Will ZoomiTag work where I live and walk?

This is the question we're asked most before people buy, especially by owners in the countryside. Here's how ZoomiTag works out where your pet is, and what affects it.

How it works

ZoomiTag does two separate jobs:

1. It finds your pet using satellites. The tag listens to several satellite systems at once (GPS, Galileo, GLONASS and BeiDou). Satellites cover everywhere outdoors, including fields, hills, beaches and moorland, so this part works almost anywhere with a view of the sky.
2. It sends that position to your phone over the mobile network. The tag has its own built-in SIM, so it doesn't need your phone nearby, your WiFi or Bluetooth.

It isn't tied to one network

Your phone is locked to a single network. ZoomiTag isn't. Its SIM can connect to the UK's main mobile networks and uses whichever has the strongest signal where your pet is. So it often keeps working in places where your own phone has no signal.

A quick check: look at the coverage maps of the main UK networks for the areas you walk. If any one of them has coverage there, ZoomiTag can usually use it.

What about real dead spots?

Some places have no signal from any network, such as deep valleys, remote moorland or dense forest far from a road. If your pet goes into one:

• The tag keeps trying. As soon as it's back in signal, it sends its position again.
• The map shows the last place it reported until then, and you may see a gap in the route.
• If you've started a GPS Boost or Lost Mode, the tag picks it up the moment it reconnects.

In woodland the signal usually still gets through. Heavy tree cover can make the first position take a little longer, and slightly less precise, than in an open field.

How is that different from an AirTag?

An AirTag has no GPS and no mobile connection of its own. It only updates when a passing iPhone happens to pick it up, which rarely happens in the countryside. ZoomiTag reports on its own schedule wherever there's mobile signal: every 5 minutes normally, every 30 seconds to 2 minutes with GPS Boost, and every 5 seconds in Lost Mode. See How live GPS tracking works.

Which maps does the app use?

The app uses Apple Maps on iPhone and Google Maps on Android, with Standard, Satellite and Hybrid views. Satellite view is handy for seeing paths and field boundaries in the countryside. We don't offer Ordnance Survey mapping.

Try it on your own walks

The best test is your own walks. Every ZoomiTag comes with a 14-day money-back guarantee from the day it's delivered. If it doesn't work well enough where you go, send it back for a full refund of the tag and plan. See Returns and the 14-day money-back guarantee.