Start a Project from Your Location or a Google Maps Link

Skip typing long addresses - use where you're standing, or the pin your customer sent

Availability:  India, on your phone and on desktop. On for all India organisations - nothing to switch on. Organisations in other countries can ask OpenSolar Support to switch it on.

Video Walkthrough:

Summary

Typing a long address on a phone is slow, and written addresses are often unreliable. Now you can start a project from your current location when you're at the property, or by pasting the Google Maps link your customer sent you on WhatsApp. Either way, you place the pin on the right roof and land on the new project's Manage page. You can use the same two options to update the address of a project you've already created.

This article covers both ways in, placing the pin, updating an existing project's address, and the link formats OpenSolar understands.

Before You Start

• Location access allowed for OpenSolar in your browser (or on your phone), if you want to use your current location.
• For a Maps link, copy it from WhatsApp or Google Maps first.
• Typing an address works exactly as before. These are extra ways in, not replacements.

How to Use It

Step 1 - Use your current location (when you're at the property)

1. On Home, tap the address search bar and choose Use current location.
2. Allow location access if your browser or phone asks. You'll see Finding your location… while OpenSolar gets your position.
3. The map opens centred on where you are, with a red pin in the middle of the screen.

Step 2 - Or paste a Google Maps link

1. Copy the location link your customer sent you - from WhatsApp, for example.
2. Paste it into the address search bar on Home. You'll see Google Maps link detected, then Finding the exact location… while OpenSolar opens the link.
3. The map opens on that location, with the red pin in the middle.

You can also paste a Plus Code (for example 7JWM+8Q Delhi) or plain coordinates (for example 28.6139, 77.2090). For coordinates, you'll see Coordinates detected - press Enter to open the map.

Step 3 - Put the pin on the right roof and create the project

1. Move the map so the roof sits under the pin. Zoom in to check you're on the right building.
2. Check the address. OpenSolar looks up the address at the pin and uses it as the project name. If there's no street address at that spot, the project is named after the coordinates, shortened to two decimal places (for example 28.61, 77.21). The exact latitude and longitude are always saved in full.
3. Create the project. It opens on the Manage page.

Step 4 - Update the address of an existing project

1. On the project's Manage page, open the address.
2. Choose Use current location at the top of the list, or paste a Google Maps link, Plus Code or coordinates into the address field. The latitude and longitude fill in for you.
3. Check the address, then Confirm.

Enter Manually is still there if you'd rather type the address yourself. It hides while you're typing in the search field.

Good to Know:

• Supported: Google Maps short links (maps.app.goo.gl and goo.gl/maps), full Google Maps and place links (including google.co.in), Plus Codes and plain coordinates.
• For a full Google Maps link, OpenSolar uses the location of the place itself, not the centre of the map you were looking at - so the pin lands on the place, not down the road.
• Links from other map apps - Apple Maps, MapmyIndia, OpenStreetMap - aren't supported yet. Use the address or coordinates instead.
• If what you paste isn't a link or coordinates, it's treated as a normal address search. You won't see an error.
• For a landmark with no street, the place name is used as the street, with the city, state and PIN code in their own fields - so the address shows each only once on Manage and in the proposal.
• OpenSolar uses your location only to place the pin. It doesn't track your location after the project is created, and the links you paste aren't stored in our analytics.
• The pin decides which roof the satellite imagery shows, so take a moment to get it on the right building.

What You Gain:

• No typing on site. Your phone already knows where you are.
• Use what customers send. A location pin from WhatsApp becomes a project in seconds.
• Works where addresses don't. Plus Codes and coordinates cover properties without a reliable street address.
• The right roof first time. Move the map until the roof sits under the pin before you design.
• Fix an address in seconds. Update an existing project's location from Manage the same way.

At a Glance: Before vs. After:

Best Practices:

• Stand at the property, not down the road, when you use your current location.
• Ask customers to share their location on WhatsApp when booking a visit - then paste the link and create the project before you go.
• Zoom in and check the roof sits under the pin before you create the project.
• In apartment buildings and housing societies, move the map to the exact block.

Troubleshooting:

• “Location permission was blocked”:  Allow location for OpenSolar in your browser's site settings (or your phone's settings), then choose Use current location again - or enter the address instead.
• “Your location is unavailable”:  Your device couldn't get a location fix. Move outside or near a window and try again, paste a Maps link, or enter the address.
• “This Google Maps link could not be opened”:  The link may be broken, incomplete or expired. Copy it again from Google Maps or WhatsApp, or paste the coordinates instead.
• The pasted link was treated as an address search:  The link is probably from another map app. Open the location in Google Maps and copy that link, or paste the coordinates.
• The pin is a little off:  GPS can be imprecise, especially in rural areas. Move the map so the roof sits under the pin before you create the project.
• The project is named after coordinates, not an address:  No street address was found at the pin - common for new layouts and rural plots. You can update the address from the Manage page.

Something not working the way it is described here? Contact OpenSolar support through the Help Centre, or reach out to the India Sales & Ops team.