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PinPilot User Guide

Everything you need to know to get started and get the most out of PinPilot.

🔍

🎯 Getting Started

When you first open PinPilot, you'll see a map centred on your location. The app works straight away — no sign-up needed. You can start saving locations immediately using the free version.

PinPilot doesn't try to replace your navigation app. Instead, it gives you one organised, searchable place to save all the locations that matter to you, then hands off to Google Maps, Waze, Apple Maps or whichever nav app you prefer when you're ready to go.

Tip: PinPilot works best alongside a navigation app. Install Google Maps, Waze or Apple Maps for the best experience.

📍 Adding a Location

From the map

1
Press and hold anywhere on the map for about half a second.
2
A blue preview pin will drop at that spot with coordinates shown.
3
Not quite the right spot? Hold the map again somewhere else to reposition.
4
Tap Save destination when you're happy with the position.
5
Give it a name, choose a folder, and optionally add notes or a web link.
6
Tap Save — your location is now stored.

From the sidebar

Tap the ☰ Destinations button at the bottom of the screen to open the sidebar, then tap + Destination. You can enter coordinates or an OS grid reference manually.

From a search

Use the search bar at the top right of the map. Type an address, postcode, or place name and tap Go. A marker will appear — tap Save as destination in its popup to save it to a folder.

Tip: You can add a website link to any location. Handy for linking to a restaurant's menu, a campsite's booking page, or opening hours.

📁 Folders

Folders let you organise your locations into groups — Pubs, Campsites, Work Sites, Holiday Ideas, or anything you like.

  • Tap + Folder in the sidebar to create a new one.
  • Choose a name and a pin colour — all locations in that folder will use that colour on the map.
  • You can show or hide a folder's pins on the map using the visibility checkbox when editing a folder.
  • Tap the edit icon next to a folder name to rename it or change its colour.
Free version: You can have up to 2 folders with 10 locations each. Upgrade to Pro for unlimited folders and locations.

👁 Viewing a Saved Location

Tap a pin on the map or tap a location name in the sidebar. A popup appears showing:

  • The location name
  • OS grid reference (for UK locations)
  • Coordinates
  • Your notes and web link (if added)
  • An edit button (pencil icon, top left)
  • An Open Navigation App button

★ Quick Destinations (Home & Work)

At the top of the sidebar you'll see two quick slots — Home and Work. Tap the pencil icon to set them up with a location. Once set, tap Go to instantly launch navigation without searching.

You can rename these to anything — "Mum's", "Office", "Marina" — and choose any saved destination or enter coordinates manually.

🔎 Searching Your Locations

The search bar in the sidebar filters your saved locations as you type. It searches across all folders instantly — no more scrolling through a huge list of saved places.

Tap Go to dismiss the keyboard and see results, or tap ✕ to clear the search.

🛣 Route Planning

Create multi-stop routes using locations you've already saved. Ideal for road trips, deliveries, site visits, holidays and days out.

1
Open the sidebar and tap ⚲ Route.
2
Add stops by selecting from your saved destinations, or hold the map to add a new stop.
3
Reorder stops easily using the up/down arrows.
4
The route line, total distance and estimated travel time appear on the map automatically.
5
Tap Save to keep the route for later, or Navigate Route to open it in Google Maps, Waze or Apple Maps.

Saved routes appear in the Routes section of the sidebar and can be loaded again anytime.

✎ Editing and Deleting

  • Edit a location: Tap the pencil icon on its map popup, or tap the edit icon next to it in the sidebar.
  • Delete a location: Tap the ✕ icon next to it in the sidebar.
  • Copy to another folder: Tap the copy icon next to a location in the sidebar and choose which folders to copy it to.
  • Edit a folder: Tap the edit icon next to the folder name.
  • Delete a folder: Tap the ✕ icon next to the folder name. This also deletes all locations in that folder.
Warning: Deleting a folder permanently removes all locations inside it. Consider exporting a backup first.

📥 Import and Export

Import

Tap ↓ Import in the sidebar. PinPilot accepts JSON and GeoJSON files. After selecting a file, you'll see a preview of what will be imported before confirming.

Export

Tap ↑ Export in the sidebar. Three formats are available:

A complete backup of everything — folders, locations, routes, notes, links. This is the format you can re-import into PinPilot to restore your data.

Use this for regular backups or when transferring to a new device.

Exports your destinations in a format you can open in Excel, Google Sheets, or any spreadsheet app. Great for sharing location lists or creating reports.

Standard format for GPS data. Load your routes and waypoints into any navigation or mapping application that supports GPX.

⭐ PinPilot Pro PRO

Upgrade to Pro with a one-time purchase of £3.59. No subscriptions, no recurring charges — pay once and unlock everything.

What's included

  • Unlimited folders and saved locations
  • Secure cloud storage and sync
  • Real-time workspace sharing
  • Access your locations across multiple devices
  • PinPilot Web — manage locations from your computer

Cloud Sync

Your locations are stored securely in the cloud and sync across all your devices automatically. Add a pin on your phone and it appears on the web version within seconds.

Sharing Workspaces

1
Tap the link icon (🔗) in the workspace bar.
2
Tap Generate New Code — a 6-character code appears.
3
Send the code to whoever you want to share with.
4
They sign in to PinPilot Pro, tap the gear icon (⚙), enter the code, and tap Join.

Both users now see and edit the same locations in real time. The workspace owner can remove members from the share modal.

Multiple Workspaces

You can have your own personal workspace and be a member of shared ones. Tap the gear icon (⚙) to switch between them — useful for separating personal locations from shared work or family locations.

Renaming a Workspace

Tap the workspace name in the workspace bar to rename it — useful when you have multiple workspaces to tell apart.

PinPilot Web

Pro users can also access their locations from any computer. Visit pinpilot.mcm-app.com, sign in with the same Google account, and everything is there. Add and edit locations from your desktop and they sync to your phone instantly. No separate app required.

Deleting Your Account

When you're signed in, the bottom of the sidebar shows your name, email and a menu icon (⋮). Tap anywhere on it to open a slide-up menu with two options:

1
Tap Delete Account & All Data from the menu.
2
Confirm twice — two separate prompts prevent accidental deletion.
3
Once confirmed, all your cloud data is permanently removed — folders, destinations, workspaces and your account.

If your session has been open for a while, you may be asked to sign out and sign back in first for security before the deletion can proceed.

Warning: Account deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. All your saved locations, folders, routes and shared workspaces will be permanently removed. Consider exporting a backup first.

🌏 Your Location Button

Tap the target icon (⊚) on the map to fly to your current GPS position. The button turns green while active, showing you're being tracked. Drag the map to deactivate it and return to free browsing.

💡 Tips & Tricks

  • Use two fingers to zoom the map — a single finger hold drops a pin.
  • Press the back button on Android to close modals, the sidebar, or popups before exiting the app.
  • Export a JSON backup regularly to keep a safe copy of your data.
  • OS grid references are shown automatically for UK locations — handy for walkers and outdoor enthusiasts.
  • Use folder colours to quickly identify different types of locations on the map.
  • Add website links to locations for quick access to booking pages, menus, or reviews.

❔ Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! The free version includes up to 2 folders with 10 locations each, stored locally on your device. You can upgrade to Pro for unlimited folders and locations, cloud sync, and sharing.

No — PinPilot works alongside your navigation app. It's a dedicated location organiser. When you're ready to navigate, PinPilot hands off to Google Maps, Waze, Apple Maps, or any other nav app you have installed.

No. PinPilot Pro is a one-time purchase of £3.59. No subscriptions, no recurring charges — pay once and it's yours forever.

Yes, with PinPilot Pro. Your locations sync across all devices signed in with the same Google account, including the web version at pinpilot.mcm-app.com.

Free users store data locally, so uninstalling removes it. Export a JSON backup first. Pro users' data is stored in the cloud and will be available when you reinstall and sign in again.

PinPilot is available on Android via Google Play, and on iOS via the App Store. Pro users also get access to PinPilot Web for managing locations from a computer.

Yes, partially. Your saved destinations, folders and routes are always accessible offline — you can view, edit and add new pins without an internet connection. The GPS location button works, and you can launch navigation straight into Google Maps, Waze or Apple Maps, which handle their own offline maps.

What does need a connection: map tiles won't load for areas you haven't already browsed (previously viewed areas may be cached), address search, route distance and time calculations, workspace sharing and sync, and sign-in or purchasing. Once you're back online, everything syncs automatically.

Need more help?

Questions, feedback, or feature requests? We'd love to hear from you.

pinpilot@mcm-app.com