Question 1

What exactly is WayWhisper?

Accepted Answer

WayWhisper is a walking companion that plays audio narrations about the places around you as you move through a city. Open the app, walk down any covered street, and stories start playing — history, legends, architecture, local lore — triggered automatically by your GPS position, hands-free.

Question 2

Do I need to create an account?

Accepted Answer

No. Open the app and start exploring immediately — no account, no sign-up form, no email required. Creating an account lets you save places, track your history, and contribute stories, but it's entirely optional. All your saved places and preferences stay on your device even without one.

Question 3

Is there an app to download from the App Store or Google Play?

Accepted Answer

No download required. WayWhisper is a Progressive Web App (PWA) — it runs directly in your browser but feels and behaves like a native app. On mobile, tap your browser's "Add to Home Screen" option for one-tap access. No app store, no storage quota, no update prompts.

Question 4

Do I need headphones or earbuds?

Accepted Answer

Headphones or earbuds are strongly recommended — especially in busy streets or wind. The audio dock gives you full control over playback speed and volume. If you forget headphones, the speaker works fine in quieter areas.

Question 5

How does auto-play work?

Accepted Answer

When auto-play is enabled (You tab → Narration & Playback), WayWhisper detects when you're within 50 metres of a point of interest and begins playing automatically. You can pause or skip at any time using the audio dock. You can also adjust the discovery radius in settings.

Question 6

What's the difference between Concise, Standard, and Deep Dive narrations?

Accepted Answer

Concise is ~1 minute — a sharp, memorable fact you can absorb mid-stride. Standard runs 2–3 minutes with balanced context and story. Deep Dive is 4–6 minutes: the full picture, including architecture, anecdotes, hidden connections, and why this place still matters. Free users get unlimited Concise and 2 Standard per day. Premium unlocks all three without limits.

Question 7

How does WayWhisper know which narration to play based on my speed?

Accepted Answer

WayWhisper estimates the time you'll spend near a place based on your walking speed and the distance to your next point of interest, then selects the longest narration style that fits. Walking slowly through a square with 6 minutes to spare → Deep Dive. On a bus with 90 seconds between stops → Concise. Your depth preference is always the upper ceiling — it never plays longer than you want.

Question 8

How do walking routes work?

Accepted Answer

Routes are a Premium feature. Select a curated route from the Routes tab and tap "Start Walk". The route highlights a sequence of places on the map with a compass indicator showing direction and distance to the next stop. Narrations play automatically as you approach each waypoint. Use the Next/Prev controls in the audio dock to navigate between stops.

Question 9

Can I control playback speed?

Accepted Answer

Yes, with Premium. The audio dock includes a speed control (0.75×–1.5×). Free users play at 1.0× only. You can set your preferred default speed in You tab → Narration & Playback.

Question 10

Can I use it offline?

Accepted Answer

Yes. WayWhisper downloads city packs that include place data, narration text, and audio files. Once downloaded, you can explore that city fully offline — even in airplane mode. Go to Cities and tap the download icon next to a city. Free users can download one city; Premium unlocks all cities.

Question 11

How much storage does a city pack use?

Accepted Answer

City pack sizes vary by coverage density. Budapest (2,500+ places, full audio) is approximately 180–220 MB. Smaller cities like Győr are around 40–60 MB. Audio files use Opus codec for efficient compression without quality loss. You can remove packs any time from You tab → Offline Data.

Question 12

What do the coloured trust chips mean?

Accepted Answer

Each piece of content is labelled with a category that describes its nature — not whether it's "good" or "bad". Verified Fact (green) is backed by authoritative sources. Well Documented (blue) comes from reliable references. Community Fact (teal) is widely accepted local knowledge. Local Legend (purple) is traditional folklore or mythology. Personal Memory (amber) is a first-hand account. Insider Tip (gold) is a practical recommendation from someone who knows the area. Each chip also shows two dot ratings: factual accuracy and cultural richness.

Question 13

How do I know the narrations are accurate and not just AI hallucinations?

Accepted Answer

Every narration goes through automated fact-check verification against multiple independent sources before publication. The trust chip on each story tells you exactly what kind of source backs it — so you always know whether you're hearing a verified fact, a well-documented account, or a local legend.

Question 14

Is my location data private?

Accepted Answer

Yes. GPS processing happens entirely on your device. Your location is never sent to our servers. We don't build movement profiles, sell data, or use location for advertising. Your saved places and visit history stay local to your browser storage unless you explicitly export them.

Question 15

How do I save a place?

Accepted Answer

Tap the heart icon on any place card to save it to your collection. Find all your saved places in the Saved tab. Saved places are stored on your device and available offline. Free users can save up to 10 places; Premium users have no limit.

Question 16

Is my data private?

Accepted Answer

Yes. All preferences, saved places, badges, and visit history are stored locally on your device. No personal information is collected by default. You can export or clear all your data at any time from the You tab.

Question 17

How do I contribute a story?

Accepted Answer

Go to the Contribute tab from the bottom navigation. You can submit a new story for any place, suggest corrections to existing narrations, or share personal memories and insider tips. All submissions go through editorial review before publication. An originality hint is shown as you type to help ensure your contribution is unique.

Question 18

How do I switch between light and dark mode?

Accepted Answer

Go to the You tab and open the Appearance section. Choose Light, Dark, or Auto (follows your device system setting). Map tiles also switch to a dark tileset in dark mode.

Question 19

How does map pin clustering work?

Accepted Answer

When many places are close together, they're grouped into numbered clusters to keep the map readable. Tap a cluster to zoom in and see individual places. You can toggle clustering on or off and adjust the minimum cluster size in the You tab under Appearance.

Everything you need
to get exploring.

Getting started

Narrations & playback

Offline & cities

Trust & accuracy

Privacy & data

Contributing & community

Account & appearance

Still have questions?

Everything you needto get exploring.