All about the Auto-arrival feature in Onside
If you're new to the Onside app you will have seen a prompt about Auto-arrival. You've come to the right place to find out all about it.
Once enabled, Auto-arrival will automatically notify you when you cross into an Onside property, reminding you to check-in. The admins of the property will also be able to see you've arrived on the site.
The best part of this feature is that when it's time to check-out of the property, this is done automatically. You simply leave the property and, once you're far enough from the property boundary, you'll be checked out.
How does it work?
Checking in
- First, enable the Auto-arrival feature in the
Onside app. You can do this from the 'More' tab and turning on the toggle for 'Auto-arrival' under 'Settings', remember to allow the location permission to "Always" - Once you pass the property’s geofence, you’re marked as “arrived”. You'll also receive a notification reminding you to check-in and a pulsing Auto-arrival button will show on your app (pictured right)
- The first time you visit a property, you'll need to complete all check-in questions, select your job, and acknowledge risks and rules. For future visits to that property, you'll only need to acknowledge information that may have changed, speeding up the process
- If you arrive but don’t check-in, the admin will be notified 5 minutes later
- The admin can view all contractors and visitors that have ‘’arrived’’ and send a reminder encouraging you to check-in
Checking out
- Checking out of a property will happen automatically. Once you are far enough away from a property’s geofence, you will be checked out
- Admins will be notified when you have left the property - no more extra time spent following up those who haven’t checked-out
If you have a safety Time of Departure (Onside Teams subscription) you will not be automatically checked out of properties unless it has been specifically enabled for your company in the Teams section of the web portal.
How much data does it use?
Auto-arrival will not use any extra data, as it identifies your location based on your smartphone's regular reception check.
Can other people see my exact location?
No. No users in Onside can see your location. Property admins will only know you've entered their property.
Do I have to enable this?
Not at all. While we do recommend it, so you're reminded to check-in and you don't need to check-out, it's completely your choice.
How do I turn on my location for Onside?
For the Auto-arrival feature to work, it will need your phone's location permission set to "Always" or "All the time", so when the app is not in use, it can still notify you when you enter/leaving a boundary.
When you first log in and when you enable Auto-arrival, we'll prompt you to set the right location access. Have a look at these steps to set the right location setting.
Android
- Go to your phone's settings
- Then 'Apps' and find Onside in the list
- Tap on 'Permissions' > Location
- Make sure 'Allow all the time' is set
iPhone
- Go to your phone's settings
- Scroll down to find the Onside app
- Tap on Location
- Set to 'Always'
Auto-arrival isn't detecting me on the property
This issue usually happens when your location isn't consistently within the property boundary. This could happen if you're right on the boundary line, or if your phone signal isn't very good.
If you have a phone manufactured in the past 5 years, you can try "Precise Location" (Apple) or "Location Accuracy" (Android).
For smaller properties, unfortunately the accuracy of most smartphones' location isn't good enough to reliably use auto arrival at these sites.
Needing a quick how-to guide for your staff and contractors? Click here
If you have any questions or need any help, call us on 0800 ONSIDE (NZ), 1800 112334 (AU), or email Support@onside.co