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Mark Hinchliffe·
Gear/accessoriesTechnology
··13 Comments·2 min read

Wolf Pack app aids group riding

https://youtu.be/R0m7ZAji5a0


Have you ever wanted to organise your own wolf pack ride or find a group social ride you can join and not have to worry about people getting lost or split up?

Now this free new Wolf Pack app for Androids and iOS makes all of that a breeze. Download the app here.

The app promises to allow you to create a route, invite friends and then keep track of them on the ride and even send messages within the group.

Or you can find nearby rides, join them and the app will then guide you to the start of the ride and hook you up with the other riders for tracking and communication purposes.

The idea of being able to track riders makes a group ride safer. If someone wanders off or – heaven forbid – rides off the road into the forest, you will be able to track them.

There are other tracker devices out there you can use that will have greater reach in remote areas, but this ties a lot of social features together in one neat package.

At zilch cost, it’s certainly worth giving Wolf Pack a go.

However, it should be noted the app uses your GPS to provide navigation so it can limit your smartphone’s battery life.

When the Wolf Pack makers asked us to review their app we were enthusiastic. However, it just didn’t work on an iPhone in any southern hemisphere countries.

We liaised with Wolf Pack CEO Jonathan Chashper until the problem was sorted in a couple of days.

“We found the problem; my iOS developer blocked all locations with negative coordinates basically, blocking out the southern hemisphere,” Jonathan says.

They submitted their fix to Apple for approval and it is now working just fine in every country, north or south of the equator. And it’s easy and intuitive to use.Wolf Pack app

Not only that, but they have already updated the first version and fixed a few other teething issues. 

New Wolf Pack features include being able to see your lifetime pack and run activity and view details from other users by pressing on their profile image.

They’ve also added the option to set distances in miles or kilometres and the clock to 12h/24h formats.

It’s good to see they are on the ball to offer new functionality and fix any bugs users might find.

While some may say it’s all too technical, a dangerous distraction and spoils a good ride, others will appreciate the added security it offers.

Also, it should be noted that the message facility allows you to send quick, predefined messages to the pack with just a couple of taps of your finger. Ideally, you would do this when stopped!

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Mark Hinchliffe
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13 Comments

    1. Hi Robert,
      I doubt all functions, such as messaging would work without a data plan, but the GPS should still work.
      I’ve asked Jonathan to reply to you.
      Cheers,
      Mark

  2. Robert. Hi

    The App will not allow you to see maps if you do not have a data plan, as the maps are downloaded over the data plan.

    Once google allows us to download maps it will work offline – till then, unfortunately we wont be able to.

    1. I realise that just the using of this app require a data plan but for those with a limited data budget, you can currently selectively save a google maps offline data cache of any area while using “Maps”.
      Are you saying the app requires its own cache?

  3. Also remember that if you use an app like this and someone has an accident, rest assured the police will get hold of the data and if they find ANYTHING untoward, tickets and/or charges will ensue.

    1. Timmy,

      Using WolfPack is not different than using any other app for navigation (ex. Google Maps) and WolfPack actually makes it safer since you see you entire pack without the need to touch the screen.

      Wolfpack was designed by bikers for bikers, so, safety was key for us.

      Even sending one of the messages to the rest of the pack only takes 2 touches on the screen (we do not allow typing when on a ride).

      So, using the WolfPack should make your ride safer.

      1. That’s a great response, Jonathon, those sales and marketing courses must be paying off. My point still stands though. In the event of an accident the police will seize the data and use it against you and anyone else they can.

        I never said this was unique to ‘Wolfpack’. Just because your software has the same flaws as everyone elses doesn’t negate the fact the flaw exists.

  4. Glen,

    You can download maps offine with Google Maps, but, this feature is not available outside of Google Maps, this is why other apps, such as WolfPack cannot do that.

    Further more, without a data plan, you won’t be able to see other riders or message them, so, yes, you do need a data plan, Even though the actual usage of the data is minimal (works even on 2.5 networks), you do need it.

    Jonathan

  6. I don’t like using my phone while riding. I do a lot of group riding and we use cb’s and hand signals gps routes through ride planner are downloadable to my gps and when we ride (which is almost every weekend) it’s all pre arranged. We meet at a predetermined time and place and ride. I get pissed when I see drivers in cages using their cell phones so for me it would be hypocritical to use this app.

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