Frequently asked questions

The basics · Devices · Your climbs and your privacy · Mapping a climb · Sharing · Famous climbs

The basics

What is Broken Crimp?

A notebook for climbers. You set the moves of a climb on a photo of the wall, in order, and play the sequence back, so that the beta you worked out last week is still there when you go back.

Who is it for?

Anyone with a sequence to remember: sport, trad and boulder climbers, at the gym or outdoors. A climb maps the same way whatever its grade.

Is it free?

Yes. It is free to use, with ads. The Android app shows a banner under the climb list and a full-screen ad after you export a beta. The web version shows a banner under the climb list.

Do I need an account?

No. There is no account and no sign-up.

Will it tell me how to do a climb?

No. The moves it plays are the ones you set. The beta is yours to work out, or someone else’s to send you.

Devices

Is there an iPhone app?

No. iPhone users can use the web version in Safari, which needs Safari 18.2 or later. Add it to your Home Screen before you map anything you care about: Safari may delete a website’s data after a week without a visit, and a web app on the Home Screen keeps your climbs.

Which Android phones does it run on?

Android 8.0 or later, from Google Play.

Does it work on a computer?

Yes. The web version runs in Chrome 119, Firefox 120, Safari 18.2 or later, with nothing to install. A few things depend on the browser, like making a video. Use Broken Crimp on a computer has the details, including why to keep a backup.

How do I see the climbs from my phone on my computer?

Make a backup on your phone and restore it in the web version on your computer. The two copies don’t stay in sync, because Broken Crimp has no servers, so make a new backup whenever you want to bring changes across. It works the other way round too.

Does it work without signal?

Yes, every feature works offline, so you can use it at the crag. The web version needs a connection to load the first time.

Your climbs and your privacy

Where are my climbs stored?

On your device, and nowhere else. In the web version they stay in that browser on that device.

Can anyone else see my climbs, photos or voice notes?

Not unless you send them. They are never sent to us or to anyone else, and there is no server for them to go to.

Ads are supplied by Google, which collects certain information about your device or browser in order to show them. The web version and this website also count visits with Google Analytics. The Privacy Policy has the details.

Why does it ask for the camera and the microphone?

The camera is used when you press a button to photograph a wall or a hold, and the microphone when you press the button to record a voice note. Android asks the first time. If you refuse the camera, you can still pick photos from your gallery, and if you refuse the microphone, you only lose voice notes.

What happens if I lose my phone or delete the app?

Your climbs go with it, because no copy exists anywhere else. Back up to one file from time to time, and keep the file away from the device.

Mapping a climb

Do I have to place every hold?

No. Start with a photo and tap where each hand and foot goes. Add holds only where you want to name one or attach a close-up or a voice note to it. Indoors the holds usually show up well enough in the photo. Outdoors they can be hard to pick out from the rock, and holds placed over the photo help the line stand out.

Do I need a photo?

No. A climb can be drawn with holds on a blank wall. A photo or screenshot of a topo works too.

The climber is the wrong size for the wall. How do I fix it?

Choose Climber height in the menu, and drag the bar until the climber looks the size of a person on your photo. Each beta keeps its own height.

Why did the climber let go of a hand or a foot?

Because the move took the climber too far from it, further than a real arm or leg reaches. Place that limb again when you reach for its next hold, or pin it to keep it on its hold. Automatically drop limbs in Settings turns this off for every limb.

Can a hand or foot come off on purpose?

Yes. Tap the limb on the dial, tap the spot where it already is on the wall, and choose Let go. Adjust the body also covers cutting loose, body moves and posing every joint yourself.

Can I move both hands in one move?

Yes. Long-press a hand on the dial, tap the other hand, then place them both, and they move at the same time.

Can I add notes to a move, or mark the crux?

Yes. Each move takes a name, a note and the tags Important, Crux or Rest, and a hold can carry a close-up photo or a voice note. Learn a sequence for a redpoint shows how. To split a climb into sections or write on the wall itself, see Mark sections and write on the wall.

I put a move in the wrong place. Can I fix it?

Yes. The advanced editor lists every move, and dragging a move’s dots changes the order. It also removes several moves at once and sets a pause on a move.

The wall is too busy. Can I hide things?

Yes. Layers fades the photo, the holds and the climber, and chooses what is written on the wall.

Can one climb have more than one beta?

Yes, and you can watch two of them on the same wall.

Sharing

Can I send a climb to someone?

Yes. Send it as a file that opens in either version of the app. They get their own copy, with all its betas, to change as they like.

What if they don’t have the app?

Make a video or a PDF of the beta. Neither needs the app to open. The web version also opens a climb’s file with nothing to install.

Does a shared climb include my photos?

The wall photo is included unless you untick it, and hold photos and voice notes only if you tick them. The wall photo goes with its full-size original, exactly as your camera saved it, which can include the location where you took it.

Famous climbs

Are the famous climb betas official?

No. They are unofficial reconstructions, and each page lists its sources.

Can I open them in the app?

Yes. Silence, Burden of Dreams and DNA come with the app, and a climb’s page has its file to download where there is one.

Something else?

Email laumosl.dev@gmail.com. Questions, bugs and ideas are all welcome.