Gaming pod in the IZI app — entry, inspection, checkout

Gaming pod in the IZI app

A pod is a private gaming space with a locked door. The entire flow — from unlocking the door to submitting a photo report on the way out — is handled in the app. No keys, no front desk needed.

Below is the complete player journey, from pre-booking requirements to the checkout screen.

Before you book: auto-renewal and a card

Before you can choose a rate for a pod, the app checks two things:

1. Auto-renewal is enabled for this club.
2. A payment card is linked to auto-renewal (balance and instant bank transfers without a card are not accepted).

If either condition is not met, the rate selection screen is replaced by a prompt with a Turn on auto-renewal button. Tapping it opens the auto-renewal settings, where you can link a card straight away.

Why a card specifically. A pod session does not pause when the prepaid time runs out — it goes into deficit instead. Without a linked card there is nothing to charge on the next billing tick, and the debt has nowhere to go. See Devices: pods (operator view) for more on auto-renewal logic.

First-time guide

On your very first pod booking (and only then) the app shows a five-slide story guide:

Slide	Topic
1	The door will open automatically — wait for the click
2	Inspection is free — five minutes, no charge
3	What to check inside
4	How to exit the pod (button inside)
5	How to check out: two photos on the way out

Each slide advances automatically after 6 seconds. You can swipe manually: tap the right side to go forward, the left side to go back. The X in the corner skips the guide entirely.

The “guide seen” flag is stored on the server — reinstalling the app or switching devices won’t reset it. You can reopen the guide at any time by tapping the guide icon on any subsequent screen.

Unlocking the door

After the guide (or immediately, if you’ve seen it before) the app moves to the door-unlock screen.

What happens automatically:

1. The app sends an unlock command to the lock.
2. The door sensor reports back.
3. As soon as the sensor detects the door is open, the app moves on to the inspection screen.

You’ll see a waiting indicator, then the message “Door unlocked — pull to open” (the lock is released, but you open the door yourself).

If the sensor doesn’t respond within 15 seconds, or the command fails, the screen shows four options:

• The door did open — confirm manually if the door is physically open (sensor may have been slow). The app counts it as open and continues.
• Unlock the door again — resend the unlock command.
• Message support — message the club operator without leaving the app.
• Cancel booking — leave without entering the pod; the operator receives a cancellation notification.

The 15-second countdown pauses when the app goes to the background and resumes when you return.

Inspecting the pod

The inspection screen appears as soon as the door is confirmed open.

Free-time countdown. From the moment of booking you have 5 minutes to inspect the pod — paid time hasn’t started yet. The countdown is shown on screen. Keep in mind it includes the time spent on the guide and waiting for the door, so don’t dawdle.

After five minutes the app automatically starts the session in the background, but the inspection screen stays open so you can still report a problem. Tapping Start the session takes you to the active session screen and paid time begins.

The Something is wrong button opens the complaint form (see below).

Reporting a problem

On the inspection screen tap Something is wrong — you’ll see a description of what should be in the pod and a list of categories:

• The booth is dirty — rubbish, foreign objects.
• Something is broken — faulty hardware or furniture.
• Equipment is missing — something from the checklist is absent.
• Another problem — free-text description.

After choosing a category, the photo screen opens:

1. Take at least one photo (up to ten).
2. Optionally add a text comment.
3. Tap Send the report.

The report goes to the operator immediately. A dialog then appears:

• Cancel — if the problem makes the pod unusable. The app moves to the checkout screen.
• Stay — continue and return to the inspection screen.

Checking out

The checkout screen appears in two situations: when you end the session from the app, or when you decide to leave from the complaint screen.

Photo report

First you need to take photos of the pod — nothing else is available until you do.

The app prompts you one step at a time:

1. Photograph the workstation (monitor, keyboard, peripherals).
2. Photograph the pod as a whole.

You need at least two photos, up to ten. Only the operator sees them — they are used to resolve disputes and verify cleaning.

As soon as you have two shots, the app automatically sends an unlock command so the door can be opened.

Readiness indicators

After the photos, two indicators appear on screen:

Indicator	What it checks	Data source
Exited the pod	No one is inside (presence sensor)	Device telemetry
Door closed	Door closed after a full cycle (opened → closed)	Door sensor

The indicators are advisory: telemetry data is considered current for 90 seconds. If data is missing or stale, the indicator shows “no signal” — but the Finish session button stays active; the final call is made server-side.

A note on the door indicator. “Door closed” turns green only after a complete cycle: lock released → door opened → door closed. If the door was never pulled after the unlock pulse, the sensor may still show “closed” but the pod isn’t actually locked — the server will catch this.

Open door button

This button is available at any point on the checkout screen. Use it if you need to go back in, or to open the door before leaving. After tapping, it shows “The door is opening” for 2 seconds.

Completing the session

Tap Finish session. If the server rejects the request, you’ll see an explanation:

• Please step out of the booth and try again — the presence sensor detects movement. Wait and try again.
• The booth is not responding — no telemetry available, the server can’t confirm. Tap Contact support — the operator can close the session for you.
• Close the booth door and try again — the lock was released but the door was never opened. Open it with the button, step out, and close it.

After two failed attempts a Contact support button appears on screen.

Once checkout is successful, the session closes, the app returns to the sessions list, and the operator receives the final photo report.

Resuming an interrupted flow

If the app was closed mid-flow (guide, door, inspection), it returns to the same step on next launch. State is stored server-side, so switching devices mid-session works the same way.

See also

• Booking a spot in the IZI app — how to book a regular PC or zone
• IZI mobile app: overview — everything the player app can do
• IZI app: sign up and first login — how to create an account