Poison Maps - UK & Ireland 3.0.8

Poison Maps (“POIs on Maps”) serves as a comprehensive application designed for locating Points of Interest across the United Kingdom and Ireland. It offers access to millions of POIs and thousands of miles of routes, all stored locally to enable offline usage.

The app encompasses a wide array of POI categories, including accommodations, financial institutions, sanitation facilities, tourist sites, natural landscapes, towns, transportation hubs, medical facilities, religious venues, educational institutions, libraries, civic buildings, rescue services, fuel stations, dining establishments, bars, retail outlets, recreational venues, parking facilities, and more.

Additionally, Poison Maps provides extensive routing information—hundreds of thousands of miles of color-coded paths such as railway lines, subway maps, bus routes, cycling routes, hiking trails, and ski pistes—derived from the OpenStreetMap project.

Several innovative features distinguish this application:

• Toolbar Functionality: A bottom-screen toolbar that facilitates quick display options with just two or three taps.
• Pointing Signs: Directional indicators towards off-screen POIs to ensure none are overlooked.
• Mode Variations: Compass, radar, and scanner modes that visualize the nearest POIs in different formats for versatile navigation.
• Gesture Control: A unique gesture enabling rapid map panning by temporarily zooming out—implemented via 3D Touch on compatible devices or a long press otherwise.
• History Navigation: Back and forward buttons that allow users to retrace their previous map interactions.
• Apple Watch Integration: An app interface that simplifies POI selection and navigation directly from your wrist—with options for quick access via complications or minimal taps.

Compass mode offers sign-based guidance to nearby POIs—an effective tool for quickly assessing surroundings during activities like cycling or hiking without requiring detailed map inspection. It remains functional offline and is particularly suited for users who prefer straightforward directional cues. Additionally, it is useful at viewpoints for recognizing visible hills, towns, and structures.

Radar and scanner modes build upon this concept by presenting a rotating map centered on the current location. Radar mode features concentric rings indicating distances from the user, while scanner mode positions the GPS indicator at the bottom of the screen to optimize forward-looking visibility.

The app’s panning gesture stands out as an original feature: a single-finger tap quickly zooms out or in again—a streamlined alternative to multi-finger pinch gestures. This function enhances map navigation efficiency and utilizes 3D Touch technology where available but remains accessible via a long press on compatible devices.

The Apple Watch component enables category selection with minimal taps. It displays nearby POIs on a miniature map with details listed below and provides navigation options directly from the watch. Users can even initiate phone calls to selected POIs through the device.

Beneath these specialized features, Poison Maps delivers conventional functionalities such as rapid search capabilities, directions, saving bookmarks, detailed POI information, favoriting brands and locations, and personalized POI creation—such as marking parking spots or custom destinations.

Please note that while this free version includes most POI categories, access to food & drink establishments, shops, sports & leisure sites, and driving routes requires an optional expansion pack.