Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Above cost?

Above is free to download. The route planner, tour archive, summit book, GPX and FIT import, and GPX export remain free. You can record three of your own hikes for free. After that, a one-time purchase of €14.99 permanently unlocks further recordings and their offline maps.

Is Above designed to operate for the long term?

Yes. Above is developed as a small, independent app with running costs kept as low as possible. We operate much of the map and routing infrastructure ourselves so the core features do not depend on expensive services. This is why the one-time purchase can deliberately remain free of a recurring subscription. Above is designed both technically and economically for long-term operation.

Which devices and languages does Above support?

Above is made for iPhone and requires iOS 18 or later. The app is available in German, English, Italian and French.

Where can I use Above?

The topographic map is available worldwide. Depending on the region, Above adds contour lines, relief and slope angle. It can also show points of interest (POIs) such as huts, water sources and parking, as well as summits, trail difficulty, via ferratas, hiking networks, emergency points and elevation profiles where the relevant data is available. Not all information is equally complete in every region.

Where does the map data come from, and how current is it?

The topographic base map is built from OpenStreetMap data that Above prepares specifically for hiking. Paths, roads, places, POIs and other OpenStreetMap data are generally updated monthly. Terrain data such as contour lines, relief and slope angle comes from global and regional surveying data and is refreshed when the respective providers publish updates. In Switzerland, the official swisstopo national map can also be enabled and is loaded directly from swisstopo.

What does the slope-angle layer show?

The slope-angle layer uses color to make the steepness of the terrain visible. Worldwide, it is based on terrain data with a resolution of about 30 meters. High-resolution LiDAR data with a resolution of around 2 meters is available in Switzerland, Austria and the Bavarian Alps, around 5 meters in France and around 10 meters in Italy. The visualization helps you recognize steep terrain but does not replace avalanche information, tour planning or your own assessment on site.

Can I plan my own routes in Above?

Yes. In the route planner, you choose the start, destination and waypoints directly on the map or using place search. Above calculates a point-to-point route or round trip along existing paths. It shows distance, ascent and descent, the elevation profile and known difficult or off-trail sections. You can then adjust the route and save it with your planned tours.

Can I discover new tours with Above?

Yes. Above searches tour reports on hikr.org by area and activity. You can narrow down the results by difficulty, duration and ascent, read the full report and add a suitable route directly to Above as a planned tour. You do not need a hikr.org account to search or import.

Can I import GPX and FIT files?

Yes. Above imports tours as GPX or FIT files. You can import individual files or an entire archive and choose whether they are planned or completed tours.Export help:
Komoot: export individual tours
Komoot: export all tours at once
Bergfex: open my activities
Outdooractive: official export guide

How do I merge several GPX files exported from other apps into one tour?

Above imports every GPX or FIT file as its own tour. If several tours belong together, the easiest way is to group them into a collection after import. If you instead want to merge several files exported from another app into a single continuous tour, that is not possible directly in Above. Merge the files into one GPX file with an external tool first, then import just that one file.Merge tools:
gpx.studio: merge tracks in your browser
GPSBabel: merge files on your computer

Can I export my data from Above again?

Yes. You can export individual tours or your entire archive as GPX at any time and use, share or back them up in other apps. You can also share completed tours as an image with friends, family or on social media. Your data is never locked into Above and always belongs to you.

Can I share a tour with full details with someone else who uses Above?

Yes. You can send a single tour or a whole collection, with its route, stats, notes and photos, to another person who uses Above. The easiest way is AirDrop, directly between your devices and without any external server. The other person can then add the tour to their own archive.

Can Above navigate me to the start of a hike?

Yes. For a planned tour, you can send the starting point to Apple Maps, Google Maps or another installed navigation app and start your journey there. At the trailhead, Above takes over orientation and recording for the hike.

What works without an internet connection?

You can permanently save planned and imported tours for offline use. In Settings, you decide whether Above saves new tours automatically or whether you start the download yourself. The offline package includes the topographic map, relief, contour lines, slope angle, important places, summits, trail difficulty, via ferratas, hiking networks and emergency points around the route. If you use the swisstopo national map in Switzerland, it is also saved offline for the tour. Once preparation is complete, the map, your planned route, your position and recording work without reception. You can also start a bearing or calculate a route to any point within the prepared area. Above needs an internet connection from time to time to retrieve official weather warnings.

How can I tell whether my tour is ready offline?

Above shows the offline status directly with the tour. When you start a hike, the app checks again whether the offline package is available. If it is missing, you can start the download directly. Updates to saved map data happen automatically in the background.

Can Above navigate me during a hike?

Above shows your planned or imported route, your current position and the distance you have already covered. For a spontaneous detour to a hut, summit or any other point on the map, you can start a bearing or calculate a route there. Your planned tour remains unchanged. Above provides no turn-by-turn directions and no automatic rerouting. It can alert you if you move significantly away from your planned route.

How does Above warn me about severe weather?

Above checks your planned route and current area for available official severe-weather warnings from DWD, GeoSphere Austria and Apple Weather. Before the start and during the hike, the app can warn you when a relevant notice affects your tour. Above needs an internet connection from time to time to retrieve current warnings. The feature does not replace a complete weather forecast or rain radar.

Does Above warn about access restrictions and protected areas?

Yes. Above alerts you to known access restrictions and protected areas along your route, already while planning and during the hike. While hiking, they are also shown directly on the map with further information. This does not replace an up-to-date check on site, for example for short-term or seasonal closures.

What happens if Above closes during a recording?

If Above is accidentally closed or terminated by iOS, the app restores the started tour the next time you open it and continues recording.

Does Above support multi-day tours?

Yes. At the end of a stage, choose Finish and then Pause (multi-day tour). The tour appears at the top of your plans and can be continued the next day. Save it permanently only after the final stage so that every stage remains together as one continuous tour in your archive.

What is a collection in Above?

A collection groups several tours that belong together, such as the stages of a multi-day tour or all the hikes from your hiking vacation. This also lets you represent long-distance trails like the Camino de Santiago, with many individual stages over several days or weeks, as one connected whole. Each tour stays intact with its own data, photos and notes, and also appears grouped under its collection in the tour archive.

How does the automatic summit book work?

Above recognizes summits along your recorded and imported tours and automatically adds reached summits to your personal summit book. There you can see when and how often you reached a summit and which tours took you there. You can favorite summits and add your own photos and notes.

Why do the summits in my summit book and a completed tour differ?

The summit book automatically keeps names, elevations and other summit data up to date. A completed tour stays unchanged as a record of that hike. To update its summits, open the tour, choose Edit and then Recognize summits again. Review the selection and save the tour.

How do I back up my tours and summits?

Above can sync your tours, summits, photos and notes through your private iCloud. This automatically restores your data after reinstalling the app or moving to a new iPhone. In Settings, you can manage iCloud sync and create an additional manual backup of your archive. Offline maps are prepared again when needed.

Do I need a user account?

No. Above works without a user account, public profile or social feed. Your tours, summits, photos and notes stay on your iPhone and, if you choose, in your private iCloud. You decide what you share with other people or services.

More questions? Feel free to send a mail.