A place alert is an area on the map that tells you when someone arrives or leaves, also known as a virtual fence or geofence. It’s the simplest way to know your kid got to school or someone got home.
Before you start
- Have at least one group with other people (see How to create a group and invite your family).
- How many places you can create: 2 on Free, 10 on Basic and unlimited on Complete. Arrival and departure alerts work on every plan.
1. Open your places
On the map, tap the Saved places button. Another path: Profile and Location Notifications.
The Stored Places screen lists the places you’ve created and how many more your plan allows.
2. Add the place
- Tap Add place. Shortcut: on the map, touch and hold the spot where the place is.
- Set the center: drag the map to the spot you want, or search by name or address. The address fills in automatically.
- Adjust the radius: from 200 meters to 3 kilometers.
Which radius to choose
| Place | Starting radius |
|---|---|
| House or apartment | 200–300 m |
| School | 250–400 m |
| Office building | 250–400 m |
| Gated community or campus | 500 m–1 km |
Radiuses that are too small cause false alerts, because GPS drifts, especially indoors. The article What is a geofence explains why.
3. Name it
Under Place Name, type a name or tap one of the suggestions: Home, Work, School or Gym.
Under Place type, choose Safe zone, Restricted zone, Parking or Other. If the place only matters for a few days, like a hotel on a trip, turn on Temporary place.
4. Choose the people
Under Be notified when…, check whose alerts you want at that place, or tap Select all. If you have trackers, they show up on the same screen. Each place has its own list: you can follow the kids at school and your dad at the gym without getting alerts about everyone everywhere.
Under Notifications for this place, choose Notify on arrival, Notify on departure or both.
5. Save
Tap Add Place. Done: when anyone on the list arrives at or leaves the area, depending on what you chose, you get a notification.
Edit or delete a place
In the Stored Places list, tap the place to change its name, radius and people, then tap Save Edit. To delete it, tap the trash icon, on the place’s card or next to Save Edit, and confirm under Delete Place.
If something doesn’t work
- Tapping Add place opens the plans screen: you’ve reached your plan’s limit, which the list shows as, for example, “2 of 2 places on your plan”. Delete a place you no longer use or see the plans.
- No one available to notify about: add people to your groups first.
- The alert arrives late: the person’s phone may have aggressive battery saving on or no internet.
- Departure alerts when the person didn’t leave: increase the radius a little.
