Geofencing: Troubleshooting

If automatic check-in or check-out is not working as expected, this guide can help. It covers common phone settings, permissions, connectivity issues, and geofence set-up checks for iPhone and Android.

Automatic check-in and check-out depend on your phone detecting that you have entered or left a geofence, then sending that event to EVA Check-in.

How automatic check-out works

EVA Check-in can check you out in 2 ways:

Geofence check-out happens when your phone detects that you have left the geofenced area.
Server check-out happens later if you are still shown as checked in and EVA closes the check-in automatically - at a specified time, or after a specified duration.

These check-out methods are different.

If you are checked out by the server instead of by geofence, your phone may not have completed the geofence check-out. This can happen when location permissions, connectivity, battery settings, or background app access prevent the app from processing the event.

Have you checked in using the mobile app at least once?

You need to enrol at a site by scanning the QR code using your app before automatic check-in will work.

Are automatic check-in and check-out enabled?

On the EVA Check-in app, make sure Check-in reminders, Auto check in, and Auto check out are enabled for the relevant check-in location.

Open the EVA Check-in app.
Select the settings icon in the top-right corner.
Select the relevant check-in location.
Turn on Auto check in and Auto check out.

If auto check in and auto check-out are enabled but do not work reliably, continue through the checks in this article.

Are users getting a geofence reminder instead of an automatic check-in?

If users are receiving a geofence reminder, the geofence may already be working correctly.

A geofence reminder usually means one of these things:

Automatic check-in is not enabled for that site in the EVA Check-in app.
EVA needs more information before it can complete the check-in automatically.

This can happen if:

the user has not fully set up their site check-in
required profile information is missing
custom check-in questions still need to be completed
another required field needs user input

Entry zone

If the site uses entry zones, automatic geofence check-in may not work as expected if the geofence is attached to an entry zone rather than the destination zone. This is another case where users may get a geofence reminder.

Recommended set-up: Assign geofences to the destination zone rather than the entry zone when you want automatic check-in to complete without user input.

Do you have network connectivity?

EVA Check-in requires a strong, reliable internet connection for automatic check-in and check-out to work successfully. If you cross a geofence boundary in an area with poor internet coverage, geofence events can be delayed.

Possible solutions

Adjust the position of your geofence to cover an area where users have stronger internet coverage.

Is location sharing enabled?

If location sharing is disabled on your device, the EVA Check-in app will not be informed when you enter or exit a geofence.

Possible solutions

Make sure the EVA Check-in app has the appropriate location permissions in iOS or Android.

iPhone

Go to iPhone Settings, then select the EVA Check-in app.
Select Location.
Select Always.
If your device is on iOS 14 or later, make sure Precise Location is also enabled for EVA Check-in.

iPhone location permission settings for EVA Check-in.

iPhone location settings showing Always and Precise Location options.

Android 8 to 10

Go to Settings.
Select Apps.
Select EVA Check-in.
Select Permissions.
Turn on location access.

Android 11 and later

Go to Settings.
Select Location.
Select App permissions.
Select EVA Check-in.
Select Allow all the time.

Is Motion & Fitness disabled on iPhone?

EVA Check-in needs to detect motion as well as location for automatic check-in and check-out to work.

Go to iPhone Settings, then select the EVA Check-in app.
Make sure Motion & Fitness is turned on.
If you cannot turn it on, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Motion & Fitness and turn on Fitness Tracking.
Restart the EVA Check-in app and try enabling automatic check-in and check-out again.

Is airplane mode on?

When airplane mode is enabled, cellular and wifi connections are disabled automatically. Your device may not be able to detect that a geofence boundary has been crossed.

Possible solutions

iPhone

Go to Settings and make sure Airplane Mode is turned off.

Android

Go to Settings > Network & internet and make sure Airplane mode is turned off.

Are battery savers and power optimisers stopping EVA Check-in from running?

iOS and Android battery-saving features can limit how often location changes are reported to apps and how often apps can communicate in the background. For geofencing to work, EVA Check-in must receive location changes and communicate with EVA Check-in servers promptly.

Possible solutions for iPhone

Make sure Low Power Mode is turned off.

Go to iPhone Settings.
Select Battery.
Make sure Low Power Mode is turned off.

Also make sure Background App Refresh and Mobile Data are enabled for EVA Check-in.

Go to iPhone Settings, then select the EVA Check-in app.

Check whether third-party apps, such as VPNs, could be limiting EVA Check-in.

Possible solutions for battery savers and power optimisers on Android

Android device manufacturers may use different settings and names. The steps below may vary depending on your device and Android version.

In App info

In Android settings, open the EVA Check-in app settings. You can search for the app or go to Apps & notifications > See all apps > EVA Check-in.

Under Mobile data & wifi, make sure Background data is enabled. Enabling unrestricted data usage may also help when data-saving features are enabled.

Under Battery, make sure EVA Check-in can use battery in the background. Changing battery optimisation to Not optimised may also help.

Low data mode

Go to Android Settings.
Select Network & internet.
Select Data Saver.
Either turn off Data Saver, or select Unrestricted data and enable EVA Check-in.

Battery saver

Go to Android Settings.
Select Battery.
Select Battery Saver.

Automatic check-in and check-out work most reliably when Battery Saver does not restrict EVA Check-in.

Adaptive Battery

Go to Android Settings.
Select Battery.
Select Adaptive Battery.
Turn off Adaptive Battery.

Battery optimiser

In Android Settings, search for battery optimisation.

Go to Android Settings.
Select Apps.
Select EVA Check-in.
Select Battery.
Select Optimise battery usage.
Find EVA Check-in in the Optimised list or All apps.
Set it to Not optimised.

Android 9 to 11

Go to Settings.
Select Device Maintenance.
Select EVA Check-in.
Select Battery. This may be under Advanced.
Select Battery optimisation.
Set EVA Check-in to Unrestricted or Don't optimise.
On Android 11 and later, turn off Remove permissions if app is unused.

Android 12 and later

Go to Settings.
Select Apps.
Select EVA Check-in.
Select Battery.
Select Unrestricted.

Doze on Huawei phones

Open your phone settings.
Select Battery.
Select App Launch.
Find EVA Check-in and turn off automatic management.
Make sure Auto-launch, Secondary launch, and Run in the background are enabled for EVA Check-in.

Has the EVA Check-in app been opened recently?

Some phones and operating systems may limit an app that has not been used recently. If changing battery and data settings does not help, open the EVA Check-in app at least once every 2 to 3 days.

Is automatic check-out happening too often or not often enough?

Automatic check-out can be affected by phone location accuracy, device settings, and the way the user leaves the geofenced area.

Try these options in the app’s geofence settings:

Select High accuracy instead of Battery saver.
Turn on Re-check location to verify the phone’s location again after a short delay.

If the user is regularly checked out by the server rather than by geofence, check:

location access is set to Always or Allow all the time
Motion & Fitness is enabled on iPhone
battery saver or battery optimisation is not restricting EVA Check-in
the phone has mobile or wifi coverage when the user enters or leaves the site
the EVA Check-in app has been opened recently

Third-party apps

Check whether third-party apps, such as VPNs or task killers, could be limiting EVA Check-in.