Method 1 — Long-Press the Map

Press and hold on the map for about half a second. A pin drops at that exact spot and the Drop Pin form opens. This is the fastest way when you're looking at the map and you know right where you want the pin.

Method 2 — Drop Pin Tab

Tap the + floating button (bottom right of the map). The Drop Pin form opens centered on the map's current position. Good when you want to type in a specific coordinate, search for an address, or pick a pin type first and drop it second.

Method 3 — Quick-Pin Overlay

For field crews who need to drop pins fast, the quick-pin overlay lets you pre-select a type (say, "Heat Signature" during a deer recovery) and then every long-press drops that type without opening the form. Enable it from the map tools menu.

The Drop Pin Form

However you get here, it looks the same:

Drop Pin
×
Type
⚑ Command Post
Title
IC Command
Lat
39.13369
Lng
-78.50015
What3Words
afterglow.touched.fading
Notes (optional)
Add context...
Save Pin
1
Pick Type
Tap to open the pin type picker — all enabled types, organized by category.
2
Title
Short label. Shows on the map under the pin emoji.
3
Coordinates
Auto-filled from where you tapped. Editable if you need to correct them.
4
What3Words
Auto-generated. Share the three-word code over radio — anyone can find the spot without coordinates.
1
Pick Type
Tap to open the pin type picker — all enabled types, organized by category.
2
Title
Short label. Shows on the map under the pin emoji.
3
Coordinates
Auto-filled from where you tapped. Editable if you need to correct them.
4
What3Words
Auto-generated. Share the three-word code over radio — anyone can find the spot without coordinates.

Required Fields

  • Type — which pin category (see Pin Types)
  • Title — short label; what shows on the map
  • Coordinates — auto-filled, rarely edited

Optional Fields

  • What3Words — auto-generated three-word location code
  • Notes — context, descriptions, observations
  • Photo — attach an image (camera or library)
  • Priority — urgency level (changes pin styling on map)
What3Words over radio

Three-word codes are way easier to read over a crackling radio than "thirty-nine point one three three six nine comma minus seventy-eight point five zero zero one five." Everyone with a W3W-enabled device can pull up the exact spot from three words.

After You Save

The pin appears on the map immediately for you. Within a few seconds it syncs to everyone else's map. If you're offline, the pin queues locally and syncs as soon as you get signal back.

Up Next
Pin Types — all 13 categories and what they're for
Used in Workflows
Wildland FireSearch & RescueRecoveryTactical