No Cell Service, No Worries
Published on April 10, 2024 by Mike Scannell · 3 min read
For some it’s been a long winter, others wet and the lucky ones are living an endless summer. But for all of us when it comes time to end the work week and run away from life's worries the best way to do it is on a boat. We all have that one spot, we like to think of it as “our spot”, but it doesn’t have the best cell service or you have to ride through a dead zone to get there. This is good though… the boss can’t find us. Navigating the waters to your spot can be like second nature but things can change quickly: the sun sets fast, a dense fog rolls in, or you have a new boat with a deeper draft.
Sea Drive has introduced offline charts on both iOS and Android just for these specific situations. Offline charts are available as a part of the latest update ance can be accessed through the settings menu.
Download the latest version of Sea Drive
How to Access Offline Charts
To download offline charts you simply go to: Settings -> Offline Charts -> Download New Chart
The UI will render the chart with a box that you can dynamically expand and contract to frame the exact areas where you would like to download chart data. Prior to download Sea Drive will let you know if there is chart data available in the region. (Note: We are always looking to expand to new regions - so let us know where you hail/sail from!) Upon selecting a chart download area Sea Drive will display an estimated file size and prompt you to download. The downloaded charts will now be available in an offline chart list on the previous settings page.
You can review your offline chart downloads at any time by going to Settings -> Offline Charts and then selecting the offline chart in the list. This is going to bring up a preview of the downloaded chart region and the size of the file. You have the option to delete the chart at any time on this screen.
Lastly, you have the choice to use offline charts all the time with the new setting at the bottom of the Offline Charts setting page. This will only use the downloaded charts and will not use the internet to render other areas. This is a good option for those that want to keep data on but limit how much data they are using.
Like all new features, we really appreciate your feedback and comments. Our goal is for you to explore without worries and find new spots safely that you can call your own.