GPS Tracking for QR Codes

What Is GPS Tracking?

GPS tracking is an advanced setting that requests the scanner's precise device location at the moment they scan your QR code. When enabled, the scanner's browser will display a native location permission prompt. If the user grants permission, Lifetime QR Codes captures their latitude, longitude, and accuracy radius, and pins that data point on your analytics scan map.

This is different from the standard IP-based location that Lifetime QR Codes records for every scan. GPS tracking captures the scanner's actual physical position — not just the approximate city or region inferred from their IP address — making it significantly more precise for use cases like event check-in tracking, field deployment analysis, or hyperlocal campaign measurement.

How to Enable GPS Tracking Per QR Code

1. Open My QR Codes and select the code you want to configure.
2. Click Edit to open the QR code editor.
3. Go to the Advanced Settings tab.
4. Find the GPS Tracking toggle and turn it on.
5. Click Save to apply the setting.

GPS tracking is configured per QR code — enabling it on one code does not affect any of your other codes. You can enable or disable it at any time without affecting the destination URL or any other settings.

How the Browser Location Prompt Works

When a scanner opens a QR code with GPS tracking enabled, their browser will display a permission prompt before loading the destination. The prompt is generated by the browser itself (not by Lifetime QR Codes) and typically reads:

"[Site] wants to know your location — Allow / Block"

This prompt follows the browser's standard Web Geolocation API. Scanners can choose:

• Allow — Their precise GPS coordinates are captured and associated with this scan event.
• Block or Deny — No GPS data is captured. The scan is still recorded, and Lifetime QR Codes will fall back to IP-based location estimation for that scan.
• Dismiss — Same as blocking; no GPS data is captured.

In all cases, the scanner proceeds to the QR code destination regardless of whether they grant or deny location access.

What Data Is Captured

When a scanner grants GPS permission, Lifetime QR Codes records the following data points for that scan:

• Latitude — Precise north/south coordinate of the scanner's position.
• Longitude — Precise east/west coordinate of the scanner's position.
• Accuracy radius — The estimated margin of error in meters reported by the device (e.g., ±10 meters on a GPS-equipped phone).
• Timestamp — The exact date and time the scan occurred.

GPS data is stored securely and associated with the individual scan event. It is visible only to the QR code owner and authorized team members in your Lifetime QR Codes account.

Viewing GPS Data on the Scan Map

All captured GPS locations are plotted as pins on the interactive Scan Mapin your Lifetime QR Codes analytics dashboard. To view them:

1. Go to Analytics for the QR code.
2. Select the Scan Map tab.
3. Pins with precise GPS coordinates will appear on the map at their exact location.
4. Scans where GPS was denied will still appear as approximate circles based on IP geolocation.

You can zoom in to street level on GPS-precise pins. Click any pin to see the timestamp and device information associated with that specific scan.

GPS Tracking vs. IP-Based Location

Lifetime QR Codes always records an estimated location for every scan using the scanner's IP address. This gives you city- and country-level data without requiring any permission from the user. GPS tracking supplements this with device-level precision when the user opts in.

• IP-based location — Always available, city/region level accuracy, no user permission required. Can be inaccurate for mobile users on cellular networks or VPN users.
• GPS tracking — Requires user permission, meter-level accuracy, reflects the scanner's actual physical position at the time of the scan.

For most general analytics purposes, IP-based location is sufficient. Enable GPS tracking when you need precise, verifiable location data — for example, to confirm that field staff scanned a code at a specific physical location, or to map exactly where attendees checked in at a large venue.

Privacy Considerations

Because GPS tracking collects precise physical location data, it is important to be transparent with your audience. Consider the following best practices:

• Inform users on any associated materials that the QR code may request their location.
• Only enable GPS tracking when precise location data is genuinely necessary for your use case.
• Ensure your privacy policy covers location data collection if required by the regulations applicable to your audience (such as GDPR in Europe or CCPA in California).

Users can always decline the location prompt. Lifetime QR Codes does not penalize or restrict access for users who choose not to share their location.