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Start a Tracking Session

Name a tracking session before the app begins recording your route.

Before the app starts recording where you go, it asks you to name the session. The name is how you will find that route again afterwards, so it is worth being specific. Once you save, the app begins recording points as you move and keeps doing so in the background until you stop it.

Start a tracking session

Overview​

Field or buttonRequiredWhat it does
NameYesThe session's name. The keyboard opens on this field.
Save—Save the name and start recording.
Back—Close without starting anything.

The card's heading tells you what it is being used for:

HeadingWhen you see it
Add Tracking NameYou are starting a tracking session.
Add Map NameThe same card being reused to name a map.
Rename Map NameThe same card being reused to rename a map.

Getting Here​

  1. From Home, open References, then open the Map reference.
  2. Tap the map's menu button.
  3. Tap Start Tracking. The naming card opens with the keyboard already on the Name field.
note

The menu row changes wording with the state: it reads Start Tracking when nothing is recording, and Stop Tracking while a session is running. Tapping it while a session is running stops that session immediately — you are not asked to confirm and you are not asked for a name.

Name and Start a Session​

  1. Type a name into the Name field. Something you will recognise later works best — a unit and shift, an area, or a task.
  2. Tap Save.
  3. The card closes and a short Location tracking started message appears.
  4. The map menu row now reads Stop Tracking.
caution

A name is required. If you tap Save with the field blank you will see Enter tracking name and nothing starts. Tap OK, type a name, and save again.

What Gets Recorded​

BehaviourDetail
When points are addedAs you move. The app adds a point roughly every 100 metres of travel.
How often they are sentIn batches, about every 10 seconds while you have a connection.
In the backgroundRecording continues with the app in the background or the screen locked.
Standing stillNo points are added. A session recorded without moving will have very few points.
OfflinePoints keep being collected on the device and are uploaded once you are back on a connection.
tip

Start the session before you roll rather than after. The route only contains what was recorded while the session was running — there is no way to fill in the part before you started it.

Stop a Session​

  1. Open the map's menu.
  2. Tap Stop Tracking. Recording stops at once and the row goes back to reading Start Tracking.

Review a Session​

Finished sessions are listed under My Tracking, with the name you gave, how many points were recorded, and when the session started and ended. Tap one to see its route drawn on a map. See My Tracking.

How This Connects​

  • Points are collected by the device and sent to the server in batches, which is what makes the route viewable later in My Tracking and on other devices.
  • While a session is running, your position also contributes to the Unit Locations picture your team sees on Map and Reference Map, and in the incident Maps tab.
  • Tracking needs location permission, including permission to use your location in the background. Without it the session can start but will record little or nothing once the app is not in the foreground.
  • Because points are held on the device until they can be sent, losing signal mid-session does not lose the route. It just means My Tracking will not show the missing part until the device has been back on a connection.
  • Tracking is separate from the one-off positions you save on the GPS screen, which are kept on the device only and listed under GPS History.
  • The same card, with a different heading, is used when a saved map needs naming or renaming — see Name a Saved Map.

Troubleshooting​

If this happensWhat to do
Save shows Enter tracking nameThe field is empty. Tap OK, type a name, and save again.
You are not sure whether it is recordingOpen the map menu. If the row reads Stop Tracking, a session is running.
The session recorded almost no pointsPoints are only added as you move, roughly every 100 metres. A session that stayed in one place will be nearly empty.
Nothing recorded while the screen was lockedAllow the app to use your location in the background in iOS Settings, then start a new session.
The route is missing a stretchThat stretch was probably collected but not yet uploaded. Get back on a connection, then reopen the session in My Tracking.
You cannot start a sessionCheck location permission is allowed for the app. If it is denied you will see Location Permission Denied with a prompt to open Settings.
The session is still running from a previous shiftOpen the map menu and tap Stop Tracking. Sessions do not stop on their own.
The session is not in My TrackingThe list loads from the server, so it needs a connection. Reconnect and reopen the list.

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