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, annual billing, 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 at launch, narration voices, and localization.
Getting started
What exactly is Byway?
Byway is an AI scenic routing engine. 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. Turn-by-turn is built in; narration plays whenever you're moving.
When can I try it?
Private beta begins mid-2026. Waitlist members get first invites. Founding members get access for life.
Plans & pricing
What's the difference between tiers?
Explorer is free — AI scenic route generation, weather-aware rerouting, companion mode with Google Maps, and 2 active journeys. Voyager ($9.99/mo or $79/yr) unlocks unlimited scenic routes, full offline regions, AI narration, and priority on the creator marketplace. Duo ($14.99/mo or $119/yr) adds shared planning for two travelers; lands in 2027. Expedition ($29.99/mo or $239/yr) covers up to six travelers and turns on the creator monetization dashboard; lands in 2027.
Is there a discount for annual billing?
Yes — annual plans save ~34% compared to monthly.
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?
iOS and Android apps at launch, alongside the web. One account, same journeys, everywhere.
Does Byway work offline?
Yes. Routes, maps, translations, and narrations can all be pre-downloaded. Sync happens automatically when you're back online.
CarPlay and Android Auto?
Coming in v2 (late 2026). At launch, Byway runs beside your native Maps app in Companion Mode.
Creators & marketplace
Who can publish journeys?
Anyone on Voyager or Expedition. The marketplace is open to all paying members.
How do creators earn?
Creators set a price or leave journeys free. Byway takes a 30% platform fee (70/30 creator split); the rest goes to the creator, paid monthly via Stripe.
Can I publish narrations?
Yes. Human-voice narrations are a premium product on the marketplace. Voice packs and personality-driven narration are on the roadmap.
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 at launch. Spanish, French, Italian, and German follow in v1.5. Machine translation covers the rest.
Can I pick a different narrator voice?
Yes. Byway ships with a handful of AI voices and human storytellers. More voice packs will be purchasable in-app.
Still stuck? Email contact@byway.llc and a human will get back to you.