Livelox issues - HAVE ALL ORIENTEERS UPDATE THE LIVELOX APP AND CHECK LOCATION SETTINGS!

[Blaik Mathews]

To all orienteers using the Livelox app:

At the SOAR Gold Head Branch event Saturday, we had a markedly low rate of Livelox recording - less than 20% of runners successfully recorded a track instead of our usual 60-70%.  This is a shame, for our live spectators, for instructors looking for wayward cadets, and for those looking to do debriefing and after-action study.  Today I found out why this happened.

Android Users:

Livelox released a major app update back in March of 2025, which I think most everyone has taken by now.  But I discovered today that a minor update for Android (version 3.0.6) was released Nov 10.  I'm concerned that the minor update might have triggered a reset on the Location Permission Setting on some devices, so Android users need to check that they have the latest app update and verify that their Location setting for the app is still good.

iPhone Users:

The latest iOS v.26 release caused issues with the Livelox Recorder app on that platform, which seem to have taken a little while to sort out.  Livelox pushed a new version (v 3.0.12) of the recorder app to the Apple app store LAST NIGHT 12/7/25 to address these issues.  So all Apple users need to make sure they take this app update ASAP.

Update Procedure:

1. First, check the version of the Livelox Recorder app on your phone to see if it has updated.  On Android this can be done on Settings / Apps / Livelox Recorder, and the latest Android update is Version 3.0.6, updated Nov 10.  On iPhone, you may have to look up Livelox on the app store and see what version is available and if it's installed.  The latest iPhone version is 3.0.12, updated Dec 7.
2. Next, check the Location Permission Setting for the Livelox app: Settings / Location / App Permissions / Livelox Recorder.  Make sure Location permission is granted and that it allows "Precise Location".  I suggest that if you have the option, check "Allow all the time" as opposed to the more typical "Allow only when using the app".  The reason is that when you're recording your course, the usual MO is to start the recording, then put your phone away and forget it until you come back to the finish.  Your screen will turn off to save battery when you do this, which is a good thing, BUT screen-off on some devices counts as "Not using the app", which turns off your GPS and with it the position recording and live telemetry.  If your Livelox recording shows a correct time duration but little or no distance and no GPS track, this is almost certainly what's happening.  Whether you experience this symptom or not on your particular device may depend on how aggressive your battery-saving settings are, and what your current battery level is.  Some phones / OS's / settings are stingier with power than others, and some shut-off actions may only be triggered when your battery drops below a certain %.  "Allow all the time" takes the guesswork out of it.

My own phone is an Android, so screen shots below are from that platform.  If you have an iPhone and can take screenshots of the process on that platform, please Reply All in this thread and attach those shots for the benefit of other Apple users.

Blaik Mathews

President, Florida Orienteering