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First Launch & Setup

The first time you open Bristol Maps on a new install, a five-step walkthrough runs before you reach the map. It covers your subscription, your fishing area, permissions, and your first map downloads.

When the Walkthrough Runs

The walkthrough appears on a genuinely new install -- one that has never completed setup and has no subscription on it yet. If you already have a purchase, a prepaid unlock, or a Stripe subscription on the device, the app goes straight to the map instead.

You can move forward with Next and back with Back. The dots and progress bar at the top show where you are. Step 2 (Subscription) has no Back button, and you cannot move past it until a purchase completes.

The Five Steps

1. Welcome

An intro screen: BristolMaps -- Navigation & Fishery Management for Alaska Commercial Fishermen, with a short feature list. Tap Get Started.

2. Subscription

The purchase step. What you see depends on your store:

  • iOS shows 7-day free trial, then $200 / year, auto-renewing until canceled. The button reads Start Free Trial.
  • Android shows $200 / year, auto-renewing until canceled, with a note that you can enter promo code OneWeek at checkout. The button reads Subscribe.

You must tick the box accepting the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy before purchasing.

Two other paths are on this screen:

Option What it does
Purchased on the App Store? Restore (wording follows your store) Pulls an existing subscription back onto this device
Already subscribed? Sign In Signs in with an existing Bristol Maps account to restore your subscription

The Next button stays disabled and reads Purchase First until one of these completes.

3. Choose Your Area

Pick a Map Style and a Fishing Area.

Setting Description
Map Style Satellite, NOAA, or Street. Satellite is selected by default.
Fishing Area Your primary area. Bristol Bay is selected by default.

The area you choose sets your boundary group and drives which map packages are recommended in step 5.

4. Permissions

Location Access -- tap Enable Location to grant the location permission. Once granted, the button reads Location Enabled.

Create a Free Account -- optional here, but signing in is what enables location sharing, AIS data, fish ticket sync, and log entry backup. You can create an account or sign in from this screen, or do it later from the Tools page.

5. Get Started

A summary of your selected area with two checkboxes:

Setting Description
Download recommended maps now Starts downloading the recommended map package for your area when you finish setup
Keep recommendations in sync Keeps your chosen recommendation up to date -- new maps download automatically and removed maps are turned off (files are kept on disk)

Below that are three Quick Tips cards -- Download Maps, Create Log Entries, and Share Location. Tap any card to read the full explanation.

Tap Finish Setup. If you chose to download maps, a progress screen runs before the app opens.

Re-Running Setup Later

You can run the area/map-style setup again at any time. It is useful when you move to a new fishery.

Settings > Maps & Data > Welcome Configuration > Show Welcome

The in-app description reads:

Re-run the initial setup wizard to change your fishing district, choose new recommended map packages, or update your home port. Useful when fishing in a new area.

This opens the configuration popup, not the whole five-step walkthrough -- it asks for map style and primary area, and offers Continue & Download Maps or Skip Setup. Available areas are Bristol Bay, Copper River/PWS, Cook Inlet, Kodiak, Area M/Alaska Peninsula, Southeast Alaska, and None (configure maps and boundaries later, accept default settings).

Changing your area changes your boundaries

Selecting a different area re-points your boundary lines and alarms at that region's districts. Check Boundaries & Alarms after switching so you are not running with the wrong lines loaded.

If You Are Not Entitled Yet

If the app cannot confirm an active subscription on launch, you get a non-dismissable popup rather than the walkthrough:

  • New users see the Subscription popup, with Purchase Subscription, Restore Purchase, and Login.
  • Returning users whose subscription lapsed see the renewal popup instead.

See Access & Recovery for what to do with each.

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