If tapping Start Walking ends in an error message instead of a walk, don't worry — this is usually easy to fix. Find the message you saw below.
Jump to:
- "We couldn't connect to the tracker"
- "Location permission is required to record a walk"
- "A walk is already in progress for this tracker"
- "Live tracking is still active"
- The Walk button is greyed out or shows a message
- "This tracker is not bound to a pet"
- "We couldn't start the walk"
"We couldn't connect to the tracker"
The full message reads "We couldn't connect to the tracker. Move closer to it and try again." The app waits up to 30 seconds for a Bluetooth connection to the collar before giving up.
- Move closer to your pet, so the collar is within Bluetooth range.
- Check the collar is switched on and has charge.
- Check Bluetooth is enabled on your phone.
- Tap Start Walking again.
"Location permission is required to record a walk"
The full message reads "Location permission is required to record a walk. You can enable it in Settings." Your phone recording the route is the whole basis of a walk, so location access is required.
- Open your phone's Settings → Ask A Vet → Location.
- Allow location While Using the App. (Ask A Vet never asks for "Always".)
- Return to the app and start the walk again.
"A walk is already in progress for this tracker"
Someone already has a walk running on that collar — often another family member, or your own walk still open on another device. Open the walk sheet: if it's someone else, you'll see the banner A walk is in progress by {their name}, and Start Walking won't be offered until they finish.
If it's your own walk, the sheet offers Resume and Finish so you can take it up or close it out.
"Live tracking is still active"
The full message reads "Live tracking is still active. Stop it and try again." Walks and LIVE can't run at the same time.
- Stop live tracking on the GPS Tracker screen.
- Start the walk again.
The Walk button is greyed out or shows a message
| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The button is greyed out | Live tracking is running | Stop it first |
| "Tracker is unreachable — get in Bluetooth range or wait for mobile network" | The app can't reach the collar at all | Get closer to your pet so Bluetooth can connect, or wait for the tracker to check in over the mobile network |
"This tracker is not bound to a pet"
The collar isn't assigned to a pet yet, so there's nobody to walk. Finish pairing the tracker and assign it to the right pet, then try again. You'll find the pairing steps in the Setup & Pairing section of the GPS Tracker help.
"We couldn't start the walk"
The full message reads "We couldn't start the walk. Check your connection and try again." This is a general connection problem. Check your phone has mobile data or Wi-Fi, then try again.
Still stuck?
If none of the above helps, note the exact message you're seeing and get in touch with Ask A Vet support [CONFIRM: support contact route to publish here].
Related articles - How to start, pause and finish a walk - Why does a walk need Bluetooth? - Walk vs LIVE tracking: what's the difference? - Who can start a walk, and what other family members see