The lost alert

Even with clear directions, given at the right time, listeners get lost. They might get distracted by somebody or something, or they might forget your instructions. Their concentration could simply wander, especially if they've already been listening to your tour for a long time. And because we encourage you to do as much speaking as possible while listeners are moving, they might also keep going straight, without realising they've missed a turn or stopping to look at the on-screen directions or the map. This is why we have a lost alert.

What is the lost alert?

The lost alert is both a text notification and an audio alert. The default audio is Sir Ian McKellen's voice saying, "Not all who wander are lost, but it looks like you might be. Now's a good time to take a look at the map on your screen."

But you can record your own lost alert. Just discuss this with your editor before you record the rest of your tour.

The lost alert can also be disabled by users in the app, under Settings.

How the lost alert works

When a listener moves too far from the route you set for your tour, the app will play the lost alert, and the app will display the following message: "You seem to be lost! Tap here to see the map."

We use GPS to compare the listener's location to the path you've plotted. When listeners walk too far from this route, the app triggers the lost alert. For short tours, this will be triggered when a listener is 50m from the route. For longer tours, they will need to be a bit further from the route for the alert to be triggered.

When to disable the lost alert

The lost alert is a great feature because it interrupts any audio that might be playing, and is quite jarring, so it's very effective at getting the listener's attention. However, we do recommend turning it off in the following situations:

• Non-sequential tours – because these tours are designed for listeners to choose their own route, the lost alert isn't always relevant. There might not be a defined path between locations.
• Indoor tours – GPS signals can be unreliable indoors, which means the lost alert might go off unnecessarily. In buildings, the app can't accurately track the listener's position, so you'd end up frustrating them with false alerts.
• Bus or driving tours – similar to non-sequential tours, the route between stops may vary, and the GPS on a moving vehicle can sometimes drift.

You or your editor can disable the lost alert for the entire tour under the tour settings, or for specific locations in your Mapmaker.

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