When you open WheresNow, you see your family members moving smoothly across the map. It looks simple, but there's a lot of technology working behind the scenes to make that happen. Here's a breakdown of how it works and how you can make it work better for you.
The tech behind the pin
WheresNow uses a combination of three signals to find a device:
- GPS: High-accuracy satellite signals, perfect for outdoors.
- Wi-Fi Triangulation: Uses nearby Wi-Fi networks to find location even inside buildings.
- Cell Tower Data: Provides a baseline location when GPS and Wi-Fi are unavailable.
Accuracy vs. Battery Life
There is always a trade-off between how often a device updates and how much battery it uses. WheresNow uses Adaptive Tracking. If a device is stationary, it updates less frequently. The moment it starts moving, it switches to high-accuracy mode.
How to get the most accurate tracking
- Keep Wi-Fi On: Even if you aren't connected to a network, keeping Wi-Fi on helps the phone "see" its surroundings.
- Background App Refresh: Ensure WheresNow has permission to run in the background. Without this, the phone will stop updating location once the screen is off.
- High Accuracy Mode: On some Android devices, you may need to explicitly enable "High Accuracy" in system location settings.
Privacy First
Remember, real-time tracking is only shared with the people you've invited to your private circle. WheresNow never sells your location data to third parties. Your journeys are yours alone.
