Frequently asked questions

Ghost works worldwide, with more than 125,000 speed cameras in 130 countries, on iPhone and Android. The one exception is Switzerland, where Ghost gives no warnings inside the country.

Ghost knows more than 125,000 speed cameras in 130 countries, both fixed cameras and average-speed zones. They are stored on your phone, so they travel with you wherever you go.

Yes, Ghost comes with you on holiday and keeps warning you when you cross a border, Switzerland being the one exception. Limits and local rules can change at every border, so read the signs and check the rules where you are driving. Our table of speed limits by country is a good place to start before a trip.

Yes, because the cameras are stored on your phone. When the connection drops on a mountain road or out in the desert, Ghost simply carries on warning you.

No, the rules differ from country to country, so it is worth checking them before you drive somewhere new. Some countries allow these apps, some restrict them and some ban them, and Ghost gives no warnings in Switzerland. See speed camera apps and the law in 23 countries.

Our country guides cover the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Brazil, Mexico.

Ghost is available in 49 languages and simply follows the language set on your phone.

A speed camera measures the speed of a passing car with radar or laser and records its number plate. Average-speed zones work differently, because they look at a whole stretch of road between two cameras. Read how speed cameras work.

Radar uses radio waves, while laser uses short pulses of light. A moving car reflects a radar signal at a slightly different frequency, and that shift gives its speed. Laser measures the change in distance between its pulses, which is precise enough to pick out one car in dense traffic.

An average-speed zone is a stretch of road where your speed is measured over the whole distance rather than at one spot. Two cameras record the number plate at the start and at the end, and the distance divided by the time gives the average. It is also called section control or point-to-point control. Ghost stays with you to the end of the zone and shows your live average, so you always know where you stand against the limit. See how average-speed zones work.

Automatic number-plate recognition, or ANPR, is the technology that reads a number plate from a camera image. It links a speed measurement to the car, and average-speed zones use it at both ends of the stretch.

Yes, speed cameras work day and night. Many of them use infrared, so they record in the dark without a visible flash.

No, many speed cameras give no visible flash at all. A flash is no warning anyway, because by the time you see it the moment has passed. Ghost tells you about known cameras in good time instead, so nothing comes out of nowhere.

Yes, some newer cameras use AI on the video to spot phone use, missing seat belts and tailgating. That is one more good reason to keep your phone down, your belt on and a safe gap to the car ahead. More in how speed cameras work.

Speed limits exist because the higher the speed, the longer a car takes to stop and the less time everyone has to react. A limit belongs to the road it stands on, which is why a street outside a school and an open motorway are treated so differently.

Road authorities place speed cameras where crashes have happened or where the road is unforgiving, such as a school, a bend, a junction or a stretch with a history. Think of a camera as a marker for a place that has already hurt people and deserves your full attention.

Stopping distance grows much faster than speed. From the moment you react, a car needs roughly 36 metres to stop at 60 km/h, about 57 metres at 80 km/h and about 84 metres at 100 km/h.

You travel about 17 metres every second at 60 km/h and about 28 metres every second at 100 km/h. Even one second looking at a phone means covering that whole distance without seeing the road.

Yes, because it gives you time. Hearing about a camera some 700 metres ahead means you can check the limit calmly and keep driving smoothly instead of braking hard at the last moment, and that is safer for the car behind you as well.

Most of the 23 countries in our table set 50 km/h in built-up areas and 120 or 130 km/h on motorways, but the sign on the road always decides. See speed limits by country.

The most common motorway limit is 120 or 130 km/h. A sign on the road always overrides that figure, and our table of speed limits by country shows the picture country by country.

The usual limit in built-up areas is 50 km/h. Some places set a lower default, so it pays to look out for the sign as you drive into a town.

The usual limit on rural roads is between 80 and 100 km/h. It can change from one road to the next, so the sign in front of you is the one to follow.

No, most countries use km/h, but some post their limits in miles per hour. Our table of speed limits by country shows which is which.

Speed limits change because the road type, the weather and the road itself all play a part. A city can even set a lower limit in built-up areas than the regions around it, so have a look at our table of speed limits by country before you set off.

Yes, some countries lower their motorway limits in rain, and on some roads electronic signs reduce the limit when visibility drops. The sign you can see at that moment is the one that counts.

Some roads have a minimum speed, and a sign tells you when one applies. Driving far below the flow of traffic is a hazard of its own.

Follow the sign, because the sign on the road always applies. Rules and limits change, and nothing can replace what you see in front of you.

Ghost is a speed camera app for iPhone and Android that warns you early about fixed speed cameras and average-speed zones, without ads. It runs quietly in the background next to the navigation app you already use, so you can relax and enjoy the drive.

Ghost warns you about 700 metres before a known camera and again at 250 metres. That leaves you plenty of time to glance at the limit and carry on calmly.

Yes, Ghost runs in the background next to any navigation app and warns you with one tone. Keep the app you like, because Ghost does not calculate routes and does not replace it.

Yes, the warning tone reaches you with the screen off, the phone locked or another app in front.

Yes, Ghost works with all three. On CarPlay it shows the warning as a Dashboard tile, on Android Auto it appears on the car screen, and on Apple Watch you feel it as a gentle vibration on your wrist.

No, Ghost uses one clear tone and never a voice. The screen shows the camera type, the distance, your speed and the limit, and nothing talks over your music or your navigation.

No, Ghost does not warn about police checks. It warns about known fixed speed cameras and average-speed zones, and it is not a live feed from other drivers.

No, Ghost is not a radar detector and does not detect radar signals. It compares your GPS position with its own database of known fixed cameras and average-speed zones, and lets you know before you reach them.

Ghost’s camera database is updated continuously, and reports from drivers help to correct it. It holds more than 125,000 speed cameras worldwide.

Report it in the app, and we will use your report to correct the database. Tap the plus button to mark the spot and choose the camera type once you have stopped, or tap a camera on the map to tell us it has gone or is in the wrong place.

No camera list anywhere is complete, and your phone can lose its position in a tunnel or between tall buildings. Think of Ghost as a second pair of eyes rather than a guarantee, because the signs on the road and your own judgement always come first.

Ghost uses about as much battery as a navigation app while you drive, because it uses GPS. It does not keep GPS running when you are not driving.

No, Ghost keeps no journey history and sells no data. Your position is used on your phone to find the cameras near you. See the Privacy Policy.

A good speed camera app warns you early, stays quiet the rest of the time and works next to your navigation. That is exactly the job Ghost was built for, with no ads and more than 125,000 speed cameras worldwide.

Some do, but often only in certain countries and usually only while you are navigating. Ghost warns you on every drive, with or without a route.

Ghost is built only for the warning, while a navigation app is built to get you somewhere and treats camera alerts as a side feature. Ghost warns you about every known camera on every drive, without ads, and your navigation app stays exactly as it is.

Ghost has no ads and one subscription that includes everything, while many free camera apps show ads and keep their best features behind upgrades. CarPlay, Android Auto and Apple Watch all come with that one subscription, and the 7‑day free trial lets you feel the difference for yourself.

Ghost starts with a 7‑day free trial, followed by an auto-renewing subscription. Your local price differs by country, and you see it in the App Store or on Google Play before you subscribe.

Yes, you can try Ghost free for 7 days. Cancel in your Apple or Google account before the trial ends and you pay nothing.

No, Ghost has no ads on any plan, so the only thing you hear from it on a drive is its one warning tone.

Yes on iPhone: with Apple Family Sharing you can share Ghost with up to five more people at no extra cost. Google Play does not offer family sharing for subscriptions, so on Android each person needs their own.

You cancel Ghost in the subscription settings of your Apple or Google account, not inside the app. Deleting the app does not cancel the subscription.