Hands Free Traffic England
Free App
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About Hands Free Traffic England
Completely Hands Free!
Explanation of permissions:
Phone Calls (READ PHONE STATE AND IDENTITY) - The app requires the ability to see if your phone is ringing, and if so, to stop audio playback so you are not missing advisories, or hearing them while you are on the phone! This permission is bundled with "serial number and phone number of this phone" permissions, but NONE of this phone-identifying information is collected nor transmitted by this application.
Storage - The app needs to store and save your preferences so you have them loaded when starting up the app.
Your location - This allows the app to determine your location so you only receive advisories in your selected area.
Network Communication - This application uses the internet to get information on advisories and to fetch the files that you hear.
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Provided to you in association with the Highways Agency, you can listen to your phone play travel advisories near you. As you travel, it will automatically keep you updated with advisories that are nearby. You don’t need to register, you don’t need to sign up anywhere for anything. The app uses the phone’s built-in GPS to stream nearby alerts.
Turn it on before you leave and it will start talking when you are getting near a roadway problem. Alerts pause when you are on the phone, and pick up where they left off when you finish.
Note: The Highways Agency is responsible for operating, maintaining and improving England's motorways and all-purpose trunk roads (the major A roads). This app only contains information about the roads the Highways Agency manages.
How it Works
Start the application before starting your car. You will start to hear active Highways Agency advisories that are within your range. Now put down the phone and focus on driving. There is nothing you need to touch on the phone, and nothing you need to read on the phone. Completely hands-free.
The application will remain on while you drive, "broadcasting" any travel alerts for reported conditions within a set mile-range (that you can set for yourself) of your current location. Conditions will be broadcast once, and then the broadcast stream will go quiet until:
a. There is an update to an advisory in range, or
b. Until you have just come within range of another advisory or
c. A set time period has elapsed (that you get to set) and you want to re-hear all advisories that are still in range.
If you get a call or make a call while a travel alert is playing and do not have a mobile plan that allows simultaneous data and voice, the alert will pause, and will resume playing when the call has ended.
User Modifications Features/ Experience
You can modify several options such as the advisory replay interval and the range (in miles) for hearing advisories. These configurations are saved on your phone.
The application gives you audio player controls for Play, Pause, Stop, Skip, and Replay All.
You can manually request advisories to play by pressing the "play" button.
If the GPS signal is not available the device will utilize the highest precision location tool available (whether it be GPS or cell tower triangulation).
You do not need to register to use this app or to get these alerts. We don't get or record any identifying information about you or your phone. By default, you will be elected into reporting your device-determined speed along with your location to our servers, but you can elect to opt-out from within the application. You must opt-out of this selection each time the application is restarted.
The Technology
The application is based on Information Logistics’ patent pending "Open Microphone Platform", which is a queue-driven streaming technology platform used in combination with your phone's built-in GPS.
IMPORTANT - Please note that continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.
IMPORTANT - NON-GPS DEVICES This application will have some limited functionality on these devices.
Explanation of permissions:
Phone Calls (READ PHONE STATE AND IDENTITY) - The app requires the ability to see if your phone is ringing, and if so, to stop audio playback so you are not missing advisories, or hearing them while you are on the phone! This permission is bundled with "serial number and phone number of this phone" permissions, but NONE of this phone-identifying information is collected nor transmitted by this application.
Storage - The app needs to store and save your preferences so you have them loaded when starting up the app.
Your location - This allows the app to determine your location so you only receive advisories in your selected area.
Network Communication - This application uses the internet to get information on advisories and to fetch the files that you hear.
--
Provided to you in association with the Highways Agency, you can listen to your phone play travel advisories near you. As you travel, it will automatically keep you updated with advisories that are nearby. You don’t need to register, you don’t need to sign up anywhere for anything. The app uses the phone’s built-in GPS to stream nearby alerts.
Turn it on before you leave and it will start talking when you are getting near a roadway problem. Alerts pause when you are on the phone, and pick up where they left off when you finish.
Note: The Highways Agency is responsible for operating, maintaining and improving England's motorways and all-purpose trunk roads (the major A roads). This app only contains information about the roads the Highways Agency manages.
How it Works
Start the application before starting your car. You will start to hear active Highways Agency advisories that are within your range. Now put down the phone and focus on driving. There is nothing you need to touch on the phone, and nothing you need to read on the phone. Completely hands-free.
The application will remain on while you drive, "broadcasting" any travel alerts for reported conditions within a set mile-range (that you can set for yourself) of your current location. Conditions will be broadcast once, and then the broadcast stream will go quiet until:
a. There is an update to an advisory in range, or
b. Until you have just come within range of another advisory or
c. A set time period has elapsed (that you get to set) and you want to re-hear all advisories that are still in range.
If you get a call or make a call while a travel alert is playing and do not have a mobile plan that allows simultaneous data and voice, the alert will pause, and will resume playing when the call has ended.
User Modifications Features/ Experience
You can modify several options such as the advisory replay interval and the range (in miles) for hearing advisories. These configurations are saved on your phone.
The application gives you audio player controls for Play, Pause, Stop, Skip, and Replay All.
You can manually request advisories to play by pressing the "play" button.
If the GPS signal is not available the device will utilize the highest precision location tool available (whether it be GPS or cell tower triangulation).
You do not need to register to use this app or to get these alerts. We don't get or record any identifying information about you or your phone. By default, you will be elected into reporting your device-determined speed along with your location to our servers, but you can elect to opt-out from within the application. You must opt-out of this selection each time the application is restarted.
The Technology
The application is based on Information Logistics’ patent pending "Open Microphone Platform", which is a queue-driven streaming technology platform used in combination with your phone's built-in GPS.
IMPORTANT - Please note that continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.
IMPORTANT - NON-GPS DEVICES This application will have some limited functionality on these devices.
All Application Badges
Free
downl.
downl.
Android
4.1+
4.1+
Bug
buster
buster
Android app
App History & Updates
What's Changed
Multiple crash fixes and other bug fixes
Multiple crash fixes and other bug fixes
Version update Hands Free Traffic England was updated to version 1.50
Version update Hands Free Traffic England was updated to version 1.41
Version update Hands Free Traffic England was updated to version 1.35
Version update Hands Free Traffic England was updated to version 1.33
What are users saying about Hands Free Traffic England
W
by W####:
by W####:
Not giving correct info . Sat in traffic stationary yet tells you problem is in other dirction on m25 Paid version...to remove hands free UK Welcome speech. Add en route warning by choosing a destination
J
by J####:
by J####:
Ok app
Q
by Q####:
by Q####:
Not bad. Shame android users only have this app whilst iphone users have the other agency app as well.
K
by K####:
by K####:
This app is pathetic. Motorists are inconvenienced by road works and road closures every day and Highways England can only provide an app that gives information about ALL routes. We are all on specific routes and I know we cannot be provided with information on all classification of roads but we should be able at least to specify which Motorways and A-Roads we require information about and shut out all the information about all other roads which are irrelevant to us whilst on a specific journey
K
by K####:
by K####:
Used to be good, but it seems that the highway agency have changed their announcements and this app doesn't deal with the new announcement format very well. Also noticed that in the last month or so, the announcements are out-of-date. Is this app now effectively dead?
M
by M####:
by M####:
Just tried this app and I'm impressed. Will definitely be using this to ascertain over a longer period but so far it's looking great
K
by K####:
by K####:
Total rubbish, waste of time , normally wrong information, and living in the Midlands with all our roadworks it doesn't shut up, would be much better if you could turn info in roadworks what have been ongoing for 2 years off
K
by K####:
by K####:
Works okay
M
by M####:
by M####:
Useful
N
by N####:
by N####:
Not giving correct info . Sat in traffic stationary yet tells you problem is in other dirction on m25 Paid version...to remove hands free UK Welcome speech. Add en route warning by choosing a destination
O
by O####:
by O####:
Ok app
R
by R####:
by R####:
This is a good idea, poorly implemented and with inaccurate data making it of not much use. On-screen controls are fiddly, the standard "menu" function (bottom left) is missing, and the "quit" function (bottom right) requires an additional (small) button press in the centre of the screen. This app will happily tell you there are "minor delays" caused by a single lane closure when in fact the whole motorway is closed and this is shown on the main HA website.
Q
by Q####:
by Q####:
Blue Tooth
U
by U####:
by U####:
Would give this app 5 stars except I have to keep restarting it (haven't worked out a time scale yet, could be my phone turning it off through inactivity) but looks like its working in the background however its not (Samsung S4). The only other thing that lets this app down is the information from the HIGHWAYS AGENCY, it's been telling me for the last 2 weeks that the M48 is closed between Junctions 1&2 due to an incident but the Matrix signs have only shown this info 3 times in the same period, due to another diversion off the M5 (not mentioned by this app) I have driven past this area twice, once with the app and matrix saying it's closed and it was, the other only the app saying it was closed and it was open. last week the app insisted on telling me about likely delays at Junction 1 on M5 due to a football match, it had the info in 2 parts one for the travel to the match and then possible problems in the opposite direction after the match all made perfect sense except that the match had finished some 4 hours previously and obviously started 2 hours before that. However when stopped in traffic due to an accident that had just happened the app did tell me about it within 5 mins.
U
by U####:
by U####:
I had no problem with the installation and running of this app, it was stable and worked perfectly for me. However because there is no ability to tell it where you are going (defining a route) you get alerts from the nearby area several of which are not relevant to the journey you're on (especially true when driving near the M25 in rush hour). I also seemed to get the same alerts more than once which was a bit annoying as was the periodic "advert" reminder to plan my route beforehand. If I could see the text alerts, be able to define a route, and also see traffic cameras along the route then it would be considerably improved. Final killer for me was that I couldn't move the app to my SD card, it was locked to my phone's memory which is very limited so I sorry it had to go.
U
by U####:
by U####:
Good app, but keeps shutting off. Plz fix then I rate 5 stars easily :-)
U
by U####:
by U####:
Not bad. Shame android users only have this app whilst iphone users have the other agency app as well.
U
by U####:
by U####:
My location kept reverting to my original start point and did not follow my vehicle movement; when it did it was about three miles in error off the road. In the main it kept repeating my home location traffic events, so for safety reasons - it was requiring constant keypad use - I've uninstalled it. Hopeless.
Y
by Y####:
by Y####:
Not bad, front end needs work, but it does the job !
N
by N####:
by N####:
Great app, I found it just in time for the Olympics!
B
by B####:
by B####:
Contrary to other reviews, I've found it to be very accurate and useful. Traffic has started moving again when App said it would. Could probably be improved by allowing users to put in a planned journey.
N
by N####:
by N####:
Not bad. Shame android users only have this app whilst iphone users have the other agency app as well.
P
by P####:
by P####:
don't tell a lot, and when it does happen this app says nothing
N
by N####:
by N####:
Wish there was a paid version to remove the advertisements.
N
by N####:
by N####:
According to this app the rush hour on M6 around Birmingham is no delay the signs saying long delays were I'm queuing are saying accident yet this claims everything is a okay don't use it its pathetic.
P
by P####:
by P####:
The latest update seems to have fixed problems on my new Samsung. Worked fine on old droid... now works fine on this one too. Like the action bar
N
by N####:
by N####:
The latest update did not install on the Wildfire S in spite of the fact that there is 13Mb of available memery. The previous version installed OK and was very useful. Removed Google Maps and it installed. Reinstalled Google Maps and it worked OK. Takes up about 2Mb when installed.
N
by N####:
by N####:
Crashes, too much repetition. Easier (and actually less distracting) to bookmark the HA website! Uninstalled.
N
by N####:
by N####:
Nice idea and would be useful if it didn't fail with a "stopped"message after 15-20 mins. Initial read out of traffic news is good. Samsung galaxy note ICS 4.04
N
by N####:
by N####:
Thanks for fixing permissions issue.
N
by N####:
by N####:
however... A, It has adverts.. annoying, and B, its not very up to date.. It's in association with (and promoted by) the Highways Agency, and yet there's currently 4 alerts for the immediate area (I'm near the M62) and the app is showing and warning of.. 0 Seems like it would/could be very good.. But appears to be pretty useless at the minute.
N
by N####:
by N####:
There's a serious accident on the M62 at the moment which has it closed in both direction, and it has been like that for a while. This app told me nothing about that, and it did not even appear on the map. Bit of a waste of time. The BBC website is WAY better.
by T####:
Doesn't seem to want to initialize with server. Not working at present and no longer supported by all accounts. Galaxy S7 edge - latest Dec 2017 firmware.