Cairn FAQ
HOW DO I ACCESS THE MAPS I'VE DOWNLOADED?
Once you've download a map area that area will simply be available, even when your phone is out of range or in airplane mode. You don't need to do anything special, just use the app as if you had service. You will see a box indicating the map areas that you've successfully downloaded.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE BLUE AND GRAY DOTS?
Blue dots indicate a spot cell coverage was detected by Cairn users. Gray dots indicate that no coverage was found. Tap on the dot to see which carrier(s) did or didn't have coverage at that spot.
WILL CAIRN WORK IF I LOSE CELL RECEPTION?
Yes! It is designed to work offline, but it really helps if you download the map for the area you'll be exploring before you lose reception. We recommend doing this at home over wifi. Our safety notification feature only works if you set it up before you're out of range. But rest easy knowing that your safety contacts will be alerted if you're overdue regardless of your phone's status.
HOW DOES THE FREE TRIAL WORK?
Currently we offer a 7-day free trial of Cairn Premium. The free trial is offered when you first attempt to use one of the Cairn Premium features. If you choose to enroll in the free trial period you must cancel 24 hours before that time period is up or you will automatically be enrolled in the paid subscription plan of your choice.
Cairn Premium features include:
Sharing of your real-time location with your safety contacts
Automatic overdue alerts
Downloaded maps from anywhere in the world for offline use
Cell coverage filtering by carrier
Customize your trail time estimates by activity type (hiking, running, snowshoeing, etc.)
If you do subscribe, you can cancel your Cairn Premium membership through your phone's Settings app (iOS) or Google Play app (Android). You can always see cell coverage on maps and view trail info such as distance, elevation, and estimated time of arrival, regardless of your subscription status. You can also record and save your track.
WHAT IF MY BATTERY DIES OR MY PHONE BREAKS WHILE I'M OUT?
We notify your safety contacts if and when you‘re overdue. This message is trigged from our server so your contacts will get it, even if your phone is offline.
Any tips for extending my phone's battery?
1. For iOS: Put your phone into low battery mode. This offers significant battery savings without interfering with GPS functionality and location tracking. To do this, go to your iPhone Settings app, choose Battery, then turn on Low Power Mode (or just ask Siri!).
2. Turn off wifi and bluetooth. You're unlikely to use these in the backcountry. You may also consider putting your phone in airplane mode.
3. Consider carrying a small battery pack. We do, especially on multi-day trips.
4. Use the stat tracking feature only when you're moving. Tracking the stats for your trip is more battery intensive because we're collecting lots of granular data. (The stat-tracking feature is available for iOS only.)
5. Turn off your phone at night. Many people like to use their phone to take photos during the day. But at night, there's not as much reason to keep your phone on.
6. Keep your phone warm. A cold phone uses more battery. Who knew?
DOES CAIRN SHOW COVERAGE DATA BY CARRIER?
Yes, you can tap on a point to see which carriers have coverage (or not) at that point. We don't have data for every carrier (or every point, for that matter) as this data is crowdsourced by other adventurers who use Cairn. With a Cairn Premium subscription, you can also filter out coverage info for carriers that are not your own.
CAN I MAKE EMERGENCY CALLS VIA OTHER CARRIERS?
Yes! You may be able to make an emergency call (to 911, for example) even if your carrier doesn't have coverage. Your phone just needs to operate on the same frequency band as a carrier that does have coverage. Always try to call 911 in an emergency, even if it doesn't look like you'll get through.
How is my Privacy Protected?
Your trust is important to us. We take your privacy and security seriously, We anonymize cell coverage data to only show the carrier and if there was (or was not) a signal at a specific location to other users. We expose data you’ve shared to safety contacts with them only, and then only for safety reasons. In the event of an emergency we encourage your safety contacts to share this data with local search and rescue (or other authorities). For full details check out our Privacy Policy.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I PUT MY PHONE IN AIRPLANE MODE?
Unfortunately, for iOS devices, we can't tell the difference between airplane mode and no service. So any data you iPhone owners collect when in airplane mode will be recorded as no coverage. Android folks, your phones give us a little more information. However, we know that using airplane mode in the backcountry saves your battery. And so we take this into account in our coverage aggregation algorithm for an area. Please use airplane mode as you normally would, but if you have an iPhone, know that it will be recorded as no coverage.
DO I STILL NEED TO CARRY A FIRST AID KIT?
Absolutely. And the rest of the ten essentials as well! Cairn is just another tool to throw in your box of safety gear. We are not advocating that you use your phone at every opportunity, and we get that you probably want some peace and quiet when you're out. But the vast majority of modern day wilderness rescue operations are initiated by cell phone calls or texts.
WHY DOES MY PHONE SHUT DOWN IN THE COLD?
Phone batteries don't like the cold and your phone will shut itself off even if it has plenty of charge. Some people keep their phones in their inside jacket pockets, or slip in a hand-warmer to keep their phone batteries warm.
HOW CAN I HELP GATHER MORE DATA FOR THE COVERAGE MAP OF THE WILDERNESS?
The best way is to get more people using Cairn. You can invite people via Twitter or Facebook using our handy links. If you're a member of a Facebook or Yahoo outdoor group, share this website there. We can use all the help spreading the word that we can get.
Is Cairn free?
It's free to download and use. In addition, we have a Cairn Premium subscription that allows you to use all the latest features and services. We offer a 7-day free trial period for Carin Premium features. You’ll be asked to sign up for the 7-day trial period when you first access the Premium features. You will need to cancel before the trial period is up if you don’t want to be charged for the Cairn Premium subscription. Cairn Premium features include:
Sharing of your real-time location with your safety contacts
Automatic overdue alerts
Downloaded maps from anywhere in the world for offline use
Cell coverage filtering by carrier
Customize your trail time estimates by activity type (hiking, running, snowshoeing, etc.)
In the US, Cairn Premium is $4.99/month if you subscribe on a monthly basis and $26.99/year ($2.25/month) if you subscribe on a yearly basis.
How do I cancel my Cairn premium subscription?
If you’ve purchased a membership and would like to turn off auto-renew:
iOS: Open your profile (tap the icon in the upper right corner) and then tap the gear icon (also upper right). Then choose ‘Manage Subscription’.
Android: Open the menu (bottom right corner). If you are not logged into Cairn, tap Subscription. If you are logged in, tap My Account, and then tap Cairn Premium / Manage my subscription. Then tap Cancel Subscription.
How Does Cairn work with Emergency SOS without cellular on iPhone?
With iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models (and greater), you can use Emergency SOS via satellite to text emergency services when you're out of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage. We recommend tapping on the menu in the lower right corner of your Cairn map screen and then tapping my location coordinates to pre-fill a text message with your lat/long coordinates when texting rescue services. Make sure to try out the SOS demo in your iPhone 14 by going to settings, tap emergency SOS, under Emergency SOS via satellite, tap Try Demo, then follow the onscreen instructions.
MY QUESTION ISN’T ANSWERED HERE. NOW WHAT?
Please email us at adventure@cairnme.com. We’re anxious to help.