Finding, connecting and helping the community

Back to The Purple App overview

This article shows you how to use the Purple App's global map, find WiFi when you have no mobile signal, and help other users by keeping our map up to date.

What the map pins mean

Three pin types appear on the Explore page, each with a different connection method.

Purple WiFi Pass - Our official partner locations. Your phone connects automatically the moment you walk into range, the same way it joins your home WiFi.

Private WiFi Pass - Secure networks for specific businesses, offices or universities. Only visible if you signed up to Purple with a verified work or student email.

Community WiFi - Spots added by other Purple users. These aren't official Purple partners, so they may need a password or a short form to get online.

Searching and filtering the map

Tap the search bar at the top of the Explore page to look for places near you. Use Purple's filters to narrow results by speed and place type, such as coffee shop or hotel, so the map only shows what you need.

Saving maps for offline use

Download Purple's maps before you travel so you can find WiFi spots without mobile data.

Tap the download arrow

Find the Download arrow icon in the bottom right of the map screen.

Map screen with the Download arrow icon highlighted in the bottom right

Choose your area

Select how large an area of the map you want to save to your phone.

Find your saved maps

Open saved areas later by going to Profile > Offline Maps.

Data saving tip: You can download up to 3GB of maps. In Offline Maps settings, switch on the option to only download maps when you are connected to home WiFi.

Connecting to WiFi

How you get online depends on the type of network you find on the Purple map.

Official & Private Partner pins

Do nothing. Your phone connects safely on its own the moment you walk into range of a Purple-partnered venue.

Community pins

When you are close to the network, your phone shows a message asking if you want to connect. Tap Join. The Purple App then enters the password for you in the background, or opens a clean layout to help you skip any web forms.

Helping your fellow WiFi hunters

Our community map relies on Purple users keeping it accurate. You can update it directly from the app.

Add a spot

Add a new WiFi location

Connected to a great public network that isn't on our map? Tap the Add WiFi (+) button in the bottom right of the map, then enter the venue name, address and WiFi network details. Your pin goes live straight away so other Purple users can find and connect to it the next time they're nearby.

Map view with the Add WiFi plus icon highlighted in the bottom right

Add WiFi screen for entering venue and network details

Fix info

Update a location

When you connect to a community WiFi spot, its card lights up green in the app. Tap it, then tap Update Info if the password has changed, the location is wrong, or the WiFi no longer works.

Location details screen showing the Update Info option

Review

Leave a quick review

Help others find the best spots by giving a star rating and a short comment. Tap the venue card, then tap Rate and review to add yours to the venue's profile.

Reviews screen showing star ratings and comments

Speed test

Test the internet speed

Tap Run Speed Test on your connected network card. Purple checks download speed, upload speed and latency, then saves the result to the venue's profile so other users can see it.

Speed test screen showing download, upload and latency