Join a Safety Tracking Event
A Safety Tracking Event is an event where participants share their location with the organizer in real time. It is used for activities such as trail running monitoring and mountain safety management.
If you want to review organizer setup, participant guidance, activity-type-specific settings, and limitations together, see Safety Tracking.
How to use this page
This page is a quick guide for participants who need to confirm the steps at the venue. If you want a source text for organizer instructions, also see Safety Tracking - Participant preparation and event-day flow.
Before joining
Accurate location data is important in a Safety Tracking Event. Check the following before the event.
- Location permission - Set it to Always Allow. This is required for background location transmission.
- Battery - Charge your device well. Location sharing uses battery.
- Network - Confirm that mobile data is turned on.
If the permission is only allowed while using the app, location is not sent in the background.
Event-day flow
1. Before the activity starts
- Launch NaviTabi near the event area
- Open the target event
- Tap Location Sharing Test, enter your display name and the number given to you, and tap Next (you cannot start sharing unless the test passes)
- Tap Start Location Sharing, check your display name and number, and tap Start
- Confirm that the screen shows location sharing is active
If the test fails, check GPS reception and network status and contact the organizer if needed.
2. During the activity
- You do not need to operate the smartphone except in emergencies
- Use the app only when you need to send an SOS
- Check the screen if you want to confirm battery level or connection status
3. After finishing
- Long-press the stop button (Long press to stop) to end location sharing
- Confirm that sharing has ended
- When sharing ends, a screen opens where you can review your own record (Review your record after sharing ends)
Do not stop sharing on your own before the organizer instructs you to do so.
If QR check-in is available
For a Safety Tracking Event where the organizer provides a check-in QR code (Check-in QR), you can scan it to check in. A Safety Tracking Event has no category selection - you enter your Entry Number and Display name and tap Check In (if the organizer prepared a roster, the display name is filled in automatically based on your number). After checking in, go on to start location sharing.
For the detailed QR check-in flow, see Find an Event or Course and Start Playing - Check in with a QR code.
Start location sharing
- Open the event details screen.
- Tap Location Sharing Test, enter your display name (and your Entry Number if required), and tap Next. The test starts (you cannot start sharing unless the test passes).
- When the test passes, tap Start Location Sharing, check your display name and number, and tap Start.
Your location is sent to the organizer automatically at the Tracking Interval set by the organizer (1 minute, 3 minutes, or 5 minutes).
While sharing your location, it is safest to keep the smartphone on your body, for example in a running pouch. Also take care to avoid rain damage or breakage in a fall.
Screen while sharing
While location sharing is active, the following information is shown.
Status display
| Status | Color | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Location Sharing | Green | Location is being sent normally |
| Acquiring GPS... | Yellow | GPS is being acquired |
| Connecting... | Yellow | Reconnecting to the server |
| Send Error | Red | Failed to send location |
| Offline | Gray | No network connection |
Information shown
- Map - Your current location, if the organizer enabled map display
- Battery level - Current battery status of the device
- GPS accuracy - Accuracy of the location data
- Last sent time - The most recent time location was sent
Live Activity (iPhone)
Starting location sharing displays the event name and elapsed sharing time on the Lock Screen and other supported surfaces when Live Activities are allowed on the device. Score and checkpoint counts are not shown. An area violation displays a warning message. Live Activity does not show the direction or distance for returning; check these in the app. Stopping sharing shows the finished state before closing the activity. Disabling Live Activities and stopping location sharing are separate actions.
Play Area and Restricted Area Alerts
In Safety Tracking events where the organizer has configured a play area or restricted areas, your device alerts you automatically to prevent disorientation or entry into hazardous areas.
- High-accuracy positioning near boundaries — When areas are configured, positioning checks occur continuously on every movement within 100 m of a boundary.
- Alerts on violation — Exiting the play area or entering a restricted area triggers prolonged vibration, warning sound, and notifications, along with a red banner guiding bearing and distance to safety.
- Shortened location transmission interval — While in violation, the location transmission interval to the organizer is automatically reduced to 30 seconds or less, regardless of default settings, so organizers can assess the situation quickly.
- Return — Returning 10 m or more inside the safe zone triggers a "Back in the area" notification and clears the alert.
Send an SOS
If an emergency happens, you can notify the organizer by sending an SOS.
How to send it
- Long-press the SOS button.
- Enter a message if needed.
- Confirm the send action.
When the SOS is sent, the organizers receive a push notification on their phones, and it also appears on the monitoring screen. Your current location and message are shown to the organizers.
Even out of coverage, you can still perform the SOS action itself. The SOS is saved on your device and is sent automatically as soon as a signal is available (no need to act again). While it cannot be sent, the app screen shows that you are offline and the send status.
Clear an SOS
If the situation is resolved, you can clear the SOS. The organizer side can also clear it by marking it resolved.
Receiving messages from operators
During the activity, operators may send messages to participants, such as course changes or notice of a suspension. Check the content on the screen while location sharing is active and act according to the instructions.
- Received messages can be checked on the message screen
- Important or urgent messages may be sent repeatedly by operators depending on the situation
- Once you have read the content, move on to the next action as instructed
When a message from the organizers arrives while you have the location sharing screen open, it is automatically shown as a pop-up on both iOS and Android (within 60 seconds of sending). Messages to everyone are not sent as push notifications, and messages that arrived a while ago do not pop up either, so also check the message screen.
Stop location sharing
- Long-press the stop button on the screen (Long press to stop).
- When asked “Are you sure you want to stop location sharing?”, tap Stop.
- Confirm that sharing has ended.
When you stop, a screen for reviewing your own record (Location Sharing Record) opens. Depending on the organizer's settings, you may be prompted to open a page such as a survey when you close this screen.
The organizer may also force play to end. In that case, a message saying the organizer has ended play is shown and sharing stops. If the location sharing screen was still open (even with the app in the background), the review screen opens when you tap OK on the message.
Review your record after sharing ends
After you finish location sharing, you can look back on where and how you moved, on a map and in numbers (the screen is called Location Sharing Record). Even in events where the organizer has chosen not to show the map, you can see your own track once sharing has ended. Only your own record is shown; other participants' locations are not.
Open the review screen
- Automatically right after sharing ends — It opens when you stop sharing yourself, or when the organizer ended sharing while the location sharing screen was open (after you tap OK on the message). It does not open after the 24-hour automatic stop, when the organizer ended sharing while the app was closed, when sharing had already ended by the time you pressed stop, or when the record cannot be found (you can open it later from the event screen or History)
- From the event screen — Tap My Records on the Safety Tracking Event screen (the number of records is shown on the right). This row appears when you have finished sharing at least once in that event (it does not appear on the screen opened as an organizer). If there is one record, it opens directly; if you shared several times in the same event, choose from a list with the newest first
- From History — Tap the Safety Tracking Event row in the History list. You can open it even after the event has been made private
What you can see on the review screen
- Map — Your track, the start and finish positions, where you sent an SOS (with the time and message), and the segments where you were outside the play area or inside a restricted area (red line). The map and play area prepared by the organizer are also overlaid
- Numbers — Distance, Time, Avg. Speed, and Elevation Gain
- SOS and Area violations — The SOS you sent, and the number and list of area violations
- In-Event Messages and Direct Contact with Organizer — You can read the messages exchanged with the organizer (you cannot send from the review screen). Direct Contact with Organizer is shown only when the organizer has turned on Enable direct contact with event organizer
- Open Organizer's Page — Shown when the organizer has set a page to open after the event (such as a survey). If you open it here, the prompt is not shown when you close the screen
- Activity Log — A text log of things such as location sending
- Export GPX — Save your track as a GPX file to import into other map apps or activity services (SOS and area violations are not included. It is not shown when there are no location records or when the record has not been fully loaded)
If almost no locations were recorded, "No location records" is shown and only the time is given.
The track may be drawn from the locations sent to the organizer every few minutes. In that case, "Drawn from locations recorded every few minutes" is shown, and the track looks straighter than the route you actually took. On iPhone, if detailed locations were recorded on the device during sharing, the track is drawn from those instead.
The review screen is available in newer versions of the NaviTabi app. If it does not appear, update the app to the latest version. My Records on the event screen does not appear if you have never finished sharing in that event.
Difference from a standard event
| Item | Standard event | Safety Tracking Event |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Competition through visiting spots | Real-time location sharing |
| Spots | Yes, course setup required | No |
| Score | Yes | No |
| Live Tracking | Participants can choose at the start (on by default). It is on when the organizer has made it always active, and when you start automatically in a mass start (details) | Required |
| SOS feature | No | Yes |
| Play Area & Restricted Area | Available (location sharing becomes mandatory when set) | Available (transmission interval shortened during violation) |
Related pages
- Read the full participant-side flow: Safety Tracking - Participant preparation and event-day flow
- Check organizer settings: Play Area and Restricted Areas (Organizer Guide)
- Check limitations: Safety Tracking - Limitations and cautions
- See common questions: FAQ - Location Sharing and Safety Tracking