Satellite live tracking
Satellite live tracking keeps your live tracking running even when you lose all cellular coverage (4G/5G). As soon as your phone leaves the regular mobile network, SportsTrackLive switches your live tracking to your carrier's satellite network — the Starlink "direct-to-cell" technology, where satellites act as cell towers. Your positions keep flowing (at a reduced rate) so your family, club or retrieve crew keep following you live on the map. When cellular coverage returns, the full-resolution track is resent automatically — no data is ever lost.
No action is needed during the activity: the cellular → satellite → cellular handover is seamless.
Who is it for?
This is a complementary safety net for people who go where the mobile network doesn't — free-flight pilots, hikers, trail runners, sailors, backcountry skiers and anyone recording a live activity far from cell towers. It turns your phone into a fallback tracker when you'd otherwise drop off the live map.
It is a safety net, not a dedicated beacon
Satellite tracking uses the phone alone, over your carrier's network. For areas with no direct-to-cell coverage at all, or for critical use cases, a dedicated device such as the Lynkx safety beacon remains the recommended choice. The two are complementary — see Satellite live tracking vs. a Lynkx beacon below.
Requirements
All of the following must be true for satellite tracking to work. The requirements differ between iPhone and Android because each platform exposes satellite data differently.
| Requirement | iPhone | Android |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | iPhone 13 or later (direct-to-cell capable modem) | A direct-to-cell capable phone |
| Operating system | iOS 26.1 or later | Android 16 (API 36) or later |
| App version | SportsTrackLive 2.50.218 or later | Recent version with the feature |
| Carrier plan | A mobile plan that includes satellite data (not just satellite texting) | Same |
| Coverage area | Within your carrier's satellite coverage (usually the carrier's home territory, not international roaming) | Same |
| Option enabled | Recorder settings → LIVE → turn on Satellite tracking (off by default) | Same. Android also requires enabling satellite for apps in system settings (Settings → Network → Satellite) |
| Live recording | A live recording must be in progress — satellite mode only concerns live position upload | Same |
| Clear view of the sky | The satellite link needs line of sight to the sky | Same |
The option is off by default
Satellite data may be billed depending on your plan, so satellite tracking is disabled by default. You turn it on yourself in the recorder settings, under the LIVE section.
Which carriers?
Satellite data is offered by Starlink direct-to-cell partner carriers, including:
- T-Mobile "T-Satellite" — United States
- Optus and Telstra — Australia
- Rogers — Canada
- One NZ — New Zealand
- Salt — Switzerland
- KDDI — Japan
- Kyivstar — Ukraine
The list keeps growing (Spain via MasOrange and the UK via Virgin Media O2 have been announced).
Not available in France yet
No French carrier offers direct-to-cell satellite data today. Satellite tracking will light up automatically for French users as soon as a local carrier launches the service — no app update needed. In the meantime, French pilots can keep transmitting off-network with the Lynkx safety beacon, which relays over the LoRaWAN network available in France.
During the activity
- Automatic handover — no action required. The phone picks the network by itself.
- Reduced rate — on satellite, positions are sent in small batches at a regular interval, configurable in the app: 15 s / 30 s (default) / 1 min / 2 min.
- Always informed — a blue banner appears in the app (or a notification when the app is in the background) the whole time tracking is riding the satellite link.
- Data-frugal — only positions are transmitted, in a compact format. Secondary features (photos, the nearby-users list, live comments) are paused during the satellite episode to save data.
- Coverage returns — as soon as 4G/5G is back, the normal cadence resumes and every point recorded during the satellite episode is resent automatically. The final track is identical to a 100 % cellular one.
Limits & good practices
- Latency is higher. Viewers see positions "about every X seconds"; satellite latency varies from a few seconds to a few minutes depending on sky visibility and satellite passes.
- Battery cost. Searching for a satellite draws more power on long activities.
- Data may be billed. Depending on the carrier, satellite data can be charged or bundled into a paid add-on — check your plan. This is why the option is off by default.
- Your track is never lost. Local GPS recording never depends on the network. Even with no satellite and no cellular, your full track is kept on the phone and synced later — see Offline recording & sync.
Satellite live tracking vs. a Lynkx beacon
Both keep you on the live map with no GSM coverage, but they work differently and suit different situations:
| Satellite tracking | Lynkx beacon | |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware | Your phone alone | A dedicated LoRaWAN beacon |
| Network | Carrier satellite (Starlink direct-to-cell) | LoRaWAN radio |
| Where it works | Partner-carrier coverage (US, AU, CA, NZ, CH, JP, UA…) | LoRaWAN coverage (e.g. France) |
| Best for | A no-extra-device safety net where your carrier supports it | Off-network safety in LoRaWAN areas, or critical use |
When a Lynkx is connected and satellite mode is active, the app shows the satellite status so you always see a single, clear "still tracking" message.
FAQ
Does it work in France? Not yet — no French carrier offers direct-to-cell satellite data today. It works for users on partner carriers (USA, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland, Japan, Ukraine…) and will activate automatically once a local carrier launches the service, with no app update. French users can use the Lynkx beacon in the meantime.
Do I need a special SportsTrackLive subscription? No. The requirements are your phone, its operating system and your mobile plan — not a particular SportsTrackLive plan.
Does it replace a dedicated satellite beacon (InReach, SPOT, Lynkx)? No. It's a complementary safety net using the phone alone. For zones with no direct-to-cell coverage at all, or for critical use, a dedicated beacon remains recommended.
Do I have to switch anything mid-activity? No. The cellular → satellite → cellular handover is fully automatic. The blue banner just lets you know when you're on satellite.