BUSINESS PROFESSIONAL
User tracking, also known as GPS tracking, is an optional feature that can be selected by Professional and Business users.
User Tracking allows Controllers in the office to see where the field workers are currently, and field workers to see who else is nearby. Their locations are based on the location service on their mobile device.
When tracking is enabled, it is turned on for all users and will report the location of staff using the Mobile app (Android and iOS). It will not show the location of staff using the Web App.
Configuration
To enable tracking, an Owner should go to the Settings section, Addons, and select GPS Tracking.
You will be shown the cost per month of tracking and you will be charged per seat.
Turn on tracking by clicking Activate. Then, you can configure how often the location is updated when workers are traveling (over 5km/h) by setting the GPS Refresh Frequency.
How User Tracking Works
The Gruntify app uses the location services built into the user’s mobile device to determine the user’s location. If the user has the location service turned off, they will be prompted to turn it on before the app will run.
The Gruntify app sends its location to the Gruntify servers based on the user’s movement:
A User moving at under 5km/hr sends updates every 5 minutes.
A User moving at over 5km/hr sends updates every 15 seconds by default. This allows you to see people on the move from job to job.
After 16 minutes, the user is assumed inactive and their image turns grey on the map.
After 2 hours, the user is assumed to no longer be at that location and is removed from the map.
Troubleshooting
The follow advice can be given to the Field Worker if they are having trouble with tracking in the field. The same advice is available on the User Tracking (Field Staff) page.
You may encounter issues with “disappearing” from time to time. These details on how it works should give you some ideas on why this may occur and how you can deal with the issue.
I cannot see my team members.
If you cannot see anyone else on the map, make sure your user tracking is turned on. Click options on the map screen and select the Tracking option (see left-hand picture below). The Tracking screen (right-hand picture below) will be shown. Click on the Users box to toggle viewing tracking - highlighted means users should be shown, dimmed is to hide users.
Note: Turning off the Users box does not turn off your tracking.
My tracking stopped working.
When you close the Gruntify app then the tracking will stop.
If you lose network coverage then updates cannot be sent to the cloud, and your image on the map will initially turn grey and then be removed from the map. Once you get a network connection back, your location will automatically update.
If you switch to another app on their mobile device then there is a chance that the Gruntify app will be stopped by iOS / Android. If this happens then the tracking will stop. Switching back to the Gruntify app will re-enable the tracking.
The power-saving modes on some mobile devices affect Location Services, which in turn would affect the tracking quality.
On Android, the Location Services permission must be set to “Allow All The Time”, not “Allow only while using the App”. This may be changed by going to Settings, Location and Gruntify will usually be listed on the Recent Location requests. Alternatively, go to Apps and tap on Gruntify in the list of your installed apps.
If you are having trouble with the tracking missing sections, ensure that your mobile has the Gruntify app running in the foreground while you are traveling, the phone is unlocked, and that your mobile has a reasonable charge.
If problems continue then check that you have the latest Gruntify app installed and watch for when the tracking stops (e.g. is it happening after 10 minutes, is it at a particular time or a particular place) and report these details along with the type of mobile device you are working (e.g. iPhone X, Samsung Galaxy A20) and the iOS / Android version if possible.