There are many reasons why the app might not find your location or have activity recording issues. Several phone OS settings can prevent the Trailforks app from getting a location.
First, make sure you are outside in an area that can get a good satellite signal. If you're indoors or underground, it can take a while to get a location or make it impossible.
Enable Location Services
Give Trailforks permission to use your device's location by enabling Location Services.
You must have "Location Services" enabled on your phone. There are many versions of Android and iOS, and this setting is located in different spots on different phones. Generally, this setting is called "Location" on Android and "Location Services" on iOS.
Android:
- Open the Settings app > Applications > Trailforks > Permissions > toggle on "Location".
- If you are running version 2020.11 of the app or newer, set the location permission for Trailforks to 'Allow only while using the app'
- Earlier versions of the app require the location permissions to be set to 'Allow all the time.'
iOS:
- Open the Settings app on your iOS device.
- Next, tap on "Privacy" and then choose "Location Services."
- Tap on Trailforks
- Choose to "Always" share your location with Trailforks, and turn on 'Precise Location' for the best GPS accuracy.
Sometimes it's best to force quit and restart the Trailforks after enabling location services.
Disable Battery Savings Mode
If your phone has a battery savings mode, or a low-power mode, this can also prevent the app from getting a location or can greatly reduce its accuracy. We recommend disabling this mode as having this mode on is one of the most common sources of a bad recording, resulting in inconsistent lines in your GPS track.
Additionally Android has an OS feature that optimizes the app's battery usage. This feature can have negative effects on the background GPS recording. We recommend you set the Trailforks app to NOT be battery optimized. You can go to the "battery" settings page for the Trailforks app on Android and under "Battery Optimized" select "Don't optimize".
Android:
- Open the Settings app > Applications
- Select Trailforks
- Select Battery
- Select Unrestricted
iOS:
- Open the Settings app > Battery > Toggle off "Low Power Mode".
iOS Precaution
When you start recording, keep your phone screen ON while the black recording bar at the bottom of the app is fetching a GPS location. Do not turn your screen off or switch to a different app until Trailforks has fetched a GPS signal and the recording starts. You will know when the recording has started when the message "Waiting for GPS signal to start recording" disappears and is replaced with the time elapsed and big red stop button.
Additional Steps for Troubleshooting Recording Issues:
You can perform an "AGPS reset" on Android by installing the App: GPS Status & Toolbox. In that app, go to Menu > Manage A-GPS State > Reset.
If your phone is from one of the manufactures listed on this website, your phone might be trying to kill the Trailforks app when recording your ride in order to save the phone's battery. Use the website linked above to further troubleshoot this issue.
If you have tried all the above and still cannot get a location, try contacting us. Please send us the "GPS Tracking Debug Logs". Please also include a link to the ride-log where the issue occurred so that we can help troubleshoot further.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, GPS tracking on your phone is never going to work 100% of the time, no matter what app you use. I've used dozens of different apps on different phones, and they all occasionally mess up. A smartphone is not a dedicated GPS device and has many competing interests for the phone’s resources, which the operating system tries to manage in order to conserve battery life. Additionally, weird issues with GPS satellites and your signal can occur.
For the best results, a dedicated GPS device like a Garmin will be more reliable, but even those can occasionally experience issues. Running multiple GPS tracking devices is your best bet to avoid losing a ride recording.