DofE LOCATE setup

Create your group link

Do this once, before you set off. Enter your own mobile number, then copy the link and text it to each group. When a group opens it, they can send you their grid reference in one tap — no app, no data connection needed once the page has loaded.

How it works. The group's phone works out its position using its own GPS chip, which needs a view of the sky but not a phone signal. Converting that into an OS grid reference happens on the phone itself, so it still works with no signal. Only the final step — sending you the text — needs enough signal to get an SMS out, which usually needs less signal than mobile data.

This is a convenience tool, not a substitute for calling 999 (ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue) in a genuine emergency.