Feature
Live map
A full-bleed map that follows the vehicle, with a keyless default provider, an optional Google Maps provider on your own key, and self-healing when the network drops.
The dashboard background is a live map that fills the whole display and follows the vehicle. Every card, the clock, the speed readout and the dock float above it, so the map is never hidden behind a separate screen.
Two map providers
- OpenStreetMap (default). OpenStreetMap data rendered through the keyless OpenFreeMap service. It works out of the box: no account, no API key, no sign-up.
- Google Maps (optional). Roadmap, satellite, hybrid and terrain map types with a traffic overlay. The provider activates when you enter a personal Google Maps Platform API key under Settings → Map. Usage bills the key owner’s own Google Cloud account; Femto Car Launcher adds no fees and never sees the key beyond passing it to Google. The Google Maps provider is not offered in the territories on Google’s Prohibited Territories list; the default provider is unaffected. See the terms for the details that apply to each provider.
Bring your own style
The OpenStreetMap provider can load any hosted MapLibre style you name (Settings → Appearance → Map color → Custom style URL), including a style from a provider whose key rides in the URL. The map then shows that style’s own credits. If you only want a mirror of the default provider’s layout — a tile server closer to you, or one you run yourself — use the separate tile-host override under Settings → Map.
A car-navigation camera
- The camera follows the GPS position with smooth easing and keeps the direction of travel pointing up. A north-up mode is one tap away.
- A drag detaches the camera for free panning. It re-attaches by itself after a pause, or immediately when you tap the locate button.
- Zoom buttons and a compass sit at the screen edge, within reach of the driver on either side of the car.
Depth and style
Optional three-dimensional buildings and terrain relief add depth on the OpenStreetMap provider. Map colours can follow the launcher’s accent colour and the light / dark theme, or use the provider’s own styles unchanged.
Self-healing
A map that fails to load — an unstable link, a provider outage, a missing key — shows a clear notice inside the visible map area instead of a blank panel, and recovers on its own while the launcher is on screen: reloads retry with a capped backoff for as long as the map data stays out of reach, even while the device still reports a connection, and a reconnect after an offline period reloads the map at once, without any action from you. Behind another app the map waits: if a reload was due, it runs once when you return to the launcher. A request the provider answers with a refusal, such as a style address its server reports as missing or a rejected key, stops the retries after a few attempts. A failure that brings back no readable answer, such as a server name that does not resolve or a reply the map view is not allowed to read, looks like an outage and keeps retrying.