If you have a limited mobile data plan for your smartphone, it's important to be aware of the data consumption of the Tractive GPS app. Unfortunately, we can't give any exact information because it's highly dependent on individual usage.
Which features use the most data?
The largest consumption of data is caused by the downloading of map data. The Tractive GPS app uses the maps services Open Street Maps (OSM), Google Maps (Android) and Apple Maps (iOS), so the data consumption is on par with those map applications on your phone.
The following rough assumptions can be made:
- Connection data to Tractive GPS tracker (including LIVE Tracking): less than 5 MB per day.
- Map data (standard view): 5 - 15 MB in a circuit of 10km.
- Map data (satellite view): The data consumption increases by a factor of 10 -> 50 - 150 MB (circuit of 10km)
Check Tractive GPS mobile data usage in iOS and Android:
Our Recommendations
Mobile plans with at least 1 GB of data included are recommended to guarantee the best tracking experience.
Useful tips to save data (especially important when you're abroad on holiday, where data roaming is active):
- Load the map data of your area over WiFi instead over your cellular data connection. You can load the map by zooming in and browsing through your area, so then this part of the map will be cached on your smartphone and will not be loaded over cellular data.
- Use the standard view instead of the satellite view, because your data consumption will be reduced significantly to about 10%. Satellite pictures, especially with high resolution, require a lot of data. How can I change the map type?
- When GPS tracking is not needed, close the app; then it will not consume any data in the background. When you open the app again, position data of your pet will be synced immediately with the tracker.