Privacy Policy · Last updated November 2, 2026 (social features added)
NeonRoute (the website at neonroute-5ea.pages.dev and the NeonRoute Android app) is operated by Meridian Apex Horizon, 8 Fairmont St, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. This policy explains what information NeonRoute uses, why, and what choices you have.
NeonRoute asks for your device location to show where you are on the map, give turn-by-turn directions, reroute, show your speed and find things to do nearby. For navigation, your location is used on your device. It is not saved to our servers.
To draw maps, search places and calculate routes, the app sends map areas, search words and route start and end points to the map and routing services we use: OpenFreeMap (map tiles), Photon by Komoot (search) and OSRM / Valhalla (routes). Those services receive your device's IP address like any website does. We do not send them your name.
You can turn location off at any time in your phone or browser settings. The map still works, but directions and nearby features will not.
Sharing is optional and is Hidden by default, which means nobody can see you. You can choose:
You must agree on screen before sharing starts. While sharing is on and the app is open, your location (rounded to about 1 meter), heading, chosen display name and group code are sent about every 10 seconds. Each update is stored only temporarily and is automatically deleted 2 minutes after your last update. We do not keep a history of where you have been. A random key stored on your device identifies your entry; we store it only in a scrambled (hashed) form. Group codes are never shown to other users.
Tap Stop or choose Hidden to stop sharing. Because of how our storage updates, your marker may stay visible to others for up to about a minute after you stop. Sharing does not run when the app is closed.
Live locations, likes, comments, check-ins, follows, points, posts, group rides, safe walks, SOS alerts, blocks and reports about content are stored on Cloudflare (our hosting provider) in a database we control. Your account on NeonRoute is a random key created on your device; we only store a scrambled (hashed) version of it. You choose a display name and an emoji avatar; you do not need to give your real name, email or phone to use these features.
When you follow a person or an event, we store that connection so we can show you in-app notifications about their posts, check-ins and reports, or new events nearby. People you follow can see that they have a new follower. Notifications are kept for 7 days. Points for reporting, commenting, checking in and posting are stored with your display name and the area of your last activity so we can show a weekly leaderboard of people nearby; weekly scores are removed after about a month.
These only work inside a group you created or joined with a group code. A group ride shares the leader's destination with the group for up to 6 hours. Safe walk home tells your group you are walking and roughly how long it should take; if you do not tap "I'm home" in time, your group gets an alert with your last shared spot. SOS immediately sends your current spot to your group's notifications. NeonRoute is not an emergency service and cannot contact 911 for you; in an emergency, call 911.
The heat map shows where many people are sharing publicly or posting, grouped into areas of roughly 150 meters. It never shows private or hidden users and does not show who anyone is. Campus mode saves the school you pick on your device only.
You can block a person so you no longer see each other's live location, posts or comments, and report a post, comment or person. Reports are stored so we can review them; content reported by several people is hidden automatically, and we may remove content or block access that breaks the rules. You can set a home privacy zone: live sharing pauses while you are within about 300 meters of the spot you set. The zone is stored only on your device.
Paid event boosts are not available yet. If we boost an event, it is marked "Boosted". No payment is collected for boosts at this time.
Neon is an optional assistant inside NeonRoute. Simple commands (for example "report police", "next song", "drop a pin", "cruise on") are handled on your device and are not sent anywhere except the action itself (for example, the road report). Other questions are sent to our server and processed by Cloudflare Workers AI to create a reply. What is sent is: what you typed or said, your chosen voice style, whether you are moving, and a short summary of what is around you (nearby place names and distances, road reports, events, your group members' names and distances if they share with you, the current song, and the names of places you asked Neon to remember). Your exact coordinates are not sent with these questions. We do not keep these conversations after the reply is made, except a short per-device counter used to limit how many questions each device can ask.
"Hey Neon" in the Android app is off until you turn it on. While it is on and the app is open on screen, the app uses your phone's built-in speech recognition to listen for "Hey Neon". Depending on your phone, that speech service may be run by your phone maker or Google under their own privacy terms. Listening stops when you leave the app or turn it off. To avoid repeated beeps, the app may mute system sounds while it is listening and turns them back on when it stops. In the website, Neon only listens when you tap the microphone.
Neon memory (home, work, favorite places, usual places and music you mentioned) is stored only on your device. Clearing the app's data or your browser's site data deletes it.
Neon can make mistakes. Do not rely on it for emergencies. Voice SOS waits 5 seconds so you can cancel, and only reaches your group. Call 911 if you are in danger.
Songs you add from your phone are played on your phone only and are never uploaded. Radio stations are found through the free Radio Browser directory and streamed directly from each station, which receives your IP address like any website. YouTube videos play in YouTube's official player, and YouTube's privacy policy applies to that player. If you turn on "Show what I'm playing", the title of what is playing is shared with your live location and deleted with it. Truck size and hazmat settings are stored on your phone and sent with route requests to the routing service (Valhalla).
When you report traffic, police, an accident, a hazard, a closed road, construction or weather, the report type, its location, the time and any short note you add are shared with other NeonRoute users nearby. Reports expire automatically, from 45 minutes to 24 hours depending on the type. To prevent spam and duplicate reports we store a scrambled (hashed) code made from your device and IP address. We do not store your name with reports.
If you submit a business or event listing, we store what you enter: name, category, address and map location, description, phone, website, hours, ticket link, event times, an optional photo, and your email address. New listings stay pending until they are paid for or approved by us. Once live, listing details are shown publicly in the app. Your email address is not shown publicly; we use it only about your listing.
If paid listings are offered, payment is handled by Stripe. NeonRoute does not see or store your full card number. Stripe's use of your information is described in Stripe's privacy policy at stripe.com/privacy.
Your theme, voice and vibration settings, saved pins, recent destinations, the map view and your sharing choice are stored in your browser or app storage on your device. You can clear them by clearing the app's or site's data.
We may share information only if the law requires it or to protect the safety of people using NeonRoute.
NeonRoute is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect their personal information.
You can stop sharing, turn off location and ask us to remove a listing or any information about you. If we change this policy, we will update the date at the top of this page.
Meridian Apex Horizon
8 Fairmont St, Cambridge, MA 02139
Phone: (857) 520-3500
See also Support.