Waypoints
Search for a destination and get turn-by-turn driving directions on a live map.
The Waypoints screen is a built-in navigation tool. Search for a place, pick it from the suggestions, and the app calculates a driving route from your current location to that destination. You can then start turn-by-turn navigation with voice guidance, switch between the live guided view and a list of upcoming maneuvers, and watch your estimated time and remaining distance update as you drive.
Overview
The screen starts as a map with a search field at the top. Once navigation begins, a panel appears with two tabs.
| Element | What it does |
|---|---|
| Search field | Type a place name or address to get suggestions. |
| Suggestion list | Appears under the search field as you type. Each row shows a name and a description. |
| Map | Shows your location and, once calculated, the route. |
| Direction button | Starts turn-by-turn navigation. Hidden until a route has been calculated. |
| Navigation tab | The live guided view, with the next instruction at the top and ETA at the bottom. |
| Trip Info tab | A list of the upcoming maneuvers for the route. |
| Re-center button | Snaps the map back to follow your position. |
| Overview button | Zooms out to show the whole route. |
| Speaker button | Mutes or unmutes spoken directions. |
Getting Here
- Open the Account tab and tap the Waypoints module.
- The map loads and the app asks for location permission the first time. Allow it so the map can find you.
- Use the search field at the top to look up a destination.
- Tap the Back arrow to stop navigation and return to the previous screen.
Searching for a Destination
- Tap the search field and begin typing a place name or address.
- A list of matching suggestions appears below the field as you type, each showing the place name followed by a fuller description.
- Tap the suggestion you want. The keyboard closes, the suggestion list disappears, and the search field clears itself.
- The app looks up the exact coordinates for that place and calculates a driving route from your current location.
- When the route is ready, the direction button appears. Until then it stays hidden.
note
Routes are calculated for driving and take current traffic into account. Each new search replaces the previous destination — there is no way to chain several stops together on this screen.
Starting Navigation
- With a route calculated, tap the direction button to begin turn-by-turn guidance.
- The navigation panel appears with the Navigation tab selected. The map follows you, with the next instruction shown at the top.
- The bar at the bottom shows your estimated time remaining, the distance remaining, and your arrival time.
- Tap the speaker button to mute or unmute the spoken directions. The button shows its state, so you can tell at a glance whether voice is on.
- Tap the re-center button to snap the map back to following your position.
- Tap the overview button to zoom out and see the whole route from start to finish.
How the estimated time is worded
| Time remaining | What it says |
|---|---|
| More than a day | ~26 hrs (hours only) |
| More than an hour | ~2 hrs 20 min, or ~1 hr 5 min for a single hour |
| Under an hour | ~14 min 30 sec |
| Under a minute | ~45 sec |
How the distance is shown
The distance follows the units system you chose in your app settings.
| Units setting | Far away | Close in |
|---|---|---|
| Metric | 12.4 km | 850 m when under a kilometre |
| Imperial | 7.7 mi | 420 ft when under a tenth of a mile |
Following Trip Info
- Tap the Trip Info tab at the top of the panel to switch from the live view to a list of upcoming steps.
- A header at the top of the list shows the maneuver you are on right now, with its icon, its instruction, and the distance still to go before it.
- Below that, each row shows a maneuver icon, a description of the turn, and the distance along that step.
- Tap the Navigation tab to return to the live guided view at any time. The map keeps following you while you are looking at Trip Info.
Maneuver types you will see
| Instruction wording | Meaning |
|---|---|
| left, right | A normal turn. |
| slight left, slight right | A gentle bear. |
| sharp left, sharp right | A tight turn. |
| U-turn | Turn back the way you came. |
| straight | Continue ahead. |
When You Go Off Route
| Situation | What you see |
|---|---|
| The app finds a new route | An alert titled Rerouted with the message "You have been rerouted to a new path." Guidance continues on the new route. |
| The app cannot find a new route | An alert titled Reroute Failed with the message "Unable to find a new route. Please return to the original route." |
| A route cannot be calculated at all | A brief message showing the reason, and the direction button stays hidden. |
caution
Navigation requires location permission and an active GPS signal. Always follow the road, the signs, and traffic laws — do not rely solely on the app while driving. Hand the device to a passenger if you need to search for a new destination mid-journey.
Stopping Navigation
- Tap the close control on the bottom bar, or tap the Back arrow at the top.
- Guidance stops, voice directions end, and the navigation panel is removed.
- The direction button hides again, so you cannot restart the old route by accident.
- Search for a new destination to start again.
tip
Use the Trip Info tab before you set off to preview every turn, so you know what to expect on the route — especially useful when you are heading somewhere you have never been and want to brief a crew before rolling.
Loading, Empty, and Offline States
| Situation | What you see |
|---|---|
| First visit | A permission prompt for your location. Allow it, or the map cannot find you. |
| Permission denied | The map loads but has no idea where you are, so no route can be calculated. |
| Typing in search | Suggestions appear as you type. Nothing appears until there is text in the field. |
| No suggestions match | The suggestion list stays hidden. |
| Route being calculated | A brief spinner, then the direction button appears. |
| Starting navigation | A spinner while the guided route is prepared. |
| Coming back to the app | Location updates restart automatically, so the map re-finds you. |
| Offline | Searching for a place and calculating a route both need a connection. Expect a message and no route. |
How This Connects
- Where the data comes from. Place suggestions, coordinates, and routes all come from an online mapping and directions service. Your position comes from your device's own location hardware.
- What updates it. Your movement, which drives the live guidance, the ETA, the distance remaining, and the current maneuver. A new search replaces the destination and recalculates.
- Location permission is shared across the app. The same permission drives GPS View, your position on the main Map, and location reporting to your agency. Granting it here grants it for those too.
- Units and formatting follow your settings. Whether distances read in miles or kilometres comes from the units system in App Defaults.
- Related mapping screens. Map Direction covers routing started from a map pin; Bearing and Distance gives a straight-line measurement rather than a driving route; GPS History shows where you have been.
- Getting to an address someone gave you. An agency address on Agency Profile opens in Map Location; an incident location comes from the incident's own map tab. Waypoints is the screen for driving there.
- Navigation is per-device and personal. Nothing you do here is shared with your agency and no route is saved. It is a tool for the person holding the device.
- Offline and reconnect. Place search and route calculation both need a connection and neither is queued. Guidance already underway continues on the route it has, but a reroute after a wrong turn may fail without data. Downloaded offline maps help you see where you are, but they do not replace the routing service.
Troubleshooting
| If this happens | What to do |
|---|---|
| The map does not know where you are | Location permission was denied. Allow location access for the app in your device settings, then reopen the screen. |
| No suggestions appear as you type | You need a connection for place search. Check your signal. |
| You picked a suggestion but no route appeared | The app could not calculate a route. A brief message gives the reason — usually no connection or an unreachable destination. |
| The direction button is missing | It only appears once a route has been calculated. Search and pick a destination first. |
| Voice directions are silent | Tap the speaker button to unmute. Also check your device is not on silent and the volume is up. |
| The map has drifted away from your position | Tap the re-center button. |
| You want to see the whole route | Tap the overview button. Tap re-center to go back to following. |
| Rerouted keeps appearing | You are drifting off the calculated route — often a GPS accuracy problem in tunnels or between tall buildings. It will settle. |
| Reroute Failed appears | Return to the original route, or stop and search for the destination again. |
| Distances are in the wrong units | Change the units system in App Defaults. |
| ETA looks wildly wrong | It is recalculated continuously from traffic. Give it a moment after starting. |
| Navigation will not stop | Tap the close control on the bottom bar, or the Back arrow at the top left. |
| The app lost your position after a phone call | Location updates restart when you return to the app. Give it a second, then tap re-center. |
Related Pages
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