GPS location checks
How a location confirms by GPS that a clock-in happened on site: what you see on the phone, what is stored, and how an admin sets the pin and radius.
A GPS check confirms that a phone is at the workplace when someone clocks in or out. An admin gives the location a pin on the map and a radius in metres. The check passes when the phone is inside that circle or exactly on its edge.
A location has no GPS check until an admin sets a pin and a radius.
What is read and what is stored#
The app reads your position when you clock in or clock out. It may reuse a position the phone already has, if it is at most 15 seconds old (60 seconds when there is no connection). There is no tracking in the background.
Atteny does not store your coordinates. The time entry keeps only whether the check passed. When an entry goes to a manager for review, it can also keep:
- how far you were from the location, in whole metres,
- how many times you tried,
- the note you wrote.
When the check does not pass#
Clocking in. The app stops and tells you how far away you are. Move closer and try again. On the second failed try at that location, the app offers Request Manager Approval. Add a note if you like and tap Submit for Verification. You are clocked in, your time runs, and a manager reviews that clock-in. See Clock-ins that wait for a manager's approval.
Clocking out. Being outside the area never keeps you on the clock. The app shows Outside Work Location. Add a note if you like and tap Submit for Verification. The shift ends at the real time and goes to a manager for review.
No position at all. Allow location access for Atteny, then try again. See Atteny says it can't check my location.
A rough position. If the phone's position is less precise than the location's radius, it is not taken as proof. The app sends the clock-in or clock-out to a manager for review by itself.
No connection. You are not turned away. A clock-in outside the area, or with no position, is saved on your phone and sent for review later. See Clock in without a signal.
Managers and admins find these shifts in the review queue on Timesheets. Each row says why. Where the phone measured a position outside the area, the reason line gives the distance from the location; the employee's note is shown with it. A clock-in that failed the check also carries the Outside area badge (the tag's badge instead, if the tag failed too) and, if the employee was turned away first, the number of tries. See Review held shifts: the verification queue.
GPS and NFC tags#
- A plain tag does not replace the GPS check. Where both are on, you tap the tag and you must be inside the radius.
- A verified tap on a secure tag skips the GPS check, at clock-in and at clock-out.
Set it up#
- 1
Open the location's Clock-in tab
Go to Locations, open the location, then select Clock-in.
- 2
Place the pin
Scroll to GPS Location. Locate on Map finds the address you entered on the General tab. Then click the map or drag the pin to the exact spot. Latitude and Longitude are filled in for you.
- 3
Set the radius and save
If Geofence Radius (meters) is empty, placing the pin fills in 50. Change it to cover the whole workplace, from 10 to 10,000 metres. Then select Save on that card.
The pin and the radius are saved together, or not at all. Clear geofence empties all three fields.
- 4
Decide whether the check is required
Once the location has coordinates, the GPS Confirmation card appears with Require GPS confirmation switched on. Switch it off if a tag tap alone is enough here. It can only be switched back on while the pin and the radius are set. Select Save at the top of the page.
On the phone, an admin can turn the switch on or off under More, then Clock-in setup: Require GPS confirmation. The pin and the radius are set on the web only.
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