I’m excited to share qfield-layer-loader, a new QField plugin that enables users to load read-only layers (vector or raster) from both local and remote sources.
Key features
Read-only support — Layers are loaded for display without editing, preserving data integrity
Local & remote sources — You can now load files stored locally on the device or hosted via remote URLs (WMS, XYZ, etc.) — introduced in v0.2
GitHub
Improved UI for layer selection — The v0.3 release brings a much better user interface for selecting which layers to load
GitHub
Why this matters
Many QField users need to view reference layers (e.g. basemaps, background datasets, terrain models) without risking accidental edits. This plugin addresses that gap. Plus, combining local and remote support gives flexibility in offline or online environments.
Please test it and let me know what you think 
Attention currently works only with QField master https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ch.opengis.qfield_dev
5 Likes
Hello,
Really nice plugin
But i can’t make it works
I’ m with Qfield 3.7.7 and i want to load a .gpkg local layer but it failed
1 Like
That is correct, untill the next release you need to use QField master https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ch.opengis.qfield_dev
Wow, to use Qfield master i need Android 8 or older
This can’t be correct. IIRC you need android 8 or NEWER.
@Mathieu_Pellerin right?
@mbernasocchi , correct, our minimum version for QField 3.7 as well as master is Android 8 (API 26).
Our current minimum API level requirement is here ( QField/cmake/Platform.cmake at master · opengisch/QField · GitHub ), and this website makes it super easy to tie the API level to Android versions (https://apilevels.com/).
Yes i misunderstand…
But i can’t install Qfield master on my phone
I have android 13
@woupss , you need to enable beta testing / early access (should be somewhere in that page) for this unstable version to get you the latest version.
1 Like
Hi there! I find the Plug In really useful, but im wondering if its possible to save the loaded layer in the project? So far I can only push changes and not synchronize since the loaded raster layer isnt uploaded into the cloud and therefore is being deleted when the project is synchronized.
