Maps and offline areas
On the Map tab, frame the area you need and tap the download button. Choose a name and detail level, then manage or remove saved areas in More → Map → Offline Maps.
PUREASCENTHow can we help?
Support for the PureAscent iPhone app: trail maps, offline navigation, run tracking, GPX files, Race Day planning, photos, community submissions, and Apple Health.
Email PureAscent SupportPlease include your iPhone model, iOS version, and a short description of the issue. We aim to reply within two business days.
Quick help
These instructions describe the latest app build. If a control is missing, check your installed version and available update; some features also depend on your plan.
Import or export GPX
Open Trails and tap + to import a GPX file from Files. To export a completed run, open it in Runs, open its menu, and choose Share GPX.
Location and run tracking
Allow location access when prompted to show your position and record a run. Start from the Map tab, and use Pause, Resume, or Finish on the active-run card.
Apple Health
Health access is optional. PureAscent can save completed outdoor runs—including route, distance, and elevation—to Apple Health; it does not read your Health data.
Race Day
Open Runs → Race Day to organize a course, aid stations, cutoffs, crew notes, drop bags, and documents. Review your course and next-stop information before starting.
Back up your library
Open More → Miscellaneous → Create Backup and save the file somewhere you control. It includes your saved trail and run library and local photos. Use Restore Backup to restore a saved archive; read the replacement confirmation carefully.
Photos & community submissions
Add photos to a trail or run
Open a saved trail in Trails, or a recorded or imported route in Runs. In its details, find Photos → Add Photos. Tap a thumbnail to view it; use its delete action to remove it. Adding a photo to this gallery does not upload it.
Submit a completed route
Open the run and tap Review & Submit Trail and Photos. Review the route preview, title, description, and photos. To remove private start or finish locations, cancel and edit the saved route first.
See exactly which photos upload
Up to five saved photos are selected automatically when the gallery contains five or fewer. If there are more, choose up to five. Included photos show checkmarks; tap to exclude them or choose additional photos. The final button shows the total, such as Submit Route & 3 Photos for Review. Excluding a photo does not delete the local copy.
Share photos of an existing trail
In a trail’s Photos section, tap Submit Photos for Community Review. Check the selected pictures and confirm sharing. Photo location metadata is removed. Nothing uploads until you press the final submit button.
Check the review result
Open More → Community Trails & My Submissions → My Submissions. Pending and rejected submissions stay private to you and the reviewer. Approved submissions appear in the Approved list. Review is performed by a person; there is no automatic AI approval.
Delete or report a submission
Open your item in My Submissions and choose Delete to remove the uploaded route and photos, including an approved item. Your local run and gallery remain. To report another submission, email support with its title and the issue.
Troubleshooting
My location is not updating.
Check that Location Services are enabled in iPhone Settings and that PureAscent has location permission. For active tracking, avoid force-quitting the app; it can continue to record while in the background. Low Power Mode, force-quitting the app, or disabling Location Services may interrupt recording.
An offline map is unavailable or incomplete.
Confirm that the download completed in More → Map → Offline Maps, that the area covers your current location, and that enough iPhone storage was available when it downloaded.
A trail or map detail looks incorrect.
Trail conditions, closures, access rules, and map data can change. Verify current conditions and signs before travel. Email support with the trail name and a screenshot so we can investigate.
What should I include in a support request?
Include your app version, iPhone model, iOS version, the steps that led to the issue, and any visible error message. A screenshot can help; remove private locations and other information you do not want to share before sending it.
A community upload failed or is still pending.
Check your connection and retry from the same submission screen. Uploads allow up to five photos and ten new submissions per app identity per day. A pending status means it is waiting for personal review; it is not public. If access to old submissions is lost after reinstalling or resetting the app identity, contact support for help.
How do optional AI features work?
Open More → AI, choose your provider and model, save that provider’s API key, then use Test AI Connection. The key is stored in the device Keychain. Requests go directly to the selected provider and may incur provider charges. This is separate from the personal review of community submissions.
Data & Privacy
PureAscent stores saved runs, imported trails, offline maps, and trail/run photos on your iPhone. Live Sharing uploads location and run information when enabled. Community submissions upload only the route, text, and photos you confirm, and stay private until approved.
Contacts are used only to choose a recipient for a sharing message; your contacts are not uploaded. Information you send to support is shared by your choice. Optional AI requests send the relevant prompt and context to your selected provider.
Contact support
For questions, bug reports, feature requests, or help with the app, email pureascentapp@gmail.com.
You do not need to create an email/password account to use the app. Online services use an anonymous Firebase identity. Your local gallery remains on your iPhone unless you choose to submit, share, or export its photos.