Live technician locations let the office see who is online and where, so the right person is sent to the right job. A technician turns on Share my location while working in the Colobbo app. This arrives with the next Colobbo app update. Colobbo shares their position only while the app is open and they are on shift, keeps only the latest position, and removes it after 12 hours. There is no background tracking and no trail. The technician controls the switch.
For technicians
What does Share my location while working do?
It sends your position to your office about once a minute while you work, so they can see who is close to a new job and plan routes from where you are. Switching it off clears your position at once.
How do I turn it on?
Open the Colobbo app and go to the Account tab.
Find Share my location while working and turn the switch on. The first time, your phone asks for permission to use your location. Allow it while you use the app.
The line under the switch tells you how it is going, for example Sharing · sent just now. A bar at the top of every screen says Sharing your location with the office.
If you do not see the switch, live location is not turned on for your company. Ask your office.
When does it share?
Only when all three are true:
The app is open. In the background, sending stops and the office sees Seen 40 min ago.
Your switch is on.
You are on shift: within your saved working hours, plus 30 minutes either side. With no hours saved, sharing works whenever the switch is on and the app is open.
How do I stop it?
Turn the switch off on the Account tab, or tap Stop on the bar at the top. Your position is cleared straight away.
What do the messages under the switch mean?
You see | What it means |
Sharing · sent just now | All good. |
Outside your working hours: sharing starts when your hours do. | Your switch is on, but you are not within your hours. It starts by itself later. |
Location is off for Colobbo. Turn it on in Settings to share. | Your phone is not letting Colobbo use its location. In your phone's Settings, allow location while using the app. |
Couldn't send just now. Trying again every minute. | A signal problem. It retries by itself. |
Only while Colobbo is open and you're on shift. Removed after 12 hours. | The reminder shown while the switch is off. |
For planners and dispatchers
What does the office see?
A small pill sits under each person's name wherever it appears on the planner.
You see | What it means |
Green Online | Their position is under 5 minutes old. |
Seen 25 min ago | Their last position, from earlier today. The app may be closed. |
Not sharing location (in their panel) | No position has been shared in the last 12 hours. |
How do I see people on the map?
Open the Resource Planner and switch from Board to Map. Each person who is sharing appears at their position as a disc with their initials, with a green dot when they are online and a greyed disc when they were last seen earlier. The map card says Live · 3 online while updates are arriving. To find one person, open their panel and choose Show on map.
Live positions are shown on the planner map and on the phone's Team page. Other maps, such as the Work Orders map, show jobs and sites rather than people. See How to use the maps on Work Orders and Boots on Ground.
How do planners use locations?
Assign and best matches. Distance is measured from where they are now, falling back to where they were last seen, then their start location, and it says which.
Route plans. Today's plans start from where a person shared in the last 15 minutes. See How to plan a technician's day with Colobbo route optimisation.
Colobbo AI. Its nearest-person answers use the same positions. See How to use Colobbo AI in the Resource Planner.
How do team leads see their team on the phone?
People who plan others can open the Team page in the app: Account âș See where your team is. It shows a map and a list, online people first. Tap Closest to me to sort by distance from you.
Who can see a person's position?
Who you are | Whose position you can see |
Office planner | Everyone you plan for |
Subcontractor admin | Your own company's people only |
Technician | Only your own |
For admins
The Colobbo team switches live location on for your company, and it needs the Resource Planner to be on too. Ask your Colobbo contact. Sharing is always the technician's choice, so tell your team what it does first: only while Colobbo is open and on shift, latest position only, removed after 12 hours, off whenever they like.
Keep working hours up to date, because they decide when someone counts as on shift. See How to set up the Resource Planner (admin).
Tips for getting the most out of it
Check Online before you call someone about a job. It tells you whether the position is current.
Frequently asked questions
Does Colobbo track me all day?
No. It shares only while the app is open, your switch is on and you are on shift.
How long is my location kept?
Only your latest position, for up to 12 hours.
What does the office see when my app is closed?
Your last position, marked Seen 40 min ago.
Why does it say Outside your working hours?
See the table above. It starts again by itself.
Why does it say Location is off for Colobbo?
In your phone's Settings, open Colobbo and allow location while using the app.
Why is there no sharing switch in my app?
Live location is not switched on for your company, or you are not on the latest Colobbo app. Ask your office.
Can a technician see where other people are?
No. A technician sees only themselves. People who plan others can see their team.
Does the Work Orders map show people?
No. It shows jobs.