How does location tracking work after a device is marked lost?

Skie for Enterprise · Updated

Short answer

Once a device is in lost mode, Skie keeps recording its location every time it reaches the internet and adds each point to a trail you can see in the dashboard. You can also request a fresh location. It cannot report where it is while it has no connection, so the trail fills in when it returns online.

Tracking is already part of how Skie works on managed devices, with a background service and a repeating check-in. Lost mode keeps that going and puts it in front of you. The dashboard shows the latest position, the trail of earlier positions and when each was recorded.

You can ask for a fresh location from the device page. If the device is online it replies. If it cannot be located, the dashboard gives a reason, for example that the device is offline or that location is not available at that moment. The location permission was granted when the device was provisioned, so the person holding it cannot turn it off from the device.

A tablet with no SIM and no Wi-Fi nearby is silent. It is not lost to you in a final sense, since the trail resumes when it connects, but the first sign may be late. This is why a Wi-Fi only tablet in a bag is not a live dot on a map. Skie does not state accuracy figures, because they depend on the device and where it is.

Use the information sensibly. If the trail points to a house, a hostel or a bus route, do not confront anyone. Give the trail to the police along with the report. The dashboard has a go to button that opens directions in your maps app, which is meant for finding a device in a building, not for chasing.

Tracking needs clear consent and a written policy. Skie provides the controls, and the organisation provides the notices. This is general information, not legal advice.

Practical tip: note the time you marked it lost, so the trail from before and after is clear. Next: the evidence.

  • Records a point each time the device is online
  • Request a fresh location from the dashboard
  • No connection means no new points
  • Give the trail to the police

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