Lock Screen and remote logging

While a recording runs, Manta shows a Live Activity on the Lock Screen, and other devices on board can log into the same trip. See also Recording in the background.

The Live Activity

The Lock Screen shows speed, distance and duration. A Dynamic Island shows the distance, and expanded it shows speed, distance and the one-tap buttons. Tapping outside the buttons opens Manta on the recording.

Quick actions

These buttons log the entry at once, without opening Manta:

• With sails up: “Sails down”, “Gybe”, “Tack”, and “Engine on” or “Engine off”
• With sails down: “Sails up”, and “Engine on” or “Engine off”
• On motorboats: “Engine on” or “Engine off”

The Lock Screen also has “Note”, “Sighting”, “Photo” and “Weather”. These open Manta at the matching input, so the phone has to be unlocked.

Manta has no Home Screen widgets. “Start recording” in Shortcuts, Siri and Spotlight opens Manta and starts a trip.

Turning on Live Activities

1. In iOS Settings → Apps → Manta, turn on “Live Activities”.
2. In iOS Settings → Face ID & Passcode, turn on “Live Activities” under “Allow Access When Locked”.
3. Start a new recording. Manta starts the Live Activity only when a recording starts.

iOS ends a Live Activity after eight hours. The recording continues.

Hosting a recording

Hosting is part of Manta Pro. Joining is free.

A recording is offered on the local network while Settings → Remote logging → “Allow remote logging” is on, which is the default. Switching it off disconnects guests and also stops the device from finding other recordings.

Joining needs no code or approval. Anyone with Manta on the same network can join and change the log, so consider switching it off on shared networks such as marina WiFi.

Joining a recording

1. Connect to the same WiFi as the recording device, usually the boat's WiFi or a phone's hotspot.
2. Open Manta on the home map, and allow local network access if iOS asks.
3. Tap the yellow button that appears on the map.

If the button does not appear, see Settings → Support & troubleshooting.

Guest devices

A guest can:

• Follow the map, the log and the instruments of the recording device, with no plotter connection of its own
• Add entries and photos, also from its own Live Activity
• Edit or delete any entry, except the recording's start and end

A guest cannot pause or stop the recording. The trip is saved only on the recording device.

The connection

Devices connect directly over the local network, with no internet, account or iCloud. If the connection drops, a banner offers “Reconnect” and Manta keeps retrying. After 10 minutes without a connection, or when the recording ends, the guest leaves the session and gets a notification.