Privacy and limits
How NavGate stores local data, uses online providers and optional photo or crash features, and communicates its current navigation limits.
Updated 1 November 2026 Development manual
What lives on the phone
Saved places, recents, personal itinerary records, trip-related state, caches, and preferences are held in local app storage. The current navigation flow does not require a cloud account. Downloaded map packs and routing files also occupy the phone’s storage.
- Use the app’s controls to manage saved records and downloaded data.
- Clearing Android app storage or uninstalling can remove local information. Do not assume account synchronization will restore it.
- The Android manifest disables application backup; that configuration is not an encryption or full-device privacy guarantee.
What online services receive
Providers can also observe connection metadata such as the requesting network address. Local storage does not make online search, routing, or downloads private to the device. The app’s optional online-photo lookup preference is off by default in the inspected configuration.
| Feature | Information needed by its provider |
|---|---|
| Photon search | Search text; nearby category requests also include a location coordinate |
| Valhalla routing | Route endpoints and selected routing options |
| Map display and downloads | Requests for map areas, tiles, fonts, and style resources |
| Optional place-photo lookup | The selected place’s coordinates sent to Wikimedia Commons |
| Optional street-level imagery | An area around the place sent to Panoramax and, when configured, Mapillary |
Camera and diagnostics
The camera guidance path processes camera frames on the phone. Camera access is separate from online place and image discovery. A camera overlay is not a statement that obstacles have been detected or that the surrounding street has been verified.
- A technical crash report can be kept locally after a failure and shared through an explicit action.
- Automatic crash posting requires both an opted-in setting and a report endpoint configured in the build. That setting is off by default.
- Review material before sharing diagnostics. Build configuration and installed behavior can differ from this development snapshot.
Current navigation boundaries
- AR placement, outdoor tracking, interrupted trips, background reliability, battery use, and thermal behavior require continued physical validation.
- AR and Live view are walking presentations. They are not driving AR or headset VR.
- Map and routing coverage are separate. Installed files do not establish complete coverage of a long or cross-region journey.
- Route estimates do not include live traffic; public service availability is not guaranteed.
- Building extrusions depend on supplied map geometry. They do not provide detailed building models, indoor positioning, or indoor routing.
- Mapped routes may not reflect temporary closures, legal access changes, construction, or conditions you encounter. Use local signs and real surroundings when making decisions.
Website simulation and source licensing
The website’s simulated route and phone controls use illustrative local fixtures. They do not request device location, open the camera, speak instructions, or call a live routing provider. Opening GitHub or another external link takes you to that service.
NavGate’s original source is licensed under AGPL-3.0-only. Third-party software and data keep their own notices and terms. OpenStreetMap data attribution and licensing, GeoNames attribution, and individual image credits remain relevant when redistributing assets.
Source basis
This guide describes development source reviewed on 1 November 2026. The Android working tree contains changes beyond the public revision; repository links are reference locations and may show an earlier implementation. An installed build may differ.