Troubleshooting guides, frequently asked questions, and information on how to contribute to the project.
Pixiog Explore is a free and open-source Android game built for cyclists. It maps your surroundings and covers them in a dark "Fog of War" overlay. As you ride your bicycle, the GPS tracks your location and clears the fog, awarding XP, levels, and badges for your exploration.
Yes, Pixiog Explore is 100% free and open-source under the MIT License. There are no microtransactions, paywalls, subscriptions, advertisements, or user tracking components.
The map uses spatial indexing algorithms to break down the surface of the earth into discrete hexagonal nodes. When you ride through a coordinate boundary, the corresponding node state is toggled from "Unexplored" to "Discovered" in your local Room Database, clearing the visual rendering overlay.
GPS accuracy depends on your device's hardware, cloud cover, tall buildings, and power settings. To optimize: 1. Give the app "Allow All the Time" location permission. 2. Turn off battery optimization for Pixiog Explore. 3. Make sure you are outdoors with a clear line of sight to the sky.
Continuous GPS tracking is resource-intensive. Pixiog uses adaptive polling (reducing GPS request frequency when stationary) and disables map rendering when the screen is off. For longer rides, set the poll rate to "Balanced" in the settings panel.
Absolutely. The app works fully offline by saving paths and GPS tracks locally in a Room database. Pre-download map tiles for your city via "Download Offline Maps" to render the visual maps without an internet connection.
Your location data is stored 100% locally on your own device. Pixiog has no centralized backend server and does not upload location histories. Export your data to a raw JSON/GPX file at any time for manual backups.
No. Pixiog Explore is designed exclusively for pedal-powered cycling. The app actively monitors speed and movement patterns to detect motorized vehicles, e-bikes, and walking. Exploration data from non-pedal activity is flagged and will not count toward your progress. This is an anti-cheat measure to keep the game fair.
We accept contributions! Check out our GitHub repository, look for issues marked "help wanted" or "good first issue," and open a Pull Request. You can contribute Kotlin code, fix bugs, design vector badges, or translate UI elements.
Report issues directly via the GitHub Issues tab. For questions, feature proposals, or ideas, feel free to start a thread under GitHub Discussions or contact the maintainer via email.
Android's battery saving system often halts background GPS. Go to Settings > Apps > Pixiog Explore > Battery, and change the setting to "Unrestricted." Also ensure "Background Location Permission" is allowed.
Make sure map tiles were downloaded prior to your ride. Navigate to Settings > Offline Downloads, and drag the bounding box over your city limits while connected to Wi-Fi.
If riding for long sessions, switch off "3D Buildings Rendering" in settings and increase the GPS Polling Rate to "High Efficiency" (updates every 15-20 seconds).
If maps show spikes, enable "Discard High Drift Points" in GPS settings. The algorithm will filter out coordinates whose speed vectors exceed physical capabilities for a bicycle.
If your legitimate pedal-powered ride was flagged, check your GPS accuracy settings. High drift can cause false speed spikes. You can appeal via the GitHub Issues page.
Make sure you're running Android 10.0+ (API 29). Clear the app cache from Android Settings > Apps > Pixiog > Storage > Clear Cache, then restart the app.
Easily integrate with the Pixiog Explore Leaderboard and Profile API. This JavaScript/Node.js wrapper allows developers to query public stats, view individual user badges, and securely submit profile updates with built-in validation.
Pixiog Explore is maintained by @theaveragelegs. Bug reports, feature requests, and contributions are all welcome.