MapBox for iPad

MapBox for iPad is an app for taking your custom maps offline. You download and interact with custom map tiles from MapBox.com and visualize GeoJSON, KML, and GeoRSS data. Everything is stored directly on the iPad so that you can use the app without an internet connection for 100% offline capability. And it’s easy to share these visualizations with others using image snapshots, social media, and live, in-person presentations.

MapBox for iPad supports files in the GeoJSON, KML/KMZ, GeoRSS, and MBTiles formats.

iTunes File Sharing

The easiest way to load supported files onto the iPad is using iTunes File Sharing.

1. Connect your iPad to your computer.
2. Open iTunes on your computer.
3. Select your iPad from the Devices section on the left side of iTunes.
4. Click the Apps tab and scroll down to the bottom of the page.
5. Under the File Sharing section, you should find a list of apps currently installed on your iPad that use File Sharing. Select MapBox to view a list of the files associated with the app on your iPad.
6. You can drag and drop files into the Documents list to send them to the app on your iPad or click the Add button to locate new files on your computer.

Cross-Application File Sharing

Direct Support

Some iPad apps allow you to share supported files directly with the MapBox app. For example, Dropbox allows you to send files from your Dropbox account to MapBox for iPad.

1. Locate the desired file in your Dropbox account.
2. Tap to bring up the “Open In…” menu and select “MapBox” from the list.
3. The file is copied to MapBox and appears in the layers menu.

URL Editing

If there is a file at a remote URL that you would like to add to the app, you can add mb to the beginning of the URL to make it open in MapBox. For example, if you want to import a file at http://example.com/file.kml from Mobile Safari, you can edit the URL to make it mbhttp://example.com/file.kml, tap Return to go to the URL, and the MapBox application will automatically launch and offer to import the file.

Clipboard Detection

You may copy a URL to the device clipboard and when you next launch the MapBox app, it will prompt you to import the URL if it points to a supported file type.

In-App Download

If a supported URL is opened in MapBox, it will download the file in the background before importing it into your library. Smaller files like KML and GeoJSON will download invisibly since they are quick, but longer-running downloads like MBTiles will appear in the Downloads menu so that you can watch or manage their progress.