If the SimpliRoute 🚀 mobile app stops sending GPS data when it's in the background or when the device's screen turns off, your phone's battery or GPS settings may be interfering with the app.
To fix it, check the location and battery settings explained below. Menu names may vary depending on your phone's manufacturer and operating system version.
Notes: This article applies to the GPS of the phone the driver uses with the mobile app. If your account receives location from GPS devices installed in the vehicles, see 🛰️ Integration: GPS.
Prerequisites ✅
For the platform to receive the driver's location, check the following:
Route started: the app sends location continuously from the moment the driver taps Start route. Sending stops when the driver finishes their last started route or logs out.
Permissions granted: the app must have all its permissions enabled. If it's the driver's first time using the app, see 📱 Mobile App: Installation, Permissions, Login.
Location settings - GPS 📍
For SimpliRoute to track routes continuously, the location permission must be set to Allow all the time. If this permission is set to foreground only, the app will stop sending the driver's location as soon as it's minimized or the screen turns off, which will affect real-time tracking on the platform.
Android 🤖
To set it up, follow these steps for your device:
Open your phone's Settings.
Go to Apps or App management (the name varies by manufacturer).
Find and select SimpliRoute.
Tap Permissions and then select Location.
Choose the Allow all the time option.
If your phone shows the precise location option, keep it turned on.
Android / SimpliRoute / Permissions / Location
Notes: On some devices this permission may be called "Always allow" or "Location access at all times". If you can't find the option, make sure you have the latest version of the app installed.
iOS 🍎
On iPhone, the location permission must be set to Always:
Open Settings on your iPhone.
Find and select SimpliRoute.
Tap Location.
Choose the Always option.
Check permissions from the app 📲
You can also check permissions from the mobile app:
Tap the ☰ icon in the top-left corner to open the side menu.
Go to Permissions.
If any permission appears in red, tap it and grant it.
When all permissions appear in green, the app has the permissions it needs.
Mobile app / Permissions
Notes: If the app doesn't let you enable the background location permission when you tap it, set it up directly from your phone's settings using the steps above.
Battery settings 🔋
To avoid interference with route tracking, the phone must not restrict SimpliRoute when it runs in the background. On Android, follow these steps:
Open your phone's Settings.
Go to Apps, App management or Manage apps (the name varies by manufacturer) and select SimpliRoute. From this menu you can check the app's permissions and access the battery options.
Tap Battery.
Select the option that prevents the system from restricting the app in the background. The name varies by manufacturer; for example, Unrestricted or Don't optimize.
Android / SimpliRoute / Battery
Also, don't turn on the phone's battery saver mode during the route, as it can stop location from being sent in the background.
Notes: On Huawei devices, look for the Manage manually option in the battery settings to make sure the app isn't restricted in the background.
Best practices 💡
For the platform to receive your location throughout the day:
✅ Check the location and battery settings in this article before starting the route.
✅ Keep mobile data turned on during the route. The app needs an internet connection to send your location to the platform.
✅ Don't log out while you have a route started. When you log out, the app stops sending your location.
✅ Use your user on only one phone at a time.
✅ On Android, if you restart the phone or the app updates during the day, open SimpliRoute again. Your location won't be sent again until you open the app.
For more recommendations about sending information from the app, see 📱 Mobile App: Sync.
Check the driver's location from the platform 🖥️
If you manage the operation from the web platform and can't see a driver's location in Tracking, check the following in this order:
Check that the vehicle appears in Tracking. If it doesn't, check the plan date and fleet permissions, as explained in 📋 Tracking Module.
Check that the driver has tapped Start route. Until the route is started, the app doesn't send location continuously.
Ask the driver to check the app's Permissions section and the location and battery settings in this article. When you select the vehicle in Tracking, you can also see their phone's battery percentage.
When the platform receives the location again, the vehicle's GPS icon in Tracking turns green again.
If what's missing are checkouts, photos or signatures from the visits, see the web platform section in 📱 Mobile App: Sync.
If the location problem continues, contact us through the support chat and share:
Screenshots of the Permissions, Syncs and Diagnostics sections from the ☰ menu of the driver's app, taken while the problem is happening.
The driver's or user's name and the assigned vehicle.
The route date.
Notes: Only the driver can take these screenshots, since the app's information is on their phone. If the route has a co-driver, the path in Tracking corresponds to the location of the driver's phone; the co-driver doesn't send their location. More information in 👤 Co-driver User.