Offline maps do not need to be activated. This works automatically when no internet connection can be established. You can easily try this out by using the flight mode.

To download offline maps, click on the map symbol (with arrow) on the map view to get to the overview. The free Premium area, as well as sponsored (free) maps can be downloaded easily at any time. If you have a premium membership, you can download a custom map section at any time (max. 50x50km or 1GB data).

The choice of Routing Profile determines the extend of detours that will be accepted in order to avoid routes that are not as bicycle-friendly (e.g. busy roads).

• When choosing the “Balanced” profile, greater priority is given to dedicated cycling infrastructure or smaller residential streets. Whenever possible, the routing will try to avoid “uncomfortable” road sections, even if this makes the journey a little bit longer.
• The “Fast” profile is aimed at experienced cyclists who prefer to reach their destinations quickly and who also feel confident on roads with heavier traffic. The quickest route that is calculated must not necessarily be the shortest route, if it is possible to avoid a number of right and left turns along the way.
• The “Normal” profile is a middle way between the other two profiles and is aimed at reasonably experienced cyclists who want to reach their destinations without too many detours in a relatively stress-free way.

When you plan a route, you can adjust the route guidance to your personal needs directly in the planning by means of various settings (e.g. if you are traveling with an e-bike or only want to ride on asphalted roads with a racing bike). You can also choose your preferred route from various route suggestions. You will find all these options on the routing screen.

By activating Smart Tracking in the settings, you allow our algorithm to calculate the probability that you are cycling based on the sensors of your mobile phone. If the probability is high enough, tracking will start automatically. Smart Tracking works for most users with an precision of more than 90%, but unfortunately there are some users for whom it does not work at all. If you notice that it does not work at all, then you should use manual tracking.

General solutions if Smart Tracking does not work:
• In any case, Smart Tracking must be enabled in the settings and all necessary permissions must be granted in the battery and location settings.
• Experiment with the position of the phone: often Smart Tracking works best in the pocket, but worst when the device is mounted on the handlebar.
• Our app requires all power saving options to be disabled.
• It is helpful to start the app from time to time, otherwise it will be classified as unimportant on some devices and starting Smart Tracking will not be permitted.
• Smart Tracking only works with Play Services, and these should always be up to date. Therefore, check in the Play Store (settings/network settings) whether automatic updates are activated.

Your rides are automatically uploaded when you arrive at one of your destinations or when you manually end the tracking.
If the upload does not happen straight away, the track that has been saved is not lost. Another attempt to upload this information will be made the next time the app is opened.
The amount of data to be transferred per track depends on several variables and primarily on the length of the track. Experience tells us that the data volume per minute is around 10 kB.

As long as the route tracking is activated in the app settings, your rides will be recorded both as you use the navigation feature and when you use the bike computer.

Yes, route tracking can be activated and deactivated in the app settings at any time.

1) The tracking allows you to look back on your completed journeys on your app dashboard which includes a statistical overview and a graphical representation of your activity in the form of your personal heat map. This is intended to both motivate users to get on their bikes more regularly and to also illustrate how well suited the bicycle is as a mode of transport in metropolitan areas.

2) It is possible to extract a great deal of useful information on a city’s cycling infrastructure if many users track their rides. For example, the information can help with decisions on infrastructure improvements or help with coordinating traffic light sequences more efficiently. This is why we provide town planning offices and research institutions with anonymized tracking data that are generated while using the app.

3) The information collected with the tracking can also help to improve the Bike Citizens routing. This means, for example, that we could calculate average waiting times at junctions and thereby improve route recommendations.

As a matter of principle, we do not pass on your data to third parties, except for projects that directly or indirectly benefit our users, such as those that improve the cycling infrastructure (e.g. passing on aggregated data to city authorities to help them identify areas that require development) or that improve the app routing (such as the ESSEM research project). In the event that information is passed onto a third party, any recorded data is always anonymized. Information is never passed onto third parties for marketing purposes.

The information that has been collected is used for the following purposes:

• Processing of statistical and visual information for personal and collective views
• Data analysis in order to improve the app routing
• To generate personalized and collective graphical representations (e.g. one year of pedal power)
• Calculation of aggregated data (e.g. on a city level) and to present this information on websites
• Mini dashboard in the app
• Enable users to download their data in GPX format (and other formats, if necessary)

Personalized location data is stored on our servers. This means that individual journeys are linked to the login details and can then be viewed in a personalized view on a dashboard. The transfer of personalized data between your smartphone or computer and our servers is always encrypted. In addition, the password in the server database is stored in an encrypted form (using Salt). The database servers are located in Germany or Austria.

If the route tracking is activated, the following information is periodically collected along the travelled routes: Location, time stamps, current GPS accuracy, height above sea level and the direction according to the compass sensor.
In addition, the following information is sent per track: a serial number that is randomly generated when the app is installed (so that the different journeys can be associated), the smartphone model, the operating system version, the app version and the time (e.g. at the beginning and at the end of the ride).

Please send us a description of the error, including information about your smartphone, operating system version and your user name (if available) to info@bikecitizens.net
It may also be helpful if you are able to send us a screenshot of the error message or a the problem screen. We will get back to you as soon as possible.

We are always happy to receive any feedback. Simply send us your thoughts and suggestions to info@bikecitizens.net
Thank you!

Our map packs are based on OpenStreetMap data, OSM for short. This data is generated by users and has a high level of detail, but can contain mistakes sometimes. We do not make changes in the maps ourselves. If, for example, there are new streets or changes to the route, it takes a little time for these changes to be added to the OSM. We update the OSM data regularly. Mistakes in the map can be reported directly to OSM. However, if you would like to try your hand at the so-called “mapping” by yourself, you can do so here: https://www.openstreetmap.org/

Most common cause: Battery settings (power drain).
Some devices “optimise” the battery drain and thus prevent us from completely recording the track. On most devices, there is an option in the battery and/or location settings to exclude our app from these “optimisations”. Even if you have already done this, the settings may be reset by the manufacturer at random intervals. Please check if you find something suitable in the battery and location settings. At https://dontkillmyapp.com/, helpful solutions are offered for many devices with Android software, these have already helped many users.

You can download your recorded tracks as GPX files here: https://my.bikecitizens.net

Voucher codes can be redeemed on this website: https://frontend.bikecitizens.net/voucher/
You have to log in with your Bike Citizens account and then enter the voucher code.
This will activate a premium membership for the defined period of time. After this period, the membership ends automatically.

Bike Citizens is available in the following languages: English, German, Italian, Spanish, French, Dutch and Hungarian.

Bike Citizens online route planning and navigation is available worldwide. So you can get started right away, no matter where you are.

The Bike Citizens cycling app can be downloaded free of charge from the iOS App Store and Google Play Store. The basic functions (tracking, route planning without intermediate stops, navigation without voice announcements, trip overview) can then be used immediately worldwide. In addition, a personal free Premium area can be created in which you can test many premium functions of the app free of charge. If the app’s functions convince you and you want to use all of them worldwide, go to the market and sign up for a Premium membership!

With a Premium membership, you can use all the features of the cycling app
without restriction all over the world:

• Route planning with as many stopovers as you like and online navigation with voice announcements worldwide.
• Plan your routes at any time and save them for later.
• User-defined map download for offline use of route planning and navigation
• Extensive customization of app and routing settings
• Custom tags for your saved trips
• Get your high-resolution, personal heatmap
• Edit your profile

The free Premium area is self-defined and consists of a 7km circumference from the selected point. The area can only be set once for free. In this area you can use many Premium functions, such as multi-stop route planning, navigation with voice announcements, download as an offline map, setting tags. If the app’s functions convince you and you want to use all of them worldwide, take out a Premium membership in the market!