GPS is an amazing technology, but it has limitations. Firstly, GPS does not work indoors - so when your pet is at home, Fi needs a way to confirm that it’s at home and not somewhere without GPS coverage. Secondly, GPS is very power-intensive, so the key to Fi keeping your pet safe is to save as much battery as possible in case your pet is lost, and we must use GPS to help you recover them.
To this effect, when the Fi Device is in range of a Fi Base or your cell phone running the Fi App, it uses their location to report the device's position instead of using GPS.
As your pet moves around your home or outside, the Fi Device can jump from one Bluetooth connection to another - saving battery and ensuring that it is available if your pet escapes. This is core to the technology, allowing the Fi Device to reach multiple months of battery life on one charge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Fi Device tracking me when I'm not with my pet?
Absolutely not. While we have to ask for the location to be shared “Always On”, we never track your phone's location when you are away from your pet.
Then why does Fi require location services "Always On"?
To conserve battery life and allow Fi to detect when your pet is not next to you, the Fi Device needs to connect to your cell phone while running the Fi App in the background, without having to take the phone out of your pocket and open the Fi App.
At this time, Google (Android) and Apple (iPhone) do not allow an "only while accessory connected" setting, so this can only be done if location service is authorized to "always on".
iOS users must also enable "precise location" under location access settings, allowing the Fi App to use your mobile's specific location. Without this enabled, the app can only determine your pet's approximate location when connected to the Fi App.
Fi will never report a phone’s location when it is not directly connected to the Fi Device and is only used to report the location of your pet.
Does Fi sell my data to third parties?
Fi does not and will not share or sell your data with any third party. We understand that you are sharing a lot of information with us in order to keep your pet safe - and we take this responsibility very seriously. No data is shared, directly or indirectly, with vendors, and Fi does not make any money from the data stored in our system. We sell you a membership to equip your pet with the very best available technology, period.
Why am I seeing a prompt to enable location or Bluetooth in the Fi App?
If one of your required app permissions is turned off, you may see an in-app screen prompting you to re-enable it. To resolve this, follow the prompt in the Fi App and update your device permissions in your phone's settings.
For more on why these permissions are required, see "Then why does Fi require location services 'Always On'?" above.