Online help for iCoyote 5.01 iPhone
Welcome to the Coyote Community, the club for those wanting to drive intelligently and share the desire for greater solidarity regarding the hazards of the road.
Coyote now comprises hundreds of thousands of users who inform and are informed of the road conditions in real time; who are seeking calmer and therefore safer driving.
By joining the Coyote Community you join a new driving philosophy, which benefits every day from the simplicity of information in real time.
This online help will support you in learning about iCoyote.
Coyote System, leader in real-time community road information, is providing iPhone owners with the iCoyote application.
***THE iCoyote APPLICATION INFORMS YOU***
- of fixed speedcam
- of mobile speedcams
- of accidents
- of traffic jams
- of Coyote scouts nearby
GPS test and positioning in your vehicle
The iPhone GPS is not yet as accurate as a stand-alone GPS. iCoyote helps you find the optimal position for your iPhone in your vehicle, to best pick up the GPS signals.
A 12V charger and a vehicle bracket are recommended in the event of prolonged use.
Upon switching on, the home screen displays the speed of your vehicle, as calculated by your iPhone’s GPS, and the quality of the GPS signal:
The GPS quality indicator is green if you can use iCoyote under current conditions. It is grey, red or yellow if the quality of the GPS signal is not sufficient for optimal use.
In the event of poor GPS reception for over 2 minutes, the below screen will appear and indicate the precision of the GPS signal.
In order to use iCoyote in your vehicle, you will need to place your iPhone by the central rear-view mirror or close to the side windows, in order to find a green GPS indicator.
By clicking on the “GPS” button, a GPS signal status screen will open. It will indicate your geographical coordinates (longitude and latitude), the precision of the GPS signal, the time elapsed since the last reception of Coyote data, the number of scouts, the version of the fixed speedcams database and the total number of fixed and traffic light speedcams in the current country. This information is updated every 5 seconds.
iCoyote requires GSM coverage (minimum Edge/2G) in order to receive information in real time.
The green indicator of the “Parameters” button indicates good coverage of the GSM network.
If the button is red, you are not covered by your operator and you will not receive the Coyote information in real time.
This screen displays when you are travelling in city mode (B road). In addition to displaying your speed, the screen displays the number of scouts around you.
iCoyote indicates the number of members of the Community currently present around you, every minute, within a dynamic radius of between 1 and 15 kilometres.
Every minute you will therefore have the true number of scouts present in the radius indicated.
This screen displays when travelling on a highway or motorway (A road) and presents 30km of information in front of you. In addition to your speed, the name of the road you are on and display of upcoming speedcams, the screen displays the number of scouts and their quality as scouts.
The two screens (City mode and Highway mode) allow you access to the “parameters” menu, to mute audible alerts, to report a real time alert (mobile speedcam, accident, traffic jam,) or to display map mode.
You can click on the speedcam icons to the right of the road. A pop-up will display and give you information on the upcoming alert (type of speedcam, speed limit, whether or not the speedcam is indeed on your named road, and its precise distance away from you)
The scouts are users of Coyote products who have observed in the last half hour the section of road you are currently using. The members of the Coyote Community count on you as much as you count on them to make your trips safer.
The distance from the first informant ahead of you is displayed (7km in the example). This information is updated every minute.
The scouts are displayed in the form of the Coyote logo. Those travelling in your direction are in green, and those travelling in the opposite direction are in yellow.
An option on the “Parameters” menu enables you to ignore all informants not travelling in your direction (they are currently behind you and have observed your road in the last half hour).
In city mode, the scouts around you within a dynamic radius (1km to 15km) are displayed by a central Coyote logo and by the number of scouts in the green box (12 scouts in the example).
The quality of the Coyote scouts
The stars displayed next to the number of scouts indicate the average confidence rating of the scouts in front of you that may indicate a speedcam or a traffic jam.
The creation of this rating is part of the philosophy of the Coyote Community.
The rating of each informant evolves. It is based on the frequency and the reliability of his or her participation.
The more the scouts participates, the more the rating increases!
Conversely, low or zero involvement in the Community will reduce the rating.
Therefore if you want to become a good scout, simply notify everything systematically and answer all questions asked on your route.
You can display a map which will give you the speedcam and traffic jams within a radius of 15km around you.
The map displays the number of confirmations for speedcam and traffic jam alerts.
This map allows you, for example, to anticipate and avoid roads that are too busy (the Coyote users will have notified traffic jams and they will be displayed very clearly on the map).
By default the map is centred on your position. You can move around on the map and zoom in and out.
The blue button enables you to re-centre the map on your position.
The orange button enables you to choose the level of zoom (500m, 1km, 5km, 10km), to display north at the top, to select the type of display (plan, satellite, hybrid), to enter a route or to use the “Where is my car?” function.
Important : This map mode uses a lot of data. You must check whether your mobile operator allows such usage.
Route calculation and Where is my car?
Map mode allows you two new functions:
- route calculation
- the location of your parked car with “Where is my car?”.
For the route, simply enter a departure and arrival address and click “Calculate route”.
A route and departure and arrival markers will be displayed on the map.
The practical “Where is my car?” function will enable you to find the place you parked your car.
To use this, before leaving your car click on “Where is my car?”, then “Park here”.
A green Coyote car will then be displayed on the map.
To find your car again, simply open iCoyote, go to map mode, “Where is my car?”, and click on “Route”.
When you approach a fixed speedcam, the screen below will display.
It shows you the permitted speed limit, the type of speedcam and the distance to the speedcam.
The alert screen allows you to turn off the audible alert for this speedcam by clicking on the “mute” icon.
You can also hide this alert by clicking on the centre of the window.
If you exceed the speed limit, the background to the screen will appear in red and the audible alert will become more insistent to attract your attention.
Lastly, you can change the alert distance and the type of alert (silent, audible or voice) using the “Parameters” menu.
IMPORTANT :: Our fixed speedcam database is updated every day.
When you approach a traffic light speedcam the screen below will display.
It shows you the type of speedcam and the distance to the speedcam.
Real time mobile speedcam alert
When you approach a mobile speedcam the screen below will display.
It shows you the permitted speed limit on this road, the distance to the speedcam, the time elapsed since its last confirmation of presence (or first notification), and lastly the number of confirmations for this alert.
As for a fixed speedcam, it is possible to mute the audible alert or visually hide it.
Confirming the presence of a mobile speedcam
When you pass a mobile speedcam already indicated, it is important to confirm its presence or disappearance to the Coyote users driving behind you. Every confirmation increases the duration of notification of the speedcam by one hour
The mobile speedcam confirmation screen is displayed for 20 seconds after you pass a notified mobile speedcam.
Please confirm its presence or disappearance by pressing the button in the given time.
Notifying a new mobile speedcam
To notify a mobile speedcam which is not yet indicated by iCoyote, simply press the right or left button at the bottom of the screen.
The right hand button (green) to indicate a mobile speedcam in your direction of travel, and the left hand buton (white) to indicate a mobile speedcam in the opposite direction.
You have 5 seconds to cancel an erroneous notification by simply pressing the button on the screen.
NB: you must be moving to notify a mobile speedcam.
A high risk area is a place where Coyote users have notified mobile speedcams in the last 3 months.
On approaching a high risk area, the screen below will be displayed. It presents the permitted speed limit, the distance to the area and the frequency of observation of mobile speedcams in the past (very frequent, frequent, infrequent).
As for fixed and mobile speedcam alerts, you can mute this alert.
It is of course possible to notify a new mobile speedcam when the high risk area alert is displayed.
The SOS, emergency help button is a new function which enables you to obtain information on your current location (address and GPS coordinates) and offers one button to quickly call the emergency services in the event of accident or force majeure.
To access this SOS button, simply press the central “warning” button at the bottom of the screen.
Then press the SOS button.
Notifying an accident or traffic jam
To notify an accident or traffic jam, simply press the central “warning” button at the bottom of the screen again and choose between “Accident” and “Traffic jam”.
You can cancel within 5 seconds.
Every notification of this type will be broadcast for one hour to iCoyote users driving in your direction.
The “Parameters” menu allows you to customise your iCoyote to your personal preferences.
Regarding alerts (fixed speedcam, mobile speedcam, high risk area, traffic jam and accident), you can:
- change the alert distances,
- select high risk areas by frequency,
- select the type of alert (off, beep or voice) for each alert.
NB: In order to reduce the risk of false alerts in dense areas, the alert distances of some fixed speedcams and some high risk areas have been fixed according to the type of road. You therefore cannot change these alert distances.
You can also:
- see your confidence rating
- activate night mode
- activate or deactivate the “GPS problem” screen
- activate the iPhone alert vibrate function
- display or ignore informants travelling in the opposite direction
- adjust the volume of alerts
- change your registration email
- access this help page
Multitasking and closing iCoyote
iCoyote is compatible with Apple iOS4 and its multitask mode.
You can launch several applications, while remaining informed of iCoyote alerts.
IMPORTANT: We recommend you leave iCoyote in the foreground and play your other applications (Navigation GPS, mail, Safari, etc.) in the background.
If you do not have iCoyote in the foreground you will not be counted as scout.
Furthermore, your confidence rating will not be able to be increased over time.
We invite you to join the Coyote Community for the good of all.
Closing the application:
In iOS 4.x, simply pressing the central Home button on your iPhone will not completely close the application (the same applies for all your applications).
To completely switch off the application:
- from the application press the Home button
- then double press the Home button
- click on the iCoyote application for 2 seconds
- close the application by clicking on the red button.
If the application is not completely switched off but left as background task, iCoyote will close automatically after 15 minutes without use (if not moving).
An “Application closing” message will be displayed on the screen.
You can use the iCoyote services while travelling on a motorbike.
For obvious safety reasons we advise you against notifying, confirming or denying an alert.
This is why when you choose to activate motorbike mode in the parameters you will no longer be counted as an scout. You can nevertheless benefit from the alerts of the Community.
A double audible operating beep is activated every 2 minutes to inform you that the application is working.
In order to save your battery, you can switch off your iPhone’s screen.
iCoyote is available in landscape mode for greater ease of use.
Simply tilt your iPhone to the right or the left to benefit from this.
Night mode means you won’t be dazzled if you drive in dark conditions.
You have two ways to access this mode:
- either go to parameters and check/uncheck the “night mode” option
- or, on the Home screen, slide from top to bottom.
iPod
player
You can launch iPod directly from iCoyote without quitting the application.
On the Home screen, sliding from right to left with your finger will allow you to create reading lists and listen to your music.
The pop-up will close automatically after 5 seconds.
In order to ensure responsibility of iCoyote users and maintain the quality of the database, a valid email address is necessary to register and use iCoyote.
The iCoyote application requires constant quality GPS reception and intermittent GSM reception (2G or 3G). Permanent GSM coverage is not necessary for the application to work.
Speedcam warning devices are prohibited in some countries. It is your responsibility to check whether the use of iCoyote is permitted in your country.
The iCoyote application consumes an average of 300 kb per hour in normal mode, 3 Mb per hour in map mode.
It is your responsibility to check the tariffs applied by your mobile operator.
For use overseas you must verify that the roaming data tariff practised by your operator is compatible with prolonged use of the application.
This is a list of the most common problems and solutions.
Problem: Registration email is requested upon each launch
Probable causes: You have not received an activation email. You have not clicked on the link in the activation email. The activation link is not an html link.
Solution: enter another email address where you can click on the activation link.
Problem: Change of your email address
Probable cause: You can no longer use the email address entered on the first installation.
Solution: Go to Tools. Select “registration email” and enter your new email address; confirm by pressing OK.
Problem: No GPS reception
Probable cause: GPS location is not activated in the iPhone.
Solution: Adjustments / General / Location service = 1
Problem: Yellow or orange GPS indicator: poor GPS reception
Probable cause: poor reception of GPS signals in this place.
Solutions: Test with iPhone fitted to a side window. Reboot the iPhone. Put the iPhone close to the central rear-view mirror (athermic windscreen).
Problem: Poor battery life
Probable cause: All iPhone functions are activated. iCoyote requires GPS and GSM to be active.
Solutions: Deactivate WiFi and Bluetooth. Connect the iPhone to a 12V plug in your vehicle.
If you can not find a solution to your problem, the Coyote customer service is available by email : icoyotefree@moncoyote.com
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Precautions for use
Positioning in your vehicle: You must place your iPhone in a place that does not obstruct your driving.
Road safety: In order to maintain your attention on driving your vehicle, avoid handling the iCoyote while you are driving. iCoyote is a driving assistant and does not encourage non-respect for the highway code.
"THE MORE COYOTES,
THE SAFER THE ROAD"
The Coyote™ and iCoyote™ logos and trademarks are registered trademarks of Coyote System. Coyote System reserves the right to change or modify these specifications at any time and without notice.