Autio: Road Trip & Travel App Reviews

by T_Mo9

This seemed like a fun app, so I tried it out and listened to some surrounding towns. I live one town over from Newtown, CT where the Sandy Hook school shooting took place. So I wasn’t surprised that it was mentioned as an event that took place in the town. But I was shocked to listen to just 35 seconds of Newtown history, and then a minute and a half rant about gun control laws and our country’s guns per capita and murder rates. I almost thought it was a joke it was so blatant. Don’t believe me? Click on Newtown, CT and see for yourself. Regardless of your political stances on guns or anything else, I can’t believe this would pass through the editorial process and be published. Sorry Kevin Costner… I can’t go more than 1 star and I definitely won’t be paying for it.

by MedJenn

I’d love to give this a 5 star and review and maybe in time once the bugs are works out I will. However, the information on many “stories” is rather inaccurate. I will give one as example here. The story on East Stroudsburg, PA states it was originally named “Danville” when it was actually named “Dansbury”. Danville is a completely different town in PA. Also, you reference the historic train depot in East Stroudsburg which is a rather significant piece of their history. You also wrongly named that as the Pocono Depot I believe. The train depot is actually Dansbury Depot, always was and still is as it ran its last route through there in 1970. Some very large inaccuracies on this topic here.
Lastly, once you complete one story it automatically feeds into the next and you get “charged” for a second story which was not the intended.
Some large bugs and inaccuracies to work through before I can rate this higher. I give two stars because the idea of it is great, but it needs to be factual.

by Fix This ABC!!!

Autio is misleading. I signed up because it definitely sounds interesting as we will be taking a road trip for spring break. However there is no account information other than a quick notification saying “you have 5 free stories left” then disappears. No directions tell you how to locate, choose, etc. I clicked on a pop up and it begins reading-well, there goes one free story. I try to move around-oops, there goes another free story. If you want information about your account, apparently you have to then email them…so do I need to cancel before I’m charged? Please be more clear! This has potential, but definitely needs way more clarification for new users.

by AV8NDAD

We live in the Mountain West and love to travel and adventure throughout the western states. We subscribed on a trip from L.A. to Salt Lake City and loved the stories, but after 2-3 stories, Autio would quit playing and just spin and buffer, despite having full bars of coverage and being able to surf the ‘net. Force quitting and restarting Autio sometimes worked, but that just became too frustrating (and dangerous while driving) so we went back to satellite radio. It would be great if Autio allowed you to plan a trip and pre-download stories, even if they auto-delete after a certain number of days. Until then, this is just a 2-star app.

by M_Ski

I really really really wanted to like this $40 annual app, but after a couple of hours, I was ready to throw my phone out of the window. Pros: informative narration as you drive past places of interest. CONS: OMG mispronunciations galore, for example, “arachnid” and “Rutherford.” Also, the narrations are at different volumes!!!!!!!!!! Very irritating, as they change from a whisper to a shout and everywhere in between. Informative app if you have an extra $40 and some Xanax.

by HHCov

On a recent outing and decided to try Autio as I knew my father who can’t read anymore, would love hearing the history while driving of certain points along the drive. Autio promises 5 free stories before choosing a subscription. I only got 3. I chose to it listen to some of the stories because I looked ahead to the topics but I think it may have counted the ones I skipped as the free stories? From what I heard, they were interesting and well delivered, but I’m uncertain about subscribing but I love the concept. A little concern is how it counted my “free” stories and if it has hashed out all the bugs and working ability.

by LetPammyPlay

We love gps gypsy guide app tours and have been looking for an app that covers more scenic areas. Autio worked great until we were in an area of PCH HWY1 that had no cell phone service. Autio will not play if not connected to the internet. We switched to Big Sur gypsy guide until we had cell phone service again. Also, Autio talks about places or history that may be 30 miles away and plays continuously. Haven’t quite figured out how to get it to play stories ONLY for the road we’re traveling on.

by Smoff76

Autio started out good so we bought the annual membership. Come to find out most of the history focuses on Indian history and lots of talk about slavery. Not to say that’s not a part of history but I’m tired of it being the only focus these days. More brainwashing. Disappointed. I would like to hear more history about the cities and I know there’s plenty of info that could be included instead.

by Srinimaverick

I was looking for an app like this since I first started using an app GyPSy on a trip to Maui. I like HearHere and got a three-year subscription. It’s great to listen to while driving around but there is one annoying issue - sound quality is inconsistent (especially the narration by Bill Werlin). Need to turn the volume up and down based on the speakers, and Bill in particular is some times hard to hear even at max volume. Also, there could have been a couple more basic features - search by address or location, or map out a route and download selected or all audios along that route. It also crashes occasionally. Nonetheless, I recommend Autio with a solid 4 stars. It’s not as good as GyPSy but complements it in my Travel apps folder. I hope to see improvements with time.

by Savvvy Girl

Do you ever think about the statues or buildings on your road trips? Well now there’s an app to tell you all the stories and facts about all the cool things that you’re driving on your long trips. It’s got great audio tidbits with some pretty famous voices and it just adds that extra it factor to your road trips.

by Edw@rd1234

I’ve lived along the Crystal Coast for 10 years and thought I knew pretty much all of the history in this area but I was wrong and with Autio I learned a lot more about the history around me. I’m going to use Autio wherever I go to learn the history information on every place I go.

by Dr. FrankM

This is the best travel companion by far! The famous voices narrating the stories are a pretty cool feature. There are always new stories being added weekly and you can always find some cool facts about the places you are driving by which is nice. Autio lets you focus on the road and admiring the scenic view and not being on your phone. The best app ever!!

by SurfNewport

We’re a roadtripping family and have been listening to HearHere for about two years. The stories’ library exploded this year and made our treks from DC to Charleston, then Idaho/Wyoming/Utah so much more interesting.

It’s true that Autio occasionally crashes, but the content is worth it and I’m sure the developers are working on continual improvements, which is what I’ve noticed since they launched.

Of particular interest are the narrators. I stumbled upon Rodney Ingram’s voice and had to do a double take. A Broadway lead actor from Aladdin and Phantom is a voice on Autio?! Who else am I missing?! Would be fun to be able to see a full talent list.

Great work! Love Autio.

by Lisz88

I’m so impressed with the stories on Autio. They’re narrated wonderfully. I’m not huge on podcasts so I was weary of downloading Autio. I love that Autio is location based story telling vs random story telling/ gossip. I even enjoyed listening to a couple stories from my hometown.

Would highly recommend to anyone that’s curious about where they live and where they’re going.

by Zbones

This is a really wonderful idea! I’ve listened to a few of the stories around my home area and they are incredibly well done! I am so looking forward to my next road trip when I can have this as a companion to my journeys and learn more about the area I am visiting! The voiceover talent is fantastic especially some of the celebrities who have added their voices to this! I highly recommend!!

by Diverdude90

Autio hits at a very precise idea: curiosity. No matter how much you travel in the US there is ALWAYS more to learn. I’ve used HH multiple times on road trips in the past year (cross-country, up east coast, down the west coast) and it’s always interesting what I find. Some areas of US are densely populated with stories (California coast) while others aren't (I-80 through Nevada) but nonetheless, they are a joy to listen to.

by Kghornsten

In my adventure up highway 5 I used up my 5 free trips too soon. I so much enjoyed the complete and historical descriptions that came with so many stops along the way. Theoretically speaking, it was far better than reading the history of the northern California stops up 5. Very complete. Thanks from a senior citizen who has spent much too much time at home lately…a real adventure from home.

by JBPhotogrpahy

I take a lot of road trips, and music isn’t always the best to keep my mind from all of the driving. Autio is brilliant, and helps the time fly by!

I have enjoyed watching the catalog of stories grow. Recently listening to fun ghost stories while driving from Charleston to Savannah.

Maybe the best testimony came from my 25 year old son, who, while listening during a drive through New Mexico said “ Autio is really cool.”

by Michigan Mike

So many times in our travels we pass by historical areas without learning anew. Autio is awesome because it affords you the ability to actually learn about and relive relevant historical events that took place and learn about the surrounding landscape. I will be using Autio and look forward to learning about history that I otherwise would have missed and also allow me to set foot on spots our forefathers walked upon.

by Dede9075

We recently traveled from OH to VA to see Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello with a short side trip to Schuyler (pronounced Skyler) VA to see “Walton’s Mountain”. Listening to the stories of the people, places and history while we were on the West Virginia Turnpike was so interesting and all the other stories we heard while on our trip. We even started listening while driving around our home town! We immediately subscribed to the 3-year plan because we KNOW we will use it often. Good job to all the people behind this amazing app! Thank you!!

by Paranetizen

Autio is EXACTLY what I’ve been looking for.

With COVID-19 making remote work ubiquitous but airplanes a non-starter, I (and everyone else I know) am all about hitting the road this fall. Autio is the best way to break up my road trip playlist with new content that’s interesting and relevant.

They’ve got stories of all kinds totally covering my west coast trip routes, narrated by great voices!, at the touch of a button. Superb. A couple little kinks in app navigation so far but they’ve really made it so easy to get to the good stuff.

Worth the subscription 100% - can’t wait for my next trip!

by D. Styler

Easy to use, with interesting and relevant stories. This is the perfect app for people who enjoy history, travel, and points of interest, without having to spend time and effort to do research. I’m only sorry I didn’t think of this myself!

by Definiteoptimist

Downloaded as a part of a road trip cross country, this is the best! I have learned so much, not only about my own hometown but also places along the way. I can’t wait to keep hearing about wherever I go. My grandparents love it as well.

by Epicdrive1

What an incredible idea. Looking forward to hearing about the stories and history of the places I visit, can’t wait for more content!!!

by Romney Smith

I have always wanted something like this. I love history and learning about little places I never knew had such a big story.

by No Wimpz

Perfectly timed release. We are looking forward to checking this new app out on our travels through Oregon next week!

by Deathpickle895

Very cool and modern design. Autio is very easy to understand and figure out how to use.

by JonahW

You have to get Autio!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!