How Movement Verification Works
Learn what movement verification outcomes and rule codes mean, and how to improve tracking quality without exposing Pedivo’s internal anti-abuse thresholds or detection logic.
Why this exists
We verify movement claims before rewards are granted. This helps us prevent duplicate claims, detect suspicious activity, and keep rewards fair for real users.
When a movement claim is reviewed, our system may return one or more rule codes (for example HARD_TELEPORT or GPS_ACCURACY_POOR). This page explains what each rule means in simple terms.
Important notes
Rule hit ≠ cheating
Some rules are hard-stop rules, while others are risk/quality signals that only raise risk.
GPS evidence matters
Our current verification is designed for GPS-backed movement verification.
Rewards are stricter
A claim may be verified but still not reward-eligible if risk is elevated.
How to read rule codes
Rule codes usually follow a pattern:
HARD_...→ automatic reject (hard-stop)- other rule codes → risk warning / quality signal
Examples: HARD_TELEPORT means an automatic reject, while GPS_ACCURACY_POORmeans GPS quality was too weak for strong confidence.
Hard-stop rules (Automatic Reject)
These rules immediately fail verification. If one of these triggers, the claim is not verified.
HARD_ZERO_MOVE_STEPSHard-stop ruleMeaning: Steps were claimed, but GPS shows little or no movement.
Why this matters: The claim includes steps, but the movement evidence does not show enough displacement to support it.
What users should know: This does not automatically mean cheating, but it means the system could not verify movement from the available GPS evidence.
Common reasons this happens:
- Indoor activity / treadmill
- Weak GPS signal
- Very short movement with poor location lock
HARD_TELEPORTHard-stop ruleMeaning: The GPS path contains one or more impossible jumps (teleports).
Why this matters: Teleport jumps make the path unreliable and break movement verification confidence.
What users should know: This can happen because of GPS spoofing/fake location tools, corrupted GPS data, or severe location glitches.
Risk / quality rules (Increase Risk)
These rules raise risk but do not always automatically fail verification. The final decision depends on the overall risk score.
SPEED_TOO_HIGHRisk signalMeaning: The average movement speed is unusually high.
Why this matters: Very high speed may not match normal walking/running behavior.
What users should know: This can happen in valid cases (for example cycling), but it may still increase risk depending on the claim type and other signals.
CADENCE_TOO_HIGHRisk signalMeaning: Step cadence (steps per minute) is unusually high.
Why this matters: Extremely high cadence can indicate noisy readings, unrealistic step patterns, or step farming behavior.
What users should know: A high cadence alone may not fail the claim, but it can lower confidence.
STRIDE_TOO_HIGHRisk signalMeaning: The estimated stride length is unusually large.
Why this matters: The step claim and GPS movement may not match realistic human movement.
What users should know: This can happen due to inaccurate GPS distance, incorrect step count, or noisy device readings.
STRIDE_TOO_LOWRisk signalMeaning: The estimated stride length is unusually small for the number of steps claimed.
Why this matters: A large number of steps with very little movement can indicate a mismatch between steps and actual travel.
What users should know: This can be caused by indoor movement, phone movement without real travel, or poor GPS displacement.
GPS_ACCURACY_POORRisk signalMeaning: GPS accuracy was poor during the movement claim.
Why this matters: Low GPS accuracy makes movement verification less reliable.
What users should know: This is often caused by indoor environments, weak satellite signal, dense buildings, or battery-saving location mode.
TOO_STRAIGHTRisk signalMeaning: The path looks unusually straight/smooth for a long distance.
Why this matters: Artificially generated or spoofed paths can look unrealistically perfect.
What users should know: Real routes can sometimes be very straight too. This is a risk signal, not an automatic fail.
MOCK_LOCATION_SIGNALRisk signalMeaning: The device reported signs that a mock/fake location setting or tool may be active.
Why this matters: Mock location signals reduce confidence in GPS evidence.
What users should know: This can happen if developer options/mock location is enabled or fake GPS apps are installed/active.
ATTESTATION_FAILRisk signalMeaning: Device integrity/attestation checks failed.
Why this matters: Attestation helps confirm the device/app environment is trustworthy.
What users should know: This may happen on rooted/jailbroken devices, modified OS environments, unsupported/custom ROMs, or some integrity failures.
OVERLAP_RECENTRisk signalMeaning: The claim overlaps in time with another recent claim.
Why this matters: Overlapping claims can cause duplicate counting if both are accepted.
What users should know: This often happens when the app retries sync or the same session is sent more than once.
BURST_SHAKE_PATTERNRisk signalMeaning: A very high number of steps was claimed in a very short time.
Why this matters: This pattern can look like phone shaking, synthetic step injection, or unrealistic burst activity.
What users should know: Short, intense movement is possible, but extremely high bursts may be flagged for review.
TREADMILL_OR_INDOORRisk signalMeaning: Many steps were claimed, but GPS displacement was low.
Why this matters: This often happens during treadmill activity, indoor walking, or movement in a small area.
What users should know: This does not automatically mean fraud. It means the claim has low GPS movement evidence, which lowers confidence for reward verification.
GPS_EVIDENCE_SPARSERisk signalMeaning: GPS breadcrumbs were provided, but there were too few points for strong verification.
Why this matters: Sparse location points make it harder to confirm movement quality and continuity.
What users should know: This commonly happens when background tracking is restricted or GPS updates were delayed.
LOW_DISPLACEMENT_FOR_STEPSRisk signalMeaning: GPS points exist, but they still show very little useful movement for the claimed steps and duration.
Why this matters: There is some location data, but not enough movement evidence to confidently support the step claim.
What users should know: This can happen due to indoor movement, weak GPS lock, or noisy/low-quality location points.
Verification outcomes
Verified
The claim appears plausible and passes our verification threshold. It may be counted in activity totals.
Not Verified
The claim could not be verified reliably or hit a hard-stop rule. Rule codes help explain why.
Reward Eligible
Rewards use a stricter confidence threshold than basic verification, so some verified claims may not qualify.
Why real activity may not qualify
Some real activities are hard to verify with GPS evidence, especially indoor walking, treadmill sessions, low-signal environments, background tracking interruptions, and poor location accuracy.
Our system evaluates verifiability, not just whether movement may have happened.
Tips to reduce rule hits
Improve GPS reliability
- Enable location permission
- Allow background location if required
- Disable battery optimization for Pedivo
- Use high-accuracy location mode
- Start outdoors when possible for stronger GPS lock
Avoid sync conflicts
- Keep the app updated
- Allow sync to finish before retrying repeatedly
- Avoid force-closing the app during sync
- Keep internet on when possible during sync
Keep your device environment stable
- Keep your app and OS updated
- Avoid tools/settings that interfere with location reliability
- Use a standard device setup where possible for best compatibility
FAQ
Does a rule hit mean I cheated?
No. Many rule hits are risk/quality signals, not direct proof of cheating.
Why was my treadmill walk flagged?
Treadmill or indoor movement often has low GPS displacement, which makes GPS-based verification harder.
Why do I need GPS breadcrumbs for steps?
Our current reward verification relies on GPS-backed movement evidence to reduce duplicate/fake claims.
Can a claim be accepted but not rewarded?
Yes. Rewards require a stricter confidence threshold than basic verification.
Need More Help?
If your movement claims keep getting flagged, contact Pedivo support and share your rule codes so we can help you troubleshoot faster.