Using the Map View

The Map view shows your contacts on a map based on their addresses. It is designed for planning: before you go out in the ministry, you can see who lives nearby and decide who to visit.

Opening the Map

Tap the Map tab at the bottom of the screen. Your contacts who have addresses will appear as pins on the map. A blue dot shows your current location, if you've granted location permission.

Understanding the Pins

Each pin shows the contact's recency in two ways at once — colour and fill density. Two channels are used so the map is readable for everyone, including people who don't perceive certain colour differences:

• Filled, warm colour — Visited recently (within the last two weeks). The pin is fully filled.
• Half-filled, neutral colour — Visited two to four weeks ago. The pin is partially filled with a hollow centre.
• Outlined, cool colour — Visited more than a month ago, or not yet visited. The pin is just an outline with no fill.

A small legend in the corner of the screen names the three states so you don't have to remember the convention. The pins update after you log a visit, so freshly-visited contacts immediately move into the "recent" category.

Contacts who do not have an address on file will not appear on the map. When your map has no pins yet, a card at the bottom of the screen helps you take the next step: if you haven't added anyone, it offers Add a contact; if some of your contacts just don't have addresses yet, it tells you how many and offers Add an address, which takes you to your contact list.

Viewing Contact Details

Tap a pin to see a card at the bottom of the screen. The card shows:

• The contact's name and status.
• How long ago you last visited.
• A brief note from your most recent visit.

From this card, you can:

• Tap View to open the full contact detail screen.
• Tap Directions to open turn-by-turn directions in your phone's mapping app (Apple Maps, Google Maps, or your default).

Tap anywhere on the map to dismiss the card.

Centering on Your Location

If your location is enabled, a small floating button in the corner of the map jumps the view back to your current position. Useful when you've been panning around and want to re-orient on yourself.

Finding your position can take a few moments — especially outdoors on a mobile data connection. While FSC is looking, the button shows a small progress spinner; there's no need to tap it again. If your location can't be found, you'll see a message asking you to make sure Location is turned on, and you can try again.

Sharing an Address

From a contact's detail screen, you can share an address by SMS — for example, to coordinate with someone else who is out in the ministry. The shared message includes the name, the address, and a brief Field Service Companion attribution. Nothing is sent through any FSC server.

Adding Addresses to Contacts

If a contact does not appear on the map, it may be because no address has been entered. To add an address:

1. Open the contact from the Contacts tab.
2. Tap the ⋯ (three dots) menu, then Edit.
3. Enter the address.
4. Tap Save.

The contact will now appear on the map.

Network Connection

The Map view requires an internet connection to load map tiles and look up addresses. If you are offline, the map may not display correctly. All other features of the app continue to work without a connection.

Tip: Open the map briefly while you still have Wi-Fi at home. This caches the area so you can plan your route, and your phone can usually still find the addresses once you're out.

Privacy

Your contact addresses are stored on your device only. The server never knows which contacts have addresses or where they are located. When the map looks up an address to place a pin, the request goes through your phone's mapping service (Apple Maps or Google Maps depending on your device) — see Privacy and Your Data for the full picture. Your GPS location is used for a single distance calculation and is never stored, logged, or sent to any server.

Need More Help?

If you have difficulty using the Map view, a friend who is familiar with Field Service Companion may be able to help you. You can also contact us at support@returnvisits.org.