AllTrails is a popular tool for finding walking, hiking, running, and biking routes around the world. You can use it to locate trails and check user reviews, but the app has plenty of features for customizing activities, tracking conditions, and navigating (safely) in real time. Here are the tips and tricks to get the most out of AllTrails.

Scrub the elevation chart to find hill grades and obstacles

The elevation map is useful for visualizing total gain and loss on your route, but you can scrub the chart on mobile to see exactly where climbs or obstacles are on the map. For example, you can see where the grade increases (and what the percentage is) or how far you are from stream crossings or switchbacks. Open the map from the trail page or the Navigate function and drag your finger across the elevation profile to track the location marker on the map.

Stack AllTrails search filters to find less traveled trails

You may be most likely to search for trails based on length and difficulty as well as location, but AllTrails has a wealth of filters to find routes with specific features, or that are dog- or kid-friendly. You can also use filters to identify trails that are likely to be less crowded (though if a route is on AllTrails, it certainly isn't a secret). In the Search window, tap All to open available filters. Select Not very busy under Visitation and Loop under Route type (out-and-back trails can feel busier). Select a rating and add any other requirements, then hit Show trails.

Reverse engineer custom routes from other hikers’ completed activities

When you use AllTrails to log an activity or write a review, a map of your track is saved to the trail listing and visible to other users. You can disable this in Settings > Privacy settings > Content—but even if you don't display your activity, you can use those that are public to find custom routes that string multiple trails together or add a ridgeline not included in the official AllTrails track. Scroll down to the reviews section and tap the activities link to pull up maps of completed activities. Note, though, that some variations in routes may not be actual detours, and you should still follow Leave No Trace principles and stay within your skill level when it comes to difficulty.

Connect an REI membership to get a discounted AllTrails subscription

A free AllTrails account will get you most of the service's basic features, but you have to pay for a Plus subscription—$35.99 per year—for things like offline maps and wrong-turn alerts. If you have an REI membership, you get a 30% discount on paid AllTrails subscriptions, bringing the annual fee down to $24.99 per year. (A Peak subscription that usually costs $79.99 per year drops to $49.99 per year.) In the AllTrails app, go to your profile > Settings > REI Membership and follow the steps to connect your account and claim the discount.

Keyword search reviews to get specific intel about conditions

User reviews can give you a good sense of current trail conditions, such as seasonal closures and whether there are muddy or snowy conditions, as well as more global environmental considerations like bugs and river crossings. You should obviously read the most recent reviews for your route, but you can also keyword search on desktop (CTRL/CMD + F) for terms like "mud," "scramble," "snow," "gate," "bugs," or "ticks." A trail may be marked as "easy," but this can reveal issues like snowmelt that have made running water trickier to wade through. You can read the reviews from the same month in previous years too.

Open directions from the AllTrails listing to route to exact GPS coordinates

When you search trails and trailheads by name on popular mapping apps, you may not always get directions to the exact starting location pinned on AllTrails. Instead, launch directions from the AllTrails listing to use the GPS coordinates, which you can then search in Google Maps or Apple Maps. On the trail page, scroll down to Get directions, then select your preferred map app (or copy the coordinates to the clipboard).

Add waypoints during navigation to leave notes about your route

When you record an activity in AllTrails, you have the option to add a waypoint, which is essentially a note pinned to a specific location on the route. This can be useful if you want to remember details, such as tricky turns or hidden features, and you can opt into adding your waypoints to community layers to help other users. Open the Navigator in the mobile app and tap the arrow in the lower-right corner. Swipe up and tap Add Waypoint. Select the waypoint type, add details and select privacy settings, and tap Save.

Use Airplane Mode plus AllTrails offline maps to save your device’s battery

Paid AllTrails subscribers have access to offline maps that allow you to navigate routes in real time even if you don't have a signal. To ensure you don't drain your phone's battery while you're mid-hike, download offline maps for your trail in advance and then switch to Airplane Mode once you lose connection. GPS passively receives signals to triangulate your position, but it does not require the ability to transmit, so you can still follow your location on the map in Airplane Mode without straining the battery by constantly searching for a signal.

Apply AllTrails map overlays to see real-time environmental conditions

AllTrails maps have optional layers that contain a lot more data than just the route itself. All users have access to the Wildfire overlay, which shows current wildfire perimeters in the U.S. With a premium subscription, you get additional overlays for precipitation, temperature, ground conditions, snow depth, fall foliage, and community heat maps so you can see real-time environmental conditions at that specific location. A Peak subscription unlocks advanced overlays for slope angle, high-definition terrain, and public and private lands. Open a map and tap the Layers button in the upper-right corner.

Turn on Live Share to let friends and family know you're safe

Basic trail safety includes letting someone know exactly where you're going and when you plan to return. The AllTrails Live Share feature (available on paid plans) centralizes this information and shows trusted contacts where you are in real time so they can send help if things go wrong. When you share a link with safety contacts, they'll be able to see your real-time location, planned route, recorded mileage and elapsed time, estimated end time, coordinate info, and cell signal strength. They can also opt into SMS alerts. Activate Live Share under the Navigate tab—you'll need to generate a unique link each time you head out.

The worst thing about your favorite chat app is trying to get your friends and family to use it. WhatsApp may be the most popular messaging platform in the world, but in the United States, it is hardly universally adopted. On the contrary, you'll find plenty of people who don't use it at all. In short, it's difficult to get a whole group to commit to any one platform, which can make casual video calls frustrating: If you don't use WhatsApp, and your friends are hosting a call, what are you supposed to do? You can't join a WhatsApp call without a WhatsApp account.

That's now changing. Meta, WhatsApp's parent company, announced "guest calling" on Wednesday. Now, any WhatsApp user can invite any non-WhatsApp user to a call, even if the recipient doesn't have an account. These calls still get the same core perks as traditional WhatsApp calls, Meta says: They're free and end-to-end encrypted, so you won't be compromising on your privacy by calling a non-WhatsApp user this way.

Non-WhatsApp users are still limited. Meta says these users always need a call host's approval to join. If you're a non-WhatsApp user, you'll find yourself in a waiting room until the call host lets you in. Meta also says that you can be kicked off the call at any time, and you won't be able to see other callers' phone numbers. You won't be able to send messages or add other users to the call. You are purely a participant.

How to invite someone without a WhatsApp account to a WhatsApp call

If you're trying to add a non-WhatsApp user to a call, first head to the Calls tab in the app. Here, hit (+), create a call link, then send it to the recipient. Meta says the user can open the link in their computer browser, enter their name, and join. This applies to one-on-one calls as well as calls with up to 32 people. While guests will have the aforementioned limits, they do have some features available to them. They can share their screen, react with emojis, or raise their hand.

WhatsApp isn't the first chat app to offer such a feature. Apple's FaceTime platform, for example, lets you create call links that anyone can join, whether they're calling in on an Apple device or a device running Android or Windows (or Linux, for that matter).

All messaging apps should let you schedule texts by default. Sometimes, you need to send a message to a friend or family member, but you don't want them to get it just yet. Maybe they're in a different time zone, and it's too early or late to politely text them; maybe they're in an important meeting, and you don't want their phone sounding or buzzing as a distraction. Either way, a scheduled message can save you: You won't forget to text them later, and they'll get the message whenever you think they should. Win-win.

Of course, this is not a standard feature in all apps yet. Some apps have it, like Telegram or iMessage, and it's a great addition when you need it. Others, like Messenger or WhatsApp, are sorely missing it. While Meta doesn't appear to have any plans to bring scheduled texts to Messenger, it does seem like WhatsApp users are getting the upgrade on the horizon. In fact, you might be able to try it out today.

Scheduling messaging in WhatsApp

As reported by WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is currently testing a new feature for users to schedule texts, photos, and videos to send at a later time. At this time, the feature works even when you're offline, so your scheduled messages will still send even if you don't have a wifi or cellular connection. In addition, the feature is not limited to single chats, as so many new messaging features are. You can schedule texts in both one-on-one and group chats, and all scheduled messages are still end-to-end encrypted.

At this time, it looks like Meta is only testing scheduling messages on WhatsApp for Android. The bright side for iPhone users is that this test is quite limited: Only select users are getting the feature at this time—and, while it's no guarantee, you should enroll in the WhatsApp beta if you want a chance at trying it out early. To start, head to WhatsApp's official beta tester page on the Google Play Store. Here, make sure you're logged into your Google Account, then enroll in the beta. Head back to the official WhatsApp Play Store page, and you should have a new update. This is the beta.

Once you're on the WhatsApp beta, you can check if you have the feature like so: Craft a new message in any chat, then tap and hold on the send button. If you have it, WhatsApp will present a pop-up, letting you cycle through a date and time to schedule your message. (You can choose to send the message in as little as 10 minutes, or as long as two weeks.) When you're ready to schedule, you can tap the green schedule button at the bottom of the menu. You can then tap the contact or group name at the top of this window, then tap "Schedule messages" to manage all scheduled texts in that thread.