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Beta Guide & Support

iPhone and iPad beta preparation · Under development. TestFlight access requires an invitation and Apple’s approval for external testing. The web preview is available now.

Updated 29 September 2026 · The guide describes the latest app changes. Your installed TestFlight build may receive them in a later update.

Start your first watch

  1. Keep the monitoring iPhone or GPS-equipped iPad aboard. Allow Precise Location and notifications, then wait for a fresh GPS position. Wi-Fi-only iPads do not have built-in GPS.
  2. Mark the anchor when it drops, estimate it using bearing and distance, or select its position on the map.
  3. Set your swing distance in Watch controls, then start the watch. The whole Start or Resume button is tappable.
  4. Open Menu → Watch health and preview both alarm sounds. Check the device volume and audio output.
  5. Use Stop to end monitoring. Reopening restores the saved anchor and swing distance with monitoring paused; review them and resume with fresh GPS.

More map, fewer controls

Drag the Watch controls bar down to reveal more map, or up to show the controls. Tap the bar to open or close it. The panel slides over the map without resizing it. Stop remains available when an active watch’s panel is closed.

The two compact map selectors change North up / Anchor up and Satellite / Standard / Hybrid. Satellite is the default. WA Sea Bed and Depth Charts US have been removed from the choices.

Adjust your swing distance in Watch controls. Tap + or − for one meter or foot, hold to repeat, or drag the map’s radius handle while editing. Changing units keeps the same physical circle.

Use Menu for Watch details, Watch health, Logbook, Map & display, My boat and shore sharing in the native app. Map & display contains units and appearance. Night view starts off on each fresh launch.

GPS warnings and boundary alarms

GPS trouble is shown immediately. The default delay before its sound is 30 seconds. In Menu → Watch health, choose 20, 30, 60 or 120 seconds and reminders that sound once, every minute or every five minutes. The default reminder is every minute. For a stale position, the delay counts from the last position’s timestamp; for other GPS faults it begins when the fault is detected.

The GPS warning uses descending beep pairs, distinct from the boundary alarm. Three fresh, usable readings confirm recovery. A longer delay leaves the boat’s position unconfirmed for longer; it cannot improve GPS reception.

GPS accuracy tolerance can be Automatic, 10 m, 25 m or 50 m. Automatic uses 40% of the swing radius, capped at 25 m. A confirmed outside-circle alarm is a separate condition and does not wait for the GPS-loss sound delay.

Watch health puts settings first: GPS tolerance, delay and reminders, then sound and device controls. Current GPS, notification and battery information and explanations follow below. Preview the boundary alarm and GPS warning separately.

Share with a shore device

  1. Start a real watch on the onboard device, then choose Menu → Share with shore and start sharing.
  2. Send the private link to your shore device. Keep it private: anyone with the link can view watches while sharing is enabled.
  3. In the native shore app, stop any onboard watch first, choose Menu → Use this device on shore, and paste the link. Enable notifications and send a test.
  4. Alternatively, open the link in the shore browser. Enable and test its sound after opening it. On supported iPhone/iPad browsers, add the shore page to the Home Screen and enable background alerts there.

The reusable link and pairing remain across watches. Stop watch retains the link; pause sharing temporarily stops updates, and revoke link removes access. Both devices need an internet connection.

Shore browser sounds include Classic beeps, Bell, Sonar, Alternating alarm, Emergency wail, Emergency high-low and Rapid siren. Repeating audio needs the page running. The current service is configured to repeat an ongoing boundary notification at 60-second intervals, but delivery, repeated locked-screen alerts and continuous audio still need physical-device validation. Test the exact devices and settings you intend to use.

What the web preview includes

Open the web preview to try the compact map selectors, sliding Watch controls, swing adjustment, GPS warning settings and separate sounds, units, boat-radius estimate and saved logbook. Choose Try the demo to use a simulated boat without sharing your location.

The preview starts with Night view off and Satellite selected unless you have saved another map choice. GPS and display settings are under Menu. Browser data is stored separately from the native app. The native app also has platform-specific notification, device and shore-mode controls.

Keep the browser watch visible and the screen awake. A browser preview is not a dependable background or overnight alarm. Closing the page, suspending the browser or restarting the device stops dependable monitoring. Saved anchors reopen paused.

Testing and support

Test in supervised conditions before relying on any alert. Force-quitting or powering off stops monitoring. Volume, Focus, Bluetooth routing, power, connectivity and GPS reception can affect alarms. This beta has no Critical Alerts entitlement. Continue normal anchor checks and use appropriate navigation equipment.

Maps are position references, not nautical charts or live depth readings. C-MAP is not connected. Satellite counts are not available through the app’s location interface.

For help, use TestFlight feedback or support@yakpak.au. Include your device, iOS or browser version, app version, steps taken and what happened. Avoid including private sharing links or exact anchorages in public reports.