ClockShark takes your privacy very seriously. Learn about our GPS location-sharing requirements and how they affect your privacy
1. Why does ClockShark ask for my location?
Your employer has the option to require GPS location sharing when mobile users clock in from the app. GPS location data makes timesheets more accurate—helping ensure you get paid for the hours you work.
2. When does ClockShark use my GPS location?
There are two ways the app uses your GPS location data. By default, ClockShark will ping for your GPS location when you use the mobile app to clock in, clock out, start a break, end a break, or switch to a new job or task. If your company enables the GPS tracking feature, ClockShark will also ping for your GPS location every 15 – 20 minutes while you’re clocked in on the mobile app.
3. Does ClockShark track me when I’m off the clock or on break?
No, ClockShark does not track you when you're off the clock or on a break. The app pings for (requests) your location in two different circumstances. The first is when you use the app to clock time. Anytime you clock in, clock out, start a break, end a break, start a new job or task, or stop a new job or task, the app will ping for your location. So, when you clock out for the day, that’s the last time the app asks for your location until you clock back in. If your company hasn’t enabled the GPS tracking feature, these are the only times the app asks for your GPS location.
If your company does have the GPS tracking feature enabled, once you clock in, the app will ping for your location every 15 – 20 minutes until you go on break or clock out for the day. When you start a break, the GPS tracking feature shuts down until you end your break. Similarly, after you clock out, the GPS tracking feature shuts down and does not ping for your location again until you clock into the app again. You can learn more about the GPS tracking feature here.
4. If ClockShark doesn’t track my location when I’m off the clock, why do I get a push notification reminding me to clock in or out whenever I’m near a job site (even when off the clock)?
If you get a reminder to clock in when you’re near a job site, it means your company set up a geofence around the site using the Geofence feature. This feature never pings for your location. Instead, your phone alerts the app when you visit a geofence, and that’s how you get the reminder.
Wondering how your phone can do that without the app pinging for your location? The feature creates a virtual fence around the site and saves the GPS coordinates to your phone. When your phone recognizes it’s near these saved GPS coordinates, it prompts the app to send you a push notification reminding you to clock in or out, no pinging required.
5. If ClockShark doesn’t track my location when I’m off the clock, why do I need to set my phone’s location sharing to Always on my iPhone® and All the time on my Android®?
ClockShark only asks you to set it to Always or All the time if your company has the GPS tracking feature enabled. This location setting allows the ClockShark app to get the GPS pings while in the background of your phone. If the location setting was changed, you would always need to keep the ClockShark app open in the foreground of your mobile device. If your company only needs your location when you clock time, you can choose to share only while using the app.
6. Why do I need to set my phone’s location sharing to Always or All the time when the GPS Tracking feature is enabled?
It has to do with how location sharing works in Apple and Android. We need you to set your location permissions to Always or All the time so the GPS Tracking feature will work properly in the background—even while you use other apps, lock the phone screen, or turn your phone off. You can learn more about user permissions here.
7. Why do I need to share my precise location?
Apple and Android devices allow you to choose to share either your precise or approximate location. If you work for a company that requires your GPS location to clock in or out, or they have GPS Tracking enabled, you’ll need to share your precise location in order to clock in so that GPS pings are as accurate as the device allows. (This applies to Android 12 or higher and iOS 14 or higher.)
8. I have some more questions, where can I go to keep learning about GPS location sharing and privacy?
Check out our administrator’s guide to GPS requirements here and our mobile user’s guide to GPS requirements here. You can also read our frequently asked GPS support questions here. Finally, read our privacy policy here to learn more about how we handle and store your data.
And if you need to speak with someone, you can always contact our customer support team by calling 800-828-0689 or by emailing hello@clockshark.com