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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.

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

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​

  1. Update the app to the latest version
  2. Restart the device
  3. Force close the app and launch it again

If the app crashes during play​

NaviTabi has an automatic recovery feature.

  1. Restart the app
  2. Open the event screen for the event that was in progress, and the in-progress state is restored automatically
  3. Punches (spot visits) recorded before the crash are saved both on the server and locally, so they are not lost

:::tip Data safety 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. :::

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

I cannot start at the start point​

Check the following.

  1. Whether location is available. Tap the current location button and check whether the map moves to your location
  2. Whether the device OS location setting is on
  3. Whether NaviTabi has location permission
  4. Whether you are close enough to the start point

:::tip Skipping the start point If you really need to start from away from the start point, you may be able to use Skip Start Point from the play screen menu. :::

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

:::note "This event requires a newer version of the app." is shown 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​

  1. Use the app in an open outdoor place. Accuracy drops inside buildings or near tall structures
  2. 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
  3. Confirm that system location services are on
  4. Turn Airplane Mode on and off once to refresh GPS
  5. 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

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

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.

:::tip This is different from the Reception QR (check-in QR) 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.

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.

  1. Location permission must be set to Always Allow
  2. Wait outdoors until GPS accuracy is within 100m
  3. The test times out after 60 seconds. If accuracy does not stabilize, move to another place and try again

I edited a spot in the original course of a copied course, and the new course changed too​

This is by design. Even when you copy a course, the spots (coordinates, spot names, QR punch settings, and so on) and quizzes are shared with the original course (they are not duplicated). Because of this, editing a shared spot in either course is reflected in both courses. Scoring, quiz assignments, and the start/finish are independent per course, so you can edit them separately. For details, see FAQ - Can I copy a course?.

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 synchronization does not finish

  1. Close and restart the app
  2. Move to a stable network environment
  3. Wait a while and check again

:::note If a team member's result is not reflected 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.

  1. Open Settings from the map screen
  2. Select Delete map cache

After deleting the cache, network access is needed to reload the map.

:::tip Load maps in advance 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. :::