# Helm Aware — Marine GPS Helper

> Marine GPS Helper (iPhone/iPad app by Jonas Hedberg.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/helm-aware/id6798431560 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Jonas Hedberg](https://appshunter.io/developer/6797882148)
- Category: Navigation, Utilities
- Price: Free
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 26.0 · 7 MB
- Languages: Canadian English, Arabic, Bangla, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Faroese, Finnish and 37 more
- Released: 2026-09-08
- Data updated: 2026-09-14
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/helm-aware/id6798431560/reviews.md

## What is Helm Aware?

Helm Aware gives you a clear view of speed and trip information on your iPhone, whether you are sailing or cruising under power.

Read GPS speed over ground in knots, km/h, mph or m/s. Choose Direct, Balanced or Stable smoothing and check the GPS reception and accuracy status.

Start, pause, resume and stop a trip to measure distance and time. Enable trip plotting to see your recorded track on an Apple Maps map. Starting a new trip clears the previous track and speed history.

See maximum speed and time-weighted average speed, with separate resets. The speed graph shows a 60-minute window; swipe to browse older recorded samples. Open the dedicated history screen or keep the graph on your main screen.

Choose a compact course display or a large compass. The app uses the iPhone’s compass heading when available and falls back to GPS course over ground. The compass reflects the phone’s orientation, which may differ from the boat’s course. Set a target and tolerance to see the allowed sector on the main compass.

Cockpit mode keeps the screen awake and shows large instruments in portrait or landscape, with Day, Night and High Contrast styles. Customize the main screen by showing or hiding the course, graph and unit selector, and choose where maximum and average speed appear.

Set a speed limit, a course target with adjustable tolerance, or an anchor position with a radius from 10 to 500 meters. Speed, course and anchor alerts work only while the app is active in the foreground. Sound and vibration depend on your device settings.

Man Overboard (MOB) saves a position and shows its coordinates, bearing and distance. If no fresh position is available, it waits for the next valid fix. It guides you to the saved point; it does not track a person. The SOS light flashes a Morse signal with the iPhone’s flashlight when available. Neither feature contacts emergency services.

Enable Live Activity in Settings to show current speed and the selected unit on the Lock Screen and, on compatible iPhones, in the Dynamic Island. GPS and an unpaused trip can continue in the background only while Live Activity is active. Background GPS can increase battery use. Alerts remain limited to the foreground.

No account, ads or analytics. Measurements and settings are stored locally; the developer does not collect them. The map uses Apple Maps, may require internet access and is subject to Apple’s privacy practices.

Requires iPhone with iOS 26 or later and location permission. Precise Location is recommended. Accuracy depends on GPS reception and compass conditions. Helm Aware is a supplementary information tool, not a certified navigation instrument, nautical chart or substitute for proper navigation and emergency equipment.


## Version history (last 2 releases)

### 1.1 — 2026-09-09

Minor UI changes. Added flashlight SOS blinking feature.

### 1.0 — 2026-09-08

No release notes.

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-14.*