Why does Driversnote need access to my location?

To make sure the app is always ready to track your trips in real time, Driversnote needs access to your location. This allows the app to track your trips consistently and log the accurate distance of your trips.

In this article

• Why do I see a blue icon on my iPhone?
• Sometimes, I see this indicator when I’m not driving; why?
• Why does Driversnote need Location permission on "Always" / "All the time"?
• How to set up iPhone Location settings
• How to set up Android Location Settings
• Driversnote App Settings & Permissions in general

Why do I see a blue icon on my iPhone?

When using Driversnote on your iPhone, you will  see a blue indicator at the top of your phone screen.

This blue GPS icon in the top of your screen indicates that GPS location services are being used while the Driversnote app is in the background.

With the iOS 16.4 update (beginning of April 2023), Apple has introduced several restrictions for background apps (including fitness apps and mileage tracking apps such as Driversnote) making this blue indicator compulsory.

This helpful change not only notifies users of which apps are working in the background, but also acts as a confirmation while driving that your trip is indeed being successfully tracked.

Sometimes I see this indicator when I’m not driving, why? 

If you see the indicator when you are near your car or even at home not tracking at all, what this means is that you are close enough to your iBeacon that you are within the signal range. The app is ready to start a trip, but it will not start properly tracking a trip unless you enter the vehicle and start driving.

We are working on several ways to improve this experience, so keep an eye out for the latest app updates as they are released! 

Why does Driversnote need Location permission on "Always" / "All the time"?

Driversnote is built to be able to track your trips in real-time using your phone’s GPS. To do this, it’s important that the app runs in the background. This allows you to have other apps open at the same time such as music or navigation apps.

Selecting “Always” (for iOS) / “All the time” (for Android) authorization, allows Driversnote to track your trips in real-time, even when the app is in the background. If this permission is not granted then Driversnote’s functionality will be limited.

For example, setting the location access to “When in use” (for iOS) / “While using the app” (for Android) means that both the app and your phone’s screen must be on for Driversnote to be able to track your trips with your phone’s GPS. In other words, if Location is set to “When in use” and your phone’s screen is off or using another app, then tracking will be interrupted and the app will be terminated in the background. This will result in straight line or incomplete trips with an inaccurate trip distance.

How to set up iPhone Location settings

1. Go to your phone Settings
2. Scroll down to all apps
3. Find and tap on Driversnote
4. Tap Location
5. Set Location access to Always
6. Enable Precise Location

After iOS13 was introduced, it’s unfortunately not possible to give access to “Always” directly from the app. This means that if you have just downloaded the app, granting the Location permission is a two-step process: 

1. Go to your phone Settings
2. Go to Privacy & Security
3. Tap Location Services
4. Turn on Location Services
5. Make sure Driversnote is in the list below and set to Always there.

After this, you should be able to go back to Settings > Driversnote and verify the settings as above.

How to set up Android Location Settings 

How to access location settings on a Samsung device (please keep in mind that steps may vary from device to device):

1. Go to your phone Settings
2. Tap Apps
3. Find and tap Driversnote
4. Tap Permissions > Location
5. Set Location Access to Allow all the time

How to access location settings on a Huawei device (please keep in mind that steps may vary from device to device):

1. Go to your phone Settings
2. Tap Apps
3. Find Driversnote
4. Tap Permissions > Location 
5. Select Location access for this app Allow all the time

How to access location settings on a Google Pixel device (please keep in mind that steps may vary from device to device):

1. Go to your phone Settings
2. Tap Location > App permission (if you have a work profile, first tap Andvanced >Location)
3. Find Driversnote
4. Choose All the time

Driversnote App Settings & Permissions in general 

Location is just one of the settings required - if you need help with the other ones, check out our guide on “Tracking Configuration Settings”.

You’ll know the app is set up correctly when you see all the green checkmarks!

Note: On an Android phone, even if you have everything setup correctly, you may still see a warning about Battery Optimisation settings. This may not be an issue, but if you find yourself missing trips you should first check our page on Android Battery Optimisation settings to see if you need to make adjustments.