Kiboko
Studios

Watch Chartplotter · Field guide

On the water
in a few taps.

Everything you need to plan a course, start an activity, save maps for offline use and add your own map servers.

01

Quick start

  1. 1

    Choose how to begin

    On Apple Watch, tap Start Activity to record immediately, or Use Map to choose a waypoint and view the chart.

  2. 2

    Select a destination

    Long-press the watch map to create a waypoint, or choose one you already synced from the iPhone app.

  3. 3

    Move between views

    During an activity, swipe left or right to move between live metrics, the map, and pause or stop controls.

  4. 4

    Finish the activity

    Always stop the activity when you are done. The session will appear in the companion iPhone app and Apple Fitness.

Before you launch

Open Settings on the watch and select the workout type, speed units, preferred chart and map orientation.

02

Watch settings

Find Settings at the bottom of the waypoint list in the Watch app.

Auto waypoint
Automatically advances to the next waypoint when you enter your chosen radius. Reorder the waypoint list to match your course.
Return to metrics
Returns to the metrics screen when the display dims, even if you were viewing the map.
Send waypoints to phone
Replaces the waypoint list on your iPhone with the current list from your watch.
Workout type
Sets the activity type saved to Apple Health.
Distance and speed
Choose miles, nautical miles or kilometres.
Main map
Choose the base map or marine chart displayed on the watch.
Chart overlay
Add a second map over the main map. Choose None to reduce data use.
Map orientation
Choose North Up, Compass or Course Up.

03

iPhone companion app

Use the interactive map

Pan and zoom freely. Tap the location button to return to your position. Long-press the map to drop a waypoint and give it a name.

Tap a waypoint pin, then the information button, to rename it, edit its coordinates or delete it. To move it, tap the pin and then press and drag it to a new position.

Import or export a course

Create and edit waypoints from the Waypoints tab. You can also open a GPX file from Files, Mail or Messages: use Share and choose Watch Chartplotter. The first time, you may need to find it under More.

04

Offline maps

Map tiles are cached as you view them, but the download tool lets you prepare a sailing area before you lose your connection.

  1. Open Offline Maps in Watch settings.
  2. Pan and zoom until the area you need fills the display.
  3. Tap Download to save the visible area and shown zoom levels.
  4. Move or zoom closer and repeat for more detail.

The map cache is limited to 100 MB. watchOS may remove cached files if the watch runs low on storage. Use Empty Cache to remove all downloaded map tiles.

05

Custom map servers

The iPhone app accepts XYZ tile servers and WMS services. After saving a server, select it as your Main Map to test it, then tap Send to Watch in the custom map list.

XYZ template

Replace the server’s zoom and tile coordinates with {z}, {x} and {y}.

https://tile.openstreetmap.org/{z}/{x}/{y}

WMS template

https://your-service.com/wms?request=GetMap&service=WMS&styles=default&layers=layer&version=1.3.0&CRS=EPSG:4326&width=256&height=256&format=image/png

Useful XYZ sources

OpenStreetMaphttps://tile.openstreetmap.org/{z}/{x}/{y}
CartoDB Positronhttps://basemaps.cartocdn.com/light_all/{z}/{x}/{y}
Esri World Topohttps://server.arcgisonline.com/ArcGIS/rest/services/World_Topo_Map/MapServer/tile/{z}/{y}/{x}
OpenTopoMaphttps://tile.opentopomap.org/{z}/{x}/{y}.png
Respect each provider’s terms

Some services require an API key or restrict caching. Always check the provider’s documentation, licence and usage limits.

06

Important notes

  • Enable Location and Health access for full activity recording.
  • The first map display requires internet access; download areas before heading offline.
  • Watch Chartplotter is not certified for navigation. Do not use it as an official navigational chart or for operational decisions.
  • Map data remains subject to the terms and copyright of each provider.

Still stuck?

Contact support Back to Watch Chartplotter