Support
Support
Help with PixelThat for iPhone and iPad
Questions, bugs and requests all go to one place: hello@cs42.org. There is no account to recover and no data to restore, so most answers are quick. Replies usually take a day or two.
Before you write
Two settings solve most surprises:
- The wrong part of the picture was used. Drag the box on your photo to where you want it, or set Area to Centre. Moving the box switches Area to Manual on its own.
- The background came out wrong. Open Background not right? Adjust the cutout. Lower the threshold to keep more of the subject, raise it to remove more, and use grow or shrink for the edge. Portrait (people) is the better model for hair.
Reporting a bug
Please include, if you can:
- Your device and iOS version (Settings › General › About).
- What you did, what you expected, and what happened instead.
- The settings on screen: size, style, palette and background. A screenshot covers all of it.
- Whether it happens with every photo or only one.
Please do not send the original photo unless it matters to the bug, and only if you are happy for us to see it. The app never sends us anything on its own.
Common questions
Do my photos get uploaded anywhere?
No. The app has no networking code: it makes no requests, to us or to anyone else. You can put the phone in airplane mode and everything still works.
Do I need an account?
No. There is no sign-in, no email to give and nothing to create.
Why was the background not removed properly?
The cutout uses Apple's on-device subject detection, which is very good but not perfect on busy scenes. Open Background not right? Adjust the cutout and lower the threshold to keep more of the subject, raise it to remove more, or grow and shrink the edge. Switching the model to Portrait (people) helps with hair.
What size should I use for a profile picture?
32 pixels is the sweet spot for a face. 16 keeps the shape of the hair and eyes and reads as a sprite; 64 and above keeps the expression. Use the tight zoom for the smallest sizes.
How do I make several pictures match?
Make the first one, tap the bookmark button to keep it, then open the next photo and tap that picture under Recents. Every setting comes back, so the set matches.
Where are kept pictures stored, and how do I remove them?
In the app's own storage on your device, not in your photo library and not in iCloud. More settings › App › Clear kept pictures removes them all, and deleting the app removes everything it has ever stored.
What does the app save to my photo library?
Only what you ask it to. Save to Photos writes the enlarged copy, which is what most sites want as an avatar. Share hands over both the native pixels and the enlargement without touching your library.
Why is the enlarged copy so much bigger than the pixel size?
A 32 × 32 file gets resized and blurred by most websites. The enlarged copy is the same pixels scaled up with hard edges, so it survives being re-scaled. Upload that one.
Which devices does it run on?
iPhone and iPad running iOS 17 or later. Face detection and subject cutout use the device's own vision models.
Is there an Android or web version?
Not at the moment. There is a desktop version that runs locally on Windows, macOS and Linux; write to hello@cs42.org if you want it.
How long do support replies take?
Usually a day or two. It is a small studio, not a support desk.
Privacy and terms
The privacy policy explains what the app stores (very little, all on your device) and the terms and conditions cover the licence and the usual disclaimers.