Don’t start from a blank screen. Zenroad is Damoov’s open-source reference app — a working iOS and Android implementation of trip detection, mileage, driving scores, and DataHub connectivity, built on the same SDK you would ship in a product.
If you want the generic API/SDK overview, that already lives on Getting Started with Telematics APIs & SDKs. This page is the missing piece: start from Zenroad, not from an empty accelerometer buffer.
What a blank-screen telematics build actually costs
Teams rarely underestimate the UI. They underestimate the invisible work: trip start/stop, background modes, permission wizards, battery, and the first scored trip that actually looks like driving. That pipeline is documented in How Automatic Trip Detection Works — sensor fusion, a motion state machine, and iOS/Android background rules. Rebuilding it is a multi-month project, not a sprint.
A blank-screen plan usually looks like this:
- Week 1–2: GPS points on a map. Looks like progress.
- Week 3–8: false trips, fragmented commutes, battery complaints.
- Week 9+: scoring, crash events, and export still not production-grade.
Damoov’s offer is the opposite sequence. Initialize the SDK, grant permissions, drive. The reference app already does that on a phone you can hold. Then you replace the UI.
What Zenroad is — and is not
On the live product page, Zenroad is described as Damoov’s free, open-source reference telematics app for iOS and Android. It automatically records trips, logs mileage, and calculates safety and eco-driving scores. The source is on GitHub under the Mobile-Telematics organization. Damoov maintains it as the reference implementation of the telematics SDK.
You can white-label it: rebrand, change the UI, and use it as a starting point. You can also treat it as a demo of the stack before you add the SDK to an existing app.
What it is not:
- A consumer-app business.
- An IRS-ready tax logbook. Zenroad logs trips; it is not positioned as a MileIQ-class deduction export.
- A crash simulator. Crash signals live in the SDK. Do not stage collisions in the store app.
- A complete fleet suite, barcode scanner, roadside assistance product, or remote lock/unlock API.
If those limits surprise you, that is the point of reading this before you clone. The reference app shows the data layer. Your product still owns workflow, compliance exports, and brand.
What you get in the GitHub repos
Two first-class repos, not a single “SDK dump”:
- TelematicsApp-Android — Kotlin reference app. Live listing on the Zenroad page includes dashboard, trip feed, trip details, rewards, leaderboards, driver profile & vehicles, settings, Bluetooth OBD connect, and join-a-company.
- TelematicsApp-iOS — Swift reference app with the same core surfaces, plus claims in the iOS feature list on the live page.
Both sit in github.com/Mobile-Telematics. The product page is explicit that personal data can be hosted on your Firebase instance (US / Europe / other export options) while telematics payloads are processed by the Damoov platform. Read the current README and docs before you assume a hosting layout — T-503 is rewriting the README lead to match this article.
Configuration is file-based: AppConfig.kt on Android, Configuration.plist on iOS. You point the app at your Damoov credentials after you Start free and create a workspace.
The clone path: sandbox, SDK, then your UI
The live Zenroad page lists a six-step developer path. Compressed for this article:
- Register a developer workspace. Start free in DataHub and get API credentials.
- View source. Clone Android or iOS.
- Add credentials. Follow Add the SDK to your app (native Swift/Kotlin, plus React Native and Flutter bridges).
- Build and run on a device. Trip tracking starts after permissions, in automatic mode, with no start/stop button required.
- Confirm a trip in DataHub. Same scored trip you saw in Zenroad now belongs to your instance.
- Replace the shell. Keep the SDK; swap screens for your product. Or skip the clone and add the SDK to an existing app via the SDK page.
Docs currently describe a working integration path that many teams complete in a first session. Treat that as a first-trip milestone, not a production-hardening claim. Battery, OEM quirks, and permission copy still need product work.
What you still have to build
Zenroad is a reference, not your roadmap. You still own:
- Onboarding, brand, and the permission story your App Store reviewer will read.
- Business vs personal tagging rules, shift schedules, or Bluetooth vehicle binding — the SDK supports several tracking modes; your product picks one.
- Backend workflow: webhooks, payouts, coaching, underwriting. The API returns trips, scores, and events; it does not run your business process.
- Anything that is not on the live SDK/docs list. Do not invent keyless entry, remote start, or a Damoov booking UI.
That split is the point. You do not buy a finished consumer app. You start from a reference implementation of the hard part.
A: You need a prototype that records a real trip before the architecture review. Clone Zenroad, or add the SDK to a sample app, and come back with a DataHub trip — not a slide.
B: You need time-to-value you can show. “We forked the reference app” is a better status update than “we are still tuning GPS.” The commercial motion is still Damoov (sandbox → paid SDK/API), not a Zenroad consumer P&L.
If you only need a personal mileage log for taxes, this is the wrong page. See the mileage comparison article for honest product limits. If you need the sensor-level explanation, go to the trip-detection technical article and come back here to ship.
FAQ
Is Zenroad the same as the Damoov SDK?
No. Zenroad is the open-source reference app. The SDK is the library you embed. Zenroad uses the SDK so you can see the stack on a phone before you integrate.
Do I have to use the Zenroad UI in production?
No. White-label it, or keep only the SDK and build your own screens. The GitHub apps are a starting point, not a required shell.
Where do I try it without cloning?
Try Zenroad on a device, then Start free if you want the same data in DataHub.
Start from the reference app
Don’t start your telematics app from a blank screen. Clone the reference, take one scored trip, then embed the SDK in the product you actually ship.
Try Zenroad: Try Zenroad (OneLink — desktop lands on the app page; mobile goes to the stores).
Start free: Start free in DataHub.
View source: Android · iOS · org.
View docs: Add the SDK to your app · Automatic tracking.
Useful links to build your own app
- Company website: Damoov telematics platform
- Open-source telematics app: Damoov telematics app
- Telematics SDK: Damoov telematics SDK
- Telematics API: Damoov telematics API
- Developer portal: Damoov documentation
- Datahub: Damoov DataHub
- GitHub org: Mobile-Telematics
- Android reference app: TelematicsApp-Android
- iOS reference app: TelematicsApp-iOS
Related reading
- How Automatic Trip Detection Works — the pipeline Zenroad is demonstrating.
- Getting Started with Telematics APIs & SDKs — older overview; this article is the clone path.
- Telematics SDK and Zenroad product page.