FE Tracking
Getting started
The FE Tracking App can be used as an addition to the Fast Events WordPress plugin. The App offers participants - especially in sports events - the possibility to show a track including points of interest and checkpoints along the route. The App records the date and time of passing the checkpoints and automatically uploads them to to the event organisation’s server.
Typical use
Use the App to scan a printed ticket or a downloaded PDF ticket. Turn recording on at the start of the route, turn off the screen and put it in a bracelet, for example. Stop recording at the end of the track and show the finish/Exit qrcode to the organisation in order to receive, for example, a medal or any other form of proof of participation.
The event organiser can also choose to make real-time messages and real-time track updates available to the user of the FE Tracking App. Users can also share their track with family and friends while walking, cycling, etc
Install the *FE Tracking* App: Installation
Overview: Usage overview
Global Settings: Settings
Changelog: Changelog
Installation
The FE Tracking App is available for Android 8.0 and later and IOS 10.0 and later.
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Battery optimization
Unfortunately, some Android device manufacturers have made it a “sport” to optimize battery usage in such a way that Apps running in the background (such as FE Tracking when it is recording) are forcefully shut down. Alarm Apps, Health Apps and Location Apps are then the victims of this policy, while the standard Android version usually handles this well. Also if battery optimisation Apps are used (Android and IOS) it can have a negative impact on FE Tracking. If such Apps are used make sure that FE Tracking is excluded from optimization, if possible.
If this happens to you, remember this is not an App problem, but it is a Device manufacturer problem.
Check this site to find out if your phone uses device-specific optimisations. The general rule is to exclude the FE Tracking App from battery optimisation rules, if possible. Often these settings are deeply “hidden” in the phone’s settings.
Further optimizations
FE Tracking is very battery-conscious. When track recording is enabled it will automatically start recording a location according to the configured distanceFilter (meters). When the device is detected to be stationary, FE Tracking will automatically turn off location-services to conserve energy.
Nevertheless, further optimisations are certainly possible in order to use the battery as efficiently as possible.
As mentioned earlier, make sure FE Tracking is excluded from battery optimisations.
Do not run other Apps in the background. Make sure FE Tracking is the only App running in the background.
Avoid using social media Apps and streaming Apps. They are known as notorious battery abusers. Search on the Internet for
social media App battery usageand you will find good suggestions.If you pause for more than 5 minutes while walking, cycling, … temporarily turn track recording off and turn it on again when you continue.
The amount of data that FE Tracking uses for checkpoints and optional news and track updates is very limited and in most situations is not more than a few 10-kilobytes. For very long routes it might be a few megabytes. This data will almost always be sent via the mobile data network. Check your mobile operator’s coverage map to see which type of network (
3G, 4G or 5G) has the best coverage. Most phones constantly scan all networks for the best possible coverage, which of course drains battery power. By locking the phone to one type of network (where coverage is good for the entire route) in the phone’s settings, you can prevent this scanning.If you are walking, cycling, … with a group of colleagues or friends, it is also possible to create a personal WiFi hotspot on one of the devices. Turn off mobile data on all other devices and connect to the hotspot via WiFI. These devices will save quite a bit on battery power.
Of course, you can also buy a small power bank and connect it to your phone. This way you will always have enough power available. Especially for long tracks or tracks that take all day, this is highly recommended.
While recording the route, you can use the App to check where you are on the track and see how far you are from the next checkpoint, first aid post, etc… At that moment, map data will be downloaded, which of course happens via the mobile data network and will drain the battery and possibly your mobile data bundle. The App uses a map cache, so once a map segment has been downloaded, the next time it is used, the segment is retrieved from the cache. This saves time and money. So if you are at home and have a WiFi connection, you can already explore the track and scroll through it with different zoom levels to fill the map cache. A great time and cost saver for your mobile data bundle and your battery.
Languages
FE Tracking supports standard two languages: English and Dutch. You can add your own language by following the next steps:
Make sure you have a Github account.
Check the
languagesfolder of https://github.com/fe-data/fe-tracking-languages if your language is supported.If not, login with the Github account at https://gitlocalize.com/repo/6402.
Create a new issue in https://github.com/fe-data/fe-tracking-languages/issues requesting the new language code. We will give you the role of moderator for the new language. Use the two letter codes from this source. Only LTR-languages are supported.
As moderator you may receive review requests from other translators. Process them and when you are happy with the update create a pull request. Mind you:
We will only process pull request which origin from Gitlocalize and no pull requests from private forks.
For initial translations we only accept a full translation of the whole file. Partial translations will be rejected.
Once we have processed the pull request, the translation will be available for the App within 15 minutes if you re-install the App. If you don’t re-install the App it may take up to 12 hours before the App is aware of the new language.
There is only 1 moderator per language.
Overview
First time use
The first time the FE Tracking App is launched, a warning is shown that the App uses location data to determine where the phone is in order to check whether a checkpoint has been passed. When using different parts of the App, you will be asked for permission to use e.g. the camera or location data.
Warning screen
Permissions
Permissions are required to use certain parts of the App. Permission is only asked for when the respective component is used.
- Camera
If a ticket is scanned with the camera to add a track to the tracks overview, it is necessary to give permission to the App to use the camera when the App is in use.
- Location
As soon as a map of the track is shown or live recording is turned on, permission is needed for the App to use location data. This is done in two steps. First, permission must be given to use location data when the App is in use and, as a final step, permission must be given to use it all the time. This is show as
Always(IOS) orAllow all the time(Android). So even when the App is closed or running in the background, location data will be used.- Motion & Fitness / Physical activity
This permission is requested at the same time as the location permission. The App samples the accelerometer periodically while tracking in order to power-down the GPS as soon as the device is determined to be stationary, while stopped for a break, for example.
- Files and media
If a track is added to the tracks overview by scanning a PDF containing the etickets, permission is required.
- Background App Refresh (IOS only)
This permission is requested at the same time as the location permission. This is necessary in order for the App to continue to operate in the background.
Permission overview
Warning
Periodically, both IOS and Android will show reminders that the App can always request location data and if the App is not used for a long time, this permission will be withdrawn.
So if the App has not been used for a long time and it is restarted again, make sure that the location permission is set to Always for IOS or Allow all the time for Android.
Settings
All changes made to the settings are applied immediately.
Checkpoint settings
- Sound
Make a sound when you approach a checkpoint, if this setting is switched on.
- Text-to-speech
A spoken text is played when you approach a checkpoint, if this setting is switched on. See also the next setting.
- Text-to-speech format
This is the sentence that is spoken when you approach a checkpoint. The {} part is the name of the checkpoint.
News settings
An event supports real-time messages if the icon is visible in the tracks overview for the track in question.
- Sound
A short sound is played as soon as a news item comes in, if this setting is switched on.
- Text-to-speech
The message is spoken as soon as a news item comes in, if this setting is switched on. See also the next setting.
- Text-to-speech format
This is the sentence that is spoken when a news item comes in. The {} part is the message.
Map settings
- Disable checkpoint circles
The checkpoints on the ttrack are shown as light grey circles and light green circles when a checkpoint is passed. Disabling this option has no effect on the indication of whether a checkpoint has been passed or not. If uploading is selected, the date and time of passing the checkpoint is still sent to the event organisation’s server.
- Realtime sharing
Use real-time track sharing with your family, friends, etc while you are walking, cycling, running, … This is only possible if the event organiser allows sharing and if this switch is on.
- Track color
The colour of the track on the map. Click on the coloured circle to change its colour.
- Track line width
The line width (1 - 10) of the track.
- Location color
The colour of the current location and direction on the map. Click on the coloured circle to change its colour.
- Live tracking color
The colour of the line of the track travelled. Click on the coloured circle to change its colour.
- Live tracking line width
The line width (1 - 10) of the track travelled.
- Export file type
The file format (GPX or KML) used in the map part of the App to share the travelled track with another App.
General settings
- Share track link
Invitation format of the track which can be shared via e.g. email, WHhtsApp, Signal, … The {event} keyword is replaced by the name of the event and {link} by the actual share link. If a user clicks the link, the share will added to the
Shared tracksof the App. If the App is not installed, the user will be asked to install the App.- Audio silence period
Android only. If the sound output is set to bluetooth, some phones may skip the first part of the spoken text. This is because it can take some time for the bluetooth connection to be established. Use this parameter to delay the text by a few milliseconds.
Changelog
v1.3 (25 October 2021)
New: Share your track with your family and friends in real time while walking, cycling, … Only if the event organization allows sharing and if sharing is enabled in the App settings.
Changed: Android 8.0 is now the minimum supported version
Better error handling
v1.2.1 (7 October 2021)
Small bug fixes.
v1.2 (29 September 2021)
New: Import a track directly from the order-page or a received email, using deeplinks. You no longer need to scan or print the ticket.
Fixed: Increased PDF scan resolution.
Upgraded internal components.
v1.1.2 (14 September 2021)
Fixed: App can block during startup if there is no network coverage
v1.1.1 (7 September 2021)
Fixed: Used wrong API-version in communication with server
Fixed: Don’t allow browsing outside pan area
Fixed: Keep map centered if device is moving
Fixed: Warn if Text-To-Speech language is not available
v1.1.0 (31 August 2021)
New: Realtime news from the event organizer
New: Realtime track updates
New: Manual checkpoint synchronisation with the event organisation’s server in the case of errors
New: Labels below the bottom navigation icons in the Information screen
Changed: Event name is now part of the notification icon (Android only)
v1.0.1 (26 June 2021)
Privacy policy updated
v1.0.0 (25 June 2021)
First release
Usage
How to use the different menu choices.
Tracks overview: Tracks
Shared tracks overview: Shared tracks
FAQ: FAQ
Donate: Donate
Tracks
Overview
Overview tracks
This is the default start screen of the App. It gives an overview of all the tracks that have been or still need to be covered. Tapping on a track displays a context-menu.
By swiping a track from left to right, or vice versa, a track can be deleted.
Use the button on the bottom right to add a route.
Add tracks
After a ticket has been purchased from the event organiser and the eticket has been downloaded, the track can easily be added by scanning the PDF file that has been downloaded for a valid eticket.
If the PDF file contains more than 1 ticket, the App will ask which page is to be scanned. If there is only 1 ticket, this step is skipped.
If the event offers several tracks with for example different distances, the App offers the possibility to choose a track. If there is only one track, this step is skipped.
Warning
Tickets can be downloaded several times. If this happens on different phones, the one who has downloaded last is the ‘owner’ of the ticket. All actions to have the ticket scanned or passing a checkpoint uploaded to the event organisation’s server will fail for the one who downloaded the ticket earlier.
If the track supports realtime news and track updates, your ticket will be invalidated immediately as soon it is downloaded on another phone.
So be careful not to distribute the ticket but to keep it for yourself.
If you want to download the track again, you will have to delete it first.
Note
For example, if an event offers several tracks of different distances, they can all be downloaded one by one. However, only one track can be recorded at a time.
Recording
A live recording of a track can only be done during the event. The tracking window can be found in the information screen. Before and after the event, no recordings can be made. The icon is grey and inactive.
When a live recording is started, the icon will change to a pause button and the background of the recorded track will turn transparent red, so that you can clearly see in the overview which track is being recorded.
You can pause recording and restart it. For example, if you take a break on your route, it is a good idea to stop recording in order to save the battery.
Warning
Only one track can be recorded at a time.
Track status
If the event supports real-time news and track updates, there is an icon in the top left corner of the route overview that indicates the status.
There is an active connection with the event. As soon there is a news message or track update, it will be processed. The connection remains active until the tracking window has expired.
The connection to the server is not active, usually this is temporary. Make sure that you have an active data connection via the mobile data network.
The tracking window has expired and it is no longer necessary to connect to the server.
The ticket has been invalidated. Either it was downloaded on another phone, or it was invalidated by the organisation. Further actions with the event are not possible. It can only be removed from the overview.
Screens
Maps
Stopped
Before the track is recorded, the standard track is just visible and you can see for example which POIs are available on the track and what the track looks like. All checkpoints are also visible on the track as transparent black circles.
Recording
Recorded Map
When the track is recorded, the tracked track is visible (blue line) and the distance and speed are displayed at the top of the screen. As soon as a checkpoint is passed, the colour of the circle changes to transparent green. And the date and time are transmitted to the event organiser’s server.
Recording can be paused when you take a break to rest, for example. Pausing the recording is a good way to save the phone’s battery life.
You can of course still view the recorded track in pause mode and, for example, Share the track by pressing the icon in the top right of the screen.
News
The news icon is only visible if the event supports real-time news and track updates. If necessary, the number of new messages is shown in red above the icon. Once the messages have been read, the number will no longer be shown until a new message arrives.
If a track is actively recording, it is very likely that you have the mobile phone in a bracelet or your pocket and therefore cannot see if there are any new messages coming in. You may have earplugs in and be listening to music, for example. In this case, you can use the app’s settings to indicate that you either want to hear a short sound as soon as there is a new message or that you want to play the message via Text-to-speech.
Finish
When all checkpoints are passed and uploaded to the event organisation’s server, the qrcode icon turns green and can be shown to the organisation at the end of the track if requested. It can be used, for example, as proof that the entire track has been covered and that a medal or other form of proof of participation will be issued.
Information
Tap “Information” icon
The information screen gives an overview of all kinds of information such as emergency numbers, additional information about the event, order data and when checkpoints have been passed. The badge at the top right of the information icon is only green if all checkpoints have been passed. If not, it will be red.
- “Help” screen
By clicking on the information URL you can view additional information that the organisation provides. You can think of how to drive to the event, parking facilities, etc … An emergency number is also visible that can be called in emergencies. Always read carefully beforehand the conditions under which the number can be called.
- “Information” screen
The information screen shows the order data, but also when the event is active, the so-called tracking-window. Only when the event is active, the track can be recorded and the
Finish/exitqrcode can be shown to the organisation when requested.
- “Checkpoints” screen
This screen shows an overview when checkpoints have been passed and when this information has been uploaded to the event organisation’s server.
It can happen that due to a bad network connection, the upload to the event organisation’s server did not take place. Or, for example, because there is no network connection at all and mobile data and WiFi are switched off. All passages of checkpoints must be uploaded to the event organisation’s server, otherwise the finish/exit qrcode cannot be displayed. If the Internet connection is restored, the button can be pressed to perform the upload manually.
- “Qrcode” screen
This qrcode can be shown, for example, if the organisation does not use “automatic” checkpoints on the route, but instead performs the scans manually.
Record
If the current event is active, it means that the current date falls within the tracking window. See Information screen.
Once this is the case, the recording icon will turn red instead of grey.
Clicking on it will start recording the event; it will record the track travelled and check whether any checkpoints are passed.
The background of the event will become transparent red, so that in the overview it is clear which event is being recorded.
Whenever a checkpoint is passed, the counter next to the information icon will increase.
The counter remains red until all checkpoints are passed and then it turns green.
At the same time, the “Finish/exit” qrcode will also turn green.
Note
Only 1 event can be recorded at a time.
Warning
After recording is turned on, the phone’s screen can simply be turned off. However, do not tuck the phone away deep into a bag as this may result in poor GPS reception. Preferably put the phone in a sport armband.
Shared tracks
Shared track map
Click on the shared track to show the map. Here you can see the progress of the participant on the track. This can be in real-time or after the participant has travelled at least a certain distance. This is set by the event organisation.
FAQ
The recording icon is greyed out
Check in the information screen between which times the track can be recorded. No recordings are possible before or after these times.
The finish/exit icon is greyed out
Check in the information screen between which times the track can be recorded. The finish/exit icon button can only be clicked in the recording window.
Track is not recorded if the screen is switched off
Check if all the needed permissions are enabled. See Permission overview.
Double check if the location permission is set to Always for IOS or Allow all the time for Android.
FE Tracking is silently killed in the background
First check if all the needed permissions are enabled. See Permission overview. But you device can also be the victim of aggressive battery optimization policies enforced by some Android device manufacturers. See Battery optimization.
Does FE Tracking demand a lot from the battery?
Is FE Tracking available for my language?
See Languages.
How accurate is the distance in the Map screen
Cutting a corner
It depends on the length of the route, whether there are many sharp bends in the track and most importantly, the distance filter defined by the event organisation. The App is optimized for battery-efficiency. It samples the accelerometer periodically while tracking in order to power-down the GPS as soon as the device is determined to be stationary. It uses the distance filter to query for the GPS location. But the filter itself is elastic; the faster you go, the larger the distance filter becomes. And ofcourse the other way around. Usually, the organisation sets this filter to at least 10 metres for a walking track and at least 20 metres for bicycles, for example. So yes, the distance measured may be slightly shorter than the real distance due to cutting corners.
All checkpoints are passed, but the finish/exit qrcode is not green
See the checkpoints tab in the Information screen. It can happen that due to a bad network connection, the upload to the event organisation’s server did not take place. Or, for example, because there is no network connection at all and mobile data and WiFi are switched off. All passages of checkpoints must be uploaded to the event organisation’s server, otherwise the finish/exit qrcode cannot be displayed. If the Internet connection is restored, the button can be pressed to perform the upload manually.
Donate
Developing, improving and maintaining an App like FE Tracking for Android and IOS takes a lot of time. Please consider sponsoring the development of this App or a one-off donation if you enjoy this App.
You can use iDEAL, Apple Pay, Credit card, Bancontact or Giropay.
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