What to do when Topo Maps+ stops working.

As much as I wish I could write perfect code all the time, the reality is that I can’t.  (Actually no one can.)  From the first time I took Topo Maps+ out backpacking I added protection against this.  If Topo Maps+ started to crash I wanted to be able to get it back to a state where I could at least have my offline maps and use GPS.  There are a number of settings for Topo Maps+ in the Settings App you can use to get it back into a working state.  Be aware that some of these will delete your data, but not your maps.

Before you head out on an adventure I recommend that you do a sync to backup your data.  You can do a sync by selecting My Data in the toolbar and then tap on sync.

If you are deep in the backcountry and Topo Maps+ starts crashing here is what you can do to be able to use your maps.

Open the Settings App and Select Topo Maps+.

Start by toggling on “Reset Settings” and then try opening and using Topo Maps+  This will reset the settings for the app.  It will not delete your data, just the last location you were viewing, the map you were using, etc.  When you open Topo Maps+ the map may not be visible because you may not have the default map at the default zoom level downloaded.  To get back to your downloaded maps, tap on the map icon in the upper right corner and select the map you were using.  Then tap on the location button in the toolbar and zoom in on the blue dot until you see the map.

If you are still unable to see the map you can tap on the download button in the toolbar and then the list button in the upper left corner.  This will show you a list of all downloaded maps.  You can select one to see it.

If doing a reset setting does not work, the next thing to try is to delete data.  There are two types of data you can delete.  You can deleted the selectable trails and you can delete your routes, tracks, and waypoints.  Any data you have sync’d will restore back to your device once you get back to WIFI and can do a sync.

To delete the selectable trails toggle on “Delete OSM Trail Data” in the Settings app and try opening Topo Maps+.

To delete your routes, tracks, and waypoints toggle on “Delete My Data” in the Settings app and try opening Topo Maps+.  Please note that this will also delete your map pass until you get back to WIFI.  While you are out in the backcountry you don’t need a map pass to view your high resolution maps, you just need the pass to download new ones.  Once you have an internet connection Topo Maps+ will automatically check and see if you have purchased a map pass.  Also, once you have an internet connection you can do a sync to restore your routes, tracks, and waypoints.

While I am much better at writing in Objective-C and Swift (the programming languages for iOS) than English, bugs can still occur in Topo Maps+.  If you unfortunatly run into one of these bugs in the backcountry using  these three settings will hopefully get you back up and running with offline maps and GPS.