Steps
Step 1: Open the route and start it
The link (or “My routes”) opens “Today’s route” with the stop count, distance, planned time and the vehicle’s temperature badges. Choose “Start route”: it opens the stop-by-stop screen and puts the route on the road, which sends customers their “on the way” notice if it’s on.
The start screen offers “Add to your home screen” so drive mode opens like an app, even with no signal.
Step 2: Work the current stop
The header shows “Stop 4 of 12”. The map fills the screen, with the customer’s name on it. “More details” opens the name, address, “Call <name>”, instructions, what’s in the box, and who is next. Delivered, navigate, and the camera stay along the bottom.
Step 3: Navigate
Every stop is on the map. Tap a stop to frame it. “More details” follows that stop, including who comes after them. The navigation button opens this stop — the one Delivered marks — in Google Maps or Apple Maps (iPhones show both) for turn-by-turn. Porch Routes doesn’t give turn-by-turn directions itself. When the map says “Straight line between stops”, the road shape isn’t on this route yet — the stops are still all there.
Open the route menu (…) → “Open in Google Maps” to hand the next stops to a maps app. That link carries at most 10 stops and says so. “One at a time” hides it; “All together” shows it. The choice stays on your phone. The business picks the default in Settings → General → “Driver navigation”.
Step 4: Mark it delivered
Tap “Delivered”. If the business requires it, the proof sheet asks for “Take a photo” or a “Customer signature” before “Finish delivery”. The camera button takes a photo any time. Photos taken without signal are kept on the phone and upload when it returns.
Step 5: When it can’t be delivered
Tap “Couldn’t deliver or skip”. Pick a reason — “Nobody home”, “Gate locked”, “No safe place to leave it”, “Wrong address”, “Customer rescheduled” — or type one, and add a “Note for the office”. “Skip for now” sends nothing and returns the order to the pool; “Couldn’t deliver” tells the customer the reason after the undo window.
Step 6: Undo a mis-tap
A strip at the top shows the last stop and “Customer notified in 4 min”, counting down. Tap “Undo” to put the stop back on the route — nothing is sent. Once the window passes the customer is told and the store hears back.
The window is the business’s “Delivered notice delay” setting — 5 minutes by default, 0 to 15.
Step 7: Finish the day
After the last stop, “Every stop is done” shows Delivered, Skipped and Failed counts. “Complete route” closes the route for the day; the summary compares driving and stop time with the plan. A driver on a shared link sees “That’s everything — you can close this page. The business has all your photos and notes.”
Good to know
- Lost signal? The header shows “3 waiting” and drive mode keeps working; updates sync as soon as the phone reconnects.
- The route menu lists every stop; the business can allow drivers to reorder them (“Let drivers reorder stops” in Settings).
Questions
Do drivers need an account?
No. A driver link opens drive mode with no account or password. Staff who sign in use My routes instead.
What if the phone loses signal mid-route?
Drive mode keeps working from the saved route. Deliveries marked without signal wait in a retry queue and sync when the phone reconnects; the header shows how many are waiting.
Can a driver undo “Delivered”?
Yes, during the undo window shown in the strip at the top. Inside the window nobody is told. The office can also correct an outcome later from the route.