NixSteinEverything it cannot do
The complete list. It does not change the answer: nothing.
Signs of life
It is alive. It simply does not move.
- Tilt the phone and the pupils of the googly eyes roll along. Shake it and they rattle about.
- It blinks. Occasionally. Sometimes twice.
- Should the phone be dropped, it bounces. The shadow stays where it is.
- Now and then a leaf drifts past. It does not watch it go.
- With sleepy eyes, small “z”s rise.
- Run a finger across it and it tips over and rocks back. That is not affection. That is physics.
- Swipe quickly across it and it spins. Stroked slowly, it merely tips.
The rock itself never moves. Should it appear to, you are moving the phone.
The diary
It does not write. It keeps records.
Lay there. Was spoken to: “How was your day?”
Everything you write to your rock is recorded in its diary. These notes are private. When the rock is traded, they do not go with it. The new keeper inherits only: “Lay there.”
How it works
Three steps. One of them is nothing.
- Adopt. You receive a rock. Your very own.
- Do nothing. This is the main part.
- Trade. Should you wish. It has no views on the matter.
Trades are done in person: both of you open “Trade” and hold your phones close together. Both confirm. No QR codes. In due course, a brief tap will suffice. The eyes and the chain of ownership go with it. The rock does not notice.
And, should you wish: share. The app makes a portrait card of it, your rock and beneath it: “With me for 47 days. Has never complained.”
And should anyone ask: “Share the app” shows a QR code with the download link. Or send the link, via WhatsApp or however you prefer.
Giving
A rock as a gift. It arrives by e-mail.
You have been given a rock.
Redeem the code in the app. It is waiting.
- In the app, you buy a new rock for €1.99 and enter the recipient’s e-mail address.
- The recipient receives an e-mail with a code and redeems it in the app. They choose the kind of rock and give it a name.
- The rock arrives fully unlocked, with three eyes. No probation period.
- The chain of owners reads: “Gift from …”. For ever. It will not mention it.
Eyes.
That is all.
Founder eyes
Only for rocks adopted in the first four weeks after launch. Never again after that.
Complimentary. The window opens when the app launches. Until then, there is no countdown. The rock is not counting either.
Your rock will not be able to see with these.
Three eyes
Included with adoption, €1.99
One more than necessary. It cannot see with the third one either.
Your rock will not be able to see with these.
Googly eyes
€0.99
The classic.
Your rock will not be able to see with these.
Sleepy eyes
€0.99
For a rock that will not wake up anyway.
Your rock will not be able to see with these.
Eyes belong to the rock. They go with it when traded.
The shop sells eyes. Nothing else. Purchases are made in the app only, never on this website.
Registration
A few formalities. The rock has none.
- A username.
- An e-mail address. You will receive a confirmation e-mail. Your account is confirmed only once you click the link.
- Date of birth. Minimum age: 16. Your rock is somewhat older.
- City: not required. We work it out once from your approximate location, if you allow it in the app. For the Stoneradar.
- Language. Taken from your phone, changeable at any time.
The app speaks nine languages. Your rock is silent in all of them, equally well.
Location
Where is your rock?
“May your rock share roughly where it is?”
- Roughly means rounded to about 2 km. On the phone itself.
- Only while the app is open. Never in the background.
- Others see at most a distance in kilometres or an area of about 20 km.
- It can be switched off in settings at any time.
Your rock has no views on the matter. It knows where it is. It is there.
Stoneradar
Radar active. Movement: none.
Inner ring: rocks in your immediate vicinity. Found via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, belonging to people who currently have the radar or the trade screen open.
Outside: how many rocks there are in your city.
Also rocks within 25 km, with their distance in kilometres – provided they have reported in within the last 24 hours. They will come no closer.
In your city: 47 rocks. None of them moving.
The blips never move. The beam does. Something has to.
World map
Where all the rocks lie.
4,711 rocks lie somewhere in the world. None of them is moving.
- Dots on cells of about 20 km. Exactly who lies where cannot be seen. Not even when zoomed in.
- Pinch to zoom. The rocks do not get any bigger.
- The map is drawn on the phone, from Natural Earth (public domain). No map service, no trackers.
Journey
Carried, not walked.
Has been to 6 countries.
Distance covered: approx. 1,400 km. Carried, not walked.
Distance covered by the rock itself: 0 m.
- The journey shows a rock’s route across all its keepers, from trade to trade. Accurate to about 20 km.
- The countries it has been to appear as flags. It was not on holiday. It was taken along.
- Only the current keeper can see it. Not previous keepers. Not the rock.
Walks
It comes along. It does not walk.
3,412 steps. Your rock: 0.
You: less than 2 km. We would rather not know more precisely.
- Walks have a screen of their own: start, stop, a step counter that counts along live, and the rough distance.
- Steps and distance stay on your phone.
For the step counter, Android asks for “Physical activity”. Your rock requires none.
The pile
There is no deleting. There is the pile.
- Should you no longer want a rock, you put it on the pile. It leaves your collection and drops onto the others from above.
- The pile never holds fewer than 16 rocks. Strangers’ rocks lie there too. Nobody is introduced. Nobody minds.
- On the pile, the eyes blink idly to themselves. Tilt the phone and they roll.
- Shake the phone and the pile falls apart. The rocks tumble across the screen. Then it reassembles itself. From the bottom up. Rock by rock.
“Put Gary on the pile? It will not come back. It will lie there. As before, only elsewhere.”
A rock on the pile is not gone. It is simply no longer yours.
The care guide
Please read carefully.
Care guide
Congratulations on your new rock. You have chosen a pet that is low-maintenance in every respect. Please read this guide carefully nonetheless.
Feeding
You may feed your rock. It will achieve nothing. Your rock will not hold it against you.
Walks
Your rock is happy to accompany you. It will not cover a single metre. This is normal.
Commands
Your rock masters “sit”, “stay” and “down” immediately. “Come” and “shake hands” require patience. A great deal of patience. More than you have.
The owner’s manual
Read before first use.
WARNING
Should your rock bounce, the phone has been dropped.
Kindly pick up the phone. The rock is unharmed. It was never in danger.
| Symptom | Cause | Remedy |
|---|---|---|
| Rock only replies “…”. | Normal operation. | Keep talking. Or don’t. The outcome is comparable. |
| “Attention!” – then “Oh, nothing.” | Normal operation. | None. It really was nothing. |
| Stats are not at 100 %. | Impossible. | Put on your glasses. |
The manifesto
Your rock will never be hungry.
Your rock will never be unwell.
Your rock will never send you a notification that does not matter.
Your rock will almost never send you a notification.
Your rock does not judge you.
Your rock is 340 million years old and is in no particular hurry.
Your rock is ready when you are.
It always has been.
Stone Republic
The rock exchange. Live prices. Movement: none.
River pebble PBBL
€0.00 ±0.00%
Rounded by the river. It offered no resistance.
Granite GRNT
€0.00 ±0.00%
Speckled in three colours. It never could decide.
Basalt BSLT
€0.00 ±0.00%
Columnar, dark, made of cooled lava. It has calmed down since.
Sandstone SDST
€0.00 ±0.00%
Reddish, layer upon layer. Each layer a few thousand years. None of them eventful.
Marble MRBL
€0.00 ±0.00%
White with veins. Suitable for statues. It declined.
Flint FLNT
€0.00 ±0.00%
Knobbly, dark, with a pale rind. Makes sparks – if allowed. It does not allow.
Slate SLTE
€0.00 ±0.00%
Flat, blue-grey, layered. One could write on it. It would not read it.
Obsidian OBSD
€0.00 ±0.00%
Volcanic glass, black and glossy. It reflects you. Not itself.
Hagstone HAGS
€0.00 ±0.00%
A pebble with a hole. Said to bring luck. It never has.
Lava rock LAVA
€0.00 ±0.00%
Porous, reddish brown, lighter than it looks. Was once very hot. Has moved on.
Change: ±0.00% over 340 million years.
Rare eyes make a rock more sought after. Price: still €0.00.
You choose when you adopt. The price stays.
A little history
NixStein was founded by a rock. It said nothing on the matter. We took that as consent.
What it costs
| Download | free |
|---|---|
| Probation as keeper | 4 weeks |
| Complete adoption, incl. three eyes | €1.99 once |
| Another rock | €1.00 each |
| Give a rock as a gift, incl. unlocking and three eyes | €1.99 |
| Googly eyes | €0.99 |
| Sleepy eyes | €0.99 |
| Founder eyes (first 4 weeks after launch only) | complimentary |
| Payment | Card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay |
| Subscriptions, adverts, trackers, AI | none |
All prices are final prices. In accordance with § 19 UStG (German VAT Act), no value added tax is charged.
NixStein is available for Android, directly here via the website. Downloading is free; you pay only for what you buy in the app. Nothing more.
What can it do? Nothing. Four weeks free, then €1.99.
Not yet available for iPhone. Your rock is waiting.