On The Spot

On The Spot is a Geo Alert app that allows you to create alerts when you reach a certain location. Once you are at that location, On The Spot will send you a notification and optionally can show a reminder, change your ringer (normal, vibrate, or silent), show a webpage, and send a text message. This is a fantastic app for getting information when you need it or letting someone know you arrived safely.

Alerts can be added by using the ‘Insert’ menu item from the main screen. They can also be edited by tapping them on the main screen. Additionally, they can be deleted by touching the alert for a few seconds on the main screen and waiting for the ‘Delete Alert’ button to appear.

Location Services – On The Spot needs at least one location service enabled (GPS or Network). For the best accuracy, enable your GPS; however, keep in mind that the GPS will utilize your battery much faster. GPS accuracy is much better than Network. Network accuracy may be as much as 1500 meters (nearly one mile) off and can result in alerts firing sooner than you would expect or firing repeatedly as your device changes network transmitters.

Preferences – From the menu, you can select and change your preferences to set the minimum frequency between location updates, set the minimum distance you must move to receive an updated location (remember if GPS is not enabled, a change in network transmitter could be perceived as a change), and set the proximity radius of how far around the location you want to the alert to be triggered.

Suspend/Resume Alerts – From the menu on the main screen, you may suspend alerts at any time if you wish to disable them for a while. You may also resume the alerts when you are ready to begin receiving them again. Keep in mind the alerts will be resumed if you reboot your device or reopen On The Spot.

Alert Characteristics – Alerts must have a name and a location (latitude and longitude). You can select the location from where you are currently located, a map, or an address. If you choose to use the map, once you find your desired location, just tap it and the coordinates will be returned to the setup screen.

Alert Actions – The following actions can be configured for each alert.

Set the Notification Text – This is the text that will appear in the notification you receive.

Show a Reminder – Any text you enter in this box will cause a reminder screen to be displayed when you tap the notification. This could be your grocery list for when you arrive at the store, names of people you are meeting with at a location, or anything you want to have as a reminder.

Change the Ringer – This checkbox will enable or disable changes to the devices ringer. When you select the checkbox, you will have the options of ‘Normal’, ‘Vibrate’, or ‘Silent’. When the alert fires, it will immediately change your ringer setting to the desired option.

Show a Webpage – If you enter a valid webpage address (including http:// or https://), that webpage will be displayed when you tap the notification. It could be a webpage to show you the weather when you arrive in a city you are flying to, or a webpage that contains vital information about a meeting you are having at a location, or any webpage you desire. nn

Send a Text Message – If you enter a valid text number and message, a text will be immediately sent to the number when you arrive at that location. PLEASE NOTE THAT ANY NORMAL TEXT MESSAGING CHARGES YOU HAVE WILL APPLY. Use this option carefully because as noted above, depending on network or GPS services, multiple alerts (and thus text messages) could be fired.