Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: August 2026

The short version is on the home page. Here's the longer one, including a few questions that only come up once you're actually mid-trip.

Do I need to create an account?

No. Opening Tagspot quietly sets up an anonymous device identity — no email, no password, no sign-up screen. See the Privacy Policy for exactly what that means.

How many people can play together?

As many as are riding along. Everyone who has the trip's code sees the same live board update in real time.

What if I lose signal on the road?

Plates you've already claimed stay claimed. A spot made while offline may need a moment to sync once you're back in range.

Is this free?

Yes — Tagspot is a small independent project, not a company. See About for more.

We split into two cars — how does that work?

The same way as one car: everyone in both cars joins the same trip with the same code, and the board syncs live for the whole group regardless of who's in which vehicle. There's no per-car mode to set up — a claim made in car two shows up on car one's screen within a couple of seconds, same as if you were sitting next to each other. Each spot is still credited to the person who tapped it, so you can see who found what even after the trip's over.

What's the 'Other' tab?

It's the bonus plates that don't count toward the 50-state board: Washington D.C., U.S. government plates, the U.S. territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands), plus Canadian provinces and Mexican state plates. All of them are real, tappable tiles and score a flat bonus — they're just tracked separately since they're not part of state coverage.

What happens if the trip creator loses their phone?

The trip itself is fine — it lives on the server under its code, not on any one person's device, so everyone else keeps playing without interruption. The creator personally will need their optional recovery email to get back into their own device identity and claim history; without one, rejoining with the trip code just starts them as a new spotter on the same trip.

Does it work through a long stretch with no signal?

Tagspot needs a data connection to save a claim, so a genuinely long dead zone — rural Wyoming, northern Maine, the middle of a national park — will hold up new spots until you're back in range. Nothing you've already claimed is at risk; just expect to double-check a spot went through once you've got signal again, rather than assume it saved instantly.

Can I play solo?

Yes. Start a trip without sharing the code and it just tracks your own spots — useful for a solo drive, or if you want to run your own board alongside a group trip.

Want to know why certain plates are rare in the first place? See the spotting guide, or grab the printable checklist to track a trip without your phone.