Auto sign in allows repeat visitors (such as staff) to sign in and out directly from their smartphones using our free Companion app for iPhone and Android.

Auto sign in makes the signing in of staff easier than ever without sacrificing security, as location services and geo-fencing ensures that the individual is on site. From the Sign In App portal you can control how far away people can be from the site when signing in, and switch the feature on and off for each individual.

In this guide, we walk you through the feature step-by-step, from setting it up to using it on your phone.

Mobile sign in can also be used for remote sites. You can read more about mobile sign in for remote sites here.

To start using mobile sign in for a site, you first need to set the site's exact location and determine how far away from the site you want staff to be able to sign in. This will vary depending on the size of your site. This 'geo-fence' ensures staff are physically on site when signing in from their phones for safety purposes.

From the management portal, go to Manage > Sites > Select site > Details and scroll down to Mobile sign in.

Toggle on Allow sign in via Sign In Companion and then set your site geofence by typing in an address. You can then configure the geofence as needed using the distance slider:

You can also switch between Map and Satellite using the dropdown in the top left-hand corner:

Under Advanced Verification, you can also choose to require verification when someone signs in or out using auto sign in:

To use auto sign in each repeat visitor needs to have both Can mobile sign in and Can automatically sign in permissions enabled in the online portal.

Go to Manage > Visitor groups > Select group > Companion to configure the group’s default Companion app permissions.

To configure an individual repeat visitor’s Companion app permissions go to Manage > Visitor groups > Select group > Manage Members and select a member to edit. Click their Companion tab where you can switch between using the Group default permissions or setting a Custom configuration.

If you haven't already, make sure you have invited the repeat visitor to start using Companion app. You can find detailed instructions on how to do this on our Companion app section.

At this point the site is set up, the individuals have been allowed access to mobile sign in and the final step is for each staff member to enable the feature in the Companion app.

If you're on site, after launching Companion app, you will notice a new button allowing you to sign in or out depending on your current status. If you haven't granted permission for Sign In App to access your location you will be prompted to enable this from your phone's settings.

Now you have enabled the correct permissions for auto sign in, it needs to be turned on for each user in Sign In App Companion on their mobile device. A user should go to the settings in Companion app and toggle Enable auto sign in/out ON. You will need to agree to the beta disclaimer to continue.

Auto sign in runs in the background. When you enter the site's geofence an event is triggered and your location is checked. This means Companion app needs to monitor your location even when the app isn’t open. Location permissions for Companion app must be set to ‘always allow’.

To enable location services for Sign In App Companion go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services, scroll down to Sign In App and set allow location services to Always. In the same section ensure Precise Location is toggled ON.

The steps to enable location services for Companion app are different depending on the phone manufacturer and Android version, but for Android 11 go to Settings > Apps > Sign In App Companion > Permissions > Location > Allow all the time.

A number of technologies are used to calculate your location, one of these is WiFi. When your phone detects a WiFi network the geolocation of the access point is broadcast helping to determine your position. Enabling WiFi on your device will help ensure auto sign in works effectively. Connecting to the WiFi of your workplace is also really useful to help quickly establish your location.

Now it’s time to start using auto sign in. We recommend testing auto sign in through real-world scenarios leaving and entering your site. For example, auto sign out will only be triggered when you have gone more than 200m past your site geofence for 20 seconds or more, this means testing in close proximity to your site may not have the results you expect. When auto sign in or out is successful you will receive a notification from the app to confirm.

If you are not currently signed in, you will see the option to sign in. Under the sign in button you will see your nearest site. This is the site you will be signing into. Tap the button and authorise with Touch ID or Face ID if prompted (iOS only). Your status will be updated instantly.

If you see an 'Out of range' message and the sign in button is hidden, you are too far away from your site to sign in. This will also be displayed if your site doesn't have a location set (see step one at the beginning of the guide).

Sometimes for reasons outside of your control, auto sign in might not trigger (such as poor location data or a weak internet signal). If this happens it’s important to remember to open Sign In App Companion and manually sign in or out. It’s also worth checking if you have location services set to Always allow, WiFi enabled, and a strong network connection.

If you are signed in to a site, you will always have the option to sign out regardless of your current location. This is helpful if you forget to sign out of a site. Your current location will still be recorded.

If you selected 'Always allow' when prompted to enable location services you will be reminded to sign out with a push notification if you leave the site's geo-fence while still signed in. Your location is only recorded when you sign in or out, background location data is only used locally on your device to remind you to sign out.

Scheduled reminders allow you to set times to be reminded to sign in and out. When auto sign in or out is successful any reminders of the same type are cancelled for the rest of the day, this means you should only get notifications if auto sign in / out was not successful. To set up scheduled reminders, open Companion app, tap the settings tab (this will be at the bottom on your right) and scroll down to scheduled reminders.

Not having accurate geolocation data is one of the most likely reasons why auto sign in / out will fail. Companion app uses your smartphone’s location data for auto sign in, if this data isn’t accurate it’s not possible to complete the sign in / out. Opening Google or Apple maps can give you a good indication of how accurate the location data is for your device. As you keep the maps app open you should see the blue circle decrease in size as the device gets more accurate location data.

Auto sign in works in the background when the app isn’t open. Most smartphones use battery optimisation to ‘terminate’ apps running in the background, particularly when the device is running low on battery. It’s important to ensure battery optimisation is turned off on your smartphone.

Remote sites are closely linked to the Mobile sign in feature and allow staff to sign in when they're away from site. This means staff can sign in to a 'virtual office', clearly separated from the main site but still recording their hours with geotagging of their locations.

In order for staff to access a remote site, they must first be activated at the site. In the online portal, go to Manage > Sites and then select Add remote site:

To read more about settings for your remote site, please see this guide.

A remote site works exactly the same as signing in to a site via mobile. The same permissions are required, including 'Allow mobile sign in' on the staff member and location services on the device.

If the app user is outside of a Site's geo-fence, they will have the option to sign in to the remote site.

We hope you've found this guide useful but if you have any questions around Mobile sign in or any Sign In App feature, please contact our support team at [email protected].