The short version: Whistlestop is a free app that talks to you about places you drive past. Drive safely and don't rely on it for anything that matters — it's entertainment, not navigation, and not a reference work. Using the app or this site means you accept what follows.
Driving comes first
Whistlestop is designed to be listened to, not looked at — that's why it never asks you anything and why Skip works from the steering wheel. Even so: you are responsible for operating your vehicle safely and lawfully at all times. Don't interact with the phone while driving. Don't let a story pull your attention off the road. Obey the traffic laws where you are, including the ones about phone use and audio devices, and pull over before doing anything more than listening.
Whistlestop is not a navigation app and not a driver-assistance or safety system. It does not know about traffic, road closures, hazards, speed limits, or where you are trying to go. Never follow it toward a place instead of watching the road, and never treat its silence as a signal that anything is or isn't there.
Agreeing to these terms
By downloading or using Whistlestop, or by using this website, you agree to these terms. If you don't agree, don't use them. If you're under 13, you can't agree to these terms yourself — the app isn't directed at children under 13, though it's very much meant to be listened to by families together.
The stories, and how true they are
Stories are drawn from Wikipedia and from our own curated stops, then written and read aloud automatically. Wikipedia is written by volunteers and is sometimes wrong; automated retelling can introduce errors of its own. Treat what you hear as an interesting starting point, not as fact. Don't rely on it for anything consequential — historical, legal, medical, financial, or otherwise. Each stop links the source it came from so you can check.
Places mentioned may be on private land, closed, dangerous to approach, or gone entirely. Being told about somewhere is not an invitation to trespass or an assurance that visiting it is safe or permitted.
Content and ownership
Whistlestop, its name, its look, and the curated stops we write are ours. You may use the app for your own personal, non-commercial listening. You may not resell it, scrape its content in bulk, or pass its output off as your own product.
Material sourced from Wikipedia belongs to its authors and is used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Photographs on this website come from Wikimedia Commons and carry their photographer's name and licence beside them. Those creators keep their rights; nothing here claims otherwise.
What you agree not to do
Don't try to break, overload, or reverse-engineer the service; don't use it to build a competing dataset; don't work around the rate limits that keep it affordable to run; and don't use it in any way that breaks the law where you are. We may cut off access that's doing any of that.
Price, and changes to it
Whistlestop is free today, with no accounts, no ads, and no in-app purchases. Writing and speaking stories costs real money for every mile driven, so paid features may arrive later. If that happens, it'll be said plainly in advance — nothing you already have will quietly start charging you.
Availability
This is a small, one-person project. The service may change, break, be interrupted, or be discontinued, and features may come and go. We don't promise it will be available at any particular time or place — including, notably, wherever your phone has no signal.
Downloads from the App Store
The agreement is between you and us, not between you and Apple. Apple isn't responsible for the app or for supporting it, and Apple's standard licensed application end-user licence agreement also applies to your copy. Where these terms and that agreement conflict, the stricter one wins. Apple and its subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these terms and may enforce them against you.
No warranty
Whistlestop is provided “as is” and “as available”, without warranties of any kind — express or implied, including any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy, or non-infringement. We don't warrant that it will be uninterrupted, error-free, or that anything it tells you is correct. Some places don't allow these exclusions, in which case they apply to you only as far as the law there permits.
Limits on liability
To the fullest extent the law allows, we are not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for lost profits, lost data, or losses arising from your use of — or inability to use — Whistlestop. Our total liability for any claim relating to the app is limited to the greater of the amount you paid us for it in the twelve months before the claim, or twenty-five US dollars.
Nothing in these terms limits liability that can't legally be limited — including liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, or for fraud. Some jurisdictions don't allow certain limitations, so parts of this may not apply to you.
Changes to these terms
If these terms change materially, the date at the top changes and the app's release notes will say so. Continuing to use Whistlestop after that means you accept the new version.
Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Texas, USA, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules, and any dispute belongs in the courts there. If you're a consumer somewhere with stronger local protections, this doesn't take those away.
Contact
Questions about these terms go to support@whistlestop.guide, or through the support page. How we handle your information is a separate document: the privacy policy.