Pairing a Jikita
Pairing links a tag to your account and establishes a secure Bluetooth bond between it and your phone. You do it once.
File: img/myjikita/jikita-02-registration.png
Shows: The Jikita registration screen listing nearby tags, with the
press-and-hold instruction.
Before you start
- Bluetooth on, and the Bluetooth permission granted to myJikita — see Permissions.
- The tag in your hand. You will need to press its button.
Steps
- Main menu → Jikita → Add a tag.
- The app scans and lists the tags it can hear. Yours appears as Jikita- followed by its serial number — the same number printed on the device, so you can tell yours from somebody else's in a busy room.
- Press and hold the button on the tag, and keep holding it.
- Tap the tag in the list.
- Accept the pairing request your phone shows.
- Keep holding the button until the app confirms.
A Jikita accepts pairing only while its button is physically held down. This is deliberate: it is a proof that you have the device in your hand, and it is what stops a stranger claiming your tag as they walk past you.
If pairing fails, the most likely reason by far is that the button was released too early. Try again and hold it throughout.
Android and iOS behave differently
They do, visibly, and it is worth knowing which is which so you do not think something is broken.
Android has a real pairing system the app can drive. It asks, you confirm, and the app can tell you straight away whether the bond succeeded.
iOS has no such thing. Pairing happens when the app touches a protected part of the tag and the tag refuses — which is what makes iOS put up its own pairing dialog. So on iPhone:
- The dialog is drawn by iOS, not by the app.
- It may take a few seconds to appear. Keep holding the button and be patient; the app waits for you rather than giving up after a moment.
- Unpairing cannot be done from the app. You must use Settings → Bluetooth → the tag → Forget This Device.
Forgetting the tag in iOS Settings removes the bond, and every command needs that bond — beep, the radio check and the position updates alike. If your tag stops responding on an iPhone, this is the first thing to check. You will need to pair it again, button and all.
Naming it
Once paired, the tag is listed as Jikita-<serial>. Rename it to something you
will recognise — "Blue jacket", "Marie's tag" — especially if you have more
than one.
The serial number stays visible regardless of what you call it, because that is the number a rescue team would ask for.
File: img/myjikita/jikita-03-list.png
Shows: The Jikita list with two paired tags, their presence indicators and
battery levels.
Pairing again after reinstalling
Tags are identified by their own permanent number, not by a temporary Bluetooth address, so a tag stays itself across reinstalls and across your own phones.
Pairing again is harmless if the phone already has a bond with the tag — it will not fail because of that.
Removing a tag
Remove it from the list in the app. On Android that also removes the Bluetooth bond. On iPhone you must additionally use Settings → Bluetooth → Forget This Device, and the app reminds you.
Remove a tag you have sold, given away or lost, so it is no longer associated with your account.
If it will not pair
| Symptom | Try |
|---|---|
| The tag does not appear in the list | Bluetooth off, permission not granted, or the tag's battery is flat. Check the app's permissions first. |
| It appears, but pairing fails | The button was released too early. Hold it the whole time. |
| Nothing at all is found, on Android | Check that Nearby devices is granted and that location services are on at system level. |
| On iPhone, no dialog appears | Wait longer, keep holding the button, and make sure the tag has not been forgotten in iOS Settings. |
More in Jikita troubleshooting.
Next: Everyday use