Booking & Scheduling

Track a walk with GPS

Last updated September 2026 · v1.0

On a walk, Chester can record your route and distance automatically - it starts when you start the session and lands on the report card when you're done. This is a mobile-app feature: a browser can't follow a walk.

The short version
  1. Start the walk session on your phone.
  2. Chester records the route and distance as you go.
  3. End the session, and the map is added to the report card.

On your phone

  1. Open the visit and tap Start Session (or Start Group Walk).
  2. The first time, allow location access when your phone asks. Tracking then starts on its own - there's no separate GPS button to tap.
  3. As you walk, the session shows a live map, your distance, and a count of GPS points recorded. If you've turned on background tracking, you'll see "Recording route in the background", so it keeps going even with your phone locked.
  4. Tap End Session to stop. The route and distance are attached to the report card.

Good to know

  • Walks only. GPS tracking runs for walk services; grooming, sitting, boarding, and training don't record a route.
  • No location access? The visit still works. If you decline the permission, the session continues without a route - you'll just see a note that the route won't be recorded.
  • The web can't record a walk - a browser has no way to follow you. The website shows the saved route on the report card, but the recording happens in the app.
  • You can turn route recording off entirely in Settings if you'd rather not track it.
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