diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/ui/MapFragment.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/ui/MapFragment.kt
index 76b5a31b3..a35eff231 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/ui/MapFragment.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/ui/MapFragment.kt
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import android.view.LayoutInflater
 import android.view.View
 import android.view.ViewGroup
 import androidx.fragment.app.activityViewModels
+import androidx.lifecycle.Observer
 import com.geeksville.android.GeeksvilleApplication
 import com.geeksville.android.Logging
 import com.geeksville.mesh.NodeInfo
@@ -130,7 +131,12 @@ class MapFragment : ScreenFragment("Map"), Logging {
     }
 
     var mapView: MapView? = null
-    var mapboxMap: MapboxMap? = null
+
+    /**
+     * Mapbox native code can crash painfully if you ever call a mapbox view function while the view is not actively being show
+     */
+    private val isViewVisible: Boolean
+        get() = view != null && isResumed
 
     override fun onViewCreated(viewIn: View, savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
         super.onViewCreated(viewIn, savedInstanceState)
@@ -145,7 +151,6 @@ class MapFragment : ScreenFragment("Map"), Logging {
                 // Each time the pane is shown start fetching new map info (we do this here instead of
                 // onCreate because getMapAsync can die in native code if the view goes away)
                 v.getMapAsync { map ->
-                    mapboxMap = map
 
                     if (view != null) { // it might have gone away by now
                         // val markerIcon = BitmapFactory.decodeResource(context.resources, R.drawable.ic_twotone_person_pin_24)
@@ -161,7 +166,19 @@ class MapFragment : ScreenFragment("Map"), Logging {
 
                         //map.uiSettings.isScrollGesturesEnabled = true
                         //map.uiSettings.isZoomGesturesEnabled = true
+
+                        // Provide initial positions
+                        model.nodeDB.nodes.value?.let { nodes ->
+                            onNodesChanged(map, nodes.values)
+                        }
                     }
+
+                    // Any times nodes change update our map
+                    model.nodeDB.nodes.observe(viewLifecycleOwner, Observer { nodes ->
+                        debug("Nodes updated! map visible = $isViewVisible")
+                        if (isViewVisible)
+                            onNodesChanged(map, nodes.values)
+                    })
                 }
             }
         }
@@ -185,16 +202,6 @@ class MapFragment : ScreenFragment("Map"), Logging {
     override fun onResume() {
         super.onResume()
         mapView?.onResume()
-
-        // FIXME: for now we just set the node positions when the user pages to the map - because
-        // otherwise we try to update in the background which breaks mapbox native code (when view is not shown
-        mapboxMap?.let { map ->
-            // model.nodeDB.nodes.observe(viewLifecycleOwner, Observer { nodes ->
-            model.nodeDB.nodes.value?.values?.let {
-                onNodesChanged(map, it)
-            }
-            //})
-        }
     }
 
     override fun onDestroy() {