How do I live track my ride from the Android app?

Live tracking sends your position from the Windline app on iPhone or Android, and only the app. A web browser, on any phone, doesn’t send it. You need to be signed in, as the event’s owner. On iPhone, see live tracking in the iPhone app.

Turn it on for the event

1. Under Organising, tap the event, then the gear for its settings. For one of My Rides, tap the ride: Live tracking is on its page.
2. Switch on Live tracking.
3. Copy or Share the live link: in the group chat, pinned, or to your family.

In the same place:

• Who can watch: Anyone with the link or Only me.
• Make a new link: the old link stops working straight away.

Only the event’s owner can live track it. For a group, one phone is enough: the lead rider’s or the support vehicle’s, signed in to the organiser’s account.

On the day

1. About 30 minutes before the start, Windline asks, for example, “Day 3 starts at 06:00. Start live tracking?” Tap it. Or open the ride’s day: from Today’s ride on the Events screen, from the event under Riding (your published events are there too), or from the ride under My Rides.
2. Tap Start live tracking. The first time, Android asks to use your location: choose While using the app. Windline doesn’t need “all the time”. On Android 13 and newer, allow notifications too, so you can see it’s on.
3. Keep Windline allowed to run in the background. Samsung and some other phones put apps to sleep to save battery, which would stop your position going out with the screen off. The first time, Windline asks: tap Allow, then Allow again when Android asks.
4. Put the phone in your pocket and ride.

While it’s on, a Windline notification shows Live and the distance, for example “Live · 84.2 of 161 km”, with the time ridden, and:

• Pause and Resume, one tap.
• Stop. For safety, your phone asks for your PIN, fingerprint or face first, so a tap in your pocket can’t end it for everyone following.

In the app, Live now is at the top of the Events screen, with the time ridden and the distance, and Pause and Stop right there. Tap it for the live tracking panel: See what followers see, Share the live link and How it works. On the ride’s day, the Start live tracking panel shows Live with the distance, and Off route if you leave the route.

No signal

Your phone keeps every position and sends them all when it has signal again. Nothing is lost. The app says how many are waiting (“12 waiting for signal”). Followers see “No signal” and an estimate of where you are, then the real line fills in.

If Android closes Windline

Now and then Android closes an app on a long ride, or the phone restarts. If it does, you get Tap to carry on live tracking, naming your ride. One tap, or opening Windline, carries on with the same day and the same line. Followers see your last position until then. Keeping Windline allowed to run in the background (step 3) makes this rare.

Stopping

• Tap Stop, then Stop again on Stop live tracking?. Followers see that you’ve finished. You can start again for the same day.
• It stops by itself when you reach the finish (“You’re at the finish. Live tracking has stopped.”), or 3 hours after the planned finish.
• If the event is deleted, tracking stops by itself and the app says so.

Battery

Windline takes a position about every 25 metres you move, and sends them every 30 seconds. On a long day, start with a full battery or carry a power bank.

If it won’t start

• “Windline needs your location to share it”: open your phone’s Settings → Apps → Windline → Permissions → Location and choose Allow only while using the app.
• “Your phone may stop sharing your position to save battery”: tap it and allow Windline to run in the background. On a Samsung, you can also open Settings → Apps → Windline → Battery and choose Unrestricted.

Positions are deleted 7 days after the ride. The line you rode is kept. See what Windline keeps and Follow live.