Your tracker tells you when it starts charging, when it's full, when it's running low and when it's switched on or off. Here's every message it can send and what each one means.
Battery alerts
| Situation | Notification you'll see |
|---|---|
| Charging started | "{Pet}'s tracker is charging" — "You'll be notified when the battery is full." |
| Fully charged | "{Pet}'s tracker is fully charged" — "Ready to go." |
| Below 20% | "{Pet}'s tracker battery is below 20%" — "Charge it soon to keep tracking." |
| Below 10% | "{Pet}'s tracker battery is critically low" — "Battery is at 10%. Charge it now to keep tracking." |
Tap any of these and you get a full-screen alert titled Tracker charging, Tracker fully charged, Tracker battery low ("...below 20%. Charge it soon so you can stay connected.") or Tracker battery critical ("...below 10%. Charge it now before the tracker powers off.").
Power alerts
| Situation | Notification you'll see |
|---|---|
| Tracker switched on | "{Pet}'s tracker was powered on" — "Tracking is active again." |
| Tracker switched off | "{Pet}'s tracker was powered off" — "You won't receive location updates until it's back on." |
What the tracker does as the battery drains
| Battery level | What happens |
|---|---|
| 20% | The tracker forces itself into energy-saving mode |
| 10% | It warns you again |
| 0% | It shuts down |
Why you don't get a flood of them
| Alert | Repeat limit |
|---|---|
| Charging and battery alerts for the same pet | One every 5 minutes |
| Powered-on and powered-off alerts | One a minute |
Why a flat battery changes what the app tells you
When we haven't heard from a tracker, what the app says depends on the last battery reading it sent:
- If the battery was 20% or below, the tracker most likely ran out of charge — so the app tells you the tracker is off and suggests charging it.
- If the battery was healthy or unknown, it's far more likely to be a mobile coverage problem — so the app tells you it can't reach the network.
Tip: If you keep seeing "tracker is off" shortly after a charge, check that the tracker really is charging — the charging notification is a quick way to confirm it.
Related articles - How to check your tracker's battery level - Understanding your tracker status: Working normally, Connected via Bluetooth, Tracker off - Every tracker alert Ask A Vet can send you - How tracker notifications work