Real questions. Clear answers.
Do you need to plan a route? Can the app alert you while the iPhone or iPad is locked? Where do AIS, bridge clearances, and navigation notices come from? These are the answers that matter when you set off.
The most important answer first
While you cruise, Rivers & Seas recognises the waterway ahead and automatically orders bridges, locks, closures, contacts, and relevant vessel traffic by distance and arrival time. A planned Track can be useful, but it is not required.
Set off and know what is ahead
Rivers & Seas is a boating navigation app for iPhone and iPad that automatically shows what matters next on the waterway you are actually cruising. It brings together bridges, locks, closures, contact details, and relevant AIS vessel traffic with distance and estimated arrival time.
Discover Waterway AheadThe old, first version of Rivers & Seas from 2012 is outdated and no longer available from the App Store. Rivers & Seas II was rebuilt from the ground up and is the successor and current app. It combines modern maps with Waterway Ahead, bridge and lock information, gauges and tides, AIS traffic, navigation notices, Tracks, bookmarks, and onboard data. Older articles and recommendations may still link to the previous app or former websites. For current information and the correct installation link, always use https://riversandseas.app/.
Install the current Rivers & Seas appNo. You can simply set off. Rivers & Seas derives the waterway ahead from position, direction, and speed and continuously reorders the next relevant objects. You only need a saved Track when you deliberately want to view or share a predefined course.
Why navigation works without route planningIf you are not out on the water, there is no waterway ahead of your boat – so there are no bridges or locks ahead to show. The overview appears automatically once you are cruising and Rivers & Seas can reliably determine your position, direction, and speed. If it remains empty while underway, check Location and the position source under Permissions & Features in the profile.
Check profile and permissionsRivers & Seas is particularly useful around Berlin and Potsdam, the Mecklenburg Lake District, German rivers and canals, the Netherlands, and France. Along coasts such as the North Sea, Baltic, and Mediterranean, maps with water depths, bookmarks, and Tracks help with navigation. Current navigation notices are integrated for supported European waterways.
Explore OpenSeaMap and the browser mapBridges, locks, and notices
Enter your boat's height and beam. Rivers & Seas can warn you in time about insufficient height or width and calculate the expected clearance when you arrive at a gauge- or tide-dependent bridge. This is especially useful on Berlin-Brandenburg's Spree, Havel, and canals, as well as the Danube and Elbe: you see the height that matters for your boat at that time, not merely a static chart value.
Understand bridges and clearancesYes. At gauge- or tide-dependent bridges, Rivers & Seas calculates the expected clearance for the time you arrive. You do not have to combine gauge level, tide, and travel time yourself; you see the height that will matter for your boat. This is especially useful on Berlin-Brandenburg's Spree, Havel, and canals, as well as the Danube and Elbe.
See bridge clearance at arrivalYes, when reliable operating hours or closure notices are available. Rivers & Seas compares them with your estimated arrival and shows the restriction at the lock ahead. Available VHF channels, call signs, and phone numbers appear there too.
See locks aheadYes. On supported European waterways, Rivers & Seas assigns available Notices to Skippers to the affected structure or section. For Germany, available ELWIS notices from the EuRIS/ELWIS data flow are processed, including closures, restrictions, works, changed operating hours, and speed limits.
See current notices on the waterwayRivers & Seas can recognise a suitable opportunity when an AIS vessel ahead is heading for the same lock. The lock card then shows the speed that would be required for a shared arrival, so you can immediately see whether a quicker lock passage is realistic.
See shared lock arrivalAIS and vessel traffic
Rivers & Seas does more than place AIS targets on a map. Moving vessels are related to the waterway ahead so that you can recognise oncoming traffic, ferries, or a commercial vessel ahead in time. Relevant vessels also appear as a list in Waterway Ahead, and the next vessel is visible in the compact view. Rivers & Seas gives large oncoming vessels their own warning. When available, you see name, course, speed, length, and beam.
Understand AIS vesselsNo. Rivers & Seas can use available internet AIS data. You can also connect your own AIS receiver directly over Wi-Fi or through Signal K, which keeps radio targets available where mobile internet is weak or absent.
Connect AIS and Signal KRivers & Seas can show additional vessel traffic in areas where no other internet AIS targets might otherwise be visible. The app uses available AIS data from EuRIS for this. For privacy reasons, the official European platform does not provide a vessel name for every target. Position, direction, speed, and any other available details still help you assess the traffic ahead in time.
Understand AIS vessels and data sourcesEnter your MMSI in the boat profile. Rivers & Seas can then recognise your boat in normal AIS data and hide the duplicate target from the map. An anonymised EuRIS target does not include its MMSI, so the app cannot reliably match it to your boat. Your own boat may therefore appear again with a label such as “EuRIS 420496”. Because these internet data can arrive with a delay, the symbol may trail slightly behind your current position.
Enter your own MMSI in the boat profileNo. Rivers & Seas is not an AIS transmitter and does not replace an AIS transponder. Your own MMSI is used to recognise your boat in received data and prevent it from appearing as a separate foreign target on the map.
Set your own MMSINo. The warning makes relevant traffic ahead visible earlier, but it is not a certified collision alarm. AIS data can be missing, delayed, or inaccurate. A proper lookout, safe speed, and the normal rules on the water remain essential.
Understand AIS limits and data ageMaps, water depths, and favourite places
Yes. Open the free browser map without an account and move it directly to your cruising area. You can try OpenSeaMap navigation marks, depth shading, satellite imagery, and available AIS targets before deciding.
Try the maps for freeYou do not have to buy or install individual chart editions. Rivers & Seas automatically adopts available updates from the respective map sources. There is no single fixed schedule: OpenStreetMap, OpenSeaMap, depth data, and satellite imagery are maintained by different providers at different intervals, so satellite images are not live. The finished app is planned as a one-time purchase including every map view and map update, with no separate chart subscription.
Explore the map data and viewsTap the position button twice. The map rotates so that your direction of travel is at the top, making it easier to compare the course ahead with your surroundings. Tap it again to return to north up. You can also rotate the map at any time with two fingers. OpenSeaMap labels, buoys, and navigation marks currently rotate with the map, so they may appear tilted or upside down.
Try the map viewsYes. In marine and coastal areas, the Seascape map shows colour-graded water, depth contours, and spot depths, making shallow areas easier to recognise. You can choose a safe depth from 1 to 20 metres so that shallower water stands out more clearly. The depth map supports orientation but does not replace an official chart or your assessment of the actual conditions.
Explore water depths and OpenSeaMapYes. Rivers & Seas calculates the tide for your current position on coastal waters. At a glance, you can see the expected water level, whether it is rising or falling, and the time and height of the next high or low water. Together with the depth map, this helps you estimate how much water is likely to be available without first finding a distant reference station and interpreting its tide curve yourself.
Explore tides and water depthsYes. Satellite view helps you distinguish sand, seagrass, rocks, and the shape of the coast. OpenSeaMap navigation marks remain visible, so you do not have to assemble imagery and nautical context in separate apps. Satellite imagery may be older and does not show the current water depth.
Use satellite view for anchoringSave the place as a bookmark and add a photo, note, phone number, website, or coloured tags when useful. You can then find a good place immediately and filter your personal cruising map by anchorages, restaurants, or places to visit.
Use bookmarks on the mapYes. Press and hold the bookmark button on the map to save your current position immediately. This helps when a person or object goes overboard, or whenever you need to mark a place quickly so that you can return to it.
Mark the current position immediatelyYes. Select several photos and Rivers & Seas uses their recorded locations, groups images from the same place, and creates bookmarks. Your holiday photos become a personal map of bays, harbours, restaurants, and other places you want to find again.
Turn photos into places on the mapiPhone, iPad, and background
Yes. With notifications allowed and Location set to Always, Rivers & Seas can check in the background on iPhone and iPad with their own location capability and warn about a closed lock, an unsuitable bridge, or a large vessel ahead. iOS and iPadOS decide when checks occur, so no exact time or distance interval is guaranteed.
Set up background alertsYes. While Rivers & Seas is active in the foreground and recognises that you are underway, it prevents automatic screen locking by default. When you are no longer underway or the app is not being shown actively, your device returns to its normal behaviour.
Understand the underway dashboardRivers & Seas adapts the dashboard automatically to the available space. On iPhone, the most important values remain large and easy to read underway; the iPad can use its additional room for more information. When the data are available, this can include the current water temperature at a gauge. There is nothing to configure—the dashboard chooses the suitable layout itself.
Understand dashboard valuesYes. A Wi-Fi-only iPad can receive its current position directly from an iPhone nearby, and the iPhone may remain locked. A current boat position can also come from Signal K or suitable accessories. Background alerts without the app open are not available on Wi-Fi-only iPads.
Use iPhone position on an iPadLet Rivers & Seas use your iPhone's position on the iPad. During steady travel on calm water, some newer iPads sense very little vibration or acceleration and may report 0 km/h even though the position continues to change. This comes from the iPad's location data and can therefore affect other navigation apps as well. An iPhone carried in your pocket usually stays in motion and can provide the iPad with a more reliable speed and position.
Use iPhone position on an iPadA glance at your wrist is enough for useful information: you can see the direction and distance to nearby bookmarks and mark your current position with a Shortcut. Signal K can add values such as battery, freshwater, and black-water levels. With a supported autopilot connected, you can also operate Auto, Standby, and the desired course without holding the iPhone.
Explore Apple Watch and autopilot controlThe turn indicator below the dashboard shows the boat's actual turning movement: red means port, green means starboard, and a larger deflection means a faster turn. This is especially helpful on houseboats and rafts with the helm far forward, where there may be no flagstaff or other visible reference point.
Understand the dashboard and turn indicatorYes, when a supported autopilot is connected through Signal K and access has been granted to Rivers & Seas. The map shows the selected course and lets you switch between Auto and Standby or set a new course from iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. You remain at the helm and responsible for the course and surroundings.
Control an autopilot with Rivers & SeasThe full app is currently available for iPhone and iPad. There is no Android app at present. The free browser map with map styles and available AIS targets works without an account on Android, Windows, or Mac as well.
Open the browser mapTracks, onboard data, and privacy
Open the Track, tap the circle with three dots at the upper right, and choose Tags. Add a tag such as #holiday, choose its colour, and confirm with the tick. The line uses the colour of the first tag in the notes. The same tag colours every related Track and bookmark consistently, making your journeys easy to recognise.
Colour Tracks with tagsOpen the bookmark, tap the circle with three dots at the upper right, and choose Tags. Add a tag such as #anchorage, choose its colour, and confirm with the tick. The marker uses the colour of the first tag in the notes, so you can recognise anchorages, restaurants, and warnings by colour.
Colour markers with tagsA tag is a short name beginning with #, such as #anchorage, #restaurant, or #holiday2026. It groups Tracks and bookmarks, gives them a shared colour, and lets you filter for them later. An item can have several tags; its colour comes from the first tag in the notes.
Explore tags and coloursYes. Open a GPX file from Files, the Share menu, or drag and drop. Rivers & Seas first shows a preview, calculates distance plus cruising and lock time, and places bridges, locks, and notices along the Track on supported waterways. GeoJSON and RNSP files can be imported as well.
Open a GPX fileYes. Pass a proven journey to friends or keep it for your next trip. GPX is particularly useful with navigation and outdoor apps, GeoJSON suits geographic data, and RNSP preserves complete Rivers & Seas packages with Tracks, places, tags, notes, and photos. You can also reverse a Track with one tap for the return journey.
Import and share TracksYes. You do not have to recreate anchorages, harbours, or restaurants one by one. Import prepared places as GeoJSON or as a Rivers & Seas package; before importing, you see what was recognised and choose which details to keep.
Import many places at onceYes. Use tags to select the places that belong to one cruising area or holiday, then export them as a package. Rivers & Seas Places preserves photos, notes, and tags; GeoJSON works with other mapping tools but cannot include photos. Export creates a copy, so your own bookmarks remain unchanged.
Export and back up bookmarksBefore setting off, you see distance, pure cruising time, and assumed lock time separately—for example, “2 hr 37 min + 1 hr 20 min”. Rivers & Seas calculates cruising time from your learned or entered speed. Each lock adds its stored duration, or 30 minutes when none is available, shifting arrival at every later place. Only unpredictable queues before locks, personal stops, and breaks remain outside the estimate.
Set the cruising speedYes, when iCloud is enabled for Rivers & Seas. Settings, bookmarks, selected photos, tags, and calibrations are then stored in your private iCloud area and available on your devices. Device-specific system permissions must still be granted on every device separately.
Understand profile and settingsSignal K brings existing onboard data into one view, including boat position, course, speed, depth, wind, boat dimensions, and AIS. With a suitable bidirectional connection, Rivers & Seas can also control a supported autopilot from iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch.
Set up Signal K onboardNo. Rivers & Seas does not automatically create a permanent personal movement history. Navigation and background alerts process current positions, and online maps, internet AIS, or navigation data technically need the requested area. Aggregated quality measurements contain no precise ordered positions; a Track is recorded only when you choose to record it.
Read the privacy detailsThe public beta can be installed free through TestFlight, and the browser map works without an account. The finished app is planned as a fixed one-time purchase, not a recurring subscription.
Try the map nowEven easier than reading an answer
The browser map shows map styles and available real AIS targets. The app adds the automatic waterway ahead, alerts, Tracks, and your onboard data.
Is your question missing? Email support@riversandseas.app.