Troubleshooting - Poor Location Tracking & Accuracy

Location accuracy can vary based on several factors, including your surroundings and your phone. In some situations—such as being indoors, underground, or in areas with weak or no signal—your location may not be very accurate.

Here are some tips to help improve accuracy:

• Set Location Permissions to “Always Allow”

  This ensures your location continues to update during an activity, even when the app is minimised or your phone is locked.

• Check Battery Optimisation Settings

  Battery settings can impact accuracy. The default Regular battery mode works for most people, but if you need higher accuracy, consider switching to High Precision mode. For more detail, see our Battery Optimisation article.

• Switch Location Provider (Android only)

  Android devices can use different methods to determine location:

  • Fused: Combines data from GPS, Wi‑Fi, cellular networks, and sensors (such as accelerometers and gyroscopes) to provide more accurate and reliable positioning.
  • GPS: Uses signals from GPS satellites only.

While these steps can improve location accuracy, not all devices perform the same. Older phones, budget models, or devices with less capable GPS hardware can still struggle to maintain a stable signal—especially in challenging environments such as dense urban areas, heavy tree cover, tunnels, or indoors.

In these situations, even with the best settings applied, you may notice:

- A GPS trace that drifts, jumps, or appears offset

- Distance figures that seem slightly higher or lower than expected

These issues are usually due to hardware limitations rather than a problem with the GetHomeSafe app, and they can’t be fully resolved through settings alone. If you consistently see poor accuracy across different locations and conditions, consider whether your current device is still fit for purpose—particularly if it’s older or a lower-cost model. Upgrading to a newer device with more advanced GPS hardware can significantly improve tracking reliability and overall safety monitoring.