SpeedX PERFORMANCE
2026-07-16

Getting Started with SpeedX: Your Complete Guide

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First Launch

When you open SpeedX for the first time, the app asks for two permissions: Location and Motion & Fitness. Both are essential for the app to work fully.

  • Location — Powers the GPS speedometer, altitude readings, and route mapping. SpeedX uses this data exclusively on-device; it never uploads your location to any server.
  • Motion — Enables the G-force meter and attitude indicator by accessing your phone's accelerometer and gyroscope.

Once permissions are granted, you land on the Cockpit — the main dashboard screen. This is where you'll spend most of your time.

The Cockpit: Your Command Center

The Cockpit is divided into three zones:

The Speedometer — The large circular gauge at the center shows your current speed in bold digits. Tap the unit label below the number to switch between km/h, mph, knots, m/s, and pace. The orange arc fills as your speed increases.

The Telemetry Grid — Below the speedometer, four cards display real-time data: elapsed time (a stopwatch that starts when you begin a session), total distance (cumulative GPS-tracked distance), altitude (barometric pressure sensor + GPS for sub-meter precision), and G-force with pitch/roll indicators.

The GPS Panel — The dark card on the right shows your current latitude, longitude, and atmospheric pressure. Below it, the route map plots your GPS track as an orange line — every point you pass is drawn in real time.

Starting Your First Session

Tap the orange Start Session button. The status indicator switches from a steady green dot to a pulsing orange ring, the stopwatch begins counting, and every metric starts updating live.

During a session, SpeedX continues recording even when:

  • Your phone is locked (screen off)
  • You switch to another app
  • You're in an area with zero cellular coverage

This is the key difference between SpeedX and other speedometer apps: it is entirely offline-capable. The GPS receiver, barometer, accelerometer, and gyroscope are all hardware sensors — they don't need the internet.

Understanding Your Metrics

Speed

Speed is calculated from consecutive GPS position readings. The refresh rate depends on your device's GPS chipset. The max speed for the session is tracked automatically and displayed below the speedometer next to the current minimum.

Altitude

SpeedX uses two sources: GPS altitude (calculated from satellite geometry) and barometric altitude (derived from atmospheric pressure). By fusing both, it achieves much better vertical accuracy than GPS alone — typically within 1–2 meters.

G-Force

The G-force meter shows real-time acceleration in all directions. During steady movement, it hovers near 0.1–0.3 G. Hard cornering, braking, or rapid acceleration produces noticeable spikes. Pitch (forward/backward tilt) and roll (side-to-side tilt) give additional context for off-road driving, aviation, and steep terrain.

Distance

Distance is the cumulative total of all position changes since the session started, calculated using the Haversine formula to account for Earth's curvature. Available in meters, kilometers, feet, miles, and nautical miles.

Pausing, Resetting, and Saving

  • Pause — Temporarily freezes all readings while keeping the session buffer intact. Tap again to resume. Useful for rest stops without ending your trip.
  • Reset — Discards the current session entirely. All readings return to zero.
  • Save & Compile — Ends the session, stores it permanently in the History Log, and generates a trip summary card with your route map, speed profile, altitude chart, and key stats.

Saved trips remain on your device. You can review them anytime from the History Log, accessed by the clock icon in the header bar.

Using the Tools Hub

Beyond the Cockpit, SpeedX includes four interactive calculators under Tools:

  • Speed Unit Converter — Instantly convert between km/h, mph, m/s, knots, and pace
  • Altitude & Pressure Estimator — See how atmospheric pressure changes with elevation
  • Target Pace Engine — Calculate the pace you need to hit a target finish time
  • BMI Calculator — Quick body mass index assessment

These tools work offline and are available anytime from the bottom navigation bar.

Pro Tips

  1. Mount your phone securely — A handlebar mount for cycling, a dashboard cradle for driving, or an armband for running makes all the difference
  2. Set units before you move — Tap any unit label to switch. Speed, distance, and altitude each have independent unit settings
  3. Enable voice speed alerts — The app can announce your speed at regular intervals, so you never need to look at the screen
  4. Review before sharing — After saving a trip, scroll through the History Log to check your stats, then tap the share icon to create a trip card
  5. Use offline mode proactively — Download your area's map tiles before heading into remote zones for the best route-map experience

Ready to take SpeedX on your next adventure? The best way to learn is to start a session and go. Every walk, run, ride, or drive is an opportunity to see what your phone's sensors can really do.

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