# MapSwipe — Humanitarian volunteering

> Crowdsourced humanitarian mapping via satellite imagery analysis. (iPhone/iPad app by British Red Cross.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mapswipe/id1133855392 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [British Red Cross](https://appshunter.io/developer/646471629)
- Category: Utilities, Games
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.50/5 from 24 App Store ratings · 20 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 16.4 · 65 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2016-07-13
- Data updated: 2026-09-03
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mapswipe/id1133855392/reviews.md

## What is MapSwipe?

Make a meaningful impact from your phone, one swipe at a time.

MapSwipe is part of the Missing Maps project. It is a free, open-source app that lets anyone contribute to humanitarian and development projects in just minutes a day. No mapping experience needed: review satellite imagery, identify features like buildings, roads, and waterways, and help validate map data used by organizations around the world.

The data you generate supports humanitarian organizations, researchers, and local communities, making OpenStreetMap data more accessible for disaster response, public health, climate resilience, and sustainable development.

How you can contribute:

* Find Features: Swipe through satellite imagery to spot buildings, roadways, waterways, and more
* Compare Dates: Review before-and-after imagery to detect environmental changes and assess damage
* Validate Footprints: Check building footprints and flag areas that need remapping
* Check Completeness: Compare mapped data against aerial imagery to find gaps
* Assess Images: Review photographs to confirm features and improve machine learning tools
* Locate Objects: Mark rooftops, solar panels, trees, and other features to help train machine learning models

Your swipes have real impact. MapSwipe is managed by a volunteer-led team with support from the American Red Cross, British Red Cross, Canadian Red Cross, HeiGIT, Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team, Médecins Sans Frontières, and Togglecorp.

Download MapSwipe and join a global community putting the world's most vulnerable places on the map.

## Key features

- Analyze satellite imagery
- Identify settlements and infrastructure
- Support humanitarian missions
- Contribute to mapping projects
- Crowdsource data for aid organizations

## Recent user reviews (10 of 20)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mapswipe/id1133855392/reviews.md

### 3/5 — Good Goal, Way Too Buggy

*2026-01-18*

I love being able to use my phone for something that helps other people instead of just social media, BUT using this app is an exercise in frustration due to bugs.

By far the most frustrating is that when you’re in the middle of a mapping task, the app will randomly white out the screen and then flash the MapSwipe logo at you while saying “loading groups” and a button that says something like “if this takes too long, tap here to go back to the home screen.”

I’ve waited several minutes, and it never finishes “loading the groups.” And the only way to leave that screen is to go back to home or to close the app. Either way, you lose your entire mapping task progress. I tried joining a random group to see if it would stop trying to “load groups,” but it still happened.

It’s incredibly discouraging, and I have to restrain myself from rushing through a task because I’m afraid that the groups thing is going to appear and make all the time I spent be wasted. I find myself avoiding the projects that make you do large numbers of swipes in one task because I know that increases the likelihood of encountering the issue before I can finish them.

Less prevalent but no less annoying is that when you try to sign in with OpenStreetMap instead of creating a dedicated MapSwipe account from scratch, this app just hangs. It’ll open OSM in the browser, OSM will ask if you’r like to authorize MapSwipe, you click “authorize”, and then it opens MapSwipe and just… flashes the logo at you, over and over.

I like the color-coded tapping system and the project system. When the app works, it feels incredibly rewarding and also even relaxing, but it currently doesn’t work consistently at all.

### 3/5 — Swipe down is flakey, allow more zooming in

*2024-09-26*

The app is fine, but it’s quite frustrating trying to get the down swipe to work.  I end up just triple tapping each tile individually, which slows down progress.  Would be nice if it allowed a little more zooming in.  Even with low res, it could be helpful.

### 5/5 — Bringt Spaß

*2021-06-08, version 2.0.11*

Macht Spaß und dabei kann man noch was gutes tun. Außerdem ein schönes Handling der App.

### 4/5 — overall great app

*2021-03-29*

honestly I rarely do reviews but this app is great if you want to do something quick but slowly make an impact. Some of the guidance tutorials can’t be really applied to what some projects are asking for, but definitely wish more people knew about this app. it’s one of the easiest ways I can volunteer online through quarantine and I really hope that this app will blow up and get even more people on the project <3

### 5/5 — Great Idea and Execution

*2020-06-12*

This is a really cool app, it’s good to use when you’ve got some time to sit or are just hanging out. It doesn’t need a very strong connection or a powerful phone to work, and looking for buildings on it gets kind of addicting! It’s an awesome idea to crowdsource this kind of stuff, and the app functions perfectly. It’s simple and easy and has a good tutorial, so you should at least give it a try.

### 4/5 — iPad Functionality is missing

*2020-04-23*

Love the app and the cause, the app is simple and quick to pickup.

Would like to see more optimization for the iPad or a potential standalone app with greater tools and functionality.

### 4/5 — Wish the tutorial was better

*2020-04-16*

I’m a heavy user of this app and I love the work that the team does. I think it would be easier for volunteers to engage if the tutorial was more clear. For example, the tutorial didn’t show how to swipe to the right to continue the map, or what the yellow and red squares mean. Additionally, I wish there would be a button at the top or bottom to mark the entire screen as “bad image quality”, as swiping down often leads to swiping left or right instead. 

Overall, the app is good!

### 5/5 — Hey Dev Guys!

*2019-12-18, version 2.0.2*

Are you able to add additional scale bar while  zooming one tile? 
Also: swiping down is little buggy. In most cases result is same as swipe left or right. To swipe down user have to be very precise. Mayby increase horizontal range of down/up swipe. 
Good job so far Guys!

### 4/5 — Great app. Need more guidance

*2019-06-24*

This is really fulfilling an important need. I would like more guidance on what is the shadow of a tree and what is a round building. Thank you!

### 5/5 — Great cause, good app - needs updating

*2018-11-21*

For the longest time, Mapswipe has been the only “game” on my iPhone, and for good reason - it’s the best way to occupy your downtime imho.

Unfortunately, it’s no longer working for me on my XS (iOS 12). App loads, I can see projects and my profile info, but I can’t download or open any maps, so can’t contribute to the Missing Maps project as I’d like to.

Please please please fix the app, it’s a great cause and I hate not being able to contribute as I once did. 

In the interim I’ll still contribute via missingmaps.org, but I’d love to be able to do it whenever via Mapswipe.

Still rating as 5/5 as when it works, it’s a good app.

## Frequently asked questions about MapSwipe

### What is MapSwipe used for?

MapSwipe allows users to analyze satellite imagery to identify settlements, roads, and rivers. This data is then used by humanitarian organizations to create detailed maps for delivering aid to vulnerable populations.

### Is MapSwipe free to use?

Yes, MapSwipe is completely free to download and use. It is developed in support of humanitarian efforts and does not have any associated costs for users.

### What devices does MapSwipe support?

MapSwipe is currently available for iPhone devices. Support for other platforms may be considered in future updates.

### How often is MapSwipe updated?

The latest version of MapSwipe is 2.6.4, last updated on January 20, 2026. Updates typically include improvements to functionality and data processing.

### What is the age rating for MapSwipe?

MapSwipe has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for users of all ages interested in contributing to humanitarian mapping.

### Who developed MapSwipe?

MapSwipe was developed by the British Red Cross in support of the Missing Maps Project, collaborating with various humanitarian organizations.

### How does MapSwipe contribute to humanitarian aid?

By crowdsourcing the identification of remote communities and infrastructure from satellite images, MapSwipe helps professionals on the ground to quickly locate those in need and deliver life-saving aid more effectively.

### What kind of tasks can I do in MapSwipe?

Users can choose tasks focused on specific regions and humanitarian needs, such as spotting villages at risk of outbreaks or identifying settlements in crisis-prone areas. You then swipe through satellite images to mark features.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 3.0.4 — 2026-08-10

* Fix tutorial rendering

### 3.0.3 — 2026-07-31

- Fixed tutorial rendering.
- Fixed private project listing by filtering projects based on team membership.
- Improved the Projects page to display the project topic, region, number, and organization (where available).
- Fixed an issue that prevented users from opening projects with progress below 100%.

### 3.0.2 — 2026-07-13

- Fix OSM login issue
- Fix minor UI issues

### 3.0.1 — 2026-07-11

MapSwipe has been completely revamped with a brand new look and feel!
- Faster and smoother mapping experience across all project types.
- Improved tutorials and accessibility support.
- Various performance improvements and bug fixes.

### 2.6.4 — 2026-01-20

- Updated Apple age rating
- Minor bug fixes

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## More apps by British Red Cross

- [First aid by British Red Cross](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-aid-by-british-red-cross/id483408666)
- [Baby and child first aid](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/baby-and-child-first-aid/id646471621)
- [British Red Cross Volunteers](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/british-red-cross-volunteers/id1504919237)

All apps by British Red Cross: https://appshunter.io/developer/646471629

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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 2026-09-03.*