The main menu lets you download maps, see the current map location, access travel guides, favorites and groups, start routes & tracks, and search nearby POI (points of interest), addresses. It also lets you adjust numerous app settings, share the current map location, export or import favorites data, and includes other helpful resources. On iPad, you can swipe right anytime on the sidebar to reduce it to a compact button bar which still offers the most common functions. Swipe left or tap in the white area to re-open the full sidebar menu. On iPhone, you can swipe down on any screen to quickly return to the map and press and hold on the Menu button to return to your previous location.

If you have enabled the Zoom Buttons setting, the these zoom buttons will appear on screen . This is mainly useful for one hand use of your iPhone.

Geolocation uses the device's GPS, cellular and/or WiFi connection to determine your current position and display it on the map. When this mode is enabled , your location is tracked continuously until you tap the button again to disable it. If you move the map, the GPS will continue to update your current location without having the map following your movements. To have the map follow your movements again, tap the Geolocation/Recenter button. If the Geolocation button appears orange , it means your device has not locked onto the GPS satellites yet and is unable to provide an accurate, up to date location fix. When the GPS is on (and Map Rotation setting is set to Course or Heading) the Map Rotation button appears. Tpa it to enable rotation and tap again to disable it. When enabled, it doubles as an indicator which shows you what direction on the map is North. This button indicator also appears when manually rotating the map via a twist gesture and can be tapped to revert to the normal north-up orientation.

To avoid data roaming charges, you can either disable cellular data or use Airplane mode. When cellular data and WiFi are disabled, it may take longer to get the first location fix. This can sometimes be up to 2 minutes though it is usually much less. The Geolocation button will appear orange during this time. It is possible that your device may not be able to find the GPS signal at all in some situations (usually due to a blocked line of sight) and the Geolocation button will remain orange as long as the situation persists.

The GPS hardware can be a real drain on the battery thus we recommend turning off the GPS whenever it is not needed. Pocket Earth has a smart auto-shutoff function, if you forget and leave the GPS enabled, it will automatically turn off when closing the app or when moving the map such that the indicator is no longer on-screen. However, it will not shut-off the GPS if you are doing Track Recording, Route Navigation or have a Waypoint selected.