Fixing tracking that stops, alerts that do not arrive, and battery drain
Almost every SafX problem is one of four things: a permission, a phone power setting, a missing connection, or no network. This walks each one down to the exact screen.
- Start here: the four usual causes — Check these before anything else. One of them is almost always the answer.
- Tracking stops on Android — Android power management is the usual culprit, and it varies by manufacturer.
- Tracking stops on iPhone — Four settings must all be right. Background health names the one that is wrong.
- Tracking stopped after reinstalling the app — Reinstalling clears the background-location consent stored on the device.
- You are not receiving alerts or calls — Notification permission first, then the in-app switches, then the alert style.
- SafX is using a lot of battery — Continuous location is inherently costly, but the interval already adapts.
- Positions are missing from the map or a report — They are probably queued on the device, waiting for a connection.
- Using the diagnostics screen when you contact support — It records what the native tracker last did, which is what support needs.
- You raised an alert and nobody got it — Work outward from your device to their device.
- Still stuck: raising a support ticket — Use the Online Ticket tab in the Help Center so the request is linked to your account.
Frequently asked questions
Why does SafX location tracking keep stopping?
On Android it is almost always battery optimisation, auto-start restrictions or power saver. On iPhone it is Location being set to "While Using the App" rather than Always, or Background App Refresh being off. Open Settings -> Device -> Background health, which checks each of these and gives you a Fix button that opens the exact system screen.
Why is SafX using so much battery?
Always-on location sharing keeps a GPS session alive. SafX reduces the cost by adapting the reporting interval to your speed, so a stationary phone reports much less often. If it is still too much, turn off Always-on location sharing in Settings -> Safety -> Location — emergency alerts will still carry a position, but contacts cannot follow you beforehand.
My SafX contacts did not receive my alert. Why?
Check that the connection shows as accepted rather than pending on your Network tab, then open the incident report and look at Users Notified — zero means the alert had no audience. Also ask the recipient to check their notification permission. If you had no data, check Settings -> SMS -> Delivery log to see whether the SMS fallback was attempted.