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As a family we use google maps for general location sharing, I know some people like to be shrouded in secrecy from their other halves but we like it and it helps when cooking dinner to see where abouts we are!!
My 11 year old lad has to turn his phone off when he gets to school, and even though we've asked him to send us a quick message when he gets there, he's a bloody sieve head and rarely does!! this means his location doesn't update and it looks like he's hanging around some random street half way all day. We know he gets there as the school would notify us If he hasn't but it would be nice to know he's there, it's a half hour walk down some busy roads and the buses are a bit crap when he gets them as well, rarely on time....
Anyway, I'd like an app that will automatically send a message or some kind of alert when he gets to a certain location, so I can set it at his school and it'll tell us he's there. Can anyone recommend a good one or if Google Maps can do it, tell me how?
Cheers.
Somebody on STW developed this a couple of years ago. I'll see if I can find it.
You can use FB messenger to send a location for a period of time, but I'd assume it does sh!t all if the phone's off.
There's apps out there. But surely school would call if he was absent w/o contact from parents?
You can use "find my android" which will give a location, and IIRC there's an option to switch on a phone that's off but not 100% on that.
Or get a Tile dongle and add it on his house keys?
Also, what's the plan if he's not at school. What are you going to do?
Apple iOS 13 allows you to setup location notifications via Find My I’d expect Android has the same.
You could get an text scheduler app to remind him to send a pre-written text at a set time each day?
https://techcrunch.com/2017/03/30/scheduled-is-a-new-app-that-lets-you-schedule-your-text-messages/
^^^ And without spending an age trawling around, I am sure there will be apps that can schedule to send when the user is at a location too (iPhones have had the ability to remind the user to do a set task upon leaving / arriving at a location too)
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT205890
Cheers guys, all andriod in our house...
HereIAm was the app, but it is no longer available, which is annoying as it was nice.
@ads - fair enough, but if there is an iOS app, you can be sure there will be an equivalent Android version.
Cool, I'll have a look for a reminder app.
HereIAm was the app, but it is no longer available, which is annoying as it was nice.
Aye, just found that. Shame. It was exactly what the OP needed (barring the notion that some school kid could have stolen his sons phone).
Cheers for those, they look like they could work.
(barring the notion that some school kid could have stolen his sons phone).
At least i'd know the thief was at school!!
Have a look at Life360. Available on iOS & Android.
Get him one of those ankle bracelet GPS things. He'll be the envy of his mates.
We know he gets there as the school would notify us If he hasn’t but it would be nice to know he’s there
You know he's there because the school would notify you if he wasn't. No?
I second Life 360, we use it as a family and it's really useful.
The kids are much older now but everyone uses it, even them to stalk us to ask for lifts when they know we are nearby!
Life360 also, just started using it a few weeks back for the same purpose.
You know he’s there because the school would notify you if he wasn’t. No?
I know, I know, I've answered my own question but.....
Cheers, the IFTTT one looks good tried on my own phone earlier and works good. Will look at the life 360 one as well.
I'd rather he just remembered to sent us a quick message himself though. Maybe I'll give him a bit more time first...
Does he really switch his phone off at school?
No, just location services.
I’m confused.
1. What are you going to do if you check his location and he’s not where you expected?
2. why isn’t google location services working? Has he got the “fine position” setting turned off (to save his battery / protect his privacy?). When I have used it I have had the same sort of accuracy you would expect from any other app. All these automated services will need Data connections - is that part of the issue? Only reporting when on WiFi?
3. A vital part of growing up is having independence. How did your parents, or their parents know their child had arrived at school safely? Do you think his mates all need to “check in”.