Answers, in plain English.
Common questions about getting started, pricing, privacy, and what's on the roadmap.
Getting started
What Byway is, how routes are generated, and what's in the private beta.
Plans & pricing
Tier differences, Founding Member, free-in-beta, and cancellations.
Privacy & data
What we collect, how it's used, and how to export or delete everything.
Apps & devices
Where Byway runs, offline support, and CarPlay / Android Auto status.
Creators & marketplace
Publishing journeys, earning from followers, payouts.
Coverage & languages
Where Byway works today, narration voices, and localization.
Getting started
What exactly is Byway?
Byway is the discovery engine for the real world — scenic driving first. You give it a destination — or just a region and a vibe — and it builds a drive-worthy route from verified places, weather-aware, time-of-day aware, tuned to your taste.
Do I need a car?
Byway is optimized for road trips and driving holidays, but routes work for walking and cycling too. Every route opens in Google Maps for the turns — we're building our own turn-by-turn — and narration plays whenever you're moving.
When can I try it?
Now — the web app is live in private beta, free, no card. Join the private beta and we'll email your invite when a spot opens. Native iOS and Android apps land Q4 2026. Founding members get access for life.
Plans & pricing
What's the difference between tiers?
Everything is free while we're in private beta. At launch: Explorer stays free — AI scenic route generation, weather-aware rerouting, and companion mode with Google Maps. Voyager ($9.99/mo) adds unlimited scenic routes, full offline regions, AI narration, and priority on community byways. Duo ($14.99/mo) adds shared planning for two travelers; lands in 2027. Expedition ($29.99/mo) covers up to six travelers; lands in 2027. Publishing a free community byway needs no plan and never will. Pricing one is open to everyone in the private beta and takes a paid plan at launch; the creator keeps 70% — creator payouts are not live yet: the split is set, the money does not move.
What is Founding Member?
A one-time $199 payment for lifetime Voyager-tier access plus a founding-member badge on every itinerary you publish. Limited to the first 1,000 members.
Privacy & data
Is my journey data private?
Yes. Every journey is private by default and only shared when you explicitly publish or send it. We never sell data, ever.
Can I export everything?
Yes. One-click export of your full archive — photos, notes, transcripts, metadata — in a portable zip. No lock-in.
Can I delete my account?
Yes. Account deletion removes every trace within 30 days, with one exception for anonymized analytics we've already aggregated.
Apps & devices
Which platforms do you support?
The web app is live today; native iOS and Android apps land Q4 2026. One account, same journeys, everywhere.
Does Byway work offline?
Not yet. Full offline regions — maps, stories, and guidance for the roads where signal dies — arrive with v1.5 in 2027. Today you'll want signal to plan a route.
CarPlay and Android Auto?
Coming — we're building Byway's own turn-by-turn navigation, CarPlay and Android Auto included. We ship them when Apple and Google clear it, not before — no date we can't keep. Today, Byway runs beside your Maps app, and every route opens there with one tap.
Creators & marketplace
Who can publish byways?
Anyone in the beta — publish and price a community byway in Guide Studio today, or leave it free for others to follow. Publishing free needs no plan and never will; pricing one takes a paid plan at launch.
How do creators earn?
Creators set a price or leave a byway free. Creator payouts arrive with v2 in 2027: creators keep 70% (a 70/30 split), Byway takes the rest.
Can I publish narrations?
Not yet — human and local narrators are on the roadmap, and human-voice narration is planned as a premium product on the marketplace. Today every stop is narrated by Byway's AI voices, from verified facts only.
Coverage & languages
Where does Byway work?
Routing works globally from day one. Narration content launches in the U.S. and EU road-trip corridors first, with more regions added on a rolling basis.
What languages are supported?
English today. More languages follow after launch — no list we can't keep.
Can I pick a different narrator voice?
Yes. Four voices to choose from today — Storyteller, Historian, Naturalist, Local. Human and local narrators come next.
Still stuck? Email contact@byway.world and a human will get back to you.