Guides

Use maps offline

Last reviewed: 2026-10-08 · Requires: Gold or Platinum

Detecting drones never needs internet: DroneScout receives Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Remote ID straight from the drone. Only the map behind the drones is downloaded. In the countryside, in the mountains or at sea, that's where an offline map helps.

With a Gold or Platinum subscription, you can load your own offline map: one file in the MBTiles format (an open standard for map tiles) that covers your area at the zoom levels you choose. You make this file yourself, on a computer, before you go out. The online map layers in the app can't be saved for offline use.

Step 1 — Make an MBTiles file

• QGIS (free, Windows/Mac/Linux): load any map layer, then use Processing Toolbox → Raster tools → Generate XYZ tiles (MBTiles). Choose your area and the minimum and maximum zoom level.
• Mobile Atlas Creator (free, desktop): select an area and zoom levels on a map, and create an atlas in the MBTiles SQLite format.
• Your organisation: emergency services, survey teams and mapping agencies often have MBTiles of their own region, sometimes with their own maps or aerial photos.

Raster MBTiles (map images in PNG or JPG) work best: they look exactly as they were made. Vector MBTiles in the OpenMapTiles format also load, but are drawn in DroneScout's own simple light style.

Keep the file size in check: every extra zoom level makes the file about four times bigger. Zoom levels up to 15 or 16 are plenty for most fieldwork.

Respect the terms of the map you download: not every map provider allows saving its tiles. OpenStreetMap data, your own maps and open government maps are usually fine.

Step 2 — Put the file on your phone

• iPhone or iPad: save the .mbtiles file in the Files app — for example via AirDrop, iCloud Drive or a USB cable with Finder.
• Android: copy the file to the phone, for example to Downloads, by USB cable, Google Drive or a download link.

Step 3 — Import it in DroneScout

1. On the map screen, tap the map icon in the toolbar at the top.
2. At the bottom of the Select Map Layer list, tap Import offline Map (MBTiles).
3. Pick your .mbtiles file.
4. DroneScout copies the file into the app, shows Offline map imported, switches to it and zooms to the area it covers.

The file is copied into DroneScout, so you can delete the original afterwards.

Switch between offline and online

After importing, the bottom of the Select Map Layer list shows Use offline Map (MBTiles) with:

• a switch to turn the offline map on or off;
• an upload icon to import a different file, which replaces the offline map in use;
• a trash icon to remove the offline map from the phone.

Your offline map is an extra layer next to the online ones. Tapping one of the online layers in the list switches to that layer; switch the offline map back on to use it again — no need to import it again.

What to expect

• The map shows only the area and zoom levels in the file. Outside it, the map is empty; you can't zoom further in or out than the file allows.
• The drones, their tracks and your own position are drawn on top as usual.
• If your subscription drops below Gold, DroneScout switches back to the online map. The file stays on the phone and is used again when you subscribe again.

Troubleshooting