Practical guide
How it works: install and set up
Set up VivPilot for your own goals: what your car costs, what you consider a good ride, and when. The app shows the verdict; the decision stays with you.
The test version can be downloaded from the home page. Detailed steps for every Settings tab, with screenshots from the app, will be added here.
Installing
At launch, VivPilot is installed on Android from a file downloaded from vivpilot.com, not from the Play Store (a Play Store version comes later). That's why Android asks you once to allow installs from that source.
- Download the app file only from vivpilot.com, once it's available. Don't install copies from other sources.
- Open the downloaded file (from the download notification or your files app).
- If Android says installs from this source aren't allowed, tap Settings and turn on Allow from this source for the app you downloaded the file with (for example Chrome). On Android 8 or newer you'll also find it under Settings → Apps → Special app access → Install unknown apps.
- Go back and tap Install.
- After installing you can turn the permission off again in the same menu.
Menu names differ slightly between manufacturers (Samsung, Xiaomi, Motorola etc.). The app itself is in Romanian.
Updates
Because VivPilot doesn't come from the Play Store, it doesn't update itself. Check vivpilot.com from time to time: the latest version is shown on the home page, under “App status”. If it's newer than the one on your phone (you'll see it in the app under Settings → Advanced, at the bottom), download it and install it over the old one. Your settings stay.
Especially during your trial, check often (ideally before each shift): we quickly fix what drivers report, and the new version reads offers better.
Permissions and why they're needed
Android accessibility service
This is the core permission. With it, VivPilot reads the offer shown on screen in Uber, Bolt or Blue (price, distances, time) to calculate the verdict. Offers read and calculations stay on your phone. VivPilot does not tap buttons for you and does not accept or decline rides.
You can turn it off at any time in Android Settings → Accessibility. Without it, the app can't show the verdict.
On Android 11 or newer, accessibility is the only required permission. If the VivPilot switch is greyed out in Accessibility (“restricted setting”, Android's rule for apps installed outside the Play Store), the app shows you the steps: try once to turn it on, then on VivPilot's page in Settings tap ⋮ → “Allow restricted settings”.
Recommended (optional, with “Later”), each explained in the app with the ⚠ sign: notifications (you see when the analysis is on), exemption from battery saving (so the app isn't stopped during your shift) and location (only for shift kilometres). On Android 8–10, display over other apps and usage access are also needed. We'll add the full description here at launch. What goes over the internet and what stays on your phone is in the Privacy policy.
Before your shift: “Ready to work” and START
On the Home screen (Acasă), VivPilot shows what still needs fixing before you start, in the “Ready to work” list (Gata de lucru). When everything is fine, tap the big START button (Pornește analiza). Then open your ride apps as usual.
After your shift, tap STOP or, to stop everything, “Close VivPilot” (Închide VivPilot, under START or in the notification): the analysis and GPS kilometres stop, and the edge button disappears until you open the app again. No “Force stop” needed.
Set up the app for your goals
The verdict is only as good as the numbers you give it. It's worth 10 minutes at the start.
Your car's real cost per km
Start with fuel and, for a complete picture, add the other costs that grow with kilometres.
Fuel per km = consumption (litres per 100 km) × price per litre ÷ 100
Example: 6 l/100 km × 7.50 lei ÷ 100 = 0.45 lei/km. Use your own real consumption and price.
Other costs per km = (maintenance + tyres + insurance + loan or rental, per month) ÷ km driven per month
The closer your cost per km is to reality, the more accurate the profit on the card.
Don’t want to work it out by hand? In Settings → Car → “Work out the cost per km from your expenses” you type your working days per week, km per day, loan, maintenance, insurance, other monthly costs and yearly taxes. You see at once what one km costs you. The button at the end puts the fixed costs into “Other costs” after you confirm; fuel stays calculated separately.
Thresholds: lei/km, lei/hour, minimum profit
Thresholds tell the app what a GOOD, FAIR or POOR ride means to you. There are no right values for everyone: they depend on your city, your car and how much you want to earn per shift.
- Each figure has two thresholds, on a bar with two dots: “POOR below” and “GOOD from”. In between, the offer is FAIR. Drag them with your finger or type the exact numbers.
- Start with values you consider reasonable from experience.
- After a few shifts, check the shift report and adjust gradually.
- lei/hour helps you avoid long, poorly paid rides; lei/km, rides that wear out the car; minimum profit, rides that aren't worth it at all.
Day, night and weekend profiles
At night or on weekends you usually expect something different. Set thresholds once for each situation and VivPilot switches them by time and day.
Cost of the empty drive back
Next to the profit, the band also shows what is left after the drive back without a passenger (“↩”). That gives a more realistic view of rides to the edge of town. By default the drive back doesn't change the verdict; if you want, you can include it in Settings → Thresholds.
Fleet commission
If you drive through a fleet (partner company), go to Settings → Car and scroll to the bottom:
- Fleet commission: the percentage your fleet keeps, a whole number from 0 to 50 (for example 10). 0 means you work on your own.
- Fixed weekly fleet fee: the amount in lei for the contract, employment record, accounting. It is subtracted once per week worked, only in the shift report.
Don't enter the Uber or Bolt commission here: the offer price is already after their commission. With a fleet commission, lei/km, lei/hour, profit and the verdict are calculated from what is left for you, and the band shows “flotă −X lei” (fleet). You can hide it in Settings → Card, in advanced mode.
Shift kilometres from GPS
The “Shift km from GPS” option (Settings → Shift) counts the kilometres from START to STOP and fills them into the shift report; you can correct them. It asks for the “Location” permission. Only the total distance is kept, with no route, and only on the phone.
Destinations to avoid
Search for and save streets or areas you don't want to end up in. When an offer's destination is near one of them, the card shows a warning such as “⛔ Strada…” (street). The verdict doesn't change; you're just warned. “View on map” opens the place in the map app you use.
The card and the voice
The verdict card appears over the offer. The voice announcement reads the verdict out loud so you don't stare at your phone. Both are optional: turn on only what helps you.
Keep in mind
- The verdict is an estimate based on what's on screen and your settings. We do not guarantee any level of earnings.
- The decision to accept or decline a ride is yours.
- Don't handle your phone while driving; follow traffic rules.
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