PatchMap — How to Use the App

Chapter 01

Getting Started

PatchMap is invite-only. You'll need an invite code to create an account — if you don't have one yet, request access on our beta page.

01

Download the app

Head to patchmap.org/beta and grab the latest APK. You'll be prompted to install the Firebase App Tester companion app first — go ahead and do that, then come back and install PatchMap.

02

Create your account

Open PatchMap and tap Sign Up. Enter your email, a username, a password, and your invite code. Agree to the terms and you're in. Each invite code is single-use — once claimed it's gone.

03

Log in and explore

After signing up you'll land on the map screen. Red pins show every venue in the database. Tap any pin to see details, ratings, and biker features reported by the community.

Chapter 02

The Map

The map is your main view. Every pinned location is a rider-submitted or community-reviewed venue.

01

Tap a pin

Tapping any red pin opens the venue card at the bottom of the screen. You'll see the name, address, biker features, and average star ratings from the community.

02

Add a new place

Press on any bar, restaurant, or venue on the map to create a PatchMap Review. You'll then be taken straight to the rating screen.

03

Open in Maps

From the venue card, tap Open in Maps to get turn-by-turn directions in Google Maps. Useful when you're on the road.

04

Switch to list view

Tap the List icon in the bottom nav to browse all venues in a searchable, filterable list. You can filter by biker features — motorcycle parking, bike nights, color-friendly, and drink specials.

Chapter 03

Rating a Place

Your reviews are what make PatchMap useful for the next rider. Each venue gets one review per account — you can update it anytime.

01

Tap "Rate This Place"

From any venue card, tap the Rate This Place button to open the rating screen. If you've already reviewed it, your previous ratings will be pre-filled so you can update them.

02

Set your star ratings

Rate the parking lot and service on a 1–5 star scale. These get averaged across all reviews and shown on the venue card.

03

Vote on biker features

Toggle on or off the four biker-specific features. Your vote joins the community consensus — features require a supermajority of yes votes before they show as active on the venue card.

04

Add a comment

Leave an optional comment with anything useful — parking tips, best nights to go, what to order, who to talk to. Keep it real and helpful for the next rider through.

Good to know

The four biker feature toggles work on a community vote system. The first reviewer sets the initial state. After that, it takes at least 3 "yes" votes from different riders to flip a feature on. This keeps the data honest and resistant to single bad reviews.

The four biker features

Color Friendly

Staff and regulars are welcoming to patch holders. No hassle at the door.

MC Parking

Dedicated or well-suited motorcycle parking close to the entrance.

Bike Nights

Regular scheduled bike nights. Check the venue review comments for the schedule.

Drink Specials

The venue runs drink specials — happy hour, rider discounts, or regular promos.

Chapter 04

Reading Reviews

Every venue has a full review thread from the community. Tap "See All Reviews" on any venue card to read them.

⭐

Average ratings

The venue card shows averaged parking and service star ratings pulled from all community reviews. The more reviews, the more accurate.

👤

Tap a username

Usernames on review cards are tappable. Tap one to visit that rider's profile and see all their reviews across the app.

📋

Full review thread

The reviews screen shows all individual reviews with stars, feature badges, dates, and comments from every rider who's been there.

Chapter 05

Your Profile

Tap the profile icon in the bottom nav to view your account, reviews, and any admin tools available to your role.

01

Your reviews

Your profile shows all the venues you've reviewed. Tap any venue name in the list to jump straight to that venue's full detail card on the map.

02

View other profiles

Tap any username in the app — on a review card or review thread — to visit their profile and see everything they've reviewed. Great for finding riders with similar taste in spots.

03

Log out or delete account

Both options are on your own profile screen. Deleting your account is permanent — it removes your account and all your reviews from the database. There's a confirmation prompt before anything is wiped.

Chapter 06

Roles & the Community

PatchMap has a tiered role system. Most riders are Users. Trust is earned over time.

Role	What they can do
Owner	Full control. Generates invite codes, manages all users, assigns any role, bans accounts, and moderates all reviews.
Admin	Generates invite codes, views the user roster, changes roles up to moderator, bans users, and moderates reviews.
Moderator	Can long-press any review to delete a comment or remove the entire review. Keeps the database clean.
User	Can add venues, rate and review any location, read all reviews, and view any profile. The core experience.

Moderation

If you see a fake review, inaccurate information, or something that needs cleaning up — email support@patchmap.org and a moderator will handle it.

How to Use PatchMap