FAQ - iOS

1. Running Family Tracker with iOS 7 and up
2. What are the "GPS Breadcrumbs" ?
3. Why Should I Subscribe for the Pro Features?
4. Background Multitasking Notes
5. I didn't receive the activation email
6. How do I close the app in iOS 4???
7. Jailbroken iPhones
8. What are those blue circles and pins?
9. Error getting location from Core Location
10. How do I cancel my subscription?

1. Running Family Tracker with iOS 7 and up?

   The iOS 7 has many improvements over the previous iOS versions. While it introduced many new features, as with new operating systems it also introduces several new bugs that were not present before.

   Please see this note below for a workaround. In the meantime, here is an explanation of what is happening.

   The operating system tries to guess which apps are used the most by users. If iOS thinks that an app is not used often, iOS will “kill” that app after some time (usually after a few days).

   There are three bugs with this new process that are affecting how Family Tracker runs:

   • First, unfortunately Apple’s detection of apps that are being used frequently fails to understand that the Family Tracker app is working continuously in the background updating its position. Because of this, if Family Tracker is not launched every now and then, iOS will kill our app as it thinks it’s not being used often enough.
   • Second, in the previous versions of iOS, killing (force-quitting) an app still allowed the location services for that app to continue sending GPS updates to the app. Apple is mistakenly preventing this from happening in the iOS 7 and up.
   • iOS supports the use of “stealth pings” being sent to iOS 7 and up devices. These stealthy pings are silent push notifications that allow apps that receive them to perform certain tasks. This allows us to use the stealth pings sent to iOS 7 and up devices to force an immediate location update. Another bug in iOS may prevent these new types of push notifications to be delivered to the app (including our Family Tracker).

   Workaround to minimize these issues - make sure you launch (bring to the foreground) the Family Tracker app every now and then (every few days should suffice). This should “teach" iOS that you really want to use the app, and that it should not “kill” it when it’s not used.

2. What are the "GPS Breadcrumbs" ?

   Every time the Family Tracker app on a device updates its location, it sends these coordinates to our secure servers. With an optional Pro subscription, we provide the ability for the users who have been previously authorized to track that device, to view where that person has been for the past weeks. Users can search for previous location either visually on a map using any web browser or their phones, or can use their own Family Tracker app to enter a specific date/time they are interested in. The Family Tracker app will show them where that device was at that time.

   This could be extremely important in cases of missing persons, as the moments before the phone is turned off, or even the places visited in the past, can provide extremely useful clues to the police that is trying to locate the missing person. An example is this story about a missing child that was located thanks to Family Tracker's GPS Breadcrumbs. While we are able to "turn on" the Pro Features at anytime and recover the GPS Breadcrumbs even after a person is missing as happened in that case, being subscribed for the Pro Features already can save precious time in locating the missing person more rapidly.

   

3. Why Should I Subscribe for the Pro Features?

   When you purchase Family Tracker, the app can be used and downloaded for free on any Apple or Android device which uses the same iTunes or Google Play account used to buy the app. You can then track as many devices as you wish, and see where they are at any time. In addition, you are able to send free messages back and forth between other devices running Family Tracker. There are no additional/recurring fees after purchasing the app to use this functionality.

   We also offer users the option to subscribe for the Pro Features of Family Tracker. The Pro Features allow you to view the past GPS Breadcrumbs for any user you are tracking as seen on this screenshot. It is important to note that if the person being tracked turns off the phone or removes the app, you will still be able to see where they have been in the past.

   This could be extremely important in cases of missing persons, as the moments before the phone is turned off, or even the places visited in the past, can provide extremely useful clues to the police that is trying to locate the missing person. An example is this story about a missing child that was located thanks to Family Tracker's GPS Breadcrumbs. While we are able to "turn on" the Pro Features at anytime and recover the GPS Breadcrumbs even after a person is missing as happened in that case, being subscribed for the Pro Features already can save precious time in locating the missing person more rapidly.

   With the Pro Features you can also use your Family Tracker app to enter any date and time for which you want to find out where the device being track was. In addition, the Pro Features allow you to export the GPS data for any device being tracked in two of the most popular file formats. You can then view the data with another application, for example Google Earth or your own GPS application.

   

4. Background Multitasking Notes

   In the new Apple iOS4 and the Android platform Family Tracker runs in the background, and user intervention is not needed for you to track them. Family Tracker runs at all times, continuously updating the GPS location of the device. Even if the phone is rebooted, Family Tracker will automatically resume tracking and updating its position!

   If the device you wish to track does not support multitasking (for example, older iPhones 3G, iPads), you can still use Family Tracker to locate their phone. Using the web or your own phone, you will be able to send a "ping" to the other device. This is done by sending the other phone a (free) “Push Notification” which will cause an alert to sound on your family member’s phone. As soon as this alert is acknowledged, their GPS position will be recorded, and their location will be updated on a map. When sent to Android phones, these "pings" will force an immediate location update.

   If you are using a device running Family Tracker yourself to locate them, you will be sent a Push Notification to inform you that the family member has accepted your "ping". These notifications will be automatically re-sent every 60 seconds until they are acknowledged. If the recipient is trying to ignore them or does not hear them, this repetition will help acknowledging them.

5. I didn't receive the activation email

   Please check your spam folder in your email to make sure the confirmation email did not end up there. The email will be sent from "FamilyTrackerRobot@logsat.com", so we'd recommend configuring your email software so that it allows all emails from that address. Please note you can click on the big red text button Family Tracker's "Settings" screen to have the email resent.

   

   If the email is not being blocked, please verify that your iPhone/iPad/iPod is configured to receive Apple Push Notifications You can do so by tapping "Settings" and then following the first screenshot. If "Notifications" was already "On", please ensure that "Family Tracker" appears in the list that follows, and that it too is enabled for notifications (as in the second screenshot).

   

   Please check that no restrictions placed in the iPhone settings, or at least they are not placed on the Location Services, as can be seen from these screenshots:

   

6. How do I close the app in iOS 4???

   In the "Settings" screen, click on the small "power" button on the lower right corner of the screen.

   

7. Jailbroken iPhones

   Please note that Push Notifications may not work on jailbroken phones. There should be a fix available for the Push Notifications on Cydia, but we're not allowed to support such devices to avoid problems with Apple. Without Push Notifications enabled, the phone won't be able to register for, and receive, a confirmation email.

8. What are those blue circles and pins?

   The red pins indicate the position of the people you are tracking. The pulsating blue dot indicates your own current position. The darker circles around the pins and the dot indicate the accuracy of the position being shown on the map - the actual position could be anywhere within that circle.

   

9. Error getting location from Core Location

   Are you receiving pop up error messages that say "Error getting location from Core Location, Access Denied"? If so, please verify that your iPhone/iPod/iPad is configured to enable and allow Location Services, specifically for the Family Tracker apps:

   

   also please ensure that there are no restriction placed in the iPhone settings, or at least they are not placed on the Location Services, as can be seen from these screenshots:

   

10. How do I cancel my Pro Features subscription?

    Follow these instructions.