OS Maps’ new Locate Me feature gives you an instant, shareable location and a gorgeous in-camera compass.
A free new addition to the OS Maps app is a fantastic addition to its safety, convenience – and fun. Called ‘Locate Me’ it’s accessed via the three dots in Maps mode, bringing up a digital compass and giving you your precise grid reference, altitude and heading, instantly shareable with friends via text and social media, complete with a link to a dropped pin OS Maps showing exactly where you are.
And it’s not just about safety. Switching to Camera Compass mode in Locate Me turns your phone into a transparent compass, beautifully looking and behaving like the classic navigation device. With a twistable bezel (use two fingers, one each side), couple it with a paper map and you’ve got a perfect tool to help learn about classical navigation and map setting.
You don’t need a mobile signal to use Locate Me as it uses GPS to pinpoint location, and it’s a feature Mountain Rescue are delighted to see. Josh Warren, Mountain Rescue England and Wales Relationship Manager for OS Maps, and member of Exmoor Search and Rescue Team, says: “Mountain Rescue volunteers have been working with OS Maps for well over a year now and it's good that Locate Me is now embedded in the app as it was something we’d been missing.
“We’d still recommend a compass and paper map as a back-up as they don’t need battery power but investment in OS Maps and the partnership working with MR on this technology is developing a strong option for those heading outdoors.
Share your location instantly via message or social media – here’s what your friend receives.
“The combination of grid reference location and OS mapping in OS Maps is exactly what’s needed for safe navigation and for making the most of a great day outdoors.”
