Does DriveBattle use Google Maps?

No. The map is based on OpenStreetMap data and comes from DriveBattle's own map servers. You send a place from Google Maps to DriveBattle with Share, and the app opens the route preview.

Does push run through Firebase or Google?

No. A notification service that DriveBattle runs itself delivers push messages from DriveBattle servers.

Does Google get my location?

According to the privacy policy, DriveBattle does not send location or ride data to Google, Mapbox, Firebase or comparable advertising and analytics services. The positioning itself runs through the location services of Android on your phone.

Which third parties still appear?

TomTom for traffic data, Cloudflare for delivery and bot protection at registration, Anthropic for automatic support replies, Migadu for system emails, the OpenStreetMap Foundation as the fallback of place search, and Google Play for buying Premium.

Where are the servers?

The website and the app backend run on our own servers in Germany. Cloudflare delivers them through its network.

Is this a Premium feature?

No. The own infrastructure applies to all users. Premium covers single features such as offline maps or the traffic colouring.

No big-tech services: maps, routing and push from our own servers

DriveBattle for Android shows the map from its own map servers, calculates routes on its own servers or on your phone, and delivers push messages through a service it runs itself. Google Maps and Firebase are not built in. The app does not work entirely without third parties. They are listed below and in the privacy policy.

Map from our own map servers

The map is based on OpenStreetMap data and comes from DriveBattle's own map servers. The app does not load tiles from Google or Mapbox. The website's fonts also sit on our own server, and Google Fonts is not used.

Routing and elevation data

Our own routing server calculates routes. With Premium, a routing engine also calculates on your phone once a country pack is downloaded, and navigation keeps running without a network. The terrain heights behind your elevation gain come from data on our own infrastructure.

Push without Firebase

Push messages come from a notification service we run ourselves (ntfy) on DriveBattle servers, not from Firebase Cloud Messaging and not from Google. Each user has their own random topic. For this the app keeps a permanent connection in a foreground service. You switch off each type of notification separately under Settings, Notifications.

Place search starts on our own server

Place search first asks a local place index on the DriveBattle server. Only when it finds nothing does the server pass the search term on to Nominatim, the search service of the OpenStreetMap Foundation. Nominatim does not see your IP address, because the request starts at the server.

No analytics or advertising services in the app

The app has no third-party analytics or advertising services built in. Error reports (error message, app version, your user ID if applicable) go to our own server and are deleted after 90 days. The website's analytics run with Umami on our own servers in Germany. Session replays only load after you agree in the banner.

Where third parties still appear

The privacy policy names the exceptions. TomTom (Netherlands) supplies traffic reports and, with Premium, the traffic colouring of your route. The request starts at the DriveBattle server, without your IP address and without an account ID. For reports the server sends a rounded map section, for the colouring up to 60 points of your planned route. Cloudflare (USA) delivers the website and backend and checks on registration on the website whether a human fills in the form. Claude from Anthropic (USA) answers support requests first, without your email address, your password and your GPS tracks. Migadu (Switzerland) sends system emails.

What comes from Google on your phone

The app gets your position through the location interface of Google Play services on your phone. According to the privacy policy, DriveBattle does not send location or ride data to Google. You buy Premium through Google Play, and Android Auto is Google's platform for the car.

Read it yourself

The privacy policy names each service on its own: hosting, push notifications, place search, traffic data, automatic support replies and error reports. The controller is CybeLabs UG (haftungsbeschränkt) in Monheim am Rhein.

Frequently asked questions

Does DriveBattle use Google Maps?: No. The map is based on OpenStreetMap data and comes from DriveBattle's own map servers. You send a place from Google Maps to DriveBattle with Share, and the app opens the route preview.
Does push run through Firebase or Google?: No. A notification service that DriveBattle runs itself delivers push messages from DriveBattle servers.
Does Google get my location?: According to the privacy policy, DriveBattle does not send location or ride data to Google, Mapbox, Firebase or comparable advertising and analytics services. The positioning itself runs through the location services of Android on your phone.
Are trackers or advertising services built in?: Not in the app. Error reports go to our own server and are deleted after 90 days. The website's analytics run with Umami on our own servers, and session replays only after you agree in the banner.
Which third parties still appear?: TomTom for traffic data, Cloudflare for delivery and bot protection at registration, Anthropic for automatic support replies, Migadu for system emails, the OpenStreetMap Foundation as the fallback of place search, and Google Play for buying Premium.
Where are the servers?: The website and the app backend run on our own servers in Germany. Cloudflare delivers them through its network.
Is this a Premium feature?: No. The own infrastructure applies to all users. Premium covers single features such as offline maps or the traffic colouring.