In the Navigate tab, you can fully focus on navigating – with or without a route. As soon as you start navigating, the app will automatically record your track.
Start navigation and save your track
Tap the Play icon to begin. You can choose between “Navigate with route” or “Navigate without route”. Regardless of your choice, your journey will be tracked and saved automatically.
If you started without a route and later want to add one — or change your current route — you can do so under My Skippo. The tracking will continue while you switch or add a route.
Navigation only starts when you press Play. Just opening the tab won’t create or save a track.
Tap the Stop icon when you’re done. If you forget, the app will try to detect this and remind you to stop the navigation.
Battery usage: Navigation mode does not use significantly more battery than normal usage. What impacts battery life most is screen-on time and brightness level.
Route vs. Track
A route is a planned path with waypoints, either placed manually or via autorouting (learn how to create a route here). A track is the actual path you’ve traveled. Tracks are saved automatically when navigation is active.
To view saved tracks on the chart, go to Map Settings, enable “Show tracks”, and filter by year.
We don’t recommend navigating by old tracks. GPS drift or signal interference may cause a saved track to pass over shallow water or land. For safe navigation, always follow a planned route.
Dashboard
The dashboard adapts based on:
- Whether navigation is active
- Whether a route is selected
- Your device (phone or tablet)
You can also adjust how much space the dashboard takes up on the screen.
Without navigation
If navigation hasn’t started, you’ll see:
- Current Speed Over Ground (SOG) in knots
-
Current Course Over Ground (COG) in degrees
With navigation (no route)
You’ll also see:
- Trip distance (since navigation started), in nautical miles
- Elapsed time since navigation started
-
Start time of navigation
With navigation and active route
You’ll additionally see:
- Trip distance in nautical miles
- Distance to destination
- ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival), based on your current speed
On mobile
Swipe the dashboard up or down to choose between:
- Full screen (blue background)
- Partial screen (blue background)
- Minimized (white background) – hides the bottom menu for a larger chart view
When navigating without a route, you can add one directly from the dashboard via Add route. You can also share your current position by tapping the coordinates button.
On tablet
Swipe sideways to resize the dashboard. The layout adjusts based on features like split screen and screen size.
Hide and lock controls
In navigation mode, you can hide menus and buttons to get more space for the chart.
- Zoom buttons can be disabled in Map Settings.
- Swipe the dashboard down to minimize it.
- Tap the eye icon to hide all UI elements except the chart. Tap again to bring them back.
- When the UI is hidden, a lock icon appears. Use it to lock the screen position and prevent unintentional movement.
Chart orientation: North up or Heading up
Choose how you want the chart to display during navigation:
- North up (static orientation)
- Heading up, where the chart rotates to keep your current direction facing upward
In heading-up mode, you can also enable 3D tilt for better forward visibility.
You can choose where your position (the boat) appears on the screen. The chart will follow your position to keep it in place.
If you move or zoom the chart manually, tap the Center boat icon to return to the default view.
Vector line and route line
The vector line in the Navigate tab shows your current heading. Time marks along the line give an estimate of where you’ll be based on your speed.
If you’re using a route, a blue route line connects your waypoints. The part you’ve already passed turns grey. A dashed line connects your current position to the next waypoint – note that this line does not consider shallow areas or obstacles.
Route navigation bar
When navigating with a route, a route bar appears at the top of the screen. It can be minimized (shows only a course correction arrow) or expanded.
- The arrow shows how many degrees you need to adjust your course
- The target course (e.g. 123°) to the next waypoint
- An estimated distance and ETA to that waypoint
Share your position
In the Navigate tab, tap the boat icon to share your location. You can:
- Share a live position so others can follow you in real time
- Send your current coordinates to show where you are right now
Perfect for coordinating with others on the water or informing someone on land.
Split screen
Tap the split screen icon in the top-right corner to turn the feature on or off. With split view, you can display two separate charts side-by-side and configure each one independently—different zoom levels, map types, or perspectives. Use the map settings and map icon button to customize each view.
Note! Available on tablets only – not supported on phones.
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