Use Map to see where your vehicles and Location Sharing devices last reported, whether they are moving, and where they have travelled recently. Open playback when you need to follow recorded GPS updates in time order, investigate a route or stop, or confirm what the tracker reported during a particular period.
Before you start
You need permission to open Map. The vehicle list contains only vehicles and people your login can access. Times use the account timezone.
Playback is not camera footage or a continuous live view of the driver. It animates between GPS updates recorded by the tracker. The line shows the reported path, which can differ slightly from the road because of GPS accuracy or the optional Snap to road display setting. A device that was offline or unable to upload may leave a gap.
Read the status together with the last-update time. A parked or stopped status describes the latest reported movement state; it does not guarantee that the device is currently online. A tracker in standby or sleep mode can remain at its last reported location until it wakes or detects activity.
Steps
Find a vehicle and read its live status
- Open Map from the navigation menu.
- Find the vehicle in the list beside the map. Search by vehicle name or address when the list is long. Clear the search if the vehicle is not shown.
- Read the vehicle card before acting on the map position:
Speed
Speed reported with the latest location. A zero value means the latest update was stationary.
GPS active or tracker status
Whether the latest tracker state indicates GPS operation. Read this with the update age.
Engine on/off
Latest detected engine state when the tracker and vehicle configuration support it.
Last update
How long ago the displayed position or status was reported. An old update may mean the vehicle is parked, asleep, offline or awaiting upload.
Address or location
Closest resolved address for the reported coordinates. Address lookup can point to a nearby road or property rather than the exact entrance.
- Select the path-period menu above the vehicle list to draw recent tracking on the live map. Start with 5 minutes of paths to see the latest movement without covering the map in older history. This draws history but keeps the map in live mode.
- Select the vehicle card to focus the map on that vehicle.
The line shows the vehicle's recent reported positions. Map controls let you change layers, centre on your location, use street view where available, or enter full screen. The path-period choice controls how much recent tracking is drawn; it does not change data retention.
Open playback and choose the period
- Select the vehicle card or its map marker. The playback panel opens across the bottom of the map and loads the default history period.
- Select History to choose the period you need.
- Choose Past 15 Minutes, Past 30 Minutes, Past 1 Hour, Past 2 Hours, Past 6 Hours, Past 12 Hours or Past 24 Hours. Use Custom Time Range for a precise investigation. A custom range can cover up to seven days; available historical depth still depends on the account and retained data.
- Wait for the route and timeline to reload before reviewing it. The timestamp at the lower left shows the selected playback position, not necessarily the latest live update.
Read and control playback
The playback panel combines the route with a time-based activity bar:
Timeline
Green segments show movement and yellow segments show stopped periods. Select or drag along it to move directly to another time. The red position marker shows where you are in the selected period.
Previous/next active period
Jump to the previous or next movement segment without playing through a long stopped period.
Play/Pause
Start or pause automatic movement through recorded points.
Speed
Choose 1x, 2x, 5x, 10x, 20x, 50x or 100x. Use a slow speed for individual updates and a faster speed for the overall route.
Zoom to vehicle
Refocus the map on the playback vehicle when you have panned or zoomed elsewhere.
Close
Exit playback and return the map to current live positions.
- Select a point near the start of a green timeline segment.
- Choose a suitable speed, then select Play.
- Watch the vehicle marker, timestamp and timeline position move together. Pause near a location or change in direction that needs closer review.
- Select the playback marker to inspect its recorded time and available details. Stop markers represent detected stationary periods, not separate live readings.
- Check that the route, timestamp and activity segments cover the event you expected. A straight jump or missing section can indicate that points were not recorded or uploaded during that interval.
- Select the red close button to leave playback. Confirm that the map returns to the latest available location before treating the displayed marker as current.
Use Map on a phone
- Open Map, then select the search bar to open the vehicle list.
- Search for and select a vehicle to open playback. The same History, timeline, play, speed, jump and close controls are available in a compact layout.
- Rotate the phone or close the vehicle list when you need more map space.
Customise the map display
These preferences apply to your login and change only how information is displayed. They do not change GPS positions, reports or retained data.
- Open Settings, then Application Settings.
- Under Map Settings, choose the map tile style, marker style and marker size.
- Set Paths to display and Playback to display to the default history periods you need.
- Choose whether to group nearby markers, show labels, fit the map to visible vehicles automatically or use Snap to road.
- Turn the Paths, Zones and Heatmap layers on or off, then choose which details appear in marker pop-ups.
- Select Save, return to Map and confirm that the view is readable.
Snap to road appears only when available for the account. It draws an approximate path along nearby roads and does not correct recorded GPS data. Turn it off before comparing a questionable path with Reports > Raw GPS Data.
What happens next
Closing playback returns the map to the latest available locations. The Paths to display and Playback to display defaults under Settings > Application Settings control the initial periods shown on future visits. You can still choose another period from Map without changing those defaults.
Use Reports > Journeys when you need journey boundaries, distance, driver, Business or Private classification, notes or an export. Use Reports > Raw GPS Data when you need to compare individual recorded and uploaded timestamps or investigate a questionable point.
Troubleshooting
The vehicle is missing
Clear the vehicle search and check that your login has access to the vehicle. A vehicle can still appear when it is offline, but its location will not update.
Playback has no points
Check that the selected period and account timezone cover the intended movement, then choose a wider range. If no points appear, the tracker may not have recorded or uploaded locations during that period.
The live path and playback show different amounts of history
The live path-period menu and playback History menu are separate controls. Set each one to the period you need. Their initial values come from separate Application Settings.
Playback stays on a stopped period
Select the next active-period control to jump to the next green movement segment, or choose a faster playback speed. A long yellow segment means the tracker reported the vehicle as stationary during that part of the selected period.
Playback shows a gap or an unexpected point
Open Reports > Raw GPS Data for the same vehicle and period. Compare Recorded At with Uploaded At, and compare the suspect point with nearby records before treating the displayed path as the exact route travelled.
The location does not have an address
Track My Ride looks up an address separately from the GPS position, so the address may not be available immediately or may refer to a nearby property. The recorded coordinates remain the underlying location data.
Continue setup
Continue to Create your first zone and alert, or return to Start using your new GPS tracker.