Support

Joining the Android preview

MoodPixels is currently an Android-only preview, distributed through Firebase App Distribution. It is free, and there is no waitlist.

1. Open the preview invite link on the Android phone you want to install on.
2. Sign in with a Google account so Firebase can register you as a tester.
3. Accept the invitation, then download and install the APK it offers.
4. You will be notified when new builds ship. There is no iOS build, and no Play Store listing yet.

Joining means sharing an email address with Google as the distribution provider. See the privacy policy for what that involves.

Installation problems

Because the preview is distributed outside the Play Store, Android will ask for permission before installing. If the install is blocked, allow your browser or the App Tester app to install unknown apps when prompted, then try again.

If you see a signature or “app not installed” error, it usually means an older build with a different signature is still present. Export a backup first if you have entries you care about, uninstall the old version, then install the new one and import the backup.

Moving to a new phone

Because nothing syncs to a server, moving devices is a manual export and import — and it is quick:

1. On the old phone, go to Settings → Backup and export your journal.
2. Set a passphrase if the file will travel through cloud storage, email, or a messaging app. Store that passphrase in a password manager.
3. Move the file to the new phone however you like.
4. Install MoodPixels there, then use Settings → Backup to import the file.

Importing validates the file before it touches your data, so a corrupted or tampered-with backup is rejected rather than half-applied.

Reminders not arriving

Reminders are scheduled locally on your device, so they are almost always blocked by an Android setting rather than by the app. Check, in order:

• Notification permission is granted to MoodPixels in Android settings.
• Battery optimisation is not restricting the app — aggressive power saving on some manufacturers’ phones will silently delay or drop scheduled notifications.
• Do Not Disturb is not covering the reminder time you chose.
• The reminder is actually enabled, with a time set, in Settings → Reminder.

App lock and biometrics

The app lock uses your device’s own biometric authentication, so it requires a screen lock and at least one enrolled fingerprint or face. If the option is unavailable, set those up in Android settings first.

The lock deliberately does not re-prompt when you come back from the share sheet or a file picker, and it allows a short grace period when you switch away briefly — so exporting a backup is not punished with a biometric prompt on the way back.

Lost data or passphrase

We cannot recover either. There is no server-side copy of your journal, and backup passphrases are never stored or transmitted — which is exactly what makes an encrypted backup meaningful, and also what makes it unrecoverable.

If a backup file still exists and you remember the passphrase, importing it will restore everything in it. If the passphrase is gone, the file cannot be decrypted by any means available to us. The practical protection is to export regularly and keep passphrases in a password manager.

Contacting a human

This is a personal project, so replies are usually within a few days rather than a few minutes. Support is offered in English.