While your tracker connects, the app shows four named steps. Here's what each one is doing behind the scenes — useful if you're wondering why the tracker has to stay close, or why measurements are asked for.
Step 1 — Finding the tracker
"Connecting over Bluetooth…" → "Bluetooth link is steady"
Your phone opens a Bluetooth connection to the collar. This is why the tracker needs to be powered on and within arm's reach.
Step 2 — Introducing {your pet}
"Sending {your pet}'s profile and setting the clock…" → "{your pet}'s profile is on the tracker"
The app writes your pet's details onto the tracker — species (dog or cat), age, weight, height and body length — and sets the tracker's clock and time zone at the same time. That's why the setup wizard asks for measurements: they're stored on the device and used to personalise it.
Step 3 — Saving to your account
"Registering the tracker…" → "Saved to your account"
The tracker is registered to your Ask A Vet account and to that specific pet. This step uses your phone's internet connection.
Step 4 — Final checks
"Pointing the tracker at our servers…" → "All checks passed"
The app tells the tracker where to send its data, so the location and health reports it sends over its own mobile connection reach your app.
Why the tracker has to stay close
While the app is connected, your phone sends the tracker a small "still here" signal every few seconds. If the tracker hears nothing for about 10 seconds it assumes you've put the app away and switches to sending its data over the mobile network instead. Keeping the tracker beside your phone keeps the Bluetooth link steady until everything is written.
Tip: if a step is slow, don't lock your phone or leave the app. After 45 seconds the app tells you it's taking a bit longer than usual and asks you to keep the tracker nearby — that's normal, not a failure.
If you paired by QR code
There's no Bluetooth session on that route, so your pet's details are sent to the tracker automatically the first time it reaches the mobile network after pairing.
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