Troubleshooting
This page summarizes short fixes that you often want to check on the spot. If you want organizer-side judgment and fallback operation as well, see Operations Guide - Operational Decisions for Trouble Cases.
I cannot install the app
- Check whether your device is supported, iOS 16.6 or later, Android 9.0 or later
- Check your network connection
- Check whether your device is allowed to use the App Store or Google Play
The app does not start or it crashes
Things to try first
- Update the app to the latest version
- Restart the device
- Force close the app and launch it again
If the app crashes during play
NaviTabi has an automatic recovery feature.
- Restart the app
- Open the event screen for the event that was in progress, and the in-progress state is restored automatically
- Punches (spot visits) recorded before the crash are saved both on the server and locally, so they are not lost
During play, data is saved both on the device and on the server. Even if the app crashes, the app restores from the latest state on the server when restarted. If the server cannot be reached, it attempts to restore from local data.
What happens to your record when the screen locks or the app is closed
Timing is calculated from your start time, so it never stops in any of these cases. The GPS track and auto punch are recorded only while the app is running (the same on iOS and Android).
| Situation | Timing | GPS track | Punching |
|---|---|---|---|
| You locked the screen | Continues | Recorded | Auto punch works |
| You switched to another app | Continues | Recorded | Auto punch works |
| You closed the app (swiped it away) | Continues | Not recorded until you reopen the app | You cannot punch until you reopen the app |
| The battery ran out or the device restarted | Continues | Not recorded until you reopen the app | You cannot punch until you reopen the app |
When you reopen the app, it returns to the play screen automatically without a confirmation screen. Only the device on which you started the play can return to it. Spots you passed while the app was closed are not recorded automatically afterward, so do not close the app during play.
If the battery runs out
If you charge the device and restart the app, you can resume play.
If resuming is not possible, use a paper map or printed control list if the organizer provides one. A good organizer-side rule is to accept the finish if the participant can show photos taken with the standard camera app as evidence.
For organizer-side judgment criteria, see Operations Guide - Operational Decisions for Trouble Cases.
If it still does not improve
- Uninstall and reinstall the app
- Check free storage space on the device
- Contact NaviTabi support with the device name, OS version, and what happened
The device's back button does not work on Android
On the map screen for play, the device's back button and the back gesture cannot be used. This is by design, so that you do not close the play screen by mistake while handling the map; it is not a fault. Before you start, you can return to the previous screen with the ✕ button on the screen. During play, end your play with Finish / Abort in the menu (Join and Play an Event — Start playing).
I cannot start at the start point
Check the following.
- Whether location is available. Tap the current location button and check whether the map moves to your location
- Whether the device OS location setting is on
- Whether NaviTabi has location permission
- Whether you are close enough to the start point
If you try to start away from the start point, the app asks "Would you like to start automatically when you get close to the start point?". If you accept, the button changes to Ready for Auto-Start and play starts automatically once you get close to the start point. Only if you really must start where you are, you can use Skip start point (usually not used) from the menu, but depending on the event your result may be treated as unofficial.
The course or event is not shown
- Check your network connection
- Check that Airplane Mode is not restricting communication
- Check that mobile data for NaviTabi is not turned off
- Check the app version. If "This event requires a newer version of the app." appears and you cannot enter, update the app to the latest version
- If you are the event organizer, confirm that the event and categories are public
Events that use new features such as bonus points (Bonus QR or Combo Bonus) cannot be joined with an older version of the app. Updating the app to the latest version from the App Store / Google Play lets you join. For the organizer-side response, see Operations Guide - Operational Decisions for Trouble Cases.
GPS is not being acquired correctly
How to improve GPS accuracy
- Use the app in an open outdoor place. Accuracy drops inside buildings or near tall structures
- Check location permission
- On iOS, open Settings -> NaviTabi and set location to Always Allow
- On Android, open Settings -> Apps -> NaviTabi -> Location and set it to Always Allow
- Confirm that system location services are on
- Turn Airplane Mode on and off once to refresh GPS
- Check whether another app such as Google Maps can show the current location
The punch button does not react
- Check that you are close enough to the spot. Tap the current location button to confirm whether your location appears near the spot
- If you are close enough, the punch button should be active (blue)
- Location is recorded only when GPS accuracy is within 40m. Wait a moment until accuracy stabilizes
- If you still cannot punch, take a photo with the camera app. The organizer may accept it as evidence at their discretion
The phone does not vibrate when I approach a spot
- Some devices, especially some tablets, do not have vibration hardware
- Check whether location is being acquired correctly
I hear no sound or voice on Auto Punch
- Check your device's volume and silent mode. The app itself has no volume or vibration settings
- Use "Play settings" - "Test auto punch sound" in the settings to check that the sound you selected plays
- The voice is only used when you select "Short (Beep) & Voice". Nothing is read out for the start punch
- Manual Punch and Camera Punch always use a short electronic tone, whatever you choose in the settings
A warning sound (error sound) plays for no obvious reason
While you play a Fixed Order course with Auto Punch, entering the punch range of a spot whose turn has not come yet triggers a long vibration and an error sound. Check whether you have skipped an earlier spot. You can turn it off with "Play settings" - "Error sound" in the settings. See Punch Method Guide - Sound and vibration for details.
The camera does not open after punching
- Check whether NaviTabi has camera permission
- If it still does not open, use the standard camera app and take a photo. If the punch is recorded, you can upload the photo from the results screen later
On some Android models, taking photos with NaviTabi's in-app camera may not work properly. In that case, go to Settings → App Settings and change Camera type to External camera app (Alternative). After punching, the device's camera app opens so you can take the photo. During play, you can also change it from App Settings in the play screen menu.
Scanning the QR code does not punch
When you scan a QR code, a reason is shown depending on the situation. The common ones are:
- "This QR code is not part of this course.": It is not a checkpoint of this course
- "This isn't the next control to visit.": Shown on a course with a fixed visiting order when you scan another spot first
- "You've already punched this control.": This spot has already been punched
- "Get closer to this control, then scan its QR code.": Shown for a spot set to GPS + QR (both required) when you have not yet approached the spot. Move closer to the spot and scan again
- "Punch at least one control before finishing.": Shown when you scan the finish without punching any control
The meaning and what to do for each are summarized in the table in Punch Method Guide - QR Code Punch.
The punch QR code posted at a spot and the Reception QR scanned at check-in are completely different features. The reception QR cannot be used for punching (and vice versa).
I cannot punch with a printed QR code
A QR code is unique to each spot. If you delete a spot and recreate it, the already printed QR code becomes invalid.
- If you recreated a spot, reprint the QR code and post it again
- For the printing flow, see Course and Spot Settings - QR Code Punch
I cannot finish at the finish point
First, check the following.
- Press the location button and check that your current location appears near the finish point
- Check that you have punched at least one control. Until you punch one, the Finish button does not appear even when you approach the finish point (and auto punch does not finish automatically either)
- On score courses, if an unpunched control is closer to you than the finish point, the button becomes Punch for that control. Punch that control, or move closer to the finish point
If you still cannot finish, what to do depends on the course type.
- Fixed Order courses — When the next spot is the finish, choose Skip next spot from the menu to finish on the spot. The record is treated as finished, but the results show that a spot was skipped
- Score courses (with a finish point) — There is no way to finish away from the finish point. Tell the staff at the finish point and follow their instructions. The organizer can later correct the finish time of the record or change an aborted (DNF) record to finished (Operations Guide — Operational Decisions for Trouble Cases)
- Score (start anywhere) courses — Choose Finish from the menu to finish anywhere
On any course, taking a photo at the finish point with the device's camera app lets you show the organizer that you reached the finish. If your finish was recorded, you can add that photo from the finish row on the results screen after finishing.
I cannot finish indoors
Where GPS is hard to receive, such as indoors, you may not be able to finish even when you are close. If the organizer set the finish to QR only and posted a QR code at the finish point, you can finish by scanning the QR code (the GPS distance check is waived).
The location of the per-spot QR setting differs between Android and iPhone
The setting that overrides the QR mode per spot is located in different places on each platform.
- iPhone (iOS): Set it on the spot edit screen
- Android: Set it on the edit screen under "All spots"
For details, see Course and Spot Settings - QR Code Punch.
GPS test fails in a Safety Tracking Event
Before location sharing starts, a GPS test runs. Check the following.
- Location permission must be set to Always Allow
- Wait outdoors until GPS accuracy is within 100m
- The test times out after 60 seconds. If accuracy does not stabilize, move to another place and try again
Data is not synchronized
Causes and what to do
Check the network connection
- Confirm that Wi-Fi or mobile data is on
- Confirm that Airplane Mode is off
Data is also saved locally
- NaviTabi saves data on the device even while offline. When network connection returns, it synchronizes automatically
The "Not synced yet" notice on the results screen
- While a record has not yet been sent to the server, a "Not synced yet" notice appears on the results screen. Keep the app open somewhere with a connection and the record is sent automatically; the notice disappears once syncing is complete
If only the photos are missing
- Photos are sent separately from the record. For automatic retries and manual re-uploading, see Playing FAQ - My photo did not upload
If synchronization does not finish
- Close and restart the app
- Move to a stable network environment
- Wait a while and check again
In team competition, the score is finalized only after all team members' data has synchronized to the server. If one member remains out of coverage, reflection may take longer.
My play result does not appear
- Check your network connection
- Check whether the result appears on another device
- For organizer-run events, it is often reasonable to accept a finish if passage can be proven with photos saved in the device album
If the organizer wants guidance on finalizing results or making manual corrections, see Operations Guide - Event Day Operations and Operations Guide - After the Event.
The map loads slowly, or I want to clear the tile cache
If the map is slow or old map data remains visible, try deleting the map cache.
- Open Settings from the map screen
- Select Delete map cache
After deleting the cache, network access is needed to reload the map.
If the event area may become offline on the day, open the event map in advance and zoom in and out around the area so that map tiles are cached.
Notifications do not arrive
If notifications of organizer messages, group posts, or punches during play do not appear, check in your device settings that notifications are allowed for NaviTabi. The app has no setting for turning individual types of notification on or off.
On Android 13 and later, permission is required to show notifications. If you did not allow it when the permission screen appeared, the screen is not shown again. Open the device's notification settings from Settings → Notification settings in the app and turn notifications on (Getting Started — Items on the Settings screen).
While the app is on screen during play, notifications such as organizer messages are not shown.
The app has no notification setting. Allow notifications in the iOS Settings app under "NaviTabi" → "Notifications".
- You can check whether notifications appear on your device with "Play settings" → "Test auto punch notification" in Settings (after "Send a test notification in 3 seconds" is shown, the notification arrives)
- When the device's power saving mode, or per-app battery optimization (Android), is on, notifications may be delayed or may not arrive. We recommend turning power saving off on the event day
"Update notice" appears and I cannot continue
When you open an old version of the app, it shows "Currently this version is not supported and may not function properly. Please update immediately to the latest version." and cannot be used until you update. Update NaviTabi from the App Store / Google Play.
"A newer version is available. Please update to the latest version." is an optional update, but some events require the latest version ("This event requires a newer version of the app."), so we recommend updating before the event.
Supported devices and OS versions
iOS
- Supported version: iOS 16.6 or later
- iPhone is supported
- A device with working GPS is required
Android
- Supported version: Android 9.0, API level 28, or later
- A device with Google Play Services installed is required
- A device with working GPS is required
Web browser
- The latest versions of Chrome, Safari, Edge, and Firefox are supported
- The web version is mainly for event management and result review. For joining events, use the smartphone app