User Guide

Breadcrumbs Mobile™

Last updated: June 2026

Getting Started

Breadcrumbs Mobile tracks your location and lets you send status messages to people you choose. It's designed for outdoor activities where others need to know where you are.

Requirements

iPhone or iPad running iOS 26 or later.
T-Mobile cellular service - optional, but needed for T-Mobile Satellite.
T-Mobile T-Satellite feature enabled - optional, but highly recommended, for tracking and messaging outside cellular coverage, such as the Idaho backcountry.
Future - Breadscrumb mobile plans to support other satellite networks as they become available and Apple allows connecting to them.

Important: Breadcrumbs Mobile will not work Apple satellite and Apple SOS - these do not support data networking, and for messaging, require the user to point the phone at the satellite.

Fast Start

Sign in with your Apple ID, if you haven't already.
Click the Settings icon in the upper right corner of the screen
Scroll to User Information, click Change User Information and enter:

Trip Name. Tracks will adopt this name until you change it. Useful to collect tracks together. Map Viewer can show separate trips.
SOS and Help Message: to help helpers or rescuers identify you. We suggest vehicle color and identification.
Note: your name and email are populated from your login ID. You can't change them.

Scroll down to Auto-Tracking.

Set a breadcrumb time consistent with your speed and mission. For aircraft and cars, we suggest 5 or 15 minutes.

Scroll down to the buttons. I'm OK is the first.

Add at least one recipient to each Status Button. The easiest way is to Pick from Contacts.
Optional: add or change a message for each button.
Optional: change the button name on the two User buttons. For aircraft, we suggest Takeoff and Landed.

Scroll down to Track Sharing

Click Set Web Viewer Password - so you can see and manage your own tracks.
Enter the password
Click Set Password

If you want others to see your tracks

Enable Public Sharing using the slider. It will turn green when enabled.
When enabled, your latest breadcrumb is included in button messages.

That's all you need to do now. Click Back in the upper left corner of the screen to return to the Home Screen.
You're ready to send breadcrumbs.

Test It Out!

Press the I'm OK button.

You can edit the message, or just send without editing - press send (the up arrow).

Turn Auto-track on using the slider.
Go for a walk.
Turn Auto-track off (you need to hold for a few seconds).
Press View Latest Track Map at the bottom of the Home Page. It will show your route.

You may have to log in.
Generally, your login state is saved by Safari. This is not managed by Breadcrumbs Mobile.
You may want to save your password in Apple Passwords. This is not managed by Breadcrumbs Mobile.

Getting Started
Home Screen
User Information
Auto-Tracking
Status Buttons (OK, Help, SOS, Custom)
Recipients
Track Sharing
SMS Fallback (Satellite)
Appearance
Debug Logs
Troubleshooting
Frequently Asked Questions
Contact & Support

Home Screen

The home screen shows your current location and provides quick access to all actions.

Auto-Track Toggle

The switch at the top starts or stops automatic breadcrumb sending at your configured interval. Auto-track will automatically switch between cellular and satellite networks.

Send Breadcrumb

Tap to immediately send a single breadcrumb to the server. This does not notify your recipients - it just records your position.

Status Buttons

The status buttons lets you send messages with your location. Each button can have its own recipients and custom message. See Status Buttons below.

Location Display

Shows your current coordinates, heading, speed, altitude, and accuracy. Pull down to refresh. Refreshing just updates the location - it does not send a breadcrumb.

View Latest Track Map

Opens the web Map Viewer showing your most recent track. You must have network connectivity, via WiFi, cellular, or satellite.

Settings - Gear icon

Tap the gear icon in the upper right corner to open Settings, where you can configure your user information, status buttons, recipients, track sharing, and more.

Settings - User Information

Your name and email identify your breadcrumbs on the server and in messages sent to recipients.

Your Name - Your name, from your login ID. Included in status messages and stored with each breadcrumb. You cannot change it here.
Your Email - Your login email. Used as your unique identifier. You cannot chagne it here.
SOS and Help Message - Extra context included with Help and SOS messages, e.g., your aircraft tail number or vehicle description.
Speed Units - Choose knots, mph, or kph for speed display.
Altitude Units - Choose feet or meters for altitude display.

Settings - Auto-Tracking Interval

Auto-tracking sends breadcrumbs to the server at a regular interval without any action from you.

Pro-tier intervals — Set how often a breadcrumb is sent in Autotrack (1, 5, 15, 30, 60, or 120 minutes).
Free-tier intervals — Set how often a breadcrumb is sent in Autotrack (15, 30, 60, or 120 minutes).
Auto-track breadcrumbs go only to your tracks — they do not send SMS or email to recipients.
Auto-tracking works in the background your device when location permissions are set to "Always". Answer "Always" when the app requests this permission, and check it in your device settings if you need to.
For safety, auto-tracking is set to OFF when the app starts or restarts. Auto-tracking remains ON when your mobile device is locked.

Tip: For hiking or flying, 5 to 15 minute intervals give a good track without draining your battery too quickly.

Settings - Status Buttons

Each button sends your current location plus a message to the recipients you've configured for that button.

Built-in Buttons

I'm OK — Let people know you're fine. Sends immediately without confirmation.
Need Help — Request assistance. Shows a confirmation dialog and lets you edit the message before sending.
SOS — Emergency. Shows a confirmation dialog and lets you edit the message. Your SOS description is included automatically.

Custom Buttons (User 1 & User 2)

Two customizable buttons with your own label and message. Use them for anything: "Takeoff”, "At camp", "Weather delay", "Fuel stop", etc.

Button Name — The label shown on the button.
Custom Message — The default message sent when the button is pressed. You can also edit it before each send.

Settings - Recipients

Each status button has its own list of recipients. A recipient can receive SMS, email, or both. We recommend using SMS over email, as SMS tends to be slightly more reliable in weak coverage areas.

Under any button in settings, tap either:

Pick from Contacts - choose from your personal contacts. You can use search.
Type Recipient In - manually enter the recipient data. You must enter a name and at least one contact method (email or phone number).

Either way you enter them:

Phone recipients get SMS messages. Email recipients get email.
Multiple phone recipients are combined into a single group SMS
Multiple email recipients are combined into a single email.

Note: Recipient information is stored only on your device, not on our servers.

Settings - Track Sharing

Share your tracked routes with others through the Map Viewer on the Web.

Web Viewer Password

Set a password to sign in to the web Map Viewer and see your own tracks.

Public Sharing

When enabled, anyone with access to the Map Viewer can see your tracks. You can limit the visible history, e.g., last 7 days.

Share Links

Create individual links for specific people. Each link can have:

A label (e.g., "Mom", "SAR Team")
A time window (how many days of history to show)
An expiry date (after which the link stops working)

You can copy, share, or revoke links at any time.

Settings - SMS Fallback (Pro-tier only)

When you're out of cellular data range but still have weak cellular but do not have a satellite data connection (e.g., T-Mobile satellite), the app can send breadcrumbs via SMS instead of HTTP.

Enable SMS Fallback — Turns on the text message fallback. When network data connection is unavailable, the app automatically tries SMS. This is intended for areas of weak cellular coverage where SMS may still work, but the satellite network is unavailable.
Keep Screen On — Prevents your device from sleeping during tracking, which is needed for breadcrumbs to send in SMS fallback mode. However, if you manually lock your screen, the screen will not be kept on by this setting.
BreadcrumbsSMS Shortcut — An iOS Shortcut that handles the actual SMS sending. Install it using the button below. Accept the permissions it requests, make sure to allow it to run when the app triggers it; and allow returning to Breadcrumbs Mobile.
Important: SMS fallback requires the BreadcrumbsSMS Shortcut to be installed on your device. Tap the install button in Settings to set it up, and allow the permission requests.
Test SMS Fallback — Sends a test breadcrumb via SMS to verify Fallback is working.

Appearance

Choose a background color for the app. Tap a color swatch to apply it. The change is saved immediately.

Troubleshooting

Location shows "N/A" or won't update

Make sure Location Services are enabled in your device settings.

In iOS, go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services and ensure it's on.
Grant the app "Always" permission for background tracking.
In iOS, go to Settings > Breadcrumbs Mobile > Location and select "Always" and toggle "Precise Location" to ON.
Go outdoors — GPS needs a clear view of the sky. GPS will work indoors, at reduced accuracy
Pull down on the home screen to force a location refresh.

Breadcrumbs aren't sending

Check that your name and email are set in Settings.
Verify you have an internet connection.
Check the queued breadcrumbs count on the home screen — queued items will retry automatically.

Status buttons are disabled

A button is disabled if it has no recipients configured. Add at least one recipient in Settings.

Auto-tracking stops unexpectedly

iOS may stop background tasks if battery is very low.
Make sure "Location: Always" permission is granted.
Auto-tracking is intentionally turned off on every app restart as a safety measure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Tap a question to expand its answer.

Do I need T-Mobile to use Breadcrumbs Mobile?

No, but.... Breadcrumbs Mobile works over any internet connection — Wi-Fi or cellular — on an iPhone or iPad running iOS 26 or later. T-Mobile's T-Satellite feature is only needed if you want tracking and messaging to keep working beyond cellular coverage. Within cellular range, everything works without it.

How much battery will auto-track use

Using a iPhone 16 Pro, we found that auto-tracking, on one minute intervals, uses about .7% - 1% per hour at walking speeds. At first speeds, e.g. inflight, and spending substantial time in satellite coverage, and at 5 minute intervals, it can use as much as 3% per hour. On a percentage basis, the app will consume less on larger phones.

Contact & Support

For bug reports or questions, use Report a Problem in Settings, submit our Support Form.