Frontu collects your technicians' location through the Frontu mobile app. You can see it on the map, in each work order, and in reports.
How location is collected
The app records the technician's location in these situations:
Every 15 minutes during tracking hours. While location sharing is on, the app sends the technician's location to Frontu every 15 minutes. It does this only inside the technician's tracking hours (see below).
When the work order status changes. Each time a technician confirms, starts, stops, or completes a work order, the app saves their current location with that status.
When an admin asks for it. An admin can request a technician's current location from the web app. The app then sends the location once. Go to the user, right click and select "Show location"
On photos (optional). If Display date/location on images is turned on, every photo taken in the app is stamped with the date, time, and GPS coordinates. This applies to photos in notes and in questionnaires. If no location is available, the stamp shows "-" instead of coordinates. Go to settings, app settings and then "Display date, location on images".
Have in mind that the app uses the location only if it can get a fresh fix within a few seconds. If it can't, the status is saved without coordinates. This prevents an old location from placing the technician at the previous job site.
Where you can see the location
Dashboard map
The latest technician location is shown on the dashboard map.
If you use a GPS integration for vehicles, your vehicles are also shown on the same map.
Work order detailed view
The location saved with each status change is shown in the work order detailed view. Click Detailed view and in actions dropdown select Map of work order status to see on the map where each status was set.
Work order start location report
The Work order start location report shows where each work order was started. It compares the technician's start coordinates with the object coordinates and shows the distance between them. You can export the report to a file.
Client API
If you connect other systems to Frontu, you can get each user's latest location and the time it was recorded through the Client API v2 users/location endpoint.
Location tracking hours
Each technician controls when their location is shared in the mobile app under Settings > Default work hours.
With Toggle default location tracking time turned on, the default tracking hours are used.
With the toggle turned off, the technician sets their own start and end time. Outside these hours, the app does not send location every 15 minutes.
If you don't see the technician's location
Check these on the technician's phone:
Location is turned off on the device. Turn on location in the phone's quick settings.
Frontu has no permission to use location. Go to the phone's Settings > Apps > Frontu > Permissions > Location and allow it. The exact path depends on the phone manufacturer.
Battery saver or battery optimisation is on. These limit apps running in the background, so the location can't be sent. Turn off battery optimisation for Frontu.
Location sharing is off, or it's outside tracking hours. Check the app menu and Settings > Default work hours.
Weak GPS signal. Indoors, in basements, or at the first job of the day, the phone may not get a location in time. The status is then saved without coordinates, and the report shows an empty cell for that work order.
If none of these help, contact Frontu support.
Ask technicians to keep location on for the whole shift. A phone that already has a recent location saves coordinates faster and more reliably.