IronSight uses your phone's location to show dispatchers where resources are and to create trip reports for jobs. Location is only tracked while you're on duty.
At a glance
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| When am I tracked? | Only while you're on duty |
| How do I stop tracking? | Go off duty by tapping × on the on-duty bar |
| Why does my phone say IronSight used my location for days? | You may have stayed on duty. Check the timer on the on-duty bar |
| Why is a trip missing or strange? | Usually poor signal, the phone being off, or the app being closed |
| Why is the job distance off? | Distance is based on the phone's movement while the job is active |
For field workers
When is my location tracked?
Only while you're on duty. When you tap Go on duty and select your resource, tracking starts. It stops when you go off duty.
How do I go off duty?
Tap the × on the on-duty bar at the bottom of the screen. The bar shows which resource you're on duty with and how long you've been on duty.
If you're on an active job, complete or pause it first.
Logging out
- Tap More in the bottom navigation bar.
- Tap Log out.
Can't log out? If Log out is greyed out, you may still be on duty or have an active job. Go off duty first, then try again.
Tip: You don't need to log out every day. Going off duty is enough to stop tracking. Staying logged in also keeps your jobs loaded for tomorrow.
My phone says IronSight has been using my location in the background for days. Is that true?
IronSight only tracks location while you're on duty, but it does track in the background while you are. If you forgot to go off duty at the end of a shift, tracking kept going. Check the timer on the on-duty bar. If it shows a long time, tap × to go off duty.
Why does IronSight need motion & fitness permission?
To save battery, IronSight pauses tracking when your phone hasn't moved for a while, and starts again once you're moving. Motion & fitness permission is how it knows you've stopped. For all the permissions IronSight needs, see Setting up the IronSight App.
Tips for accurate tracking
- Go on duty while you have good service, so the app loads properly before you head out.
- Minimize the app instead of closing it. Tracking takes a while to restart after the app is closed.
- Keep your phone on and charged. Location can't be recorded while the phone is off, and low-power mode reduces accuracy.
- Give your phone a clear view of the sky. Screen up on the dash works best. Buildings, trees, tunnels, and tinted windows can block GPS.
- Leave location set to Always Allow and Precise. If you change your location permissions, trips can have gaps.
- Use one phone per job. Being on duty on more than one phone can throw off job distance.
For admins and dispatchers
Why don't I see the trip I expected?
- No signal for a long time. Location is saved on the phone and sent when it's back in service. If a phone is offline for more than 2 days, older points may never arrive.
- Tracking stopped partway through. In rare cases, tracking stops until the driver goes off duty and back on.
- Only active job time is shown. A job's map shows location only while the job is active, not before it starts, while it's paused, or after it's completed.
- Several drivers on one resource. If more than one driver is on duty with the same resource, the map shows everyone's location, which can look like a zigzag.
- Odd-looking paths. The map draws a straight line between each pair of points, so a route can look like it cuts through a building or field. Mobile and web draw the lines differently but use the same data.
Why doesn't the job distance match what actually happened?
Job distance is measured by the phone's odometer from when the job starts to when it's completed. Paused time isn't counted. If more than one driver works the job, their distances are added together, and a driver on duty with more than one phone can make the distance higher than expected.
Why is location sometimes inaccurate or missing?
Phones use GPS, Wi-Fi, cell signal, and motion sensors to find their location, and they lean on the lower-power options to save battery. That can reduce accuracy. Other common causes include low-power mode, poor sky view, bad weather, no cell signal, older devices with limited memory, and the phone being turned off.
Have questions? Contact us at [support@ironsight.app] and we'll help you out.