LocOf GPS Tracker is an Android application that records the location of a device and sends recorded location points to the LocOf service so they can be viewed on a web map.

It is useful for recording your own journeys and, where everyone involved has agreed, for sharing a device's location with family, friends or an organisation.

LocOf is not intended for secret or unauthorised tracking. Only install and use it on a device you own or are authorised to track. If you use LocOf for work, fleet or other professional purposes, make sure your use complies with applicable privacy, employment and data-protection rules.

No. LocOf cannot locate an arbitrary phone from an IMEI number or telephone number.

A device can be tracked by LocOf only after the LocOf GPS Tracker app has been deliberately installed and configured on that device, the required Android permissions have been granted, and tracking has been started.

LocOf is therefore not an IMEI lookup service and cannot retrospectively locate a lost or stolen phone that was never configured for LocOf tracking.

LocOf can be used for authorised professional purposes such as recording company-owned devices, fleet movements or agreed location-sharing workflows.

Professional or commercial use may be subject to separate licensing or account conditions. Sign in and check the current Licensing information for your account, or contact the LocOf service operator for current terms.

If employees or other people are being tracked, make the purpose and operation clear to them and comply with applicable privacy, employment and data-protection requirements. LocOf should not be used for covert employee monitoring.

1. Download and install LocOf GPS Tracker from the official LocOf website.
2. Open the app and read and accept the privacy information.
3. Grant Precise location when Android asks. LocOf cannot record GPS positions without it.
4. Sign in with your LocOf username and password.
5. For the most reliable background and after-reboot operation, review the Background location permission shown by the app.
6. Tap Start tracking.
7. For the first GPS/GNSS fix, take the phone outdoors with a reasonably unobstructed view of the sky and allow it a little time to establish an accurate position.
8. Tap View my map, or sign in to the LocOf website, to view locations that have reached the server.

Tracking does not start merely because the app has been installed. You must complete setup and explicitly start tracking.

The current Android version of LocOf GPS Tracker is distributed directly as an APK file and is not currently available through Google Play.

Download the current release only from the official LocOf download page.

Because the app is installed outside Google Play, Android may ask you to allow your browser or file manager to install apps from that source. See How do I install the LocOf APK on Android? for step-by-step instructions.

The current LocOf GPS Tracker requires Android 8.0 (API level 26) or newer.

A device must provide Android location services and suitable GPS/GNSS hardware for useful tracking. Some dashboard diagnostics depend on hardware support and may not be available on every phone.

Older Android versions that were supported by historical LocOf releases are no longer supported by the current app.

No. The current LocOf GPS Tracker is an Android application and is not available for iPhone or iPad (iOS/iPadOS).

The LocOf website may still be viewed in a compatible web browser, but an iPhone or iPad cannot run the LocOf Android tracking application.

Tap Stop tracking to stop new GPS collection. Already queued locations remain on the device so they can still be uploaded later.

Signing out also stops tracking and removes the locally saved LocOf sign-in/session. It does not deliberately erase queued, not-yet-uploaded location blocks.

If you want to remove all LocOf data stored locally on the phone, use Android's App info > Storage > Clear data (wording varies by device) or uninstall the app. Be aware that this can permanently remove queued locations that have not yet reached the server.

Deleting local app data does not by itself delete location information that has already been uploaded to the LocOf server.

Precise location: required. Without precise location, LocOf cannot start GPS tracking.

Background location: recommended for full background capability and reliable automatic continuation/restart after the app is no longer visible or after a reboot. On Android 11 and newer, Android handles this permission separately in system Settings. Manual tracking can still be started without it, but automatic background/reboot behaviour is limited.

Notifications: optional on Android 13 and newer. Android still uses a foreground location service while continuous tracking is active.

The current build does not require Bluetooth, SMS, contacts, external-storage access or permission to change system settings.

1. On your Android phone, open the official LocOf download page and download the current .apk file.
2. When the download finishes, tap the APK in your browser's downloads list or in the Android Files/My Files app.
3. If Android says that this source is not allowed to install apps, choose Settings and enable Allow from this source for the browser or file manager you are using.
4. Return to the APK installer and tap Install.
5. When installation is complete, tap Open and complete the LocOf privacy, permission and sign-in steps.

On modern Android, permission to install unknown apps is granted to the specific source app (for example your browser or file manager), not to every app on the phone. You may turn Allow from this source off again after LocOf has been installed.

You do not need to enable Developer options or USB debugging to install the APK.

For safety, install LocOf only from the official LocOf website. If Android or Play Protect warns about a file from an unexpected source, cancel the installation and download the APK again from the official page.

LocOf can report when the server advertises a newer app version, but updates are not silently forced.

When an update is available, download the new APK from the official LocOf download page and open it on the phone. Android can normally install a correctly signed newer build over the existing app while keeping its app data.

Do not uninstall the existing app merely to update it unless you have a specific reason: uninstalling can remove locally queued locations that have not yet been uploaded. If you have queued data, upload it first whenever possible.

LocOf uses Android's foreground location-service mechanism for continuous GPS tracking. While tracking is active, Android keeps the tracking service visible through a notification or service indicator.

For the most reliable automatic operation when the app is not visible and after the phone has restarted, grant the Background location capability requested by LocOf. Without it, tracking may require a manual restart after Android stops or restarts the app.

The dashboard reports when full background/reboot capability is available and when a manual restart is needed.

While tracking is active, the current Android tracker normally requests GPS/GNSS location updates at approximately once per second. Actual timing can vary because Android, the phone's GNSS hardware and reception conditions control when usable fixes are delivered.

LocOf groups recorded locations into blocks of up to 15 points. When a block is ready and an allowed internet connection is available, it is queued safely and upload is attempted promptly. This means the web map normally updates in small batches rather than receiving a separate network request for every one-second GPS fix.

If the phone is offline, the server is temporarily unavailable, or Stay offline while roaming blocks the current mobile connection, completed location blocks remain stored locally on the device. They are retried when a suitable connection becomes available.

For this reason, "tracking" and "visible on the website" are not exactly the same thing: LocOf can continue recording a detailed route even when the map cannot update immediately.

Yes. Continuous GPS/GNSS tracking uses additional battery because the phone must keep obtaining location fixes while tracking is active.

Battery use varies by phone, signal conditions and how long you track. Poor satellite reception can require the location hardware to work harder, and keeping the LocOf dashboard and screen continuously visible also uses more power than tracking with the screen off.

LocOf uses Android's foreground location-service mechanism so Android knows that continuous location tracking is active. If battery life matters on a long journey, start tracking, confirm that LocOf has a good fix, then allow the screen to turn off normally. Stopping tracking stops new GPS collection.

The app gives you several independent indicators.

• The dashboard should say Tracking is active.
• Android should show the LocOf foreground tracking notification or service indicator while continuous tracking is running.
• Last fix should update when the phone receives GPS/GNSS positions.
• The satellite, signal and accuracy panels should begin showing live GNSS information when reception is available.
• Queued locations may increase while points are waiting to be sent.
• Last upload tells you when data most recently reached the LocOf server.

Recording and uploading are separate. A phone can be tracking correctly even while it is offline: in that case locations remain queued on the device until an allowed network connection becomes available.

For a final check, use View my map after an upload and confirm that the recent route appears on the website.

Continuous background location tracking is performed through an Android foreground location service. Android intentionally makes this activity visible to the user through a persistent notification or service indicator while tracking is active.

This is normal and is an important privacy signal: the phone should not silently collect continuous location in the background without the user being able to see that tracking is running.

Use Stop tracking in the app, or the Stop action in the notification when available, to stop GPS collection.

The Journey section groups the current movement session into useful local statistics. Depending on the available GPS data, it can show information such as journey start time, distance, moving time, stopped time and maximum speed.

Use New journey when you want to start a separate trip or activity. Journey statistics are a convenience feature and should not be treated as calibrated surveying, odometer or safety-critical measurements.

Yes. Tracking and uploading are separate processes.

When tracking is active but no permitted internet connection is available, LocOf stores location blocks in a local queue on the device. They remain there until the server confirms a successful upload.

When a suitable connection becomes available again, queued locations can be uploaded automatically. You can also use Upload queued data in the app.

The website cannot show a truly live position while the phone is offline because the recorded points have not reached the server yet.

LocOf normally sends relatively small location and status messages, but there is no single fixed amount of data usage. The total depends on how long you track, how many GPS points are recorded, how often blocks are uploaded, network retries and status checks.

The app includes its own data-use information so you can see what is happening instead of having to guess:

• Actual app network shows Android's traffic accounting for the LocOf app.
• LocOf HTTP shows the app's own count of LocOf web requests and responses, including protocol headers and failed attempts.

The dashboard also shows request counts, failures, requests blocked by the roaming policy and the date/time from which the counters are being measured. You can reset the counters whenever you want to start a new measurement period.

The two data figures may differ slightly because Android and LocOf measure traffic at different layers. If a build has optional Firebase remote control enabled, Firebase/Google Play services traffic is separate from the LocOf HTTP counter.

When Stay offline while roaming is enabled, LocOf blocks its own server requests while Android reports that the active network connection is roaming.

GPS tracking can continue locally, so your locations are queued on the device instead of being uploaded over the roaming connection. When a permitted connection becomes available again, the queued data can be uploaded.

This is useful when travelling and you want to record a route without intentionally using LocOf mobile-data uploads while roaming.

Share access through the LocOf website or its map-sharing controls rather than giving another person your LocOf password.

If your account provides a share link, send that link only to people you want to be able to view the map. Review or revoke access when it is no longer needed.

For ongoing account-to-account viewing, the website's Relations feature can be used to connect authorised LocOf users and devices.

Important: location information can reveal where a person lives, works and travels. Treat map links and account access as sensitive information.

If the LocOf website offers Add New Device for your account:

1. Sign in to the LocOf website.
2. Open the Relations or device-management section.
3. Select Add New Device.
4. Configure the additional Android device with the LocOf account/device credentials created for it.
5. Install LocOf GPS Tracker on that device, sign in and start tracking.

Use separate device identities where the website provides them; do not share credentials more widely than necessary.

Open your map page on the LocOf website and choose Historic Tracks from the View options. Select the period or track you want to inspect.

The live/recent map is intended for current activity; older routes are accessed through the historic-track view.

Use the LocOf website's Relations feature to connect devices or accounts that you are authorised to view.

1. Sign in to the LocOf website.
2. Open the Relations section on your map/account page.
3. Add the other authorised device or LocOf relation.

Once linked, related devices can be displayed together on the map. Do not add or monitor another person's device without their knowledge and permission.

If embedding is enabled for your LocOf account, sign in to the website and open the Embedding section in your profile/account settings. It contains the options or code needed to include a LocOf map in another website.

Before embedding a map publicly, consider whether the displayed location history could reveal sensitive personal or business information.

When tracking is active, LocOf processes the information needed to record and upload a route. This can include:

• precise GPS/GNSS coordinates;
• timestamp and estimated location accuracy;
• altitude, speed and bearing when Android provides them;
• basic device/app information needed for compatibility and status reporting, such as device model, Android version/API level, timezone, app version, battery percentage and battery temperature;
• network/tracking status needed for upload and roaming controls.

While the dashboard is open, the app can also display GNSS diagnostic information such as visible satellites, signal strength, constellation, azimuth and elevation. Motion, compass and advanced GNSS diagnostics used by the dashboard are processed locally and are not part of the normal legacy location-upload payload.

See the in-app Privacy policy for the most detailed and current description.

The current Android build requires secure HTTPS connections for LocOf server traffic and does not silently fall back to unencrypted HTTP for passwords or precise location data.

Your password is used for the sign-in request and is not stored by the app. When the server returns reusable session credentials, LocOf stores those authentication values locally using Android Keystore-backed encryption.

No security measure removes every possible risk, so protect your phone, LocOf account and any map-sharing links as you would other sensitive account information.

The current Android tracker does not need access to your contacts, SMS messages, Bluetooth devices, external/shared storage, or permission to modify Android system settings in order to record GPS tracks.

LocOf is designed to collect location and the limited app/device/status information needed to operate the tracker and communicate with the LocOf service. Review the in-app Privacy policy for the current detailed list.

Check the following:

• Precise location permission is granted to LocOf.
• Android's device-wide Location service is turned on.
• The app shows Tracking is active.
• Take the phone outdoors with a reasonably clear view of the sky. GNSS reception is often weak or unavailable indoors.
• Wait for the dashboard to show a valid location fix and useful accuracy.
• Check whether locations are queued. If they are, verify that the phone has an internet connection that LocOf is allowed to use.
• If Stay offline while roaming is enabled, uploads are intentionally blocked while Android reports that the active connection is roaming.

The dashboard's satellite, accuracy and tracker-health information can help distinguish a GPS reception problem from an upload/network problem.

Consumer GPS/GNSS positions always contain some uncertainty. Buildings, trees, indoor use, reflections from walls and poor satellite geometry can make the reported position wander even when the phone is stationary.

LocOf uses location accuracy and movement checks to reduce obvious GPS drift in its local journey statistics, but it cannot make an uncertain GPS fix perfectly precise.

For best results, use the phone outdoors with a broad view of the sky and watch the dashboard's accuracy, satellite and signal-quality information before judging small movements.

Queued locations mean that the phone has recorded data locally but the server has not yet confirmed receiving it.

Check that:

• the phone has an active internet connection;
• Stay offline while roaming is not intentionally blocking the current connection;
• you are still signed in to the correct LocOf account;
• the app does not show a secure-connection or server-session error.

Then tap Upload queued data. LocOf removes a queued block only after the server confirms a successful upload.

Locking the screen or switching to another app should not normally stop an already running LocOf foreground tracking service. If tracking has stopped, check the following:

• Open LocOf and confirm whether the dashboard still says Tracking is active.
• Make sure Precise location is still allowed and Android's device-wide Location setting is on.
• Grant the Background location capability shown by LocOf if you want the most reliable automatic background and after-reboot operation. Without it, Android may require you to start tracking manually again after a restart.
• Check your phone's battery or background-app settings. Some manufacturers apply aggressive power-saving restrictions that can stop long-running apps even when they use Android's normal foreground-service mechanism. If your phone provides an option such as Unrestricted battery, Allow background activity or similar, allow LocOf to keep running while you are intentionally tracking.
• After a phone reboot, open LocOf if the dashboard reports that a manual restart is needed.

If the app still says tracking is active but nothing appears on the website, the problem may be GPS reception or uploading rather than background execution. Check Last fix, queued locations and Last upload to tell those situations apart.