| Important: The steps in this article have been updated to reflect app version 8.2.0 or higher. Please update your app today for the best Canary experience. | |
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Canary can use your phone’s location to automatically switch between Away, Home, and Night modes when you arrive or leave the vicinity of your device’s location. Location services use a combination of technologies: Cellular signal, Wi-Fi, and GPS.
When you initially set up your device, the Canary app will ask you to update your phone’s location settings, but you may need to make further adjustments to ensure the highest detection accuracy.
Note: If you use the Canary app on multiple devices, make sure that you only enable geofencing on your primary device. Geofencing is turned off by default on tablets.
Enable Location Services
The Canary app will not be able to detect your location at all if location services are disabled on your device.
To verify that Location Services are enabled:
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap Privacy.
- Tap Location Services
- Confirm that the toggle is green
Is Auto-mode switching enabled?
To verify that auto-mode switching is enabled:
- Open the Canary app.
- Tap the gear icon in the top right corner of the Home Screen.
- Scroll down to Take Action
- Tap Manage my modes
- Confirm that the Auto-mode switching toggle is green.
Note: To learn more about customizing modes, visit Modes overview.
Enable Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi is one of the primary technologies the Canary app uses to determine your location. If your Wi-Fi is disabled, your location won’t be tracked as accurately.
To verify that your Wi-Fi is enabled:
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap Wi-Fi.
- Make sure the Wi-Fi toggle is green.
Set Canary app permissions
During setup, the Canary app should have asked permission to use your location. If you declined permission to use your location or made changes to your phone’s settings, you may need to enable location services for the Canary app in your phone settings. Location services need to be on and set to ‘Always Allow.’ This will ensure the Canary app always has access to your location even when the app is in the background.
To verify that the Canary app has permission to access your location:
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap on Canary. (You may need to scroll down)
- Verify that Location is set to Always Allow
Note: During initial setup of your location, if you selected ‘Only While Using the App’ when prompted to allow the Canary app access to your location then geofencing will only work when the app is open and will not automatically switch modes.
Allow Background App Refresh
The Canary app requires Background App Refresh to be enabled in order for Auto-Mode Switching to work correctly. With Background App Refresh enabled, suspended apps in your phone background can check for updates and new content.
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap on General.
- Confirm that the Background App Refresh toggle is green.
- Tap on Canary. (You may need to scroll down)
- Confirm that the Background App Refresh toggle is green.
Turn off Low Power mode
Low Power mode reduces the amount of power that your iPhone uses when the Battery gets low. One of the ways Low Power mode saves battery is by disabling Background App Refresh, which can impact Auto-Mode Switching.
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap on Battery.
- Confirm that the Low Power Mode toggle is grey.
Enable Cellular Data
Location services use local cellular towers to determine your current location. The tower your phone is connected to and the strength of your phone's cellular signal can help determine the accuracy of location services.
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap on Cellular. (Depending on your location, this may also be called Mobile Data or Wireless Data)
- Confirm that the Cellular Data toggle is green.
Note: This will help ensure your home switches as quickly as possible when arriving if Wi-Fi is turned off.
Additional troubleshooting tips