How does location tracking work?

The ClickTime mobile applications for Android and iOS periodically send the location of the device to our servers, providing a snapshot of where the device was at a certain time.

On Android devices, you can set the frequency of GPS location capture in minutes, while on iOS devices, you can configure the system to start capturing GPS location when the device moves more than a specified distance in meters or kilometres.

This location data is then stored for later retrieval and can be used to produce reports showing where your workers were over time.

Accuracy settings

You can control and  specify how you would like locations data to be gathered. The options are:

• Best Accuracy - always tries to get the most accurate positions, regardless of battery life.
  Use this if the worker's location is crucial to your business.
  
  
• Medium Accuracy.  The app will use WiFi & Mobile Network / Cellular to capture the GPS location.

• Low Accuracy Battery Saving - sacrifices accuracy for less power and data usage.
  Use this setting if you need to know with fair accuracy where your workers are, but also need their battery to last a long time.
  
  
• Automatic - switches to low power mode whenever the phone is disconnected from the charger.

• Because different mobile platforms have different capabilities and policies, the exact behavior of each setting varies by device. 
•  Even with Best Accuracy selected, the locations displayed will only be as accurate as the device can provide, and various external factors may cause less accurate locations to be sent.

          Click here to read  the factors that can influence accuracy.

What are location providers?

Modern smartphones have several ways of determining their location, known as location providers. These include GPS, mobile networks, and Wi-Fi networks.

• GPS uses a network of satellites orbiting the Earth to pinpoint the device's location. The more satellites the phone has a direct line of sight to, the more accurate the location can be. However, GPS uses a lot of power.

• Cellular  & Mobile networks allow the phone to determine its location based on signals from surrounding mobile towers. This calculation can be done on the phone or by network provider equipment.

• Wifi networks.  The phone utilizes Wi-Fi networks by transmitting the fingerprints of visible Wi-Fi networks to a service provider, which converts them into the device's location. This information can be collected by vehicles like Google Street View cars that drive around and scan for Wi-Fi networks, saving their location and network fingerprints in the process.