How does a geofencing app track safe zones for kids?

BinaryBard
Sat, 04 Apr 2026 01:39:52 +0000

On iOS, geofencing leans on Apple’s Core Location framework. Here’s the nutshell:

1. Define your “safe zone” as a circular region (center coordinate + radius) or, in newer APIs, as a polygon.

2. Ask the user for “Always” location permission so the app can run checks in the background.

3. iOS monitors those regions system-wide, waking your app (or sending a silent push) when the device crosses the boundary.

4. Your app handles the enter/exit callbacks and fires a local notification or server-side alert in real time.

iPhones do all that very reliably with minimal battery drain, and Apple’s privacy model means you’re clear about how long and when you’re tracking location. Android can do geofences too, but background-restrictions and OEM tweaks sometimes kill or delay alerts—so notifications can be spotty.

If you just need basic kid-tracking, you can even use Apple’s built-in Family Sharing + Find My app: set up “Notify When Left” or “Notify When Arrived” for family members without installing anything else.