User Guide
How to use pois.world
GPS & Navigation
The GPS button (bottom-right) has 4 visual states:
OFF
Gray — Off
GPS inactive. Tap to start.
GPS
Green blinking — Searching
Waiting for GPS signal. May take a few seconds outdoors, longer indoors.
DOT
Green solid — Tracking
Your position is shown on the map (blue arrow), but the map doesn't follow. You can move the map freely. Tap to start following.
NAV
Blue — Following (Navigation)
Map follows your position and rotates by heading. Like car navigation. Arrow always points forward (up). Drag the map to break follow (goes to green). Tap to stop tracking completely.
Camera behavior
- First activation: the map zooms to your position at zoom 18 (2D) or ~200m altitude top-down (3D globe). Arrow appears at lower 1/3 of screen.
- While following: arrow always points up (forward), map rotates to match your heading. Works on both 2D and 3D maps. You can adjust zoom, camera height, tilt — these are preserved.
- Drag to break follow: map stops following (green dot), arrow rotates on map to show your heading. GPS tracking continues. Camera settings are remembered.
- Tap to re-follow: the map flies back to your position using your last camera settings (zoom, height, tilt) — it does not reset to defaults.
Map Controls
Pitch slider Right side — drag to tilt the map. Number shows current angle.
Arrows Appear when tilted. Change camera height without moving forward/backward.
Compass Tap to lock north (blue = locked). During GPS follow, switches to north-up mode.
Layers Top-right — switch map style, toggle media/tracks/labels/speed cameras.
Points of Interest
Create POI Right-click (desktop) or long press (mobile) on empty map at zoom 8+.
Edit POI Tap any POI on the map to open the edit dialog.
Context menu Right-click or long press on a POI for: Edit, Nearby, Navigate, Copy link, Subscribe, Move, Delete.
Move POI From context menu, tap new position on map.
Quick photo Camera/video buttons on the left (when no POI selected). Creates a POI at GPS position with the photo/video attached.
Access control In the edit dialog, set who can add comments, logbook entries, and photos: Everyone, All Contacts, a specific group, or Nobody.
Search
Place search Type a business name or address. Results grouped: "Nearby places" (OpenStreetMap) + "Addresses".
Google Maps link Paste a Google Maps URL into the search field. The map flies to that location.
Reference point Results sorted by distance from: GPS position (if active), active POI, or map center.
GPS Tracks
Record Route icon (bottom-right, below GPS). Tap to start recording. Path is drawn live on the map.
Save Tap stop. Enter a name. Track is saved with distance, duration, elevation.
Link to POIs POIs created during recording are auto-linked.
Logbook
A spatial journal — dated entries attached to any POI.
Write entry Activate a POI, tap the notebook-pen icon (solid border). Composer opens with text field and photo/video pickers.
View entries Tap the book icon (dashed border) or scroll down in the POI dialog — logbook section is between tags and comments.
Swipe actions Swipe an entry left to reveal Hide / Edit / Delete.
My Logbook Visit /logbook for a chronological feed across all POIs, grouped by day.
Photos & Videos
Upload Activate a POI, then use Camera / Video / Upload buttons. Photos convert to WebP, videos to HLS/DASH.
On the map Media markers cluster on the map. Filter in Layers panel: All / Mine / Off.
Delete Long-press a photo/video in the gallery for context menu. Only the uploader or POI owner can delete.
Contacts & Access Control
Manage who can see and contribute to your POIs.
Add contact Visit /contacts. Search by email or display name. One-directional — no acceptance needed.
Groups Create groups (Family, Friends, Work). Assign contacts. Groups are private — only you see them.
POI access In the POI edit dialog under "Who can interact": set Comments, Logbook, Photos to Everyone / All Contacts / a specific group / Nobody.
Subscriptions & Notifications
Follow POIs like Telegram channels — get notified about new activity.
Subscribe Open a POI and tap "Subscribe" in the footer. Or right-click / long-press a POI on the map and choose "Subscribe" from the context menu.
Bell icon In the header — shows unread count. Tap to open the notification list. Swipe left on a notification to mark read or delete.
Navigate Tap a notification to fly to the POI on the map.
Manage Visit /subscriptions to see, pause, or remove subscriptions.
My Action POIs
Open Tap the POI counter in the map header (e.g. "992 POIs").
Pin Tap the pin icon on any row to keep it at the top. Persists across sessions.
Swipe Swipe left for quick actions: View, Logbook, Navigate, Pin, Delete.
Context menu Long-press (mobile) or right-click (desktop) for the full action menu.
Layers Panel
Tap the Layers button (top-right) to control what's visible.
Photos on map All / Only mine / Off
GPS Tracks All / Only mine / Off
Alarms Speed Camera alarm toggle
Labels Peaks & places, OSM POI labels
3D Globe (Cesium)
Controls Left drag = orbit. Right drag = tilt. Scroll = zoom.
Layers Satellite, Map (OSM), Auto (Google 3D tiles where available).
Places Fly to famous places (Everest, Grand Canyon, cities).
Celestial Sun, Moon, Comet, planets — tap to look at them.
GPS Same 3-state GPS button as 2D map. Flying to a place breaks follow.