Stuck, confused, or holding a bug?
Start with the answers below. If your question isn't here, email us. A small team reads everything, and crashes get priority.
Email support
Include your device and what you were doing when it went sideways.
Getting started
Where do I get the app?
VeldGuide is in final review for iOS and will appear on the App Store shortly. Android follows after. If you want us to nudge you on launch day, email us.
What should I do before my trip?
Before you lose signal, open Settings in the app and download the offline pack. That's the whole checklist. If you're flying in, doing it on home wifi is faster than camp wifi, but camp wifi handles it too.
Does it work outside Kruger?
VeldGuide is built specifically for Kruger National Park: its roads, camps, gates and species. The field guide is still broadly useful in the Lowveld, but the map and gate times are Kruger's own.
The offline pack
How does the offline pack work?
One download puts the entire field guide on your phone, phone storage only, no signal required afterwards. You only need to download it once, though there's a fresh pack whenever the guide gets a meaningful update.
My pack seems out of date. How do I update it?
Open Settings in the app and download the pack again. It replaces the old one. Sightings and weather need signal and always will; the guide is the part that travels with you.
Accounts
Do I need an account?
No. Reading the guide, using the map and checking the weather all work without signing in. An account is only needed to post sightings or send corrections, so we know who said so.
How do I delete my account and data?
In the app: Profile, then Delete Account at the bottom. Everything goes: your profile, your sightings, your uploaded photos. It can't be undone, and you'll be signed out on all devices. If you've lost access to the app, email us from your account address and we'll do it for you.
Sightings
Why isn't my sighting showing up yet?
Reports are reviewed before they appear publicly. That keeps the feed worth scrolling and keeps exact rhino locations out of circulation. Reviews are quick, but they happen when a human is awake.
What makes a good sighting report?
A species, a sensible pin, and a photo if you managed one. Rough locations for sensitive animals (rhino especially) are welcome in the app where they stay within the conservation review, but please keep exact spots out of public posts anywhere.
Data and corrections
I found a wrong fact in the guide.
Please report it. Every species and camp page has a Report a correction button, and corrections from rangers, guides and visitors get fixed and shipped to everyone. If it's awkward to write in the app, email us with the page name.
Can I reuse the guide's photos or text?
Not without asking, no. The guide is VeldGuide's own work, including licensed contributions. Email us with what you want to use and where, and we'll talk.
Privacy, briefly
What do you collect?
As little as possible: an email if you make an account, the content you post, and basic technical data needed to run the service. The full detail lives in the privacy policy.
How do I ask a privacy question?
Email support@veldguide.com with "Privacy" in the subject and it goes to the right person.