able to save a map as a KML file with Google maps (my maps) and thought it would be a case of converting this to GPX and sending to the XT...... Will give that web site a go
 
This works Wapping but not seamlessly, if you tick the Track Points box, it comes in to your Tracks and can't be modified, if you tick Route Points box, it comes in to your Routes but has too many points for the XT and gets 'smoothed' which is OK.

I spent a bit of time just planning some oft used routes directly with the XT last night using various techniques like shaping and adventure routes and was quite pleased with the results. Didn't take long to produce the routes I wanted without all the typing of way points etc.

Just seems a bit of a pity that there is not a seemless way to do this on your smart phone or ipad etc and just send to the XT, every options seems to involve a convoluted procedure involving a laptop, 3rd party software, basecamp, Google etc.
 
Just seems a bit of a pity that there is not a seemless way to do this on your smart phone or ipad etc and just send to the XT, every options seems to involve a convoluted procedure involving a laptop, 3rd party software, basecamp, Google etc.

I thought I had it cracked with Calimoto as you can plan the route fairly quickly in the app, share the route to Garmin Drive which sends it to the XT but it doesn't like it at all, it lists too many stops and also modifies the route.

I'd not thought of planning it on the device, I'll have a look at that.

Sent from my ELE-L29 using Tapatalk
 
Good that it worked, Jazbee.

As regards your observation that it would be good if they joined up better, BMW are maybe coming closer with their Connected app. This though is not yet perfect:

A. Because it is not particularly iPad or home PC friendly. The app does work, at least on an iPad but its design is definitely slanted towards phones.

B. It drops the third party device (in your case the XT) and targets itself towards a phone used to display a route or the latest generation of bikes’ TFT screens. You can of course still use the Connected app to create a route and ping it across to your XT.
 
In areas where you kinda know your way around then doing the route using the XT itself is a good option.... using the Trip Planner in Apps. Just put starting point and end point in, calculate the route and save it, forget which way you actually want to go.

Then go into saved routes, pick the route you just did, tap the spanner icon on the left bar and choose Shape Route. On the map, zoom into you route where you want to make changes and tap to shape the route and save.... simple!

However, when you want to plan a trip to an area where you are not familiar then ideally Google Maps on a desktop or laptop is much better, it's a great piece of software really but you get more full functionality on a PC/Mac than you do on your phone... if logged into a Google account and use My Maps.

Only problem is Google Maps doesn't want to talk to a Garmin Zumo, it's above all that and will only communicate through an intermediary..... in this case 3rd party software like the one Wapping suggested above.... or Garmin's own Basecamp which is a free download.... and no wonder, its the clunkiest most rubbish piece of route planning software you can get for free! It's like being made to type up a huge report on a typewriter after using a PC for 30 years

But...... it will talk to Mr Google Maps and accept the KML/KMZ file you saved in My Maps of your long winding tour in deepest Central France and convert it to GPX and send it to your Zumo XT with an accurate copy of what you did in Google Maps.... I just did a couple of trial Irish ones that I plan to take next year as a test and it worked well..... once you know which hoops you have to jump through of course!!

If only Google would bring out an app for smart phones or as a paid-for bolt on for Google maps which allowed seamless communication with GPS units like the XT.

The XT is a very nice piece of kit though with some great in-built features.
 
After a bit more practice, much more comfortable planning longer and more complex trips on Google Maps and importing into Basecamp and exporting to the XT.

I found this short tutorial on YouTube pretty helpful to novices like myself.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VMv0yK7XCrY" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
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In areas where you kinda know your way around then doing the route using the XT itself is a good option.... using the Trip Planner in Apps. Just put starting point and end point in, calculate the route and save it, forget which way you actually want to go.

Then go into saved routes, pick the route you just did, tap the spanner icon on the left bar and choose Shape Route. On the map, zoom into you route where you want to make changes and tap to shape the route and save.... simple!

However, when you want to plan a trip to an area where you are not familiar then ideally Google Maps on a desktop or laptop is much better, it's a great piece of software really but you get more full functionality on a PC/Mac than you do on your phone... if logged into a Google account and use My Maps.

Only problem is Google Maps doesn't want to talk to a Garmin Zumo, it's above all that and will only communicate through an intermediary..... in this case 3rd party software like the one Wapping suggested above.... or Garmin's own Basecamp which is a free download.... and no wonder, its the clunkiest most rubbish piece of route planning software you can get for free! It's like being made to type up a huge report on a typewriter after using a PC for 30 years

But...... it will talk to Mr Google Maps and accept the KML/KMZ file you saved in My Maps of your long winding tour in deepest Central France and convert it to GPX and send it to your Zumo XT with an accurate copy of what you did in Google Maps.... I just did a couple of trial Irish ones that I plan to take next year as a test and it worked well..... once you know which hoops you have to jump through of course!!

If only Google would bring out an app for smart phones or as a paid-for bolt on for Google maps which allowed seamless communication with GPS units like the XT.

The XT is a very nice piece of kit though with some great in-built features.

Thanks for posting this Jaz:thumb
 
Oh Wow !
I didn't know that. And that is a biggie....:rob
I just made a route on my phone using google maps. Then shared it directly to the XT. Via the Garmin Drive app. It was that simple.
Absolutely fantastic.:thumb
 
Oh Wow !
I didn't know that. And that is a biggie....:rob
I just made a route on my phone using google maps. Then shared it directly to the XT. Via the Garmin Drive app. It was that simple.
Absolutely fantastic.:thumb

Nigel,

I have created a route in Google My Maps on my iPhone. I cannot for the life of me work out how to get it from there into the Garmin Drive app on my iPhone. Any help, greatly appreciated.

Richard
 
I've posted this in the Facebook Zumo XT group. And it seems that IOS doesnt allow to share from Google maps directly into the Garmin Drive app. Which is a familiar theme with the TFT.
I'll copy the info . One sec.
 
From my post.
 

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Thank you, Nigel.

One problem. I am probably being very thick but I cannot do it from a route that is created in Google’s My Map app on my iPhone. Here is what I mean:

A. The route in Google’s My Map app on my iPhone

9f1373d2897fbc8003bed9ee580e1e36.png


B. I can’t see or work out a way to share the route, other than by tapping on the ‘forward’ or ‘share’ button

d6b2412e24da41669d33cc8ddb12b93d.png


C. Logically, this should give me the option to open the route in the Garmin Drive app but it doesn’t, even if I click on the ‘More’ button to bring up more possible apps to use.

1736cbf62b6e4e34602172c459419765.png

d96dc42862a24bc7ea4d148a2d2933ea.png


I think a route created in Google’s My Map seems to lack is the ability to export (share) the route as a KML or GPX file. Or, if it has the ability, then I can’t see how to do it. I suggest this only because:

1. My iPhone is not even giving the option to open the My Map route in the usually very reliable Pocket Earth Pro app. I did, by working around, eventually get Pocket Earth Pro to receive the route file but it reported that it couldn’t open it. Given the reliability of Pocket Earth Pro to open just about anything route related, this surprised me.

2. I can open a GPX route in the Garmin Drive app, if I download it from say, Alpentourer magazine’s website.

I anyone can tell me where I am going wrong, great.

Thank you.
 
Yes. That's strange. But we know how difficult IOS can make it. On Andriod, simply click the three dots and send to Drive app !
 
It is strange indeed.

I even tried following the suggestion to open the route a different way:

ce5e308b072086f23ddb81a312e6974a.png


But that just created an error message.

e14c7c2c8bc5d2dbfebe0ddb5677a333.png
 
Stupid question but do you have Garmin Drive open in the background on the phone? It shouldn't make any difference as it should be in the list but it might be worth trying.

Sent from my ELE-L29 using Tapatalk
 
That method only works on Android not IOS. For some reason IOS doesn’t recognise the Drive app for GPX files and routes


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
That method only works on Android not IOS. For some reason IOS doesn’t recognise the Drive app for GPX files and routes


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have managed to get routes into the XT from other apps but I’ve forgotten how. I might have described it in the long thread I did on phone apps and Garmin devices


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 


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