Field manual · 03/17

Layers & iCloud Sharing

A layer is a container for saved items. Layers keep one trip, mission or training area separate from the next — and a layer is also the unit you export, hand over as a file, or share live with a team over iCloud.

what a layer is

Every pin, label, photo, route, polygon, circle, rectangle and freehand drawing you save belongs to exactly one layer. Tracks recorded with the Tracker are kept separately and only join a layer when you explicitly add one as a route.

Open the layer list from the layer pill at the top of the map, or from the layers button in the map control column. The list shows each layer's name, its item count and, for shared layers, who owns it.

ACTIVE — the one you can edit PRO

ACTIVE makes a layer the only one you can edit. New items land in it, the Items screen lists it, and it is the layer that exports. Exactly one layer is active at a time.

The eye — drawn but read-only

The eye draws a layer on the map read-only. Its pins and shapes are visible and tappable, but you cannot move or edit them while another layer is active. Use it to keep a reference overlay — control measures, a previous recce, an imported boundary — under the layer you are actually working in.

Geofences follow visibility. A geofenced circle, rectangle or polygon only arms while its layer is the active one and visible. Hiding a layer disarms its alerts, and the app stops holding background location for them. See Pins & Shapes.

The free version has a single layer. Creating a second one is where the Pro upgrade applies — you can still open the layer list, browse it and use everything inside your one layer for free.

layer actions

Tap a layer row to open its actions:

Action	What it does
Rename	Renames the layer. Names must be unique — a clash reports `A layer called “…” already exists.`
Duplicate	Copies the layer and everything in it, including attachments and custom icons, as `<name> copy`. Useful before a destructive edit.
Export & Share	Writes the layer to a file and opens the share sheet — a snapshot, frozen at the moment you export. See Import, Export & Backup.
Collaborate via iCloud…	Starts a live share. Becomes Manage Sharing… once the layer is shared.
Leave Shared Layer	On a layer someone shared with you: removes your copy and your access. The owner's layer is untouched.
Delete	Deletes the layer and every item in it.

moving items between layers

Items are not locked to the layer they were created in.

Open the Items tab with the source layer active.
Tap Select Items, then tick the items to move — or SELECT ALL.
Tap MOVE in the selection bar and choose Move to Layer…
Pick the destination layer. The current layer is excluded from the list.

Attachments, folders, tags, icons and styling travel with the item. Pins sitting on a shape's vertices keep their link to that shape.

Duplicate then delete is the way to split one layer into two: duplicate the layer, then remove the items each copy should not have.

collaborate via icloud PRO

An exported file is a snapshot. iCloud sharing is live: everyone invited sees the same layer, and a pin dropped by one person appears for the others as soon as both devices have signal. It runs on Apple's CloudKit sharing, so there is no Tactical GPS account, no server of ours in the path, and nothing to configure.

Make sure you are signed in to iCloud on the device and that the layer is saved.
Open the layer's actions and tap Collaborate via iCloud… — or use the share button in the map control column, which offers the same two choices without a trip to the layer list.
Choose who may access the layer and whether they can make changes.
Send the invitation through Messages, Mail or as a link.
The recipient taps the link. Tactical GPS opens and reports Joined shared layer “…”.

What the row tells you

A shared layer's row carries its item count plus SHARED and the participant count, or SHARED BY <owner> and SHARED WITH YOU on the receiving side. A layer you may view but not change also shows READ-ONLY.

What syncs

Items, their styling, folders, tags and their attachments — photos, PDFs and voice memos included. Everything arrives on the other devices without anyone exporting a file.

Managing and leaving

The owner uses Manage Sharing… to add or remove people, switch a participant between read-write and read-only, or stop sharing entirely. A participant uses Leave Shared Layer.

The layer list showing a shared layer with its owner and participant count — Shared layers

Both sides need Pro and an iCloud account. Tapping an invitation without Pro reports Tactical GPS Pro is required to join shared layers. If iCloud is not set up you will see Sign in to iCloud in Settings to share layers. On a device where iCloud sharing is unavailable altogether the app says so rather than failing silently.

working in a read-only shared layer

If the owner gave you view-only access, the layer behaves like any other visible layer: you can see it, navigate to its pins, measure from them and export nothing. Trying to add an item while it is active reports:

This shared layer is read-only. Make another layer active to add items.

Make one of your own layers active and keep the shared one visible through its eye. You then work normally and still see the team's picture underneath.

The Apple Watch honours the same rule — a MARK taken while a read-only layer is active is refused on the phone rather than silently dropped.

file share or live share?

	Export & Share (file)	Collaborate via iCloud
Updates	Frozen at export time	Live, both directions
Recipient needs	Any app that reads the format	Tactical GPS Pro + iCloud
Works offline	Yes — it is just a file	Syncs when a device regains signal
Attachments	In KMZ and ZIP bundles	Yes
Good for	Handing a route to someone, archiving, another GIS	A team working the same area at the same time

Restoring a backup never deletes a shared layer. Even Replace mode leaves layers owned by someone else alone — they belong to their owner, not to the archive. See Import, Export & Backup.

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