Have you just tested out the "Share Location" button on your pet's profile, only to receive a text message displaying the wrong location? Here is a brief explanation of how the Instant Alerts feature works and what steps can be taken to ensure accurate location sharing.
How do they work?
Scan Location Alerts use the location services of the device used to scan the tag to generate a real-time location at the moment the "Share Location" button was pressed, which is then shared with the pet's owner via text message.
For example, if you come across a lost pet, scan their Crumb tag and press the "Share Location button", the owner will be sent a text message with your location. This location will effectively be their pet's location, because when you pressed "Share Location" you were presumed to be physically next to their pet.
Similarly, if you were in your home, scanned your pet's tag and clicked "Share Location", the location you will be sent via text will be your own home.
Crumb tags do not offer constant GPS monitoring. Therefore, if you are not with your pet when you click "Share Location", you will be sent your location, and not your pet's.
How can I enable my location services?
Depending on which device you are using, the steps to enable your location services will be slightly different. Please see the steps below to enabling location service on your device.
iOS:
Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services and make sure that the app in question (this will be your default web browser) is allowed to access your location.
If it's set to "Never," change it to "While Using the App" or "Always."
Android:
Go to your device's Settings > Location and make sure that location services are enabled.
You can also check the app-specific location permissions to make sure that the app in question (your default web browser) is allowed to access your location.
Are you getting an error message when trying to share your location? Here is a guide on how to troubleshoot: Error: User Denied Location
An important detail:
iPhone14 and above has a setting called "Precise Location", which if disabled for a given app, will only show a device's approximate location. This may be to blame if your location is off by a block or so.