My Reporter: user guide#

Version 0.4.0 for Android and 1.1 for iPhone, October 2026

🎥 In one sentence: My Reporter lets you see a place right now, through the eyes of someone there. Ask someone on the spot for a video or photo (traffic at the toll booth, beach, event), or answer requests near you.

⚠️ Important. My Reporter is for adults only. Never film while driving: you film only when stopped or as a passenger. No recognisable faces or number plates, no private homes.

💡 Your ideas matter. The app is brand new: if you have an idea or something is missing, write to us from the app, 👤 Me → 💡 Suggest an idea; errors with 🐞 Report a problem. Type or dictate, tap Send and the message goes straight to the developer.

✨ What's new in 0.4.0#

• 👥 Friends: a fifth tab at the bottom. Find people by nickname or by ID (RP-…), send a friend request and, when the other person accepts, you are friends (see chapter 8).
• 💬 Chat between friends: text messages, with unread counts and ✓✓ Seen. From the chat too you can report and block.
• 🔒 Who can see it: for each of your photos or videos choose 🌍 Public, 👥 Friends or 🔒 Only me, and change it any time by tapping the content.
• 📷 Photos and videos from the camera too, not just from the gallery, with the editor for photos (crop, rotate, straighten).
• 🖼️ Profile photo (checked before others see it) and your ID to copy or share.
• 🔒 Who sees what in 👤 Me: who sees your profile photo, the default choice for new photos and videos, whether people can find you by nickname, read receipts.
• 🗑 Delete my profile and data now also deletes your profile photo, friends, conversations, blocks and the anonymous account.
• 🌍 The app is now also in Chinese and Russian (8 languages).

✨ What's new in 0.3.3#

• 🛠️ Fixes and updated contact address: acquagoin@gmail.com.

✨ What's new in 0.3.2#

• 💬 Suggestions and reports from the app, no email: the text reaches the developer on Google Firebase in Europe (Milan), any attachments (screenshot, images) go to Firebase file storage in the United States. Each message is sorted automatically with artificial intelligence (DeepSeek), which only receives the text — without email addresses, phone numbers, tax codes and IBANs, which the server removes first — plus the app's name and version.

✨ What's new in 0.3.1#

• 🔒 Videos without your location: before publishing a video the app rebuilds it without the hidden data in the file (the GPS location the camera stores inside it, the phone model). The quality stays the same. A video in a format that can't be rebuilt and that contains the location is not published (the app tells you).

✨ What's new in 0.3#

• 📷🎬 My photos and videos on your profile (👤 Me): add photos and videos from the gallery without waiting for a request (up to 30, only when stopped, with the "No recognisable faces or plates…" box).
• 👤 Profile of the person who answered: tap their name under an answer to see their gallery; you can ⚠️ report a piece of content or block them.
• ⏳ Check before publishing: the photos and videos on your profile and public answers in 🎬 Photos and videos nearby reach others only after the developer approves them. You see your own content at once with the ⏳ Being checked mark, and the person who made the request gets your answer at once (see chapter 9).

✨ What's new in 0.2#

• 🎬 Photos and videos nearby: in the 📍 Nearby tab you see other users' public answers from the last 48 hours. Each one can be reported if it is offensive.
• 👥 Who sees the photos and videos you get: when you ask, choose 👥 Everyone nearby or 🔒 Only me (then only you and the person who answered see them).
• 🗺️ Where the request points: 📍 Where I am now or 🗺️ Pick on the map (for example the main street of Milan to see the nightlife in the evening): move the map under the pin and confirm.
• 🎤 Voice dictation for "Where?" and "What do you want to see?".
• 📖 Quick guide in slides: it appears the first time you open the app and you can reopen it from the 👤 Me tab; swipe with your finger.

📱 My Reporter on iPhone#

The iPhone version (1.1) has the same tabs and the same rules as Android and uses the same server: 📍 Nearby, ➕ Ask, 📨 Mine, 👥 Friends and 👤 Me, with your content and Who can see it, friends and chat, profile photo and the same check before publishing.

• 🎤 Voice dictation for "Where?" and "What do you want to see?", in the app's language.
• 📹 Ask for a video from Meet Radar: on iPhone too, the Meet Radar button opens My Reporter in ➕ Ask with the place already filled in.
• 💡🐞 Suggestions and problems as on Android: type or dictate, you can attach the app screenshot (with a preview) and up to 3 images; the technical information (model, system, app version and language) is sent with the message. On iPhone the app first asks for your consent to the automatic sorting.
• The small differences: a request's card has 🗺️ Open in Maps (Apple Maps) instead of 🚗 Take me there (Robot CoPilot); the place is looked up with Apple Maps instead of TomTom; the reward field is called "Arrangements between you (optional)". If you denied location access, turn it back on in the iPhone Settings.

📲 App Store: coming soon. The iPhone version is being reviewed by Apple: you will find it on the App Store as soon as it is approved.

1. What it is#

2. First access#

When you first open the app you see "Welcome to My Reporter" with the slogan "See a place right now, through the eyes of someone there" and the rules:

• ask someone who is there for a video or photo of a place, or answer requests near you;
• no recognisable faces or number plates, no private homes;
• never film while driving (only when stopped or as a passenger);
• illegal or offensive content is removed.

1. Type your Nickname.
2. Tick "I am at least 18 and accept these rules".
3. Tap Enter.
4. The 📖 Quick guide opens: a few slides explaining the app. Swipe with your finger to go to the next one. You can reopen it any time from 👤 Me.

🔑 No email and no password. The account is anonymous and tied to your phone.

The phone (Android or iPhone) then asks for location permission: it is needed to see nearby requests and to answer ("Location is needed to see nearby requests and to answer").

If you see "Not connected: check your connection", there is no internet: try again when you are online.

3. The tabs at the bottom#

At the bottom there are five large icons, each with a word: 📍 Nearby · ➕ Ask · 📨 Mine · 👥 Friends · 👤 Me. Tap an icon to switch tab; the active one is highlighted. On 👥 Friends a red dot with a number tells you how many unread messages and friend requests are waiting for you.

4. 📍 Nearby: answering a request#

Here you see the open requests within about 20 km, nearest first. The list refreshes by itself every minute. Your own requests do not appear here: you find them in 📨 Mine.

If there is nothing you see "No requests around right now."

Filming or taking a photo#

Tap a request: its card opens, with who made it, the deadline and any reward.

1. Go to the place: you must be within 1.5 km. If you are further away you see "You're too far: you must be within 1.5 km of the place to answer."
2. Stop: you can answer only below 10 km/h. If you are moving you see "You're moving: film only when stopped or as a passenger."
3. Tick "No recognisable faces or plates, no private homes".
4. Tap 🎥 Film or 📷 Photo: the phone camera opens.
5. When you have shot it, confirm: you see "Uploading…" and then "✅ Sent, thank you!".

ℹ️ The 🎥 Film and 📷 Photo buttons light up only when you are close, stopped and have ticked the box.

ℹ️ In the window of an answer you find 👤 name · see profile: it opens the profile of the person who answered, with their gallery.

• The photo is reduced before sending, so it uploads quickly.
• The file goes to My Reporter's file space. The person who made the request sees it at once; if they chose 👥 Everyone nearby, nearby users see it in 🎬 Photos and videos nearby only after the check.
• The card also has 🚗 Take me there (Robot CoPilot): it opens Robot CoPilot with routes to the place (if it is not installed, another maps app opens). On iPhone you find 🗺️ Open in Maps instead.

🎬 Photos and videos nearby#

Below the requests you find 🎬 Photos and videos nearby: other users' public answers in your area from the last 48 hours, once they have been checked. Tap a photo or video to watch it full screen. If something is offensive or breaks the rules, tap ⚠️ Report: it goes to the developer.

ℹ️ Only approved answers to requests set to 👥 Everyone nearby appear here; those set to 🔒 Only me stay private.

5. ➕ Ask for a video or photo#

1. In "Where? (e.g. Main St toll booth)" type the place, or tap the microphone 🎤 and say it.
2. Or set the point: 📍 Where I am now if you are already there, or 🗺️ Pick on the map for a place further away (for example the main street of Milan, to see the nightlife in the evening). Move the map until the right spot is under the pin and confirm.
3. In "What do you want to see? (e.g. is there a queue?)" type the question or tap the microphone 🎤 and dictate it.
4. Choose Within: 1 hour, 3 hours or today (until midnight).
5. Choose who sees the photos and videos you get: 👥 Everyone nearby (they also appear in 🎬 Photos and videos nearby for nearby users, but only after the check) or 🔒 Only me (only you and the person who answered see them). You receive them at once in either case.
6. If you like, type a Reward offered (optional, e.g. €3 or a coffee) (on iPhone the field is called "Arrangements between you (optional)").
7. Tap Post the request: you see "✅ Sent, thank you!" and move to 📨 Mine.

The place is looked up with TomTom (on iPhone with Apple Maps); if it is not found you see "Place not found": try writing it more precisely.

💶 The reward is optional and agreed directly between you: the app does not handle payments yet.

Coming from Meet Radar#

In Meet Radar, under a place or a meet-up, tap 📹 Ask for a video (My Reporter): My Reporter opens in ➕ Ask with "📡 Request from Meet Radar" and the place already filled in. Type what you want to see and post. It works on Android and on iPhone.

6. 📨 Mine: your requests and the answers#

For each request you see the place, the question and the answers received. Until something arrives you see "Waiting for answers…". The list refreshes by itself every 30 seconds.

ℹ️ In this version there are no notifications: open 📨 Mine to see the answers.

If you have no requests you see "You have no requests. Go to ➕ Ask."

7. 👤 Me#

📷🎬 My photos and videos#

Below Save you find your personal gallery, not tied to any request.

1. Write a Caption (optional) and choose Who can see it: 🌍 Public, 👥 Friends or 🔒 Only me.
2. Tick "No recognisable faces or plates, no private homes".
3. Tap 🖼️ From gallery (several files at once, up to 10), 📷 Take a photo or 🎥 Record a video. If you pick a single photo, the editor opens first: crop, rotate or straighten it.
4. You can only add while stopped: if the app sees you moving, the buttons stay off.

• At most 30 photos and videos; videos up to 40 MB, photos are shrunk by the app. Photos and videos are uploaded without the location hidden in the file.
• Each photo or video is checked first, including those for friends: after sending you see "Sent: others will see it after it is checked" and in the gallery it carries the ⏳ Being checked mark (see chapter 9).
• In the gallery, content that isn't public carries the label 👥 Friends only or 🔒 Only me.
• Tap one of your photos or videos to watch it: below the caption you change Who can see it, with 🗑 you delete it.
• People who open your profile (by tapping your name under one of your answers, from the search or from friends) see only the approved content they are allowed to see: Public content and, if you are friends, content for Friends. They can ⚠️ report a piece of content or block you.
• Delete your photos and videos one by one with 🗑, or all together with Delete my profile and data (including those still being checked).

Suggestions and problems work as in Robot CoPilot: type the text or dictate it, you can attach the app screenshot and up to 3 images, tap Send and the message goes straight to the developer, without email.

Deleting your profile and data#

Tap Delete my profile and data: you see "Are you sure? Requests, photos and videos will be deleted." Tap 🗑 to confirm or Cancel. Your requests with the answers received, the photos and videos you sent as answers or put on your profile (even those still being checked), your profile photo, friends and conversations, nickname, blocks and the anonymous account are deleted from the server. It cannot be undone. Only the thanks you gave and reports already sent remain: for those, write to acquagoin@gmail.com.

8. 👥 Friends, chat and "Who can see it"#

The 👥 Friends tab#

Three sections at the top:

Finding and adding a friend#

1. Tap 🔎 Find people and type a nickname (the beginning is enough) or an ID (RP-…). Or tap the name of someone who answered you and open their profile.
2. In the profile tap ➕ Add friend: you see ⏳ Request sent.
3. When the other person accepts you see ✅ You're friends and you can message each other.

• To be added by people you know, in 👤 Me use 🔗 Share my ID ("Add me on My Reporter: my ID is RP-…") or 📋 Copy.
• In the search and in profiles you only see the profile, never where someone is.

💬 The chat#

• Only friends can message each other (accepted request). Open the conversation from 💬 Messages or with 💬 Message.
• For now text messages only; while the chat is open, new messages arrive by themselves. Below your last message you see ✓ Sent or ✓✓ Seen.
• A text with offensive words is not sent: the app asks you to change it.
• From the ⋮ More menu: 👤 Profile, 🗑 Delete conversation (it disappears only from your phone: the other person still sees it), Remove friend (the conversation is deleted for both of you and the other person no longer sees what you show only to friends; they get no notice), ⚠️ Report, 🚫 Block.
• No notifications and no photos in chat for now: open the app to see new messages.

Who can see it#

For your profile photo and for each of your photos or videos you choose:

Others see photos and videos only after the check, friends included. With 🔒 Only me your profile photo stays on your phone and isn't uploaded.

🔒 Who sees what#

In 👤 Me tap 🔒 Who sees what:

• Profile photo: Public, Friends or Only me.
• New photos and videos (default choice): the choice already set when you add content. You can change a photo or video already posted by tapping it in your gallery.
• People can find me by my nickname: if you turn it off, people find you only with your ID.
• Read receipts ("seen"): if you turn them off you neither send nor see them.

Tap Save: you see "✅ Saved".

🚫 Blocking#

If you block someone you no longer see their requests, photos and videos; the friendship and the conversation are deleted and they can no longer message you or send you a friend request. Blocking does not notify the developer: if they broke the rules, report them. When you report a chat, the developer receives the reason, without the messages.

9. The filming rules#

• 🙈 No recognisable faces or number plates: frame the road, the queue, the beach, not people.
• 🏠 No private homes, courtyards, windows or interiors.
• 🚗 Never film while driving: the app blocks answering above 10 km/h. Stop somewhere safe or let the passenger film.
• 📍 Only on the spot: you answer within 1.5 km of the requested place.
• ⚠️ Illegal or offensive content is removed; whoever sends it can be removed.
• 🚨 In case of an accident or danger call 112: My Reporter is not an emergency service.

Check before publishing#

The photos and videos that others can see, that is those on your profile (public or for friends), your profile photo and public answers in 🎬 Photos and videos nearby, are checked by the developer before they appear:

• The photos and videos of your profile: at first only you see them, in the gallery of 👤 Me, with the ⏳ Being checked mark ("⏳ Being checked: only you can see it until it is approved"). After approval, people who open your profile can see them, according to your Who can see it.
• Your profile photo: others see it after approval ("⏳ Photo being checked: others will see it once approved.").
• Answers to a request: the photo or video reaches the person who made the request at once. If the request is set to 👥 Everyone nearby, other users see it in 🎬 Photos and videos nearby only after approval.
• Approval or rejection is a decision by the developer, not an automatic one.
• If a photo or video of your profile is rejected you see ❌ Rejected: reason and the file is deleted; you can remove it with 🗑. Reasons include recognisable faces or number plates, unsuitable or offensive content, not relevant and quality too poor.
• ⚠️ Report, 🚫 Block and 🗑 to delete your own content work as before; Delete my profile and data also deletes what is still being checked.

10. Privacy in brief#

Full policy: autorobotcopilot.web.app/myreporter/privacy

11. Safe use#

• 📱 Use My Reporter when stopped: never with the phone in your hand while driving.
• 🏍️ On a motorbike: look at requests and answer during stops. The app does not need an intercom or any device in your helmet.
• 🚶 To answer, do not go into dangerous or forbidden places: no shot is worth the risk.
• 🤝 The reward is agreed between you: do not send money to strangers before seeing the video.
• 💬 In the chat, don't give your address or other personal data to people you don't know; if someone bothers you, block and report.

12. Frequently asked questions#

Why can't I tap 🎥 Film? You must be within 1.5 km of the place, go below 10 km/h and tick "No recognisable faces or plates…".

Can others see where I am? No. Your position is used by the phone to find nearby requests; only the place of the requests you post goes to the server (and your position only if you choose 📍 Where I am now). Not even friends see where you are.

Who sees my photos and videos? Answers: the person who made the request, in their 📨 Mine tab, at once. If they chose 👥 Everyone nearby, after the check nearby users also see them in 🎬 Photos and videos nearby for 48 hours; if they chose 🔒 Only me, only the two of you see them. Others see the photos and videos of your profile only after the check, according to their Who can see it: everyone, only friends or nobody.

Can I message anyone? No: the chat is only between friends. First you send a friend request and the other person accepts it.

How does a friend find me? With your ID: in 👤 Me tap 🔗 Share my ID. If you leave it on in 🔒 Who sees what, they can also find you by nickname.

Can I ask for a video of a place far away? Yes: in ➕ Ask tap 🗺️ Pick on the map, move the map under the pin and confirm.

Where do I find the quick guide again? In 👤 Me, item 📖 Quick guide.

Who pays the reward? The person asking, if they offered one, and you agree it directly between you. The app does not handle payments yet.

How do I earn reputation? By answering well: every 🙏 Thanks you receive increases your ⭐ Reputation.

Is there My Reporter for iPhone? Yes, version 1.1, with the same features: it is being reviewed by Apple and will be on the App Store as soon as it is approved.

Can I use My Reporter without Meet Radar? Yes. Meet Radar is just a shortcut to ask for a video of a place or a meet-up.

Who can I contact? Write from the app (💡 or 🐞) or to acquagoin@gmail.com.