Hazard of using tablet based navigation systems?

[Lucky Duck]

From another place - http://forums.sailinganarchy.com/index.php?showtopic=157631

They'd been navigating for weeks without a problem using iNavX software on Berg's iPad, which was interfaced with the vessel's GPS. That night they were headed for a waypoint offshore of Honokohau Harbor, north of Kialua Kona town. All of a sudden the screen was taken over by a system request to log in to FaceTime, an Apple resource, then another request to log in to the iCloud. No matter what Berg and Peters did, they couldn't clear the screen and log back in to iNavX. Berg also had that software on his iPhone, but he hadn't entered the waypoint there. The built-in chartplotter had a system that displayed NOAA charts, but Berg says that proved inadequate.

"I should have just said, 'Hang a hard left', until we sorted things out, but I didn't. It was totally my screw-up." Before they could find a software solution, they heard the sound of surf crashing and they knew they were in trouble.

 

[Marsupial]

As has been said time and again on this forum electronics are an aid to navigation not a substitute for it.

 

[nikc]

Advice - if you use tablet or phone remember to put it in flight mode.
Then it will not try to connect since it will not be looking for signals.

 

[onesea]

Advice - if you use tablet or phone remember to put it in flight mode.
Then it will not try to connect since it will not be looking for signals.

Good precaution. That would take the fun out of some one calling me every time the boat gets near a pontoon

In all seriousness is that not the hazard when trusting any single peice of equipment for navigation. What if it fails...