CapDrive Help

Last updated · September 24, 2026

CapDrive turns your iPhone into a driving instrument panel: speed, G-force, heading and driving events, recorded on your iPhone. Here are answers to common questions. If you can't find what you need, write to support@capdrive.app and we'll get back to you.

Getting started

Setting up

1. Open CapDrive, read the three introduction pages and tap Enter the cockpit.
2. When iOS asks, allow location access while using the app and leave Precise Location on. CapDrive needs your precise location to measure speed and recognize driving.
3. Fix the iPhone firmly in the car before you set off, and drive.

There's no start button. While CapDrive is open, it records by itself and shows data as soon as it recognizes that you're driving. CapDrive requires an iPhone with iOS 17 or later.

Mounting the iPhone

CapDrive measures the car through the iPhone's motion sensors, so the iPhone must not move relative to the car.

• Use a sturdy dashboard, windshield or air-vent mount that holds the iPhone without wobbling.
• Portrait or landscape both work. You don't need to tell CapDrive how the iPhone is mounted.
• Don't hold the iPhone or leave it loose on a seat, in a cup holder or on your lap.
• Place it where it doesn't block your view, the airbags or the controls, and follow local rules on where phones may be mounted.

Set up the mount and the app before you set off.

Permissions

CapDrive needs your precise location for speed, recognizing driving, the route and heading references, and your iPhone's motion data to measure acceleration, braking and cornering. Location access while using the app is enough: once recording has started, it continues in the background.

If something is missing, the dashboard shows Live readings are limited and lists what's wrong. Where the setting can fix it, tap Open Settings to go to CapDrive's page in the Settings app (or open Settings › Apps › CapDrive):

• Location is off: under Location, choose While Using the App. If Location Services are off for the whole iPhone, turn them on in Settings › Privacy & Security › Location Services.
• Precise Location is off: under Location, turn on Precise Location.
• Location is restricted on this device: location is limited by Screen Time or by a profile that manages the device. Check Settings › Screen Time, or ask whoever manages the device.
• Motion data is unavailable: motion data may be limited by device settings, for example under Settings › Privacy & Security › Motion & Fitness, or the iPhone's motion sensors may be unavailable. Close CapDrive and open it again after changing a setting.

The dashboard

What's on the screen

• The top bar has Edit on the left, and History (the clock) and Settings (the gear) on the right.
• Up to three instrument cards share the screen. Turn the iPhone to switch between portrait and landscape.
• The line at the bottom shows the driving status: Waiting to drive; keep the device steady until CapDrive recognizes that you're driving, then Driving.
• While you're driving, the buttons hide after a few seconds so the readings stay clear. A passenger can tap the screen to show them again.
• The screen stays on while CapDrive is open. CapDrive has no sounds or voice announcements.

Orientation recognition

Before it can show G-force, heading and driving events, CapDrive works out how the iPhone sits in the car, such as which way is forward. It does this by itself while you drive normally:

• Just drive. Speeding up, slowing down and turning give CapDrive the data it needs.
• A good GPS signal helps. Recognition is slower in tunnels, parking garages and between tall buildings.
• While it's recognizing, the outer ring of the G disc and the badge on the G bars show the progress, and the other cards show the current step. Progress can go back if the data doesn't agree.
• Speed and location don't depend on recognition. They appear as soon as GPS provides them.
• If the iPhone is moved or knocked in its mount, CapDrive pauses measuring and recognizes the orientation again once the iPhone is fixed and steady.

Instruments

Each kind of instrument comes in two styles:

• Speed (Digital speed, Arc speed): your speed from GPS. GPS · reduced accuracy appears when the GPS speed is less precise than usual.
• G-force (G disc, G bars): the force of accelerating and braking (forward and back) and of cornering (left and right), in G, in the car's own directions.
• Heading (Compass, Bearing readout): the direction the car is facing, with an error estimate. Until the orientation is recognized, the card shows the GPS Direction of travel instead while you're moving, marked GPS. In a slide, the direction of travel and the direction the car faces can differ.
• Events (Driving events · action, Driving events · live): the action in progress, or the current G, peak and duration.
• Location (Position map, Position coordinates): a map that follows your position, or latitude, longitude and accuracy.

Customizing the dashboard

1. Tap Edit, or touch and hold a card. The cards start to wiggle.
2. Drag a card to move it. Tap the × on a card to remove it; the last card can't be removed.
3. Tap + to open the instrument library, swipe through the styles and tap one to add it. You can have up to three cards.
4. Tap Done to save.

Only change the dashboard when you've parked safely, or let a passenger do it.

Driving events and scores

Events CapDrive recognizes

CapDrive recognizes these actions by itself: Acceleration, Braking, Left turn, Right turn, Drift, Hard launch (a hard start from a standstill) and Acceleration timing.

When an action is complete, a result appears at the bottom of the dashboard for a few seconds, with its duration, peak G and a Driving score. Actions still in progress don't show a result. Every result is saved with the trip.

If measuring is interrupted, for example because the iPhone moved, the stretch is marked as an Invalid interval and excluded from scoring and timing.

Acceleration timing

• CapDrive times 0–100 km/h, 100–200 km/h and 0–200 km/h from GPS speed. It measures these km/h intervals even when the app shows mph; 0–100 km/h then appears as 0–62 mph.
• For 0–100 and 0–200, the car must be completely stopped for at least a second before you start. 100–200 is timed whenever you accelerate through 100 km/h and on to 200 km/h.
• A run is discarded if the speed drops noticeably, the GPS signal is interrupted or GPS speed isn't accurate enough.
• The start is detected at 1 km/h, with no rollout, so times aren't directly comparable with manufacturers' figures.
• Only time a run where it's legal and safe, such as on a closed track.

Driving score

• Each complete action gets a score from 0 to 100 under a rule for that kind of action, such as how much of the target force was reached, how consistently and how completely. Once a target is met, harder or longer doesn't add points.
• Acceleration timing is scored against fixed time bands for each interval. When a time is within 5% of a manufacturer's published figure for a car, the result may say that it's comparable to that car. Manufacturers measure under different conditions, so this is only a rough comparison.
• A score describes the measured action, not your driving ability or safety. — means there wasn't enough valid data for a score.
• To see an event's details, move to it in the drive review: Events at this moment shows its measurements and score. When a timing run is compared with a car, View the official car reference opens the manufacturer's published figure.

Trips and recording

Automatic recording

CapDrive works like an instrument panel: there's no start, stop or pause button.

• While CapDrive is open, it's recording. The instruments wait for orientation recognition and show data once you're driving.
• Recording continues when you switch to another app or lock the screen, and iOS shows the location indicator in the status bar. When you come back, it's the same recording.
• If a sensor or saving error occurs, CapDrive goes back to waiting for recognition and tries again by itself.

When a trip ends

A trip ends and is saved to History by itself when:

• you haven't driven for 30 minutes (CapDrive then starts the next trip by itself);
• you close CapDrive in the App Switcher;
• location access stops working while CapDrive is in the background;
• a sensor or saving error occurs (CapDrive then starts recording again by itself).

Only the time CapDrive spent measuring is kept: a trip's figures, route and timeline come from the time after it recognized the orientation. If it never got that far, for example because the app was open but you didn't drive, nothing is saved.

Stopping recording

Once it has started, CapDrive keeps recording in the background, even when you're not driving. To stop it, open the App Switcher and swipe CapDrive up. The current trip is saved, and recording starts again the next time you open CapDrive.

Battery and heat

GPS, the motion sensors and the always-on screen use a lot of power. On longer drives, charge the iPhone in the car. Keep it out of direct sun: if the iPhone gets too hot, iOS may dim the screen, pause charging or limit some features until it cools down.

History and drive review

Viewing a trip

Tap History to see your trips, newest first, each with a route thumbnail and its start time. Tap a trip to open its Drive review:

• At the top, Estimated distance, Average speed, Top speed, Driving events, Driving time and Peak G sum up the trip. Average speed and Driving time leave out the time you were stopped.
• The map colors the route by speed, on the same scale for every trip, and shows it gray where no speed is available. Drag the dot along the route to pick a moment.
• Timeline: swipe along it to move through the trip; events are marked on it. Selected moment shows the speed, longitudinal and lateral G, pitch and roll at that moment, with Events at this moment below. Use Previous event and Next event at the bottom to jump between events.

A trip appears in History once it has ended.

Distance and speed

Speed comes from GPS. Distance is estimated from the GPS route, filled in with GPS speed where positions are too noisy or missing. Both are estimates and can differ from the car's speedometer and odometer; car speedometers often read slightly high.

Deleting a trip

In the drive review, tap More options (…), choose Delete trip and confirm. This deletes all of the trip's records and raw data, and it can't be undone.

Reporting a problem with a trip

If a trip's readings look wrong, open it, tap More options (…) and choose Report a problem. CapDrive writes an email to us with the trip's data attached as a ZIP file. Describe what happened and send it. Nothing is sent until you send the email yourself.

The attachment contains the trip's full recording, including its route with precise positions and times, so only send it if you're comfortable sharing that.

This needs an email account in the Mail app. If CapDrive shows Mail isn’t available, add an account in Mail, or write to support@capdrive.app from any email app (the trip data won't be attached).

Settings

Tap Settings (the gear) on the dashboard:

• Use miles per hour: shows speed in mph and distance in miles. Acceleration timing still measures the km/h intervals.
• Appearance: Follow system, Light or Dark.
• Language: Follow system, or one of CapDrive's 16 languages. The change applies right away. Follow system uses your iPhone's language, including a language chosen for CapDrive in the Settings app.

The app version is shown at the bottom of Settings.

Your data

Where is my data stored?

Only on your iPhone, in CapDrive's own storage. CapDrive has no account and no servers, and your trips aren't uploaded anywhere. Maps are provided by Apple Maps.

Backups and a new iPhone

Trip recordings aren't included in iCloud or computer backups, and CapDrive can't transfer them to another device. Setting up a new iPhone from a backup won't bring your trips over, and deleting CapDrive deletes all of its trips.

Do I need an internet connection?

No. Measuring and recording work without one. Maps need a connection to load; without one, route thumbnails show only the route line.

Privacy

Location and motion data are processed on your iPhone and stored there with your trips. We only receive data when you choose to send it, such as with Report a problem or by emailing us. The Privacy Policy explains the details. To make a privacy request, write to support@capdrive.app.

Safety and accuracy

• Set up the mount and the app before you drive, and don't operate CapDrive while driving. Let a passenger do it, or park safely first.
• Always obey traffic laws and speed limits. Only try hard acceleration, launches, timing runs or drifting where it's legal and safe, such as on a closed track.
• CapDrive's readings are estimates from the iPhone's sensors and GPS. They can be inaccurate or unavailable, and CapDrive isn't a certified measuring instrument. Don't rely on it for safety, legal, insurance or vehicle maintenance decisions. See the Terms of Use.

Troubleshooting

No speed or location

• Make sure location access is allowed with Precise Location on; see Permissions.
• GPS needs a clear view of the sky. After leaving a garage or tunnel, give it a moment.

Recognition takes a long time or keeps starting over

• Check that the iPhone is firmly fixed. A mount that wobbles keeps recognition from finishing.
• Drive normally, with some speeding up, slowing down and turns, where the GPS signal is good.
• After the iPhone has been moved, CapDrive has to recognize the orientation again.

The instruments show “Waiting for live data”

The sensors briefly stopped delivering data. CapDrive continues by itself when data returns. If the message stays, close CapDrive in the App Switcher and open it again.

A trip is missing from History

• A trip appears only after it has ended; see When a trip ends.
• A trip in which CapDrive never recognized the orientation isn't saved.

Contact us

Write to support@capdrive.app. It helps us reply faster if you include:

• what happened and the steps that led to it;
• the app version (shown at the bottom of Settings), your iPhone model and iOS version;
• how the iPhone was mounted, and roughly when the problem happened.

For a problem with a specific trip, use Report a problem so that the trip's data is attached. Never send us passwords or verification codes.