When geo-fencing is enabled, employees can only clock in from the Teamsly mobile app if they are physically within the defined area around your location. This article explains what that experience looks like for employees and how the restriction works.
How Geo-Fencing Works
A manager sets a location address and a radius (in feet) in Teamsly Settings. This creates an invisible boundary around the workplace. When an employee opens the time clock in the mobile app, Teamsly checks whether their device's GPS position is within that boundary.
If the employee is inside the geo-fence, the clock-in screen loads normally and they can tap Confirm Clock In.
If the employee is outside the geo-fence, they will see an error message telling them they need to move inside the geo-fence before they can clock in. The Confirm Clock In button remains unavailable until they are within range.
⚠️ Geo-fencing only applies to mobile app clock-ins. Employees using the web-based Personal Time Clock or Shared Time Clock (kiosk) are not affected by the geo-fence.
What Employees See
When an employee opens the time clock while outside the geo-fence, they see a message indicating they are not within the required location. The map on the clock-in screen shows their current position, so they can see how far they are from the allowed zone. Once they move inside the boundary, the clock-in option becomes available automatically.
If an Employee Has Trouble Clocking In
If an employee is at the correct location but still seeing the geo-fence error, it's usually a GPS accuracy issue rather than actually being outside the fence. Common causes and fixes:
GPS hasn't updated yet — Wait a moment for the device to get a fresh location fix. Step outside if inside a building.
Location permission is not set to Always — Check Settings on the device and make sure Teamsly has Always (iOS) or Allow all the time (Android) location access.
Wi-Fi scanning is disabled — Enable Wi-Fi scanning in device settings to improve GPS accuracy near the location boundary.
The fence radius may be too small — If employees regularly have trouble clocking in from certain areas of the workplace, the manager may need to increase the fence radius in Settings.
💡 Managers can always clock an employee in manually from the web if they're having trouble. Go to the schedule, find the employee's shift, and clock them in directly.
What to Read Next
How to Enable and Configure Geo-Fencing — Set up the geo-fence address and radius in Settings
Setting Up Location Permissions on iOS — Ensure correct permissions for geo-fencing to work
Setting Up Location Permissions on Android — Ensure correct permissions for geo-fencing to work
Troubleshooting GPS & Location Issues — Fix GPS and location problems that affect geo-fencing
Need help? Click Book a Call in the top right of the app to talk with the Teamsly team.