WhileOut support

A little help for your everyday reminders.

Contact michael@bloomfieldtechco.ca for help, feedback or feature suggestions. Include your phone model, iOS or Android version, WhileOut version, and a short explanation of what happened. Do not send passwords. Share reminder text or exact locations only if necessary for troubleshooting.

Create a reminder

Write a message on Create, choose Arrival or Departure, and select a place. Search Apple Maps, move the map pin, use your current location, or choose one of your five recent places. Tap Use this place, choose a radius, then Create reminder.

When will an alert appear?

Arrival reminders respond to entering an area; Departure reminders respond to leaving it. They repeat on later crossings until paused, completed or deleted. Creating a reminder while already inside an Arrival area does not guarantee an immediate alert. iOS checks boundary changes, and delivery can take several minutes.

A reminder did not notify me

Check location and notification permissions in the top-right settings screen. Check that the reminder is active and shows Ready. On your iPhone, check Focus, notification presentation and Location Services. Precise Location helps with smaller areas. For testing, cross the full saved radius and allow time for iOS to confirm the change. The sample notification tests notification delivery only, not location monitoring.

My map starts somewhere unexpected

Check location permission and that Location Services are available. You can always search for a place or move the map pin. New selections can start near your current location; editing a saved place keeps its chosen location. Search, recent-place selection and manual pin movement prevent a later automatic location result from replacing your choice.

Manage reminders

Swipe left for Complete or Delete. Open a reminder to edit, pause or resume it. Completed reminders can be restored from their detail screen. There is a limit of 20 active reminders; pause or complete one to make room. Paused and completed reminders remain saved.

Recent places

The last five distinct places you used for saved reminders are available beneath an empty search field. Using a place again moves it to the top. Nearby pins may share one recent entry. Deleting a reminder does not remove its place from this history.

Storage and privacy

Reminders and recent places are stored on your iPhone. There is no WhileOut account or cloud-sync service. Apple's backup settings may affect whether local data is included in backups. Deleting the app removes its local data; offloading may retain it. Read the WhileOut privacy policy at the app-specific privacy page.

Android setup and troubleshooting

Android uses OpenStreetMap maps and Photon search. In WhileOut settings, read the location disclosure, allow precise location, then choose Allow all the time in Android's Location permission settings. Enable notifications and the phone's Location setting. Google Play services is required for background reminders. No Google Maps API key or separate account is needed.

On Android, check battery restrictions, Do Not Disturb and the reminder's Ready status. Force-stopping the app prevents reminders until you open it again. Alerts can be delayed; test by crossing the full saved radius and allowing a few minutes. Map display and search require an internet connection. If search is unavailable, try a recent place or move the map when tiles are available.

Reminders and recent places remain on the Android device. Android backup may include them. Clear the app's storage or uninstall it to remove local data, and manage older device backups separately. There is no cross-platform sync or automatic import from the iPhone version.

About

WhileOut is made by Bloomfield Tech Company in Nova Scotia, Canada. The iPhone app requires iOS 17 or later. The Android app requires Android 8.0 or later with Google Play services for background reminders. Availability depends on the relevant app store release. Location alerts are approximate; the app is intended for everyday reminders, not emergency or safety-critical use.