Before the app can look for your tracker it asks for two things: Bluetooth and Location, with a screen each, skipping anything you've already sorted out. This article explains why each one is needed and what to do at every screen you might see.
Jump to:
- Why the app needs each permission
- The Bluetooth screen
- The Location screen
- Screens you've already satisfied
- iPhone vs Android
- If you said no earlier
- Bluetooth switched off is a different thing
- Signing in on a second phone
- One extra notification on Android
- What about the camera?
Why the app needs each permission
- Bluetooth — "Your phone talks to the tracker over Bluetooth whenever it's nearby — it keeps the connection fast and saves battery." Bluetooth is also what powers the Proximity position, Radar Mode, and the tracker's light, sounds and vibration cues.
- Location — "We use your phone's position to show you and {pet} on the same map, and to know when you're together." Without it, the app can't place you and your pet on the same map, and can't tell when your pet is right beside you.
The Bluetooth screen
The screen changes depending on your phone's state:
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| Allow Bluetooth access | Tap Allow permission and accept the system prompt. |
| Bluetooth is ready | Nothing to change — tap Continue. |
| Bluetooth permission needed — "Bluetooth access was turned off earlier, so we can't ask again here. Enable it in Settings and come back — we'll pick up where you left off." | Access was turned off earlier, so the app can't ask again. Tap Open Settings, allow it, and come back. |
| Turn on Bluetooth — "Bluetooth is currently switched off. Turn it on and we'll pick up where you left off." | Bluetooth is switched off on the phone itself. Tap Open Bluetooth Settings, switch it on, and come back. |
Please note: the last two look similar but are different problems. Bluetooth permission needed is about the app's permission and opens the app's settings page; Turn on Bluetooth is about your phone's Bluetooth radio and opens your phone's Bluetooth settings. You may need both.
The Location screen
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| Allow location access | Tap Allow permission and accept the system prompt. |
| Location is ready | Nothing to change — tap Continue. |
| Location permission needed — "Location access was declined earlier, so we can't ask again here. Allow it in Settings and come back — we'll pick up where you left off." | Access was declined earlier. Tap Open Settings, allow it, and come back. |
Ask A Vet asks for location only while you're using the app — on iPhone that's the While Using the App option. On iPhone, choosing the reduced-accuracy option still counts as granted.
Tip: both screens re-check themselves every time you return to the app, and move you on automatically once the permission is in place. You never have to restart the setup — you'll pick up where you left off.
Screens you've already satisfied
If a permission is already granted, the screen says "… is ready" — "You're good to go — nothing to change here." — and the flow moves on by itself. That's expected; you haven't skipped anything.
iPhone vs Android
| Phone | What's asked for |
|---|---|
| iPhone | Bluetooth, and location set to While Using the App. There's no separate Bluetooth permission to grant: the one-time system Bluetooth prompt appears the first time the app uses Bluetooth, only when you tap the button on the screen — never just by opening it. No location permission is needed for Bluetooth itself. |
| Android 12 and newer | The app's own Bluetooth Scan and Bluetooth Connect permissions are requested during setup, plus Precise Location. |
| Android 11 and older | There's no Bluetooth permission to grant, only Precise Location. |
Important: the app needs a phone that supports Bluetooth Low Energy. Any reasonably recent phone has it; a phone without it can't use the tracker features at all.
If you said no earlier
Once a permission has been declined, the app can't ask again — your phone won't let it. Instead it shows a screen or banner with an Open Settings button:
- Location permission needed
- Bluetooth permission needed
Tap Open Settings, switch the permission on, and come back to the app.
Bluetooth switched off is a different thing
If your phone's Bluetooth radio is off, you'll see something different:
Turn on Bluetooth — "Bluetooth is currently switched off. Turn it on and we'll pick up where you left off."
And on the map itself:
Bluetooth is off — "Turn on Bluetooth to connect to your tracker." with Cancel and Open Settings.
Switch the radio on in your phone's control centre — no app permission needed.
Signing in on a second phone
A second phone that signs into your account without going through the tracker setup flow is never asked for Bluetooth permission automatically. On the GPS Tracker map that phone will show a tappable banner:
Bluetooth permission needed — "Allow Bluetooth so this phone can connect to {pet}'s tracker nearby. Tap to open Settings."
Tap it, grant Bluetooth, and that phone can connect to the tracker too.
One extra notification on Android
While a LIVE Tracking session is being carried over Bluetooth, Android shows a persistent notification titled Live tracking {pet name} with the body "Live tracking in progress". That's your phone telling you it's actively working in the background. iPhone doesn't show an equivalent notification.
What about the camera?
Camera access is only requested if you choose to pair by scanning the tracker's QR code. It isn't needed for the normal Bluetooth pairing.
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