Something broken, wrong on the map, or unclear? Email hello@roadgoose.com and tell us the phone you use, the build number from Settings, and what you expected to happen. We answer from the same address.
Questions people ask
Why are plate readers on the map?
Automated license plate readers photograph every car that passes and record where and when it was seen. Where they stand is public information: the readers in Roadgoose come from OpenStreetMap, where mappers record them like any other piece of street furniture. Roadgoose shows them so that you know when you are being recorded, and warns you twice as you approach, once about half a mile out and once right before.
Nothing about your drive leaves the phone for this. The alerts run on the phone, and the count of readers you passed today is kept in the phone's own drive log. If a reader is gone, you can say so on its place card; a reader comes off the list only after enough different phones have reported it missing, and any later sighting puts it back.
How is this private?
- No account. There is nothing to sign up for, so there is no profile to fill.
- Our servers never learn where you are. Maps, search, routing and navigation run on the phone, offline. Data for your area (cameras, prices, honks, weather) comes down in whole regions, a state or an area a few hundred kilometres across, never for your position.
- No ads, no analytics, no tracking. Every request carries the same generic app name, never your phone's model or system version. Our servers do not record IP addresses; they keep only counts of requests per feature, without addresses, for at most 48 hours.
- Reports are anonymous. A gas price you confirm or a Honk you send carries a random name that changes daily. Sharing your daily drive totals is off unless you turn it on, and even then the report has no device ID, position, date or time, and is published only in batches of at least ten drivers.
- Gaggles are end-to-end encrypted. Positions, messages and voice go only to the people in your gaggle. Our relay passes them on but cannot read them.
- Your backup is yours. It is sealed with a passcode only you know; we cannot open it.
The privacy page lists every feature and exactly what it sends.
How do I get the beta?
iPhone: join through TestFlight. Turn on automatic updates and each new build installs by itself.
Android: a direct download and an F-Droid repository are listed on the home page as soon as a build is published. Google Play comes after our closed test.
Does it work offline?
Yes. Download the states you drive in, and maps, search, routing and navigation work with no signal. Live things such as camera pictures, gas prices, honks and weather need a connection.
Does it work in my car?
Roadgoose works with CarPlay and Android Auto. Plate-reader alerts, cameras and stops along the way appear on the car screen.
A camera, price or opening time is wrong
Prices: tap the price in the app and report the one on the pump; other drivers' confirmations fix it quickly. Plate readers: use "Not there" on the reader's place card. Anything else: email us the place and what you saw, and we will chase it to the source.
How do I delete my data?
There is no account, so there is nothing to close. Everything the app knows about you is on your phone: delete the app, or clear the drive log and backup from Settings. A Honk you sent can be removed from inside the app. Price reports and drive totals carry nothing that identifies you, so there is nothing for us to find or delete; if you still want to ask, write to hello@roadgoose.com.
Is Roadgoose free?
Everything is free during the beta. Some extras may cost a little later; founders stay free.
What about the open gas price data?
Driver-reported prices are published as open data under CC BY-NC 4.0 at /gas/open/README. For commercial use, ask data@roadgoose.com.