Frequently asked questions about the AngelTrack Beacon mobile app, used to track crew members and vehicle
This is a list of frequently asked questions about the Beacon app, which is used for adjunct GPS tracking of vehicles and employees. To learn more about Beacon, please visit the Beacon GPS Tracking Guide.
To learn more about GPS tracking in AngelTrack, please visit the GPS Tracking Guide.
This Feature is Deprecated, but Don't Worry
In 2025 we faced the cost and hassle of rewriting the AngelTrack Beacon app to bring it up to to the current mobile operating system versions. We decided instead to apply that cost to building AVL integrations, which provide better, richer, more accurate vehicle data than the Beacon app does.
You may continue using Beacon as long as your mobile devices are willing to run it. The APIs for it (in your AngelTrack server) will continue to work as long as anyone is using them, and we wish you success, but we no longer provide technical support for Beacon.
In lieu of Beacon, we invite you to consider the low-cost, quick-install AVL solutions. Some AVL services have OBDII-dongle devices that take less than one minute to install per vehicle, using a little dongle that plugs in to the vehicle's diagnostic connector below the steering wheel.
These services include detailed tracking for less than $15 per vehicle per month. You can check the AngelTrack knowledgebase to see which AVLs AngelTrack has already integrated with, or plans to.
- AngelTrack-RasTrac AVL Integration
- AngelTrack-Samsara AVL Integration
- AngelTrack-Azuga AVL Integration
If you choose an AVL that has an AngelTrack integration, then AngelTrack can pull vehicle data straight from the AVL service, including geolocation, fuel level, odometer readings, and perhaps additional telematics data in the future. This is vastly superior to the tracking provided by the Beacon app, because it includes odometers and fuel levels, and because it avoids the problem of crews taking the wrong iPad in the morning.
What is the Beacon App?
Beacon is a small Android / Apple iOS app that you install into your company-owned mobile devices. It runs in the background and silently monitors the device's movements, reporting in to your AngelTrack cloud server every few minutes.
When using Beacon, your mobile devices will show their live position in AngelTrack's maps and grids even when nobody is using the device... whereas without Beacon, AngelTrack knows the device's position only when someone is using the web browser.
Is It More Accurate Than Regular AngelTrack?
No.
AngelTrack's GPS pins -- collected from the browser during normal use, without any Beacon app -- are as accurate as the device can be.
The sole benefit of Beacon is: it is always on. You will always have live location data for an employee or vehicle that has the Beacon app... whereas with normal AngelTrack, you get live employee location data only when the employee is actively using their device.
Does the Beacon App Cost Anything?
No.
There is no charge for the Beacon app, or for AngelTrack's native GPS tracking features.
On a related note, AngelTrack has several AVL integrations that can pull data directly from your vehicles' AVL tracker devices, without need for the Beacon app.
Which Operating Systems Does the Beacon App Support?
The Android version of the Beacon app is available in the Google Play store, as a free download.
The Apple iOS version of the Beacon app is available in the iTunes Store, as a free download.
How Do I Set Up the Beacon App on My Mobile Device?
Once you've downloaded it onto your mobile devices, use your AngelTrack cloud server to issue tokens for the devices. The device reports its position along with the token; the token identifies the device as belonging to a certain vehicle or to a certain crew member.
To learn more about configuring and using Beacon, read the GPS tracking guide available in the online help.
Does the Beacon App Require a Username and Password?
No.
Security is provided by the token, which cannot be guessed by a hacker. Read the aforementioned guide to learn how Beacon's security works.
What is the Beacon App's Update Rate?
Beacon phones home once every six minutes when the device is moving slowly, or once every two minutes when the device is moving quickly.
Can I Use the Beacon App on My Crews' Personal Mobile Devices?
Yes, with their consent of course.
Since they take their personal cellphones everywhere they go, they would be ideal for reporting their individual positions while on duty. When off duty, the employee can easily switch the beacon back off.
How Do I Generate a Token for the Beacon App?
To generate a Beacon app token that represents the position of an employee, follow these steps:
- Visit the Employee HR Edit page, accessible from the Employees List. (If the token is for you, then you can click your initials to visit your Employee Self Edit page.)
- Switch to the Identity tab, and scroll down to find the Beacon section.
- If you've already got a token, it will be displayed. To generate a new one, click "Issue Token", write down the new token, and then click Save.
To generate a Beacon app token that represents the position of a vehicle, follow these steps:
- Visit the Vehicle Edit page, accessible from the Vehicles List.
- Switch to the Settings tab, and scroll down to find the Beacon section.
- If the vehicle has already got a token, it will be displayed. To generate a new one, click "Issue Token", write down the new token, and then click Save.
What's the Difference Between an Employee Token and a Vehicle Token?
Employee tokens start with the letter E, and are used to report the position of one particular person.
Vehicle tokens start with the letter V, and are used to report the position of all crew members currently onboard. You'll use vehicle tokens when you assign your mobile devices to specific vehicles (regardless of who is onboard), rather than to specific employees.
Note that AngelTrack also has AVL integrations, so if you already have AVL trackers installed in your vehicles, AngelTrack may be able to talk to those, rather than using the Beacon app.
Is There Any Advertising in the Beacon App?
No.
Beacon does absolutely nothing except check GPS position and then upload it to your cloud server.
Its source code is available for inspection by anyone appearing in person at the Missouri development office.
I've Got the Beacon App Installed and Running, Why Don't I See a GPS Pin on My Live Map...?
If the Beacon app is using an employee token, that employee must be marked as a crew member and/or a salesperson, and their employee account must not be marked inactive.
If the Beacon app is using a vehicle token, that vehicle must not be marked inactive, and it must be in an active shift. Remember, location pings from vehicles are used to render the locations of the crew members who are onboard.
You might've mistyped the token string. It must be typed exactly, and for security purposes the app does not have any way to check whether the token is mistyped.
Also, double-check that your cloud server's name is typed correctly.
Check the GPS Beacon Status report, available from Supervisor Home, to see if any pings are arriving at all from the app.
If everything is typed exactly right but it still doesn't report a position, contact AngelTrack support.
I'm Using Vehicle Tokens, So Why Don't I See Vehicle Pins on the Map?
In AngelTrack, only employees have positions.
If a position report is received from a vehicle token, the position is recorded for all employees in that vehicle. The employees are plotted on the map, but the vehicle itself is not.
Individual employees can upload positions for themselves using employee tokens, which will override any position information inherited from their vehicles.
The Beacon App is Still Not Working, What Else Do I Check?
Refer to the Troubleshooting section of the Beacon GPS Tracking Guide.