Geofencing—the use of GPS, RFID, Wi-Fi, or cellular data to create virtual boundaries that detect when a device enters or exits a specific area. You may not realize it, but you probably interact with several geofences every day.

Geofences could be anything from sending a promotional message to a customer near a store to turning on your home lights when you're approaching your driveway.

Geofencing isn’t just a tool for businesses to send you ads. With the help of automation platforms like IFTTT, this technology can actually simplify your life in meaningful ways. Imagine automatically logging your work hours when you arrive at the office, or getting a notification when a family member safely reaches a new location. It’s a smart, subtle way to stay organized and connected.

In this guide, we'll explore the basics of geofencing, how it works, and its various applications. We'll also provide a step-by-step guide on how to set up your own geofencing automations using IFTTT. Don't worry, as you don't need any technical knowledge to get started.

Whether you're a tech enthusiast, thoughtful parent, or just someone looking to automate parts of your life, this guide will help you understand and leverage the power of geofencing. Try it yourself today with IFTTT's location service.

Understanding geofencing: The basics

Geofencing technology started with the invention of GPS in the 1990s. Initially, it was used for military and aviation purposes. As GPS devices became more accessible, industries saw geofencing’s potential to connect digital interactions with real-world locations.

Geofencing uses a technique known as location awareness, which at its core, is all about setting up invisible boundaries around real-world locations. When your smartphone (or any GPS-enabled device) crosses one of these boundaries, the system triggers an action. This could be sending a notification, turning on a smart device, logging an activity, or just about anything you can automate.

GPS is most commonly used in geofencing and provides accurate outdoor location data by communicating with satellites. RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) is more common in controlled environments like warehouses or offices and uses radio signals and tags to detect proximity.

You can set geofences to be as large as a city block or as small as your home office. What matters is the action, or what you define to happen after someone enters or exits a geofence. We'll discuss how to use IFTTT to build this trigger-action relationship later in this article.

Applications of geofencing

Geofencing is no longer a niche tech tool. Its applications are numerous and are the reason you can order ahead at Starbucks or get notified when an Uber driver is nearby. Without geofencing, devices would have trouble orientating themselves in relation to one another, and many of our most loved and convenient services would never exist.

Some other real-world examples include:

Retail: Enhancing customer engagement and offering localized deals. You can receive notifications of new promotions just by stepping into a store.

Transportation: This tech can monitor fleets of vehicles and optimize routes. Geofencing helps Amazon and UPS (among others) get your package on time.

Security: Geofencing can establish perimeter alerts and send you a ping if someone enters or exits.

Marketing: Strategic geofencing can ensure that your message reaches the right customers.

The reach of geofencing is vast. Whether it’s about connecting with customers or improving efficiency, it has carved a space across multiple industries. But how can you, an everyday person, use geofencing to make your daily life as efficient as possible?

How everyday people use geofencing

Although big businesses use this technology for global operations, there are tons of people using clever geofencing automations each day right at home. Through an automation service, like IFTTT, geofencing becomes approachable for anyone, whether or not they have ever typed a line of code.

For example, parents can set up notifications for when their kids arrive at or leave school. Hourly workers might use geofencing to log their hours by automatically creating a time entry every time they leave the office or arrive back at their workspace. You can even use it to save on energy costs by turning off your smart thermostat when you leave a certain area. Have you ever left home and wondered if you locked the door or turned off the lights (or worse: the oven)? A geofence can trigger a smart lock check or send you a reminder to double-check before you leave. Fitness enthusiasts might use geofencing to log outdoor runs or start tracking with Strava when they enter a specific trailhead.

What excites us so much about these simple (but powerful) automations is that they save you time and reduce stress all while working in the background. This means that once you set up your geofence and automation, it will run without you even noticing.

Although IFTTT can't cover all advanced marketing geofencing needs, we pride ourselves on offering the most approachable automation tool on the market as well as the leading automation app. For those just getting started, using our service is simple and can set you up with many of the geofencing applications you've been hoping to automate.

How to get started geofencing with IFTTT

Our location-based automations are some of our most popular, and can be split into two groups:

Location integrations: The traditional geofencing experience. Cellular, GPS, or WiFi is used to determine your location via the IFTTT app, which can then serve as a trigger for a location-based Applet.

Group location: Automations can be triggered based on the approximate location of members in a group. Create a group with roommates, family, or friends, and when any member or everyone crosses a geofence boundary, IFTTT will start an automation.

Whether you'd like to use single Location or Group Location, the process is the same for getting started with IFTTT.

How to get started with IFTTT and location automations

Before you can create any geofencing automations, you’ll need to sign up for an IFTTT account. The good news? It’s free, fast, and easy to get started.

Visit the IFTTT website or download the app

You can access IFTTT through a web browser at ifttt.com, or download the IFTTT app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. For geofencing automations, you'll need the mobile app installed with location preferences set to always allow so it can apply your device's location to your automations.

Create an account

Click “Sign Up” and choose how you’d like to register—via Google, Apple ID, or by entering an email and password. You'll then be able to visit our Explore page, where you can search for Applets based on category or service.

Download the IFTTT mobile app

To enable geofencing, the IFTTT mobile app must be installed on the device whose location you want to track. After installing, make sure to grant location permissions when prompted—this is for your automations to work properly.

Enable Location permissions

Go to your phone's settings and make sure the IFTTT app has permission to access your location at all times. This ensures it can detect when you enter or exit a geofenced area, even when the app is not open.

You're ready to create your first Applet!

Once your account is set up and location permissions are enabled, you're all set to start creating location-based automations. You can create your first Applet from our easy do-it-yourself tool or from a pre-existing Applet here.

If you are experiencing any issues with your Location Applets, you can reach out to our friendly team or review our Help Center troubleshooting tips.

Location and Group Location automation services

Check out all of the available Applets for these popular services, or keep reading to see them in action.

How to build location-based Applets

Before trying your hand at creating your own Applet, it is sometimes quicker to browse our existing library of pre-built Applets to see if anything matches your needs. With location-based automation, you may find that your idea is more specific and hasn't been published yet. This is fine, as building your own Applet is super easy and only takes a couple of minutes. Best of all, once you've finished, it can be posted and shared with millions of IFTTT users across the world.

Let’s say you want to get a push notification reminding you to grab your lunch whenever you leave the house. The general setup process for our location-based Applets (including Group Location) follows the same logic. Note: you can create an Applet on web, and by logging in on mobile, be able to use it on your smartphone too! Follow these steps:

First, open the IFTTT app (or website) and tap “Create”

Tap the “If This” part of the Applet

This is your trigger—the event that starts your automation.

• - Search for and select “Location”.
• - Choose “You exit an area” (you can also choose “enter an area” depending on your use case).
• - A map will appear. Zoom in and drag the circle to place the geofence over your desired location— like your home, office, or gym.
• - You can resize the geofence by pinching in or out. Once it looks right, tap "Create Trigger"

Tap the “Then That” part of the Applet.

This is your action—what happens when you exit the geofence.

• - Search for and choose “Notifications”.
• - Select “Send a notification from the IFTTT app”.
• - Type in your message, like: “Don’t forget your lunch!”
• - Tap “Create action”.

Review and finish

We'll show you a summary of your Applet, which might look something like:

If you exit the area around your home, Then send a push notification saying “Don’t forget your lunch!”

IF you are happy with the Applet, tap “Finish” to connect.

Just like that - you've created your first Applet! Make sure to test it once to verify that it works as intended. If you need any additional help, reach out to our help center, or read our in-depth Applet guide here.

Is my privacy safe with geofences?

One of the concerns that people may have with location-based technology is regarding privacy. When you are giving your GPS location to an app or service, it's natural to wonder what is happening to your data.

IFTTT prioritizes your data security to ensure that when you give us access to your sensitive data, it never leaves our hands. IFTTT never sells, shares, or publicly displays your data. We don't save a log of location data, and use location polling, instead of constant GPS tracking to approximate where you are in relation to a geofence and trigger an Applet.

Creative geofencing ideas with IFTTT

We'll now cover a couple of ideas to get the juices flowing on your next Applet. Click on any of the Applet cards below each section to get started with that automation.

Coordinating with family using Group Location

Geofencing isn’t just about smart homes—it’s a great way to keep the people you love safe. With Group Location, you can set up automations based on when a family member or housemate enters or leaves a location.

For example, parents can get a notification when their family member arrives at specific location, or when a roommate returns home late at night. It’s a great alternative to constant texting, and everyone in the group stays in the loop. Each member of the group will need to create an account and opt-in to location sharing preferences. The location of each person is not constantly shared or available with other group members. Instead, the Applets are triggered based on the locations selected by the group owner. You can even combine this with other services like sending a Slack message or triggering a smart home routine when someone walks in the door to create a warm welcome home.

Logging work hours or updating your team

Whether you’re a freelancer, remote worker, or just like tracking your hours, a location-based Applet makes it incredibly easy to log when you leave or arrive at work. For example, you can trigger a Google Sheets entry every time you arrive at your work location (start time) and again when you leave (end time).

You can also notify your team on Microsoft Teams or send a Google Calendar update without needing to pull out your phone. It’s a lightweight way to stay organized and professional without micromanaging your own schedule.

Setting reminders for easily forgotten tasks

If you ever leave home without your lunch, forget to turn off the lights, or miss taking your vitamins, geofencing can help. One of the most popular uses of our location trigger is to send personalized reminders when you enter or exit a specific area.

Want a ping when you leave the house saying “Don’t forget your gym bag”? Or a reminder to pick up milk when you're near your grocery store? These types of automations can clear mental clutter and help you stay on track without having to set a reminder each day.

Keep your home sharp while you're away

With our Applets, you can come back to a better home than when you left. When you leave the home, a location ping can start a robot vacuum or turn the washing machine on. On chilly nights, a geofence trigger as you leave work can alert your smart thermostat to get the house warm and cozy at your prefered temperature.

Geofencing can also boost security around your home. Instead of manually setting an alarm each time you exit, you can have it set every time you leave the front door.

Additionally, say goodbye to awkwardly setting off the security system when you come back, as it can be automatically disarmed when you reach a certain proximity.

A final word with IFTTT

Although geofencing might sound like futuristic tech, we hope this guide has shown that it's actually simple, practical, and fun to use. From family safety and productivity hacks to small life-savers like remembering your keys, geofencing turns your everyday routines into automated flows. The best part? Once it’s set up, it works quietly in the background, giving you one less thing to worry about.

Whether you're automating your home, organizing your workday, or keeping tabs on your loved ones, geofencing with IFTTT offers a powerful and private way to stay connected and in control. Try IFTTT today for free and see why we are the most trusted automation platform for millions of users worldwide.