Along

Question 1

What is Along?

Accepted Answer

Along is a social travel-intelligence platform that lets users share, verify, and discover transport routes in West Africa. Think of it as crowd-sourced transit info — real-time route updates, fare details, and community-verified travel intelligence.

Question 2

How do I sign up?

Accepted Answer

Click the 'Sign Up' button on the login page. You can register with your email address or use Google OAuth. After registering, you'll be able to follow other reporters, share routes, and earn trust badges.

Question 3

Is Along free to use?

Accepted Answer

Yes, Along is completely free for all users. We believe travel information should be accessible to everyone.

Question 4

How do I share a route?

Accepted Answer

Tap the 'Share Route' button from the navigation menu. Add your start and end locations, waypoints, fare details, transport mode, and any relevant photos. The more details you provide, the higher your post's quality score. You can park unfinished work with Save Draft and continue it later — reopening a draft lets you update it in place or save it as a new entry.

Question 5

How are routes verified?

Accepted Answer

Routes are scored by our ValidityEngine, which considers community feedback (likes/dislikes), route detail, corroboration from other users, and recency. Higher-scoring routes earn TrustBadges (Bronze → Platinum).

Question 6

Can I edit or delete a post?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Open the menu (⋯) on any of your posts — in the feed, on the post page, or on your profile — and choose Edit, Archive, or Delete. Destructive actions ask for confirmation first and can be undone. Edits may reset the recency component of your post's validity score, and a post's nature (route, request, or response) is always preserved through edits.

Question 7

What options are in the post menu (⋯) and who sees what?

Accepted Answer

Every post has the same menu (⋯) wherever you see it. Everyone gets Copy link to share and Report to flag a post for moderation (anonymous). On your own posts you additionally get Edit, Archive, and Delete. Likes, bookmarks, shares, and comments work from every view too.

Question 8

Why is the Share button disabled, or why did my route not publish?

Accepted Answer

The Share button stays disabled until each stop has a location and each fare is a single amount (numbers only, e.g. 450 — ranges like “400-500” aren't accepted). Titles need at least 5 characters. The final destination needs no fare or vehicle. If publishing fails, the modal stays open with your work intact and a note on what to fix.

Question 9

What happens to my draft if sharing fails?

Accepted Answer

Nothing is lost. Your input and any saved draft stay in place so you can fix the highlighted fields and try again. Drafts clear only after your post is confirmed published.

Question 10

How do I request a route?

Accepted Answer

Tap “Request a route”, describe where you're going from and to, add any stops you know and matching tags, then post. Your request appears in feeds with a Route request flag so the community can respond.

Question 11

How do I respond to someone's route request?

Accepted Answer

Open the request and tap “Respond to this request”. The composer opens with the request attached and your route picks up its tags automatically. Post it and the requester is notified.

Question 12

How do I know when my request gets a response?

Accepted Answer

You'll be notified as soon as someone responds. Responses are listed on the request with links to each response route.

Question 13

Why does my request show no map, fare, or trust score?

Accepted Answer

A request is not a route — it is a call for routes, so there is nothing to trace, price, or score yet. Maps, navigation guides, fares, and trust scores stay hidden on requests by design; they appear on the response routes the community posts for you.

Question 14

Who sees my route request — do they need to follow me?

Accepted Answer

Everyone — no follow needed. Requests appear in the Home feed, Explore, and search, and members are notified when you post one. People nearby may be notified first where location is available. You can tune what you receive in Notifications settings; guests need to sign in to request or respond.

Question 15

Is my location shared when I request a route?

Accepted Answer

No. Your location is only used to notify people nearby about your request — it is never shown to anyone else. If location isn't available, your request still reaches the whole community.

Question 16

How do I customize which notifications I receive?

Accepted Answer

Open the Notifications page and tap the settings (gear) icon. Switches cover requests, responses, likes, comments, mentions, follows, and rewards — everything is on by default, so just turn off what you don't want.

Question 17

How do I manage my profile photo / avatar?

Accepted Answer

Tap your avatar photo on your profile to preview it or open the avatar editor. Pick a style, type any word as the seed (the same word always gives the same avatar), try the ideas or Surprise me, then save. The same editor is also available from Edit Profile.

Question 18

My avatar looks stale on old posts. What gives?

Accepted Answer

If old posts still show a previous avatar, pull to refresh or reopen the tab — it updates shortly.

Question 19

How do I read the maps — tracings and pins?

Accepted Answer

The green line (tracing) is the route path connecting your stops in order. Numbered dots mark each stop — dot 1 is your origin and the last dot is your destination. The pulsing blue dot is your own live location.

Question 20

What do the yellow and red stretches on a route mean?

Accepted Answer

Yellow means medium traffic on that stretch, red means heavy traffic, and green means free flow. Tap the “i” icon on any route map to see the legend.

Question 21

Why does a route show a time range?

Accepted Answer

Totals show as a range (e.g. 62–75 min): the lower bound is the free-flow time and the upper bound adds expected traffic delays. Stretch times always add up to the header total — tap any stretch on the map for its share.

Question 22

How do I zoom and move the map on mobile?

Accepted Answer

Drag with one finger to move the map. Pinch with two fingers to zoom in and out, or double-tap to zoom in. Tap any numbered dot to preview that route, or use Expand for a full-screen view.

Question 23

Does Along work offline?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Pages, posts, routes, and maps you've already viewed stay available when your connection drops — including airplane mode. Cached content is labelled while offline; refresh when back online to stay updated.

Question 24

What can I do while offline?

Accepted Answer

You can revisit pages you've already opened and read loaded routes and posts. Anything needing the network — signing in, posting, uploads, live search — will ask you to try again when reconnected.

Question 25

I opened a page offline and saw the offline screen. What now?

Accepted Answer

That page wasn't opened while you were online, so it isn't available offline. The offline screen lists pages you can visit now — reconnect and open the page once to make it available next time.

Question 26

How do I install Along on my phone or computer?

Accepted Answer

Open Along in your browser and tap Install when offered; on iPhone use Share → Add to Home Screen. The installed app opens full-screen and works offline with your viewed pages.

Question 27

How do push notifications work?

Accepted Answer

Turn on push to get alerts for likes, comments, mentions, follows, responses, and rewards. You can switch it on or off anytime, including per-type in Notifications settings. Tapping a notification opens the related post or page.

Question 28

Will I be signed out if my network drops?

Accepted Answer

No. Going offline never signs you out — your session is preserved and restored when connectivity returns. You only need to sign in again if your session genuinely expired.

Question 29

Does the installed app update itself?

Accepted Answer

Yes. When a new version is ready you'll see a small Update notice — tap Update to apply it with a refresh, or Later to snooze it. Your session is kept, so you stay signed in.

Question 30

What are TrustBadges?

Accepted Answer

TrustBadges indicate the reliability of a route post. Levels range from Low → Developing → Verified → Trusted. Badges are earned through consistent, detailed, and well-received route sharing.

Question 31

How do reward points work?

Accepted Answer

You earn points for actions like creating posts, receiving likes, and getting bookmarks. Points determine your reward tier (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum), which unlocks perks and recognition in the community.

Question 32

How do I invite friends?

Accepted Answer

Go to the Invite page from your profile menu. You'll find a shareable invite link and code. When someone signs up using your invite, you earn bonus reward points.

Question 33

How do I leave a platform review?

Accepted Answer

Open your profile and switch to the Reviews tab. Pick a star rating (1–5), write a few words about your experience, and hit Submit. You can leave one review — submitting again simply updates it. Guests need to sign in first.

Question 34

What happens after I submit a review?

Accepted Answer

Your review goes into moderation (Pending) and becomes visible on the About page once approved. You'll receive an in-app thank-you notification as soon as it's submitted — no email, just a heads-up inside Along.

Question 35

Where can I read other people's reviews?

Accepted Answer

The About page shows community reviews, also shown on the landing and Invite pages. You'll occasionally see an invite to add your own.

Question 36

How is my data protected?

Accepted Answer

We comply with the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR). Your personal information is encrypted, never sold to third parties, and you can request data deletion at any time. See our Privacy Policy for details.

Question 37

How do I report inappropriate content?

Accepted Answer

Open the menu (⋯) on the post and choose Report, then pick a reason — the report goes straight to our moderation team and stays anonymous. You can also send extra context through the Contact page or file a platform issue via the Report Bug page. Admins review every report and notify you of the outcome.

Frequently Asked Questions

Getting Started

Routes & Posts

Route Requests

Profile & Avatar

Maps & Navigation

Offline & App

Trust & Rewards

Reviews

Privacy & Safety