Ever wonder why your photo’s location tag is sometimes a few blocks off? It’s because your phone doesn’t just rely on a single satellite. Instead, it plays detective—combining signals from GPS, nearby Wi-Fi networks, cell towers, and your device’s internal hardware to estimate where you are.
Because it’s a calculation, your accuracy can change based on your surroundings and your device’s settings. If you want to lock in the most precise location possible for your SimpleCrew photos, a few quick adjustments will make all the difference.
Here is how to optimize your phone for the best results.
Platform-Specific Settings
To give SimpleCrew the power it needs to pull exact coordinates, update these settings based on your device:
For iPhone
- Turn Off Low Power Mode: Low Power Mode slows down how frequently your phone updates its location. Swipe down from the top right of your screen to open the Control Center and tap the Battery icon to turn it off, or go to Settings > Battery.
- Set Location Access to ‘Always’: This is crucial. It allows SimpleCrew to track your location even when your screen is locked as you move between sites. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > SimpleCrew and select Always.
- Enable Precise Location: In that same menu (Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > SimpleCrew), make sure the toggle for Precise Location is turned ON.
For Android
- Turn Off Battery Saver: Battery saving modes restrict background data and GPS accuracy. Swipe down from the top of your screen to turn it off in your Quick Settings, or go to Settings > Battery > Battery Saver.
- Allow Unrestricted Battery Usage: This ensures the OS doesn’t throttle SimpleCrew’s tracking capabilities in the background. Go to Settings > Apps > SimpleCrew > Battery and select Unrestricted.
- Enable Precise Location: Go to Settings > Apps > SimpleCrew > Permissions > Location and ensure Use precise location is toggled ON.
- Turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Scanning: Go to Settings > Location > Location Services and ensure both Wi-Fi scanning and Bluetooth scanning are toggled ON. This allows your phone to look for background signals to pinpoint your location, even if your main Wi-Fi switch is turned off.
- Enable Google Location Accuracy: Go to Settings > Location > Location Services > Google Location Accuracy and turn on Improve Location Accuracy. This allows Android to use Google’s coordinate mapping to lock onto your position faster.
General Best Practices
No matter what device you use, keeping these two habits in mind will guarantee the highest accuracy:
- Take Photos Directly Inside the SimpleCrew App: Avoid using your phone’s native camera app and uploading the photos later. The SimpleCrew in-app camera is specifically optimized to prevent “locationless” photos and leverages all the high-accuracy settings you just enabled.
- Keep Your Operating System Updated: Apple and Google constantly release updates that improve GPS hardware efficiency and location algorithms. Always keep your iOS or Android version up to date for the best performance.
- Leave Your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Turned ON: Many people turn these off to save battery when leaving the office. Don’t! Even if you aren’t connected to a network, leaving them toggled on allows your phone to “ping” nearby routers and beacons. This acts like a radar that instantly snaps your GPS into focus.