Automatic Download: keeping your data current
This page is where you control how, and whether, your downloaded maps and data get updated automatically. A few features manage their own automatic updates from their own dedicated settings pages instead, Navigational Info (which covers USCG data), ActiveCaptain, and Waterway Guide all have their own update controls. And if you're looking for how automatic sync works for shared data specifically, that's covered on the Public Folder page.
Your update options
For each type of data covered on this page, you'll choose between three options:
- Never, no automatic updates, you'll need to update manually;
- WiFi, updates only happen when your device is connected to a WiFi network;
- Always, updates happen over any connection, including cellular. Worth knowing: depending on your mobile plan, this could mean extra data costs.
Map data updates even when the app isn't in the foreground, while other data types only update while the app is actively open.
A note on iOS VS Android
Update behavior differs slightly between the two platforms. On iOS, the app needs to be running in the background for updates to happen, this isn't a requirement on Android. Practically, that means if you power your iOS device off and back on, updates won't resume automatically, since iOS doesn't relaunch apps on its own. In that case, you'll need to manually open the app and then close it, so it's running in the background, for updates to pick back up.
