Traffic reports: jams, accidents and closures on your route

Markers along the route

Jams, accidents, roadworks and closures each have their own symbol on the map. You see them in the route preview and during navigation, including reports up to 1.5 km beside the route. An info button in the cockpit opens the legend.

Warning in the cockpit and by voice

If a report lies at most 3 km ahead on your route, the cockpit shows the type and the distance, for example “Traffic jam in 1.2 km”. The voice call comes once per report, as soon as it is less than 1.5 km away. If the app is speaking a turn instruction, the traffic call waits. It has its own switch in the voice settings, on by default. The speaker button in the cockpit mutes everything.

Only what lies on your route

The app only announces what follows your route. A closed motorway slip road, a side street or a roadworks access beside the route triggers no warning, and neither does a jam on the opposite carriageway. For point reports and reports shorter than 80 m the direction cannot be told reliably. There the app warns to be safe.

Closed road: the app reroutes

If the service reports a closed road at most 3 km ahead on your route, the app excludes it and recalculates. It does not avoid a jam by itself, because jams often clear. You avoid a jam with the block button. More on that under “Avoid road block”.

Routes by expected travel time

With the Fast and No highway profiles the app ranks the suggestions by expected travel time. The delay of reported incidents on a route is added to its travel time, so a jam-free detour can rank above the statically fastest route. The suggestion card shows the expected time and, when a delay is known, a badge such as “+N min traffic”. A report only counts if it follows the route. The Curvy profile ignores traffic on purpose, because there the ride is what counts. If the traffic service fails, the normal order stays.

In the car with Android Auto

In the car a report appears as an alert on the display: jams, accidents and roadworks once they are less than 1.5 km away, a closure right away. The alert stays about 10 seconds and shows once per report. For jams, accidents and roadworks it offers “Avoid”, for a closure it does not, because the app already avoids it. The car uses the same navigation as the phone.

Where the data comes from

TomTom supplies the traffic data (© TomTom). The request comes from the DriveBattle server, without your IP address and without an account ID, and carries a rounded map section instead of your exact position. The server keeps the answer in memory for at most 5 minutes, and the app does not store live reports offline. Without a connection there are no traffic reports.

What it costs

Traffic reports, the warning, the voice call and the ranking by travel time are not Premium features. Colouring the route by traffic is Premium and has its own page. Android Auto is Premium as a whole, and so is the alert in the car. During the beta everything is unlocked. After that Premium costs money, the purchase runs through Google Play and Google Play shows the price. This page describes the Android app.

Frequently asked questions

Does DriveBattle warn about traffic jams?

Yes. If a report lies up to 3 km ahead on your route, the cockpit shows it, and the app announces it once as soon as it is less than 1.5 km away. The voice call has its own switch.

Where does the traffic data come from?

From TomTom. The DriveBattle server queries the service, without your IP address and without an account ID.

How does the app rank routes when there is a jam?

With Fast and No highway by expected travel time, including the delay of reported incidents. The Curvy profile ignores traffic on purpose.

Do traffic reports work without a connection?

No. The app deliberately does not store live reports offline, so without a connection there are none.

Are traffic reports part of Premium?

No. Premium is colouring the route by traffic and Android Auto as a whole.