Ocean Nowv1.2
Released November 10, 2026Major
iOS
What changed
- New featureImport and view GeoJSON, KML, KMZ, and shapefiles on the map (Premium)
- New featureNew drawing tools for waypoints, lines, paths, and polygons (Premium)
- SocialShare drawings and files via AirDrop, Messages, Mail, or Files
- UXSearch by coordinate positions with automatic waypoint placement
- ContentNew satellite data layers for sea ice concentration, drift, and thickness (Premium)
- UXExpanded colormap options and custom ordering in settings
- PerformanceOptimized battery usage by reducing work for color scales and currents
- New featureReal-time navigation data (distance, bearing, ETA) for waypoints (Premium)
- UXImproved camera interface with landscape support and lens-specific zoom
- PerformanceFixed issues with cross-device colormap syncing and shoreline tile loading
Original release notes
• Your own files on the map (Premium): GeoJSON, KML, KMZ and shapefiles, from Layers ▸ Your files, a link, or "Open in Ocean Now" from Files, Mail, Messages or AirDrop — or dropped on the map on an iPad or a Mac. Lines, areas, points, icons and images as the file draws them, each as transparent as you like; tap a feature for its name and description. Kept on your device and in your own iCloud, and a KML's links to live data followed again whenever you ask. • Draw on the map (Premium): waypoints, lines, paths, polygons and circles, each with its own name, color, line and opacity, and an emoji for a waypoint. Place waypoints tap after tap, type their positions, or press and hold the map and choose Wpt; edit any drawing by touch, clear them from the map in one tap and bring them back. Kept on your device and in your own iCloud. • Send your drawings or files to anyone by AirDrop, Messages, Mail or Files. Ocean Now opens the drawings it is sent as drawings to edit; other map apps read them too. • Type a position into Search, written any way — decimal degrees, degrees and minutes or seconds, with or without N, S, E and W — and a waypoint drops there; a recent search goes with a swipe. Tap the waypoint for its distance and bearing from you, or Go To (Premium): distance, bearing and arrival time at your speed, live as you go, along a dashed line from you to it. • Keep a measured shape on the map after Tools closes, and gather what you keep — shapes, drawings and files — into named groups in Assets, shown or put away together. • Sea ice from the satellites (Premium): its concentration, the ice edge and type, its drift, thickness and surface temperature, from Copernicus Marine's satellite products. • The HUD reads the fields and currents at the crosshair, and its clock stands out. • Currents and the other forecast layers show the hour nearest now, and keep up while the map stays open — Mercator's and ECCOFS's currents had been held hours behind. • Colormaps: cmocean's whole set and GeoPalettes', any one reversed, and their order your choice in Settings ▸ Layers. Dissolved oxygen turns red below hypoxia at any range. • The camera on its side: the shutter at the right, the place centered, and zoom by its lenses and a pinch, 2× a stop where the phone has it. • While Locate follows you, press and hold its button to turn it off, the map left where it is. • NOAA's National …