Road Trip License Plate Game
Version 1.3All 50 US states and 13 Canadian provinces & territories, with authentic license plate photos and rarity ratings.
Create a separate trip for each journey. Every trip keeps its own spotted plates, bingo card, and achievements.
Plates range from ★ Common to ★★★★★ Ultra Rare. Rarer plates award more points — chase the high score on every trip.
Unlock badges for milestones (1, 10, 20, 25, 30, 32, 40, 50, 63 plates), regional sweeps, and special challenges. Each unlock triggers a celebration animation.
Invite family or friends to a trip via iMessage, AirDrop, or link. Everyone spots plates on their own phone and progress syncs in seconds via iCloud.
Achievements and four leaderboards — High Score, All-Time Plates, Best Single Trip, Longest Streak — sync across every device signed in to your Apple ID.
A random 5×5 plate bingo card that auto-fills as you spot plates. Get 5 in a row to win!
Pin Map shows where each plate was spotted on a real map. Region Map gives a color-coded grid overview of your progress.
Tap the ⓘ on any spotted plate for capital, population, land area, time zone, state flower, state bird, and a fun fact.
Export your spotted plates as a compact code and import it on another device — timestamps and all.
Create a trip — Tap New Trip on the home screen and give it a name (e.g., "Oregon Coast 2026").
Spot plates — While driving, tap a plate card whenever you see that state or province on a real vehicle.
Earn points & badges — Rarer plates are worth more. Hit milestones to unlock achievement badges and confetti.
Play Bingo — Open the Bingo tab for a bonus challenge running alongside your main collection.
Explore the maps — Open Map to see pins where you spotted each plate, or Regions for the big-picture grid.
Learn about each state — Tap the ⓘ button on any spotted plate card for detailed facts and your spot timestamp.
Play together — Tap Share in the feature row to invite family or friends. Their spots appear on your phone in real time, and yours on theirs.
Will my progress be lost if I delete and reinstall the app?
Yes — game data is stored locally on your device. Use the Transfer feature (📲) to export a backup code before deleting the app. You can import the code after reinstalling to restore all your spotted plates and timestamps.
How do I move my progress to a new phone?
Open your trip in the app, tap Transfer, then Export. The progress code is copied to your clipboard. On the new device, open the same trip (or create a new one), tap Transfer → Import, and paste the code.
Can I unspot a plate I tapped by mistake?
Yes. Tap the ⓘ button on the spotted plate card to open the detail sheet, then tap Remove Spot at the bottom.
Why doesn't the Pin Map show any pins?
The Pin Map requires location permission to record where each plate was spotted. If you denied location access when prompted, go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → Plate Hunter and set it to While Using the App. Only plates spotted after granting permission will appear on the map; previously spotted plates won't have a location.
Do sound effects interrupt my music or podcasts?
No. As of version 1.1, all sound effects are configured to mix with other audio playing on your device. Your music or podcast will continue uninterrupted. You can also mute in-app sounds entirely by tapping the 🔊 button in the feature bar.
How many trips can I create?
There's no hard limit — create as many trips as you like. Each trip stores its data independently on your device. You can rename or delete trips from the Trips home screen.
What's the difference between the Map and the Region Map?
Map shows a geographic Apple Maps view with a pin for every plate you spotted, positioned at the exact location it was found. Region Map shows a simplified tile grid of all US states and Canadian provinces, color-coded by your spotted status and rarity — great for seeing your overall collection at a glance without needing location data.
Is Plate Hunter a one-time purchase?
Yes. There are no subscriptions, no in-app purchases, and no ads. All current features and future updates are included with the one-time download.
Does the app require an internet connection?
No — not for normal play. All plate photos and game data are stored on your device, and you can spot plates and earn badges entirely offline. Two optional features do use the network: Shared Trips sync through iCloud, and Game Center syncs achievements and leaderboards through Apple's servers. Both queue up local changes while you're offline and sync them the next time you're connected.
How do Shared Trips work?
Open the trip you want to share, tap Share (📤) in the feature row, and use the standard iOS share sheet to send a link — iMessage, AirDrop, email, whatever. The invitee taps the link on their iPhone and the trip appears in their Plate Hunter app with a 🤝 badge. From then on, any plate either of you spots appears on the other's phone in seconds. Bingo cards are shared too. Anyone in the trip can unspot a plate, which removes it for everyone.
What happens if two people spot the same plate at the same time?
Whoever saw it first (by timestamp) gets credit. If both phones were offline and they spotted California independently, once they come back online the earlier timestamp wins. Achievements are always personal — only the player who made the spot that tipped a milestone earns the badge.
Do I need an iCloud account?
Only if you want to use Shared Trips. Everything else — including Game Center — works without iCloud. Shared Trips store trip data in the trip owner's iCloud account and use Apple's CloudKit to sync it with invitees. We never see any of your data; it passes directly between your devices through iCloud.
How do I use Game Center?
Make sure you're signed into Game Center on your iPhone (iOS Settings → Game Center). Open Plate Hunter and it'll authenticate automatically. Tap the 🎮 button in the feature row to open the Game Center dashboard and see your achievements and leaderboard standings. If you'd rather opt out, you can disable Game Center for Plate Hunter in iOS Settings.
Why can my friend see my spot location on a shared trip?
When you share a trip, the GPS coordinates you capture for each plate are synced along with the rest of the trip data — that's how the Pin Map can show everyone's finds. Plates you spotted before sharing remain in the trip with their original coordinates. If you'd rather not share locations, don't grant Plate Hunter location permission, or don't share that particular trip.
Have a question not covered above, found a bug, or want to share feedback? We'd love to hear from you.
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