Getting started, step by step
Follow these steps to download Mobility Mapper, set your phone up, and record your first journey.
The app works the same way on both phones, but a few setup steps differ. Use the iPhone / Android switch below to see the right instructions for your phone.
Using a screen reader? See our guide to using the app with VoiceOver or TalkBack.
Part 1: Creating your account
Step 1
Get the app
iPhone: Search for Mobility Mapper in the App Store and install it — it's free. You can also open the App Store listing directly. You'll need iOS 15.1 or later. Open the app once it has installed, and the rest of this guide takes you through the setup.
Android: The Android version isn't in the Play Store yet. Leave us your email address and we'll tell you the day it lands. If you'd like to help test it before then, here's how to get the test version.
Step 2
Tap Get Started
The first screen says Welcome. Tap Get Started. Note that tapping it means you accept our Terms of Service and confirm you have read our Privacy Notice — there is no separate tick box.
Step 3
Create your account
On Create Account, fill in the four boxes. Your username must be 4 to 12 characters and can use only letters, numbers and underscores. Your password must be at least 8 characters. Type it identically in Confirm password, then tap Next.
Step 4
Enter your email code
We email you a 6-digit code. Type it into Enter the 6-digit code — the app checks it automatically as soon as you type the sixth digit, so you usually won't need to tap Verify. No code? Check your spam folder, then tap Resend (available after 60 seconds). Typed the wrong email? Tap Start over.
Step 5
Your email is confirmed
You'll see Email Verified!. Tap Continue to set up your phone.
Step 6
Logging in another time
Once your account exists, opening the app takes you to Login. Enter your email and password and tap Login. Forgotten it? Tap Forgot password? and we'll email you a 6-digit code to set a new one.
Part 2: Setting up your phone
Step 7
Start the setup wizard
Let's set up your phone explains the settings the app needs to record your journeys accurately. Tap Let's Go and it walks you through them one at a time.
Step 8
Allow location
Tap Allow location. iPhone: In the dialog, tap Allow While Using App, and make sure Precise is on.Android: The dialog has two parts. At the top, choose Precise (not Approximate). Then further down, tap While using the app.
Step 9
Allow location all the time
Recording only works properly if the app can use your location in the background. On Allow location all the time, tap Continue, then iPhone: tap Change to Always Allow.Android: tap Allow all the time.
Step 10
Battery and power settings
This step is Android only — iPhones skip it. Android can shut the app down mid-journey to save power, which loses part of your route. The wizard asks you to Disable battery optimisation and Turn off Power Saving. If your phone already has these set correctly, the wizard skips straight past them.
Step 11
Turn on notifications
On Stay informed, tap Allow notifications so we can send you important updates, or tap Not now. This one is optional — either way, messages from the team still appear in the Messages tab.
Step 12
Check everything is green
Almost there lists each setting with a tick or a cross. Tap any red item to fix it. The Continue button stays greyed out until everything required is green — only Notifications enabled is optional. iPhone: On iPhone there are 4 things to check.Android: On Android there are 8 things to check, because of the extra battery and scanning settings.
Part 3: Privacy zones and your device
Step 13
Hide places you don't want recorded
A privacy zone blanks out an area — your home, your workplace — so GPS points there are removed from your saved routes. Tap Add privacy zone, tap Use my current location or drag the map, set the size with the radius slider (15–50 metres), give it a name such as “Home”, and tap Save. You can tap Skip and set them up later in Settings.
Step 14
Add your mobility device
Tell the app what you travel in, so your routes record the right access needs. Tap Add device, choose a Device type, and give it a Device Name such as “My manual chair”. Only the name is required — width and length are optional, though they help us judge whether a route fits. You can add more devices any time from Me → Devices.
Part 4: The Bristol pilot study (optional)
Step 15
Join the pilot study
If you live, work or regularly spend time within 10 miles of Bristol, you can help shape the app by joining the study. Tap Take part, or I'm not near Bristol to skip. You can read more about the pilot first, and you can join later from Settings.
Step 16
Fill in the short survey
If you joined, the Bristol Pilot Survey opens. It takes about 5 minutes and your answers are anonymous. Read the information, then tap I consent and continue to see the questions, or Not now to leave it. Your answers save as you go, so you can stop part-way and finish later from Settings.
Step 17
You're all set
You're all set! means setup is finished. Tap Let's go to open the app properly for the first time.
Part 5: Finding your way around
Step 18
The four tabs
Everything lives behind four tabs along the bottom: Home for news and barriers near you, Record to start a journey, Me for your journeys, barriers and devices, and Messages for updates from the team. The tabs disappear while you are recording, so the map has the whole screen.
Step 19
Your Home screen
Home shows News & Updates, your own totals under Your Contributions, and Unconfirmed Barriers Near You that need someone to check them. The gear icon in the top right opens Settings.
Part 6: Recording a journey
Step 20
Start recording
Tap the Record tab. Check the right device is selected — tap Change device if not — then tap Start journey. If anything still needs fixing, the app lists it under Settings to change and won't start until it's sorted. iPhone: On iPhone there are 2 requirements.Android: On Android there are 6 requirements, including battery and scanning settings.
Step 21
Travel your route
Once recording starts you can lock your screen and put your phone in a pocket or bag — the app keeps tracking in the background. Just travel as you normally would. Android: On Android a Recording journey notification stays in your notification shade while it runs.
Step 22
Report a barrier: mark the spot
Found a missing dropped kerb, a blocked pavement, steps with no ramp? Press and hold the warning button while recording. Drag the map so the crosshair sits on the barrier, then tap Confirm. Reporting barriers is entirely optional — record as many or as few as you like.
Step 23
Report a barrier: choose the type
Tap Tap to select and pick the type that best describes what you found. Each type shows a short definition underneath so you can check you've got the right one. This is the only part you have to fill in — Next stays greyed out until you choose.
Step 24
Report a barrier: add a description
Add anything useful that the type alone doesn't capture — how bad it is, whether there's a way round it, when it's worst. Up to 500 characters. This step is optional, so tap Next to skip it.
Step 25
Report a barrier: add photos
A photo makes a barrier much easier for us to verify. Tap Take Photo for a new one or Gallery to use one you've already taken, up to 3 in total. Also optional — the button reads Skip until you add one.
Step 26
Report a barrier: check and send
Review Your Report shows the type, your description and any photos before anything is sent. Tap Back to change something, or Submit Report to add it to the map for other people to see.
Step 27
Pause and finish
Press and hold the pause button — a quick tap only shows a “Long press to pause” hint. Once paused, a Paused banner appears with two buttons: Resume to carry on, or Finish to end and save the journey. Pausing first is how you finish — there is no separate stop button.
Part 7: After your journey
Step 28
Look back at your journeys
Tap Me, then the Journeys tab, and tap any journey to open Journey Details. It shows your distance, average speed, duration and how many barriers you reported, plus a map of your route with a key. The Barriers and Devices sub-tabs sit alongside it, covered next.
Step 29
The barriers you've reported
The Barriers sub-tab lists everything you've reported, each with its photo, type and when you sent it. New reports show as Unconfirmed until someone else confirms them. Tap one to see it in full, or use Report new barrier to add one without recording a journey.
Step 30
Your devices
The Devices sub-tab shows the mobility devices you've set up. Tap one to edit its name, type or measurements, or to delete it. Add new device adds another — useful if you use a different device in different situations.
Step 31
Messages from the team
The Messages tab holds announcements from the Mobility Mapper team. Unread ones are counted on the tab. Swipe a message sideways to delete it — you get a few seconds to tap Undo. The icon in the top right opens Contact and feedback.
Part 8: Settings and your account
Step 32
Settings
Open Settings with the gear on the Home screen. You can switch Distance units between km and miles, make the map's text and icons larger, manage Privacy zones, and open Troubleshooting if recording isn't behaving. Your email address, Change password and Log out are here too.
Step 33
Deleting your account
Under Settings → Delete account you can erase your account permanently. You have to type DELETE to confirm, and it cannot be undone — journeys, devices and personal data all go. There's more on our delete account page.
Tips
You can put your phone away once recording has started — lock the screen and pocket it, and the app keeps tracking in the background. If journeys come out short, check your phone's battery saver isn't restricting the app.
Press and hold to pause — a quick tap on the pause button only shows a hint. Once paused you can Resume, or Finish to save the journey.
Every journey counts — even short ones. A five-minute trip to the shops is just as valuable as a longer route.
The verification code expires after 15 minutes — if you don't receive it, check your spam folder.