User manual

Before you begin

Background recording depends on location permission. Motion & Fitness verifies walking and running. Camera or photo access is used when adding pictures, and NSG ID is used for optional sync and team participation.

Record your first journey

Start on the Map tab. No account is needed for local recording.

1. Allow location access when requested. Allow Motion & Fitness access to verify walks and runs.
2. Choose Walking or Transportation in the selector above the recording controls.
3. Tap Start recording.
4. Carry your iPhone as you walk, run, or travel on the ground.
5. Tap Stop recording when you finish.

What to expect. Newly covered hexagons appear in the selected view. Walking progress can arrive after motion history is confirmed. Recording and route directions stop independently.

Understand the two views

Walking uses motion and nearby step evidence to confirm walking or running. Transportation includes those visits and directly observed ground travel by bicycle, car, or train. Changing the selector changes what you view; it does not start or stop recording. Badges and team progress are separate for each mode. Transportation does not offer step-count badges.

Eligible Transportation GPS gaps can fill along estimated straight-line routes. Check the actual path and correct or remove an automatic route using the steps below. Flight screening uses speed and altitude clues and can miss some aircraft movement; it is not a guarantee that every flight is excluded.

Recover a missing walking route

Use the iPhone that recorded the gap, within 24 hours of the gap ending. A correction needs recorded steps, a plausible route, and at least one new Walking hexagon.

1. On Map, select Walking.
2. Tap the three-dot Map tools button.
3. Tap Repair missing walk.
4. Choose Claimable, then open the walk you want to check.
5. Trace the path you actually walked from Start toward End. Tap the map to add points, or move the map and tap Add point at center. The endpoints stay fixed.
6. Use Undo point or Clear if you need to redraw.
7. Tap Preview hexagons.
8. Check the route and the new-hexagon count. Tap Edit route to change it, or Save correction to accept it.

What to expect. A saved Walking correction appears in Saved; its newly awarded hexagons are orange. It contributes independently to both Walking and Transportation; existing genuine visits remain intact.

What each tab means

Claimable contains routes that can currently add new Walking hexagons. Non-claimable contains walks with a current reason, such as evidence still being checked, no new hexagons, conflicting movement, an expired deadline, or another recording device. Saved contains saved and undone corrections. Forgone contains candidates you chose to set aside. A pending evidence check can change the classification.

Gray hexagons are already claimed in Walking. Teal hexagons are missing or proposed. After saving, orange shows only hexagons newly awarded by that Walking correction. Existing visits and cells belonging to other corrections remain gray. Blue lines, when available, show recorded paths before and after the correction.

Set aside a Walking correction

1. Open an unsaved candidate in Repair missing walk.
2. Select Forgo correction and confirm.
3. To reconsider, open Forgone, select the candidate, then choose Restore correction.

What to expect. Setting a candidate aside preserves recorded movement and claimed hexagons. Restoring does not extend its original 24-hour deadline.

Undo a saved correction

1. Open Repair missing walk → Saved.
2. Open the correction.
3. Tap Undo correction.
4. Confirm Undo correction.

What to expect. Only hexagons still supported exclusively by that correction are removed in each mode. Other walks and corrections stay filled. Undo is final for that correction.

If evidence is unavailable, use Check movement evidence again. If the claim read fails, retry Preview hexagons. Save stays unavailable without a verified new-hexagon count. A correction saved offline within the deadline can sync later.

Check or remove an interpolated journey

In Transportation, eligible gaps between recorded ground locations can fill automatically along a straight line. These estimated routes already count toward Transportation coverage, badges and territory, including shared team progress after sync. They may differ from the road or railway you took. They never add Walking coverage or create GPS points.

To redraw a route, use the iPhone that recorded it within 7 days of the gap ending. Automatic routes remain removable after that deadline and from other synced devices.

1. On Map, select Transportation.
2. Tap the three-dot Map tools button.
3. Tap Repair Transportation.
4. Open the automatic route you want to inspect. You can also tap one of its hexagons on the main map.
5. Within the editing window, trace the actual ground path between the fixed Start and End points.
6. If nearby routes appear together, use Previous route or Next route to check each trace.
7. Tap Preview all routes when several routes are open, or Preview hexagons for one route.
8. Check every route, then tap Save all corrections or Save correction, as shown.

What to expect. The corrected paths replace their automatic routes in Transportation only. Recorded visits and unrelated routes remain. Purple highlights last 24 hours after creation or saving; the normal blue/teal colors then return. A route can remain tappable after its highlight ends.

Remove an automatic route

1. Open the automatic route.
2. Tap Remove interpolated route.
3. Confirm Remove interpolated route.

What to expect. The selected route is marked removed. Hexagons supported by recorded visits or other routes stay filled. Removal is final and prevents that same automatic route from reappearing. Saved reviewed corrections instead offer Undo correction.

If no route appears, the recorded endpoints may not meet the location, speed or ground-travel checks, or the cells may already be covered. A missing GPS interval cannot always be recovered. If editing has ended, you can still remove an automatic route. Offline changes sync later when server sync is enabled.

Review badges, visited areas, and territory

1. Tap Badges in the bottom tab bar, or tap the Today hexagon count on Map.
2. Choose Walking or Transportation for the progress you want to review.
3. Open Badges, Statistics, or History to inspect achievements, totals, or daily activity.
4. Return to Map.
5. Open Map tools → Open visited-area map to see filled geographical areas.

What to expect. Each mode shows its own coverage and badges. Step counts belong to Walking. Visited-area fills use available boundary data and may arrive later than hexagon claims.

Connected claimed hexagons can form territory. A closed route can enclose an area without walking every inner cell. Territory area and density describe different parts of that progress. Revisiting an already claimed cell does not add a new cell.

Join a team and choose what to share

Team participation requires NSG ID sign-in and server sync.

1. Tap Team in the bottom tab bar.
2. Choose the Walking or Transportation view.
3. Open Team List.
4. Search for a team.
5. Tap Request to Join and complete sign-in if requested.
6. Wait for the team owner to approve the request.
7. Open My Team.
8. Turn off Share All Past and Future Territories if you want to choose individual contributions.
9. Select the territory you want to share under Territories to Share.

What to expect. Selected territories contribute to the team in that mode. A private contribution can still become visible to the team when it expands territory formed by sharing members. Review selections when territories change; turning off all-history sharing does not make every contribution private.

Save a place and find it again

1. On Map, long-press the place to open Register Location.
2. Enter a name.
3. Optionally add a description and Category.
4. Tap Save.
5. Open the saved marker to view Location Details.

What to expect. The saved marker appears on the map and in Places. Check the category filter if a marker is hidden. Deleting a place requires confirmation.

In map search, look for a POI or address. For Japanese POIs, suggestions can come from OpenPOI; submitting the search also includes OpenStreetMap results. Provider attribution and license links appear with relevant results. Open Location Details to check in or add a photo from the library or camera; those actions may request permissions.

Keep transportation and hotel bookings together

Save places for the endpoints and hotel first when needed.

Create a trip first

1. Open Trips in the bottom tab bar.
2. In Trip Plans, tap the plus button (New Trip).
3. Enter a Trip name.
4. Set Start and End, and add Notes if needed.
5. Tap Save, then open the saved trip in the list.

What to expect. The named trip appears in Trip Plans. Open it to reach its itinerary, Transportation, Hotel, and Cost views.

Add transportation

1. Open Transportation, then select Add.
2. Choose a saved route or set From, To, and Transport.
3. Set Departure and Arrival, including each location’s time zone.
4. Add service or flight details, Class, Seat number, Booking status, price, and confirmation information as needed.
5. Select Save. Open the booking again to edit it.

Add a hotel

1. Open Hotel and select Add.
2. Choose the saved hotel location.
3. Set the start and end dates and hotel time zone. Enable Specify check-in time or Specify check-out time only when you know the clock time.
4. Add optional booking and payment details, breakfast, Hotel address, Hotel phone number, Airport transfer, and cancellation notes.
5. Select Save, or Update when editing.

What to expect. Saved bookings appear with the trip. Hotel per-night cost is calculated from its total and local calendar nights. Hotel needed rows are suggestions, not reservations; add and save one to record a booking. The app stores booking details and does not book or pay for travel.

Record trip costs

Start with an existing trip. Cost requires sign-in and a network connection, even when map-progress sync is off.

1. Open the trip and select Cost.
2. Select Add cash, Add ATM withdrawal, or Add card transaction.
3. Enter the amount and currency, and set Date and time.
4. Add merchant or source and notes if needed, then select Save.
5. When a card statement arrives, reopen its transaction. Enable Settled, enter Statement amount and its currency and date, then save.
6. Under Reporting / home currency, choose the currency for comparing totals.

What to expect. Cash spent is calculated from cash taken, withdrawals, and cash brought home. Confirmed hotel prices are imported as booked card costs, including when payment status is unknown. Recorded statement amounts take precedence over estimates. Reference exchange rates are estimates and may differ from your card issuer’s rates.

Record a connecting ticket once

1. Add one card transaction for the whole ticket.
2. Under Flight ticket coverage, select the included flights.
3. Save the total once; do not repeat the same ticket total for every flight.

Edit or delete a cost

1. Open the transaction, change the fields, and save.
2. To delete it, scroll down in Edit cost, tap Delete cost, then confirm Delete cost.

Linked hotel bookings and flights remain. Deleting a cost cannot be undone. Deleted imported costs do not automatically reappear. A failed load offers Retry. Reconnect before retrying; Cost does not support offline saving. If conversion is incomplete, check the currencies and missing-rate message. Do not enter card or bank account numbers in notes.

Sync or restore your record

1. Tap the avatar to open Settings.
2. Under Server Sync, turn on Enable Server Sync.
3. Tap Continue with NSG ID if you are not signed in.
4. Complete sign-in with the account whose records you want to use.
5. Tap Sync Now when available.
6. On another iPhone or iPad, repeat these steps with the same account.

What to expect. The account and updated last-sync time appear. Offline changes wait for connectivity. Disabling sync stops future progress syncing and does not delete server records. Log Out removes synchronized server-backed data from this device while preserving local-origin records; avoid logout as a first troubleshooting step.

Connect another app only when you choose

A supported connected app may open Filling Bird’s browser authorization page. Check Application, Callback, and Signed in as before choosing Approve selected access. Read access covers your saved places, visited areas, trip records, and read-only excerpts from your own account’s diagnostic logs. Logs may contain precise location and activity details; another account’s logs are never included. The edit-and-delete checkbox is off by default. Leave it off for read-only access, or choose Deny to cancel. Automatically recorded areas and raw track or hexagon claims cannot be edited through this connection. The browser consent labels are currently in English. Access expires after 30 days without authenticated activity; successfully using the connection renews that period. Access can be revoked earlier; contact support if you need help ending a connection.

If something goes wrong

No new hexagons?

Check that recording is running, confirm the selected mode, and check location permission. Walking also needs Motion & Fitness. Move outdoors and allow time for motion history checks. Transportation can fill eligible GPS gaps with estimated routes, but not every gap can be recovered. Check interpolated routes against the path you actually took.

Unable to save a correction?

Use the recording iPhone within the appropriate deadline: 24 hours for Walking and 7 days for Transportation. Read the reason in Non-claimable. Walking corrections require sufficient steps and a valid route. Transportation corrections do not require steps, but must meet the recording-device, deadline and ground-route checks. Pending evidence or failed reads can be retried with the evidence-check or preview controls.

Check recording status

Tap the recording status icon on Map for details. When permitted, a blue walking icon on Dynamic Island or the Lock Screen indicates recording. It is a status display; use Stop recording in the app to stop. iOS controls availability. Checks of already recorded data may continue after Stop.

Sync needs attention?

Check your connection, then open the avatar → Settings → Sync Now. Avoid logout as a first troubleshooting step.

Permissions and diagnostics

Manage location and Motion & Fitness in iOS Settings. In Settings → Diagnostics, enable Enable Detailed File Logging, reproduce the issue, and open View Current Log File. Signed-in runtime logs may upload automatically, independently of progress sync. Preserve needed logs before resetting the current file.