For drivers
For people who drive all day
Look at any list of apps for drivers and you will find the same five things: mileage, taxes, navigation, earnings, cash advances. All useful. Not one of them is company.
The tools built for this job are built for the money side of it, which makes sense, because that is the part you can put a number on. The part nobody built for is the other twelve hours: the stretch of highway you have driven four hundred times, the third loop of the same radio station, the gap between rides at 2pm on a Tuesday.
That part is not a small inconvenience. For people whose office is a car seat, it is most of the job.
What actually happens on a long shift
- You run out of things to think about. By hour nine you have planned the week, replayed the argument, done the math on the month.
- The media runs out first. The podcast ends. The playlist loops. You have heard it.
- You call people you should not be calling. Not because you need anything, but because a voice is a voice, and it is the only one available.
- Nobody at home really gets it. "How was work?" is a hard question when work was eleven hours of the same four exits.
What a voice companion is, in practice
You tap once and talk out loud, hands on the wheel and eyes on the road. It answers through your car speakers. You can interrupt it, change the subject, go quiet for twenty minutes and pick it back up. It is not a menu you navigate. It is closer to having someone in the passenger seat who is never tired of the conversation and never needs you to drop them anywhere.
Concretely, on a shift that means:
- Something to talk to between rides without calling anyone.
- Remembering the thing you have to do after the shift, said out loud at the moment you think of it, without touching the phone.
- Questions answered while you drive, out loud, so nothing pulls your eyes down.
- It works in the language you actually speak, and switches mid conversation.
On safety, plainly. Kanneko is company for a monotonous drive. It is not a way to push through when you are tired. If you are getting drowsy at the wheel, the only thing that works is pulling over and sleeping. Nothing you can listen to changes that, and any app that suggests otherwise is putting you at risk.
What it does not do
It does not navigate for you, track your mileage, file your taxes or find you better fares. Those tools exist, they are good, and you probably already have them. This is the missing one, not a replacement for the ones that work.
Who it was built for
Rideshare, delivery, long haul, service routes: anyone whose day is measured in hours behind the wheel rather than in trips. Kanneko is coming to iOS and Android and the waitlist is open. It costs nothing to be first in line.
Questions drivers ask
Is there an app that keeps you company while driving?
That is exactly the gap Kanneko fills. The established apps for drivers cover mileage, taxes, navigation and earnings. Kanneko is the one for the hours in between: you talk out loud, hands free, and it answers through your car speakers.
How do you not get bored driving all day?
Most drivers rotate music, podcasts and audiobooks, and all of them eventually run out or repeat. The difference with a conversation is that it is not a recording: it responds to you, so it does not run out. That is the whole idea behind a voice companion.
Does it work for Uber, Lyft and DoorDash drivers?
Yes. It runs on your phone alongside whatever driver apps you already use, and it does not interfere with them. It was designed around long shifts rather than around short personal trips.
Do I have to touch my phone to use it?
One tap to start, and after that it is voice both ways. Your phone stays in its mount and your eyes stay on the road.
Will it distract me while I am driving?
It is designed so nothing important ever lands on the screen, which is what causes a driver to look down. Conversation itself is the same kind of attention as talking to a passenger. If a moment needs your full concentration, stop talking, and it waits.
Is it free?
Joining the waitlist is free and pricing is announced before launch.
Built for your shift, not for a commute
Kanneko is in early access for iOS and Android. Join the waitlist and get in first.
Get early access