Understanding Teammate Location Permissions
When you open Team Radar and tap View Permissions, or open an individual teammate’s detail view, each person shows one location-sharing state: Always, While Using, or Never. This is the location permission that teammate granted ShiftFlow on their own phone, and it decides how much of their on-shift location the team can see. ShiftFlow never records location off the clock, under any of these states.
What the states mean at a glance
| State | What the teammate granted | What you see in Team Radar |
|---|---|---|
| Always | Location access at all times, including in the background | Their position throughout an active shift, even when their phone is locked or ShiftFlow is closed |
| While Using | Location access only while ShiftFlow is open | Updates only while they have the app open during a shift; updates pause when they leave the app |
| Never | No location access | No location; their activity shows as Unknown |
ShiftFlow only records location while a teammate is clocked in. The state shown here reflects their phone’s permission the last time their app reported in.
Always
The teammate has allowed ShiftFlow to use their location at all times. During an active shift you’ll see their position keep updating, including in the background while their phone is locked or they’re in another app. This gives the most reliable on-shift visibility on the radar map, and it’s what powers arrival reminders and automatic clock in and out at saved work sites.
While Using
The teammate has allowed location only while ShiftFlow is open on screen. You’ll see their location while they’re actively in the app during a shift, but updates pause whenever the app is in the background or their phone is locked, so their last known position may be older than it would be with Always. This is a good fit for most teams.
Never
The teammate has turned location off for ShiftFlow. You won’t see any location for them on the radar map, and their activity shows as Unknown. If your team’s Location Tracking is set to Mandatory, they also can’t clock in or out from their phone until they change it. If you need their location for coordination, ask them to update the setting using the steps below.
Unknown
A teammate may show as Unknown or a dash (–) instead of one of the three states. That means ShiftFlow doesn’t have a permission status from their device yet — usually because they’re on an older version of the app, or haven’t opened it since this view became available. It updates on its own the next time their app checks in.
How to change your location permission
Location permission lives on each person’s own phone, so a teammate changes it themselves — a manager can’t change it for them. Share these steps, or follow them on your own device. The names differ slightly between iPhone and Android:
| In ShiftFlow | iPhone | Android |
|---|---|---|
| Always | Always | Allow all the time |
| While Using | While Using the App | Allow only while using the app |
| Never | Never | Don’t allow |
iPhone
Open Settings → Apps → ShiftFlow → Location, then pick the option that fits. Keep Precise Location on so the map pin lands on the right block.
Location
Android
Open Settings → Apps → ShiftFlow → Permissions → Location, then pick the option that fits. Keep Use precise location on so the map pin is accurate. Exact wording varies a little by phone.
Location permission
If a teammate has never clocked in, their phone may not list ShiftFlow under location permissions yet — iPhone and Android only show a permission once an app has asked for it. Open ShiftFlow, tap Clock In once, then return to phone settings.
For the full walkthrough with screenshots, and how the team-wide Location Tracking setting interacts with each person’s phone permission, see How ShiftFlow Uses Your Location.