Frequently asked questions

This page provides answers to frequently asked questions about locations and geofences.

Location tracking

When does Braze collect location data?

Braze only collects location when the application is open in the foreground. As a result, our Most Recent Location filter targets users based upon where they last opened the application (also referred to as session start).

You should also keep the following nuances in mind:

• If location is disabled, the Most Recent Location filter will show the last location recorded.
• If a user has ever had a location stored on their profile, they will qualify for the Location Available filter, even if they’ve opted out of location tracking since then.

What’s the difference between the Most Recent Device Locale and Most Recent Location filters?

The Most Recent Device Locale comes from the user’s device settings. For example, this appears for iPhone users in their device under Settings > General > Language & Region. This filter is used to capture language and regional formatting, such as dates and addresses, and is independent of the Most Recent Location filter.

The Most Recent Location is the last known GPS location of the device. This is updated on session start and is stored on the user’s profile.

If a user opts out of location tracking, will their old location data be removed from Braze?

Nope! If a user has ever had a location stored on their profile, that data will not be automatically removed if they later opt out of location tracking.

Geofences

What’s the difference between geofences and location tracking?

In Braze, a geofence is a different concept from location tracking. Geofences are used as triggers for certain actions. A geofence is a virtual boundary set up around a geographical location. When a user enters or exits this boundary, it can trigger a specific action, such as sending a message.

Location tracking is used to collect and store a user’s most recent location data. This data can be used to segment users based on the Most Recent Location filter. For example, you could use the Most Recent Location filter to target a specific region of your audience, such as sending a message to users located in New York.

How accurate are Braze geofences?

Braze geofences use a combination of all location providers available to a device to triangulate the user’s location. These include Wi-Fi, GPS, and cellular towers.

Typical accuracy is in 20–50m range and best-case accuracy will be in the 5-10m range. In rural areas, accuracy may degrade significantly, potentially going up to several kilometers. Braze recommends creating geofences with larger radii in rural locations.

For more information on the accuracy of geofences, refer to Android and iOS documentation.

How do geofences affect battery life?

Our geofencing solution uses the native geofence system service on iOS and Android and is tuned to intelligently trade off accuracy and power, ensuring best in class battery life and improvements in performance as the underlying service improves.

When are geofences active?

Braze geofences work at all hours of the day, even when your app is closed. They become active as soon as they are defined and uploaded to the Braze dashboard. However, geofences can’t function if a user has disabled location tracking.

For geofences to work, users must have location services enabled on their device and must have granted your app permission to access their location. If a user has disabled location tracking, your app won’t be able to detect when they enter or exit a geofence.

Is geofence data stored in user profiles?

No, Braze doesn’t store geofence data on user profiles. Geofences are monitored by Apple and Google location services, and Braze only gets notified when a user triggers a geofence. At that point, we process any associated trigger campaigns.

Can I set up a geofence within a geofence?

As a best practice, avoid setting up geofences inside each other as this may cause issues with triggering notifications.