Connect iFly EFB to Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator does not talk to EFB apps on its own. A small helper program called XMapsy reads your position and AI traffic from the sim and broadcasts them over Wi-Fi in the same ADS-B format a portable receiver uses. iFly picks that up automatically and flies the sim like a real flight: moving map, plan, plates, terrain and traffic.

Seven-minute overview

Quick Tip · Microsoft Flight Simulator · 6:41 · Open on YouTube

What you need

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 on a Windows PC.
XMapsy V3, a paid add-on from xmapsy.com (also sold on simMarket). It runs in the Windows system tray next to the sim.
The PC and the tablet running iFly on the same Wi-Fi network.
No other EFB or flight app open on the tablet. Only one app can claim the connection at a time.

Step 1 · Set up XMapsy

Start Microsoft Flight Simulator and load a flight, so the aircraft is sitting on the ramp. If you fly full-screen, the Windows taskbar is hidden; either run the sim in Windowed mode (General Options › Graphics › Display Mode) or use Alt+Tab to reach the desktop.
Start XMapsy and close its intro screen. It lives in the system tray: click the up arrow at the right end of the taskbar. A blue dot in the XMapsy icon means it is connected to the sim.
Right-click the XMapsy icon and choose Settings.
Set the options below, then click Save changes and close the window.

XMapsy setting	Set it to
Select message-format	use ADS-B/GDL90 format. This is the one setting that matters most; iFly cannot see the X-Plane/simulator format.
Select preferred technology	automatic mode. If the tray icon never shows the blue dot, choose use SIMCONNECT instead.
Position / AHRS data	Check send AHRS-data (pitch, roll…) and use calculated heading. Own aircraft HEX-code FFFFFF. Leave the timing values at their defaults (200 ms, multiplier 4).
Traffic data	Check Send traffic data. 20 nautical miles every 4 seconds is fine. Check ignore planes on the ground if parked AI aircraft clutter the airport diagram.
Network › broadcast address	Click the ? button so XMapsy fills in your network's broadcast address (it looks like 192.168.1.255 and differs on every network). The default 255.255.255.255 also works on most home networks.
Network › port	4000, the standard GDL90 port.
Network › Broadcast to all devices in current subnet	Checked. Only if a tablet still does not receive data, enter its address in Send data to specific IP address.

Step 2 · Set up your tablet

iOS only: allow iFly on the local network. Settings › Apps › iFly EFB › Local Network switched on. Without this iOS silently blocks the broadcast. Android has no equivalent setting.
Turn off location for iFly so the simulated position wins over the tablet's real GPS:
- iOS: Settings › Privacy & Security › Location Services › iFly EFB › Never
- Android: Settings › Apps › iFly EFB › Permissions › Location › Don't allow
Fully close and restart iFly after changing either of these.

Step 3 · Confirm iFly is receiving

In iFly, open Menu › Setup › ADS-B.
The ADS-B Status window should show AUTO-DETECT. While it is searching it reads Waiting for device; once XMapsy is found, the red arrows light up for each kind of data being received (position, AHRS, traffic).
If the selected device is anything other than Auto-Detect, choose Options › Change Selected Device and pick AUTO-DETECT.
Tap Close. The ownship symbol on the map is now at your ramp position in the sim and moves when you taxi.

Many pilots find iFly locks on the moment they switch XMapsy to the GDL90 format, with nothing else to do. That is expected: iFly is always listening on port 4000 for a GDL90 receiver, and XMapsy simply looks like one.

Step 4 · Fly

Build the same route in both places. iFly does not read the sim's flight plan, so enter the airports and waypoints in your iFly plan too.
AI and live traffic from the sim appear as ADS-B targets. If you do not see them, make sure the Traffic layer is turned on under Map Mode.

Troubleshooting

ADS-B Status stays on "Waiting for device"

Confirm XMapsy is set to use ADS-B/GDL90 format and port 4000, and that you clicked Save changes.
Confirm the XMapsy tray icon shows the blue dot. If not, the sim is not loaded into a flight yet, or switch preferred technology to SIMCONNECT.
On Windows, the network must be set to Private. Settings › Network & Internet › Ethernet (or Wi-Fi) › Properties › Private network. On a Public network Windows blocks the broadcast.
Allow XMapsy through the Windows firewall on both private and public. Search Windows for Allow an app through Windows Firewall and check both boxes for XMapsy.
iOS: check the Local Network permission (Step 2), then restart iFly.
The tablet and PC must be on the same Wi-Fi network, not a guest network or a hotspot on one side only.

Position shows, but jumps or lags

Turn off location services for iFly (Step 2). The tablet's real GPS is competing with the sim.

Position shows, but no traffic

Check Send traffic data in XMapsy and the Traffic map layer in iFly.
Make sure the sim actually has AI or live traffic enabled. An empty sky in the sim is an empty sky in iFly.

A second tablet gets nothing

Enter that tablet's IP address in XMapsy's Send data to specific IP address. Find it under Settings › Wi-Fi › (i) on iOS, or Settings › Connections › Wi-Fi › gear › View more on Android.

Still stuck?

Email support@iFlyEFB.com with your tablet model and OS version, and screenshots of the XMapsy settings window and iFly's Menu › Setup › ADS-B status window.