Connecteam location tracking: what your employer can see, and when
By Jean Luc Poitier, SEO and growth marketing strategist · Connecteam Reviews · Updated September 30, 2026 · Checked November 1, 2026 · Sourced to Connecteam's help center
The short answer
According to Connecteam's own help pages, your employer only sees your location while you are clocked in. Depending on the settings your admin chose, that is a single stamp when you clock in and out, or a trail of points during the shift. When you are off the clock, Connecteam says your location is not sent to your employer or stored in its database.
The Always permission is what worries people. It is needed for the Breadcrumbs trail, and it lets the phone read your location in the background, which is why iOS and Android show warnings about it. Connecteam says anything collected while you are clocked out stays on your phone. We can't audit that claim ourselves; what follows is what Connecteam documents, with links so you can read it yourself.
Connecteam location tracking at a glance
| Compared on | What the employer sees | Location permission the app needs |
|---|---|---|
| Clock-in location stamps (Basic plan and up) | An address on the timesheet for each clock in, clock out, and job switch | While using the app is enough |
| Geofence (Advanced: up to 10 sites; Expert: unlimited) | Whether you were inside the job site's radius when you clocked in; the job only appears when you are inside it | Location on to clock in; clocked-out site detection stays on the phone |
| Breadcrumbs (Expert plan) | A trail of points on a map while you are on the clock, usually every 5 to 10 minutes | Always |
| Auto clock-out when you leave the site (Expert plan) | A clock-out marked on the timesheet as automatic, with the reason | Location sharing required, or Breadcrumbs |
| Location off | Nothing about where you are | None |
Figures checked against each company's published pages and review-platform listings as of 2026-09-30. “Not published” means the company does not publish that figure.
How each Connecteam location feature works
Connecteam's time clock has three location features, and your admin decides which ones are on.
The simplest is the location stamp. The admin can set location to off, optional, or required, and with stamps on, the admin sees the address where you clocked in and out by hovering over the time on the timesheet, and the location is captured again each time you switch jobs (Connecteam: Time Clock GPS location tracking).
A geofence is a radius drawn around a job site. Jobs with a geofence only show up for you when you are inside it, so you can clock in only from the right place. A job without a geofence can be clocked into from anywhere.
Breadcrumbs is the live-trail feature. It records location stamps while you are clocked in and moving, typically every 5 to 10 minutes, and the map usually updates after you move about 80 feet (25 meters). Connecteam says no location is saved or shown to admins before you clock in or after you clock out (Connecteam: Starting guide to Breadcrumbs). On the Expert plan, a geofence can also clock you out automatically when your whole GPS accuracy circle leaves a buffer zone around the site, and the timesheet records why (Connecteam: Auto clock-out).
Why Connecteam asks for Always location
With Breadcrumbs on, the app prompts you at clock-in to set location access to Always on both iPhone and Android. Always lets the trail keep recording when you close the app, lock the screen, or switch apps. If you choose While using the app instead, stamps stop whenever the app is in the background, and the admin's map shows a straight line until you reopen it.
Connecteam's FAQ for app users says that if your admin only wants the clock-in and clock-out stamps, the app will not ask for Always (Connecteam: Breadcrumbs GPS tracking FAQ for app users). So if you are being asked for Always, your employer has most likely turned on Breadcrumbs.
The same FAQ explains the phone warnings. On iPhone, the message that Connecteam “has been using your location in the background” is an iOS notice that Connecteam says appears twice, 3 days and then 7 days after you choose Always. On Android, the matching notice is “Location Service Activated”. Connecteam also says that while you are clocked out, it may use your location to detect that you entered a geofenced job site, and that this data is stored only on your device.
What employees say about Connecteam location tracking
The Always requirement is the most common complaint from employees in our App Store and Google Play pulls. Several reviewers say their phone reported Connecteam checking their location on days off. Connecteam's explanation is that the phone reads location in the background once Always is granted, and that the app keeps that data on the device unless you are clocked in. Our pulls can't confirm or rule out either side, so we report both.
“The worst part about the app is that it requires your location at all times even when not in use.”Zehnooo, App Store, Aug 2026
“The time clock doesn’t need to track me all shift long and need to be set to Always.”*TomJ*, App Store, Sep 2026
Other employee reviews describe location that won't refresh or a clock-in blocked because the app says they are away from the work area. See the App Store reviews and Google Play reviews for the full set, critical ones included.
What admins control
In the time clock settings, under Location tracking, an admin can:
- Turn location off, make it optional, or require it to clock in and out.
- Exempt specific clock-in devices from the requirement: the mobile app, a kiosk, a PC, or NFC. At least one device has to keep the requirement.
- Choose stamps only, or turn on Breadcrumbs for a trail during shifts.
- Add geofenced sites to jobs and decide whether leaving a site clocks people out.
Which of these you can use depends on the plan. Location stamps start on the Operations Hub Basic plan, geofences on Advanced (up to 10 sites), and Breadcrumbs and geofence auto clock-out on Expert. The free Small Business Plan for up to 10 users includes Breadcrumbs and geofences. Prices are on our Connecteam pricing page and the free vs paid breakdown. If you run a team, telling people which mode you use, and why, heads off most of these complaints.
What employees can do
- Ask your manager which mode is on. If it is stamps only, While using the app is enough.
- Ask whether you can clock in another way, such as a kiosk, a PC, or an NFC tag that the admin has exempted from the location requirement. Connecteam's user FAQ suggests the same conversation.
- You can change the permission in your phone's settings at any time. If your employer requires location, you will need to turn it back on to use the time clock.
- If location goes off during a shift, you stay clocked in; the trail just has a gap. On Expert accounts with geofence auto clock-out, turning off GPS can clock you out.
- Fake-location apps don't work. Connecteam says it detects them and blocks the clock-in.
Is location tracking at work legal?
Rules on tracking employees, notice, and consent vary by state and by country, and they can differ for a personal phone versus a company device. We haven't reviewed them here. If you have concerns, check with your state or national labor authority, or ask your employer for its written policy.
Connecteam location tracking FAQ
Does Connecteam track your location when you are clocked out?+
Connecteam says no. Its help center states that your location is never shared with your employer or saved in Connecteam's database while you are off the clock. When you are clocked out, the app may still use your location on the phone to notice that you entered a geofenced job site, but Connecteam says that data stays on the device.
Why does Connecteam need Always location access?+
Only for Breadcrumbs, the live-trail feature. Breadcrumbs keeps recording while the app is closed or in the background during a shift, which needs the Always setting. If your employer only records where you clock in and out, Connecteam says the app will not ask for Always.
Can my boss see my live location on Connecteam?+
Your employer sees either a location stamp when you clock in and out, or, with Breadcrumbs turned on, a trail of points while you are on the clock. Connecteam's user help says the employer does not get your live location at any given time, and the admin guide says the trail usually updates every 5 to 10 minutes during a shift.
Can I clock in on Connecteam without sharing my location?+
It depends on how your admin set up the time clock. Location can be off, optional, or required. When it is required, admins can still exempt devices such as a shared kiosk, a PC, or NFC tags, so ask your manager whether there is another way to clock in.