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Location map

This page documents the device-specific location tools available in Device overview. The panel contains a Location tab for position history and, on Android devices, iPhones and iPads, a Geofence tab for geofence transitions.

Prerequisites

On Android, device location data is shown only when location reporting is enabled in the device policy. To enable it, open the policy and turn on Location and geofences → Report location. For more details, see Location and geofences.

On iPhones and iPads, the location comes from the Cerberus Enterprise app, once the user allows it, or from the Locate device command while the device is in lost mode. Macs and other Apple devices don't report their location.

On devices that are not fully managed, location data may still depend on the Cerberus Enterprise app having the required location permissions and on location services being enabled on the device.

On personal devices (User Enrollment), location and geofences are available only when the Apple policy has Location and geofences on personal devices on, and only if the user allows location for the Cerberus Enterprise app. Otherwise their device page doesn't show the location actions or live tracking. Lost Mode is never available on personal devices.

For the global multi-device map available from the dashboard, see Dashboard location map.

Loading and no-data state

  • While location data is loading, the panel shows a loading overlay on the map.
  • If the device has no location data available, the panel shows a message stating No location data available. On Android it adds a reminder to enable location reporting in the assigned policy, when it's off. On Apple it says where the location comes from, or that this type of device doesn't report it.
  • If a date filter is active and no samples match it, the panel shows No data available in the selected date range.

Location tab

Open the Location tab to inspect the history for a single device. The available filters include the last known location, recent history ranges, a custom date range, and live tracking.

  • Last: shows the last known location.
  • Today, Last 7 days, and Last 30 days: show recorded locations for the selected period.
  • Search: lets you choose a custom date range.
  • Live: starts or stops live tracking for the current device.

Locations are kept for 90 days: older ones are deleted automatically every night. The latest location of each enrolled device is always kept, so the device stays on the maps even when it hasn't reported for a long time. For removed devices and past enrollments, the locations older than 90 days are all deleted. For this reason the Search date range can't start more than 90 days ago.

Marker details

When you click a location marker, an information window opens with:

  • The timestamp of the location record.
  • The reported accuracy (in meters).
  • The reported speed, when the device provides it.
  • The reported heading or bearing, when the device provides it.

Accuracy circle

When the information window is open, an accuracy circle is displayed around the marker. The circle radius corresponds to the reported accuracy (in meters). Closing the information window hides the circle.

Live tracking

In the device history view, selecting the Live filter starts a real-time tracking request for that specific device. Cerberus Enterprise asks for confirmation before starting the request.

  • Live tracking runs for up to 15 minutes.
  • While live tracking is active, Android devices show a notification and iPhones and iPads show the location indicator.
  • While live tracking is active, the panel keeps refreshing the latest location and the live indicator stays visible.
  • Selecting the live filter again lets you stop live tracking before the timeout ends.
  • On iPhone and iPad, live tracking runs through the Cerberus Enterprise app, with location access set to Always. The request normally wakes the app even when it isn't open, and the app then sends locations for the whole session. iOS doesn't guarantee these requests: it can delay them or not deliver them, for example in Low Power Mode or without a network connection. If no location arrives within 2 minutes, the dashboard cancels the request: ask the user to open the app once, then try again.

Geofence tab

On Android devices, iPhones and iPads, the second tab shows geofence transitions generated from the geofences defined in the assigned policy.

  • The map shows the current geofence areas together with the recorded transition points.
  • The transition list on the right lets you inspect enter and exit events.
  • The available filters are Today, Last 7 days, Last 30 days, and a custom date-range search.
  • Include archived also shows transitions related to old geofence definitions that are no longer present in the current policy.
  • Geofence transitions are kept for 90 days and older ones are deleted automatically every night, so the custom date-range search can't start more than 90 days ago.

On iPhones and iPads, when the policy has active geofences, a status line at the top of the tab shows whether geofencing works on the device. It tells you when it can't work: the Cerberus Enterprise app hasn't contacted the server or must be updated, location access isn't set to Always, Precise Location or Background App Refresh is off, Low Power Mode was on when the app last reported its settings (geofence events and changes can then be delayed by hours), or the app hasn't applied the latest geofences yet. When everything works, it shows how many geofences the app monitors.

Geofence transition details

Selecting a transition opens its details on the map and highlights the corresponding list entry. When available, Cerberus Enterprise also shows the device coordinates and reported accuracy for that transition.