It takes 2 minutes. Pick your phone below: these are the only permissions the Radar and the Smoke Signal need to work well, also when the app is closed or the screen is off.
To save battery, your phone tends to "pause" apps running in the background. Without these three permissions Nearoo may stop updating your location when you leave the app, and you may not appear on other people's radar or you may miss proximity notifications. Setting them once solves the problem for good.
1
Location permission
Needed to show you on the radar and work out who is nearby, also with the screen off.
✓ Allow all the time + Use precise location
Open your phone Settings → Apps → search for Nearoo.
Open Permissions → Location.
Select "Allow all the time" (not "only while the app is in use").
Make sure "Use precise location" is on.
2
Automatic start in the background
Lets Nearoo stay "awake" and update your location also when you are not using the app.
✓ Enabled
Open Settings → Apps → App management (or Autostart: the name changes from phone to phone).
Look for the entry Automatic start in the background / Autostart.
Samsung, Google Pixel, "pure" Android
These devices usually have no separate autostart management: following step 3 (battery) below correctly is enough.
3
Battery optimisation
Stops the system from "freezing" Nearoo in the background after a few minutes of inactivity.
✓ No restrictions
Open Settings → Battery → Battery usage by app (or Battery details).
Search for and open Nearoo.
In the Power saving section select "No restrictions".
Avoid the "Optimised" or "Restrict background apps" options for Nearoo.
Note: menu entries and their position vary slightly from phone to phone and from one Android version to another: the exact names may differ, but the idea is always the same — location always on, automatic start allowed, no battery restriction. If you cannot find an entry, try searching for "Nearoo" directly in the Settings search bar.
On iPhone and iPad Nearoo works best when you add it to the Home screen: only the installed version receives push notifications and keeps location active while the app is not open. Three steps, once only.
1
Add Nearoo to the Home screen
On iOS a Web App left in a Safari tab receives no notifications and does not update your location in the background: installed from the Home screen, it does.
✓ Nearoo icon on the Home screen
Open Safari — installing only works from Safari, not from Chrome or other browsers — and go to Nearoo.
Tap the Share button: the square with the arrow pointing up.
Scroll the menu and tap "Add to Home Screen".
Tap Add in the top right corner: the Nearoo icon appears among your apps.
From now on open Nearoo from the icon, not from the Safari tab: that is the version that receives notifications and location.
Why does it have to be on the Home screen?
iOS treats the two cases differently
A Web App opened inside Safari cannot ask for push notification permission, and the system suspends it as soon as you switch app. Installed on the Home screen, Nearoo is an app in every respect: permissions stay on, notifications arrive and the radar keeps reading your location even with the screen off. Push notifications for Web Apps require iOS 16.4 or later.
2
Location permission
Needed by the Radar to show you who is nearby and to update your location also when the screen is off.
✓ Always + Precise location
Open Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services.
Tap Nearoo in the list. If it is not there, open Nearoo from its icon first and answer "Allow" to the request.
Select "Always" (not "While Using the App"): with the second one the radar stops as soon as you close the app.
Make sure "Precise Location" is on: with approximate location the radar sees you kilometres away.
3
Push notifications
They warn you when somebody enters your range or answers a Smoke Signal, even with the phone in your pocket.
✓ Allow notifications + Immediate alerts
Open Nearoo from the Home screen icon the first time and answer "Allow" to the notification request: on iOS the request only appears in the installed version.
If you answered "Don't Allow", go to Settings → Notifications → Nearoo.
Turn on "Allow Notifications" and choose Immediate Alerts to see the banner, plus Sounds.
Keep "Background App Refresh" on (Settings → General) if you want Nearoo to stay up to date even when you do not open it.
Note: menu names change slightly between iOS 16, 17 and 18, but the idea is always the same — Nearoo on the Home screen, Location Services "Always" with precise location, notifications allowed. If you cannot find "Nearoo" in those lists, open the app from its icon first: iOS only adds it to the settings after the first launch.