TRAILBUDDY

❯ A native iOS + watchOS outdoor trail tracking and activity companion

Technologies used

• Swift
• SwiftUI
• WatchKit / watchOS
• Core Location
• HealthKit
• Xcode

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Features
• Project Structure
  • Project Index
• Getting Started
  • Prerequisites
  • Installation
  • Usage
  • Testing
• Project Roadmap
• Contributing
• License
• Acknowledgments

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Overview

TrailBuddy is a smart, beautiful native iOS and watchOS application developed as part of the VI2 – Advanced iOS Application Development course at MENDELU (Winter 2025/2026). Partly inspired by Strava, it is designed for outdoor enthusiasts — enabling them to track hikes and trails, monitor activity metrics in real time, and synchronize data seamlessly between iPhone and Apple Watch. The project includes a dedicated watchOS companion app for on-wrist access to key stats during activity, wrapped in a polished, carefully crafted UI.

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Features

• Real-time trail and activity tracking using GPS
• Live metrics: distance, pace, elevation, and duration
• Apple Watch companion app with iOS–watchOS data sync
• Interactive map view for route visualization
• Activity history with detailed statistics
• Multi-language support (translations branch)
• HealthKit integration for activity data

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Project Structure

└── TrailBuddy/
    ├── TrailBuddy/
    │   ├── AppDelegate.swift
    │   ├── Models/
    │   ├── Views/
    │   ├── ViewModels/
    │   ├── Services/
    │   └── Resources/
    ├── TrailBuddy WatchKit App/
    │   └── Interface.storyboard
    ├── TrailBuddy WatchKit Extension/
    │   ├── InterfaceController.swift
    │   └── ExtensionDelegate.swift
    ├── TrailBuddyTests/
    └── TrailBuddy.xcodeproj

Project Index

TRAILBUDDY/

TrailBuddy (iOS)

AppDelegate.swift	❯ App lifecycle and WCSession setup for Watch connectivity
Services/	❯ Location, HealthKit, and Watch connectivity services

TrailBuddy WatchKit Extension

InterfaceController.swift	❯ Main watchOS UI controller displaying live activity data
ExtensionDelegate.swift	❯ watchOS extension lifecycle and background task management

branches

main	❯ Stable production branch
ios-watchos-sync	❯ Feature branch for iPhone–Apple Watch data synchronization
translations	❯ Multi-language localization support
testing	❯ QA and integration testing branch

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Getting Started

Prerequisites

• macOS (latest stable version recommended)
• Xcode 15 or higher
• iOS SDK 16+ and watchOS SDK 9+
• Swift 5.9+
• Apple Watch (physical or simulator) for watchOS features
• An Apple Developer account (for running on physical devices)

Installation

Build from source:

1. Clone the repository:

❯ git clone https://github.com/svareX/TrailBuddy.git

2. Navigate to the project directory:

❯ cd TrailBuddy

3. Open the Xcode project:

❯ open TrailBuddy.xcodeproj

4. Select the iOS target and a paired Apple Watch simulator, then build (⌘B).

Usage

Run the app using Xcode:

❯ Select the TrailBuddy scheme and press ▶ Run (⌘R)

For the watchOS app, select the WatchKit App scheme and run on a paired simulator.

Testing

Run the test suite:

❯ ⌘U in Xcode

Or from the command line:

❯ xcodebuild test -scheme TrailBuddy -destination 'platform=iOS Simulator,name=iPhone 15'

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Project Roadmap

• Task 1: GPS trail tracking with map visualization.
• Task 2: Apple Watch companion app with iOS–watchOS sync.
• Task 3: Social sharing of completed trails and leaderboards.

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Contributing

• 💬 Join the Discussions: Share your insights, provide feedback, or ask questions.
• 🐛 Report Issues: Submit bugs found or log feature requests for the TrailBuddy project.
• 💡 Submit Pull Requests: Review open PRs, and submit your own PRs.

Contributing Guidelines

1. Fork the Repository: Start by forking the project repository to your GitHub account.
2. Clone Locally: Clone the forked repository to your local machine.

   git clone https://github.com/svareX/TrailBuddy

3. Create a New Branch: Always work on a new branch.

   git checkout -b new-feature-x

4. Make Your Changes: Develop and test your changes locally.
5. Commit Your Changes: Commit with a clear message.

   git commit -m 'Implemented new feature x.'

6. Push to GitHub: Push the changes to your forked repository.

   git push origin new-feature-x

7. Submit a Pull Request: Create a PR against the original project repository.

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License

This project is protected under the MIT License. For more details, refer to the LICENSE file.

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Acknowledgments

• Developed as part of the VI2 – Advanced iOS Application Development course at MENDELU (Winter 2025/2026)
• Course instructor and teaching staff at MENDELU FBE
• Apple Developer Documentation — WatchConnectivity and Core Location frameworks

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