Komoot introduces improved mapping and greater Garmin integration

Komoot has announced an update that integrates its software further with Garmin devices.

The major update brings the navigating software to a total of 40 Garmin devices including all Connect IQ supported Edge cycling computers, including the Garmin Edge 520, 530, Garmin Edge 820, 820, 1000 and Garmin Edge 1030.

The new update even extends to Garmin's wrist based devices, including its Fenix 5 and newer watches (except the Vivoactive 3).

The update introduces new functionality directly to Garmin devices.

For example, routes planned in Komoot are easier to find on Garmin devices thanks to additional filtering. The same filtering makes highlights or destinations of interest that have been bookmarked easier to find, and navigated to, from your Garmin device.

Finally, once the Garmin is offline, dowloaded routes and highlights can be directly navigated.

According to brand, this brings the Komoot experience closer together across all platforms. You can see the same details whether looking at Komoot on your desktop, in the app on your phone or on a Garmin device.

Watch: Iconic Climb Coombe Gibbet

These updates follow an additional update to Komoot's software introducing HD maps.

According to Komoot this provides users with crisp images with more detail, enabling the planning and visualisation of routes more easily. Further benefits include a smoother and closer zoom and the fact that downloaded map files are up to six times smaller, taking up less storage space on phones.

Komoot says that updates are possible because of a change to the file types used. In short, the maps are now saved as Vector files rather than Raster files. Whereas Raster files save maps as a collection of images, meaning when zoomed they have to be refreshed each time. Instead, Vector files save maps as collections of data points meaning more maps can be stored as the map only loads the data that you need.

Komoot was founded in 2010 by outdoor enthusiasts from the Austrian Alps and Germany, since then it has gone on to be used by millions to create both on and off road routes.

The app is available for free from both Google Play and the App Store although the use of offline maps comes at an additional charge.