Why is a Circle member offline?

It can be concerning when a family member's location stops updating. There are several common reasons why a device might appear "Offline" or "Last Updated X hours ago."

Most Common Reasons

1. No Internet Connection

The device must have an active cellular or Wi-Fi connection to transmit location data to our servers. If they are in a "dead zone" or have Airplane Mode on, they will appear offline.

2. Location Services Disabled

If the member turns off GPS or Revokes location permissions for WheresNow, we cannot receive their coordinates.

3. Device is Powered Off

If the battery dies or the phone is manually turned off, the last known location will be displayed until the device is powered back on.

4. App was Force-Killed

On some devices (especially Android), if the app is manually swiped away or force-closed by the system to save memory, it may stop background tracking. The member should reopen the app to resume tracking.

5. Logged Out

If the member logs out of their WheresNow account, tracking is immediately disabled for privacy reasons.

How to Check

If you suspect a member should be online but isn't:

1. Ask them to open the WheresNow app.
2. Ensure they see the "Tracking Active" status.
3. Check their internet connection within the app.

Once the member's device re-establishes a connection and location permissions, their status will automatically update to "Online."