A Work Alone Protection session monitors whether you confirm that you are okay within the agreed time. You start monitoring yourself, send I AM OK check-ins while working and stop the session when your work ends. Missing a check-in deadline triggers the server's alarm process.
Before you start
Your organisation must have Work Alone Protection enabled, and an enabled configuration must be linked to your user account. The configuration includes the check-in interval and alarm contact details. Simply seeing the card in the app does not guarantee that the configuration allows you to start a session. If the feature is missing or you cannot start, ask your administrator to check the Work Alone Protection setup.
Before starting, make sure you know your organisation's procedures for contacting people and resolving alarms. Starting, checking in, stopping and retrieving the current status require a network connection to the service. Losing the connection or leaving the app does not stop a session that has already started or change its deadline.
Start a session
- Open the Home tab at the bottom of the mobile app and find the Work alone protection card. On iOS, the card is hidden when the events list is open: close the list by tapping the arrow button on the Latest events feed row.
- Tap the OFF button on the card. This starts the session.
- Wait for the response. Make sure the card shows that protection is active, the time remaining until your next check-in and the PRESS TO SEND I AM OK action.
Only one session can be active on the same user account. If the app says a session is already running, check the current status instead of starting a new one.
How is the check-in deadline determined?
The check-in interval comes from the configuration linked to your user; you do not select it in the mobile app. The permitted interval is 10–480 minutes. Starting the session counts as the first check-in, and the first deadline is the server's start time plus the check-in interval.
Tap PRESS TO SEND I AM OK on the active card before the deadline. A successful check-in saves the latest check-in time and sets a new deadline one check-in interval after the server accepts it. The interval is not added to the previous deadline.
For example, a session started at 10:00 with a 30-minute interval requires a check-in by 10:30. If the server accepts a check-in at 10:20, the new deadline is 10:50. After checking in, make sure the remaining time resets to the full check-in interval and starts counting down.
The check-in interval is saved for the session and does not change during it. A configuration cannot be edited while it has active sessions. To change the interval, you must wait until the active sessions have ended, change the configuration and start a new session.
The phone reminder and the server alarm
The advance reminder on your phone helps you remember to check in. It is separate from the alarm triggered by the server, and silencing it does not send a check-in.
- Android: the reminder is scheduled for nine minutes before the deadline. On Android 12 and later, the app checks the Alarms & reminders permission. Select Allow in the app's Permission required prompt and grant the permission on the system permission page that opens. Without this permission, the reminder is not scheduled, although starting the session may still succeed.
- iOS: the advance reminder is set for nine minutes and 30 seconds before the deadline. The background reminder is a local notification on the phone that uses a notification sound. Allow Spotilla notifications and sounds in the app's permission prompt.
If the scheduled time for a background reminder has already passed, it is not rescheduled as an immediate reminder. Keep your device's clock accurate: background reminders are scheduled using the device's time. Whether you notice the reminder depends on the device's notification and sound settings, so also keep track of the remaining time on the card.
If you miss the check-in deadline, the server's background processing creates an alarm and starts the contact process specified in the configuration. This does not require the phone reminder to sound or the phone to have a network connection. The on-screen countdown reaching zero and the server's alarm status updating may not happen at the same time.
If you check in late or an alarm is active
Send a check-in to confirm that you are okay even if you are late. If the card shows ALARM HAS BEEN TRIGGERED on Android or ALARM TRIGGERED on iOS, use its PRESS TO SEND I AM OK action.
A late check-in moves the next deadline forward, but does not close an already active alarm or cancel its alarm calls. The session and the alarm have separate statuses: the session can continue with a new deadline while the alarm remains active. Follow your organisation's procedure for resolving alarms. You can follow the handling of an alarm in session and alarm monitoring in the browser.
Stop the session when your work ends
Tap Press to stop protection on the active card. On iOS, the label is PRESS TO STOP PROTECTION. Wait for the response and make sure the card returns to OFF.
Once the deadline has been reached, you cannot stop the session in the mobile app until you have checked in successfully. An active alarm prevents you from stopping even after checking in; the alarm must first leave the active status. Then check the status again and stop the session.
Stopping successfully ends monitoring for the session. It saves the stopped status, the stop time and who stopped it, but does not remove the session details or related alarms from the history. Starting again later creates a new session.
Make sure the action succeeded
Do not treat a tap, the sound stopping or the countdown stopping as confirmation of success. Android silences the local reminder before receiving a response to the check-in or stop request. Confirm that starting succeeded by checking the active card, that checking in succeeded by checking the new remaining time and that stopping succeeded by checking the OFF card.
If the app shows an error or the status does not update, restore the network connection and reopen the Home tab to retrieve the current status. Do not assume the session has ended or the check-in has been saved until you receive an updated status. If the connection cannot be restored, follow your organisation's agreed contact procedure.