diff --git a/api/src/paths/proxy/openmaps.ts b/api/src/paths/proxy/openmaps.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..69318e8e0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/src/paths/proxy/openmaps.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+import { RequestHandler } from 'express';
+import { Operation } from 'express-openapi';
+import { ALL_ROLES, SECURITY_ON } from 'constants/misc';
+import { getLogger } from 'utils/logger';
+import { InvasivesRequest } from 'utils/auth-utils';
+const https = require('https');
+
+const defaultLog = getLogger('proxy');
+
+const GET: Operation = [getOpenMapsWMSTiles()];
+
+GET.apiDoc = {
+  description: 'Proxy requests to a BCGW WMS endpoint',
+  tags: ['proxy'],
+  parameters: [
+    {
+      name: 'url',
+      in: 'query',
+      required: true,
+      type: 'string',
+      description: 'The target WMS URL to proxy'
+    }
+  ],
+  responses: {
+    200: {
+      description: 'Successful response',
+      schema: {
+        type: 'string'
+      }
+    },
+    400: {
+      description: 'Invalid request'
+    },
+    500: {
+      description: 'Internal server error'
+    },
+    401: {
+      $ref: '#/components/responses/401'
+    },
+    503: {
+      $ref: '#/components/responses/503'
+    },
+    default: {
+      $ref: '#/components/responses/default'
+    }
+  }
+};
+
+/**
+ * Proxy request to Openmaps from mobile, redirect the response back to the client
+ *
+ * @return {RequestHandler}
+ */
+function getOpenMapsWMSTiles(): RequestHandler {
+  return async (req, res, next) => {
+    const targetUrl = req.query.url;
+
+    if (!targetUrl) {
+      return res.status(400).json({
+        message: 'Missing URL parameter',
+        request: req.body,
+        namespace: 'openmaps/url={url}',
+        code: 400
+      });
+    }
+
+    https
+      .get(targetUrl, (apiRes) => {
+        if (apiRes.statusCode !== 200) {
+          console.error(`Failed to fetch data: ${apiRes.statusMessage}`);
+          return res.status(apiRes.statusCode).send(`Error fetching data: ${apiRes.statusMessage}`);
+        }
+
+        // Pass through headers from the OpenMaps API response
+        res.setHeader('Content-Type', apiRes.headers['content-type']);
+        res.setHeader('Cache-Control', apiRes.headers['cache-control'] || 'no-cache');
+
+        // Pipe the API response directly to the client
+        apiRes.pipe(res);
+      })
+      .on('error', (err) => {
+        console.error('Request error:', err);
+        res.status(500).send('Internal Server Error');
+      });
+  };
+}
+
+export { GET };
diff --git a/app/capacitor.config.ts b/app/capacitor.config.ts
index 4a0bbfb04..80109c2b6 100644
--- a/app/capacitor.config.ts
+++ b/app/capacitor.config.ts
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ const config: CapacitorConfig = {
       enabled: false
     },
     CapacitorHttp: {
-      enabled: true
+      enabled: false
     },
     CapacitorSQLite: {
       iosDatabaseLocation: 'Library/InvasivesDatabase'
diff --git a/app/src/UI/Map2/LayerPicker/LpLayers/LpLayers.tsx b/app/src/UI/Map2/LayerPicker/LpLayers/LpLayers.tsx
index e9136c78d..3efbdda8c 100644
--- a/app/src/UI/Map2/LayerPicker/LpLayers/LpLayers.tsx
+++ b/app/src/UI/Map2/LayerPicker/LpLayers/LpLayers.tsx
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ const LpLayers = () => {
   const WmsLayers = useSelector((state) => state.Map?.simplePickerLayers2);
   const KmlLayers = useSelector((state) => state.Map?.serverBoundaries);
   const drawnLayers = useSelector((state) => state.Map?.clientBoundaries);
+  const isAuth = useSelector((state: any) => state.Auth?.authenticated);
 
   return (
     <div id="lp-layers">
@@ -45,7 +46,7 @@ const LpLayers = () => {
         DataBC Layers <TooltipWithIcon tooltipText={WmsTooltip} />
       </h3>
       <div>
-        {WmsLayers?.length > 0 && connectedToNetwork ? (
+        {WmsLayers?.length > 0 && connectedToNetwork && isAuth ? (
           <ul className="layerList">
             {WmsLayers.map((layer, index) => (
               <LpLayersOption
diff --git a/app/src/UI/Map2/helpers/map-init.ts b/app/src/UI/Map2/helpers/map-init.ts
index 0137636ae..fb38940e9 100644
--- a/app/src/UI/Map2/helpers/map-init.ts
+++ b/app/src/UI/Map2/helpers/map-init.ts
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ export const mapInit = (options: MapInitOptions) => {
     maxZoom: 24,
     zoom: 3,
     minZoom: 0,
-    transformRequest: (url) => {
+    transformRequest: (url, resourceType) => {
       if (url.includes(api_base)) {
         return {
           url,
@@ -137,6 +137,16 @@ export const mapInit = (options: MapInitOptions) => {
           }
         };
       }
+
+      const api_local = 'http://localhost:3002';
+      // to make bcgw layers work on mobile
+      if (MOBILE && url.includes('openmaps.gov.bc.ca/geo/ows')) {
+        const proxyUrl = `${api_local}/api/proxy/openmaps?url=${encodeURIComponent(url)}`;
+        return {
+          url: proxyUrl
+        };
+      }
+
       return {
         url
       };