How to navigate with the FATMAP app

You can use the FATMAP app to navigate on-the-go in a number of different ways.

After installing the FATMAP app and enabling your location permissions, you will be able to use the following navigate features:

• The Navigate Button

• Route To

• Your Location Button

  • Lock-and-Follow Mode

  • Direction and Accuracy

  • Location relative to map position

For Explore Members, when you are offline or in airplane mode, the GPS of your device will work with FATMAP and your downloaded offline maps, so you'll always be able to use these features.

The Navigate Button

1. Select a route or an adventure in the FATMAP app
2. Swipe up to open the Route Details page
3. Tap the Start button to enter the Navigation mode
4. You will see that your current location is visible on the map as a red dot with a 'fan' showing the direction you are facing
5. The map will orientate itself depending on which way you are facing
6. You can still browse around the map freely, select terrain tools and access the settings menu
7. To return to your position, just tap the Recentre button on the bottom left-hand side
8. If you exit or quit the app, when you open it again you will see that it retains the Navigation mode
9. To exit the Navigation mode, simply tap the cross button on the top left-hand side of the screen

  

Route To

Often when you're on-the-go you might need to find the best way to get to a peak when there's not a trail already on the map, or you're following a route but have a change of plan and need to navigate to a different location.

Our latest feature, Route-To, easily allows you to do these things by dropping a Waypoint or tapping on a POI. 

Read the full dedicated guide here: How to Navigate on the FATMAP App with "Route To"

 

Your Location Button

When on the map screen in the app, you can tap the red navigation button - a red circle icon on the bottom right-hand side of the screen - to locate your current position. 

 

Lock-and-Follow Mode

Simply double-tap the location button to activate lock-and-follow mode.

This feature makes following a route super simple. Whether you're charging down flowy single-tracks or casually hiking in the Swiss Alps, the location marker will display your exact location (depending on the quality of your device's GPS unit and coverage), the map will point in the direction you're heading and follow you as you move.

Direction and Accuracy

As we've mentioned, you can always tap the icon to center the map on your exact location but there are a couple of handy features built in to help you really understand where you are and where you're heading. 

In this first screenshot, the red 'fan' indicates the direction we're facing while the red 'halo' that surrounds it indicates a current estimate of how accurate the GPS signal is.

If your icon is grey, then it means your position has not yet been fixed.

Location relative to map position

In the second screenshot, you can see the location marker is pointing in a particular direction.

When your location isn't on the screen, it'll display the direction of your location.

This can be super handy when looking around your immediate location looking for your next peak or trail.

Note: The GPS on the device is always more accurate when there is a data connection. When the data connection is active, the device has access to more signal points, including from nearby WiFi or Cell networks, which it uses to increase the accuracy of the positioning. Online devices also have access to Assisted GPS (AGPS), which allows faster location detection by reducing the time needed to establish a connection with GPS satellites.GPS can be very accurate even offline when you are sitting still. When you’re moving it has to constantly recalibrate, and that’s what makes it less accurate for a recording.