BART Watch vs Backyard Explorer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
BART Watch
This app provides a discreet way for public transit riders to report suspicious activity directly to transit police. Users can send text messages, photos, and location data, with options for anonymity. It also features alerts for persons of interest.
- Report suspicious activity
- Send text messages and photos
- Discreet reporting with disabled flash
- Location sharing
- Anonymous reporting option
- Direct call to transit police
- Be On the Look Out (BOLO) alerts
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BART Watch: Free Security App for Riders. The BART Watch App offers the public a quick and discreet method for reporting suspicious activity directly to BART Police. The app can send pictures, text messages, and locations of suspicious people or activities. From the home screen, users have two easy options for contacting BART Police: * The “Report a Problem” button allows users to send text or photos directly to BART Police. To ensure discretion, the camera flash is automatically disabled when photos are taken through the app. When reporting an issue, users can select locations and report categories to assist BART Police. Riders can also send reports anonymously if they chose. * The “Call BART Police” button will connect customers directly to BART Police. The application is designed for BART. If you send a report in an area without cellular connectivity, it will be stored and sent when connectivity returns. The system is also designed to send text messages before pictures so that BART Police can get app reports as quickly as possible. Additional Features BOLO (Be On the Look Out) Alerts. BOLO Alerts on the BART Watch App may display alerts from BART Police about specific persons of interest. For example, BART Watch may display information about a missing person or child, such as where they were last seen. If you see a person from a BOLO, immediately call 911 and send an app report to BART Police discreetly. Help keep BART safe, "See something, Say something."
Backyard Explorer
Discover the history and hidden stories of your surroundings with an audio guide that automatically narrates as you walk. Explore different historical perspectives and unlock new content through optional subscriptions.
- Automatic GPS-triggered audio narration
- Multiple themed walking tours
- Interactive map that reveals as you explore
- Live narration for real-world events
- Museum collection tours
- User-published and discoverable routes
- Personal exploration log and achievements
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Backyard turns any walk into a story. Wherever you are, a talking tree guide narrates real, fact-checked history and hidden stories about the exact block you're standing on, triggered automatically as you walk. No planning, no searching, no tapping through a list of stops. Just walk, and listen. SAME STREETS, FIVE DIFFERENT WALKS Pick a mood before you start, and hear the same city told a completely different way: Time Machine: what this spot looked like decades ago Hidden City: secrets hiding in plain sight Dark Side: unsolved mysteries and dark history Behind the Scenes: film locations and celebrity history Unfiltered: raw, funny, opinionated, like walking with a local friend who knows everything A MAP YOU HAVE TO EARN The map starts completely dark. Nothing shows, not a street, not a pin, until you've actually walked there. Every step you take reveals it for good. Other explorers' published routes stay invisible too, until you've personally discovered that exact spot yourself, so your map becomes a real record of your own exploration. REAL-WORLD EVENTS, NARRATED LIVE Backyard Events ties narration to real runs, parades, and festivals happening right now. Walk into an event's zone and the story shifts to be about what's actually happening around you, not just the block's usual history. MUSEUM TOURS GPS doesn't work indoors, so museum collections get their own kind of tour: fixed, narrated stops through a real museum's own collection, starting with The Metropolitan Museum of Art, advanced with a tap whenever you're ready for the next piece. DISCOVER AND REPLAY Browse routes other explorers have published and walk them yourself, hearing their original narration play back as you retrace their steps. Publish your own walks for others to discover. YOUR OWN EXPLORATION LOG Every walk is saved: distance, duration, and the story behind every stop, so you can relive it anytime. Track tours completed, distance walked, cities visited, and badges earned along the way. BACKYARD EXPLORER (OPTIONAL) Unlock Dark Side, Behind the Scenes, and Unfiltered moods, Dramatic and Warm narration voices, a higher daily story limit, and the ability to ask a question out loud anywhere on your walk. Backyard is free to download and use. Backyard Explorer is an optional subscription (monthly or annual) for anyone who wants more. Every street has a story. Go find it. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://backyardexplorer.org/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Backyard Explorer at 5.0 against BART Watch's 4.4. Backyard Explorer also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months). BART Watch's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (2.9K vs 1). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Backyard Explorer sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. BART Watch asks for nothing beyond the download.
Backyard Explorer holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BART Watch has 2.9K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
BART Watch ships an update every 3 months, Backyard Explorer fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BART Watch | Backyard Explorer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (2.9K ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 34.8% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2.9K — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 20 MB | 62 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | ELERTS Corp | KELLY LEUNG |
Customer experience
BART Watch
Backyard Explorer
Bugs and requests
BART Watch
Reported bugs
3 issues- had a good connection but unable to upload
- Can't file a report and a kid is lighting things on fire in the BART car. Obvious the camera doesn't work. Good job!
- Don't see an option for fare evader
Requested features
2 requests- Need a way to report non-police matters too
- Upload a photo of disruptive behavior
Backyard Explorer
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
BART Watch
No in-app purchases
Backyard Explorer
- Backyard Explorer$4.991 Month
- Backyard Explorer Annual$39.991 Year
Questions
Is BART Watch free?
Is Backyard Explorer free?
Which has better reviews, BART Watch or Backyard Explorer?
Do BART Watch or Backyard Explorer have ads?
Which is updated more often, BART Watch or Backyard Explorer?
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