Why Caffeine Mog became CanMog: the full story

Caffeine Mog is now CanMog. The short reason: a game that only collects energy drinks has no safe future, and a game that collects every can does. This is the longer story, from me, the person who now builds it.

Who builds CanMog

I'm Sergey, and CanMog is a one-person project. I build it alone: the app on iPhone and Android, the server, the drink catalog and this blog. When you write to support, I am the one who replies. I fix the bugs you report, and I add the features you ask for.

I have built software since I was 12, at school, and I have not stopped since.

Since 2014 I have built apps for musicians: Piano Companion, with more than 10 million downloads, ChordIQ, a music learning game, and Songtive, a social network for musicians. I also build MathIt, math practice games for kids and adults, and KidTeller, stories written just for your child. Every one of these apps is a solo project too.

Before all that, I co-founded a software company that has completed more than 200 projects in 20 years.

So I know two things well: how to build an app, and how a community grows around one.

How I found Caffeine Mog

I found Caffeine Mog by accident. I got hooked, because I had already thought about a game like it: scan the things you collect, see how rare they are, compare your shelf with your friends.

I acquired the game from its first developer in October 2026 and started to move it, step by step, toward the game I had in mind.

The problem I did not expect

Very soon I saw that this project would not be easy.

Take Android. Caffeine Mog was on iPhone only for a long time. The reason was not that its first developer did not want an Android version. The reason was the rules around energy drinks.

I live in the EU. In some EU countries, such as the Baltic countries or Poland, minors cannot buy energy drinks. The United Kingdom is banning sales to under-16s too: England starts in April 2027. For me that was a clear signal: this area will only get stricter.

App stores follow these rules closely. An app that rewards young people for energy drinks can be removed from the store. If that happens, every shelf, every streak and every rank goes with it. I did not want to put your collections at that risk.

The decision

I talked it through with one of the top players. Then I made a hard decision: CanMog will not be an energy-drink-only game any more.

The game is now about every can:

• Energy, Soda, Water and Kombucha each have their own shelf, score and leaderboard.
• The Energy shelf is 16+. It asks for your consent and warns about too much caffeine.
• Rank counts variety, not volume. One can of a new flavour is worth more than ten of the same one. Drinking more never ranks you up.

A game about every can could not keep "Caffeine" in its name. So it is CanMog now.

Why I tell you all this

I want to be as open as I can. This blog is where I will explain how the game works: the rules, the decisions behind them, and every new feature. When something changes, you will read here why.

I hope you join me. Together we can build, step by step, a can collector game that is fun, fair and here to stay.

What is new in CanMog

• Four shelves. Energy, Soda, Water and Kombucha. Water covers still and sparkling water, flavoured sparkling water included.
• A score for each shelf. Each shelf has its own score, its own leaderboard and its own clan score.
• A quick switch. Change shelves on the Scan screen, on your shelf and on the leaderboard.
• Cans only. CanMog collects cans. The app asks the community "Is it a can?" when a new drink is not clear.
• A vote for the next shelf. Iced tea, juice, sports drinks and coffee are coming soon. Vote in the app for the one you want first.

Some sodas have caffeine, like Mountain Dew and Coca-Cola. They still count on your Energy shelf as before, and they also show on your Soda shelf.

What stays the same

I changed the name, not your progress:

The rarity rules did not change either. Your points for a can never drop below the tier you found it at.

What changed for you

Old caffeinemog.com links still work: they send you to canmog.com.

How to get the new name and icon

1. Update the app. On iPhone, open the App Store. On Android, open Google Play. Install the CanMog update.
2. Open it once. The app loads the new shelves, and you can pick what you collect.
3. Restart the phone if the icon is old. Sometimes the home screen keeps the old icon after an update until a restart.

Questions

Ask me in the global chat in the app. You can also find answers on the support page, or send an email to support@canmog.com.

New here? Get CanMog and start your first shelf. It is free on iPhone and Android.