Can You Share iOS 18 Hiking Trails to Android?

Apple's iOS 18 update introduced the ability to design, save, and download custom hiking routes directly within Apple Maps. While you can send a link to a custom trail to anyone, non-Apple users cannot access the full navigation features or directly export the route data to their own preferred mapping applications.

How Sharing Works Across Platforms

When you share a custom hiking route from iOS 18, Apple Maps generates a standard web link (maps.apple.com).

When an Android or Windows user opens this link, it launches in a web browser using Apple Maps on the web. From this browser view, non-Apple users can:

  • View the trail map and path layout.
  • Inspect elevation profiles and distance metrics.
  • Read route notes attached to the creation.

Limitations on Non-Apple Devices

Despite being viewable in a browser, the functionality for non-Apple users is severely restricted compared to the iOS experience:

  • No Turn-by-Turn Navigation: Web-based Apple Maps does not support real-time GPS tracking or turn-by-turn navigation for custom off-road paths.
  • No Offline Access: Custom trails cannot be saved for offline viewing on non-Apple devices. In remote areas without cellular service, the web link will fail to load.
  • No Native GPX or KML Export: Apple Maps does not currently offer a native option to export custom routes as standard .gpx or .kml files. As a result, Android users cannot easily import the trail into third-party navigation apps like Strava, Gaia GPS, or Google Maps.

The Bottom Line

You can share the visual layout and details of an iOS 18 custom hiking trail with non-Apple devices via a web link. However, if your hiking partner relies on an Android device for live navigation or offline trail tracking, they will not be able to use the shared route natively and will need to manually recreate the trail in a cross-platform application.