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FlowTrigger Location Tracker Map showing GPS routes, geofence zones, and location markers on an interactive web map
Use Case

Location Tracking — From Phone GPS to Interactive Map

Send your Android phone's GPS to your automation workflow, log it to Google Sheets, and visualize routes on an interactive web map — no server required.

March 18, 2026
5 min read

How does location tracking work?

Four pieces, working together: your phone collects GPS, an automation workflow parses each event, Google Sheets stores the log, and the FlowTrigger web map reads the published Sheet. No backend to build or host.

Live Route Mapping

Whether you're tracking field agents, monitoring delivery vehicles, or just logging your own path, FlowTrigger pushes your location directly to your workflows. Transform static spreadsheets into dynamic visual maps automatically.

Step 1

Mobile App

FlowTrigger sends precise GPS coordinates from your device.

Step 2

Automation

n8n, Make, or Zapier catches the data payload instantly.

Step 3

Google Sheets

Coordinates and timestamps are logged as a new row.

Step 4

Web Map

Coordinates are plotted to visualize the live route.

Step 1 — Copy the Google Sheets template

Copy the ready-made Google Sheets template — it has every column the FlowTrigger app writes and the web map reads. Save it to your Drive, then publish it as CSV so the map can fetch it.

Google Sheets template

Public template with the exact column headers FlowTrigger writes and the web map reads. Click below — Google will prompt you to copy it into your own Drive.

Make a copy of the template

Publish the sheet for the web map

The web map reads a published CSV URL. To create one:

  1. 1. Open your copy of the Sheet.
  2. 2. Go to File → Share → Publish to web.
  3. 3. Select Comma-separated values (.csv) as the format.
  4. 4. Click Publish and copy the URL.

Step 2 — Set up your automation workflow

The workflow is simple — it receives each webhook from FlowTrigger and writes one row to Google Sheets.

Webhook to Google Sheets workflow in n8n — receives FlowTrigger GPS events and appends one row per event

Download one of the ready-made templates below and import it into your platform. n8n and Make are covered out of the box; any tool that accepts an HTTP POST and writes to Google Sheets will work the same way — Zapier, Pipedream, custom code.

n

n8n

Workflow JSON

Import via Workflows → Import from File.

Download n8n workflow
M

Make

Scenario blueprint

Open official Make website and click Use this scenario.

Open Make blueprint

In the Google Sheets node, select the same Sheet you copied in Step 1 and authenticate your Google account. If you need help connecting Google Sheets, check the official guides:

  • n8n — walkthrough video from the official n8n YouTube channel. Watch video
  • Make — Google Sheets app documentation. Read docs

Once the workflow is running, each GPS event from FlowTrigger appends one row to your Sheet. The web map reads the Sheet's published CSV URL and renders your routes, geofence zones, and location markers.

Step 3 — Configure the location trigger on Android

Open FlowTrigger on your phone, create a new Location trigger, and pick a tracking mode. Both modes can run on the same trigger.

  • Distance-based — fires every X meters travelled (minimum 50 m). Good for routes, commutes, fitness, or fleet tracking.
  • Area-based (geofences) — fires on ENTER or EXIT for up to 10 named zones. Good for arrival / departure events and time-at-location tracking.
  • Background & offline — runs without the app open; cached requests resend automatically when connectivity returns.
FlowTrigger Android Location trigger configuration — distance interval, accuracy filter, and geofence zone FlowTrigger Android Location trigger activity log showing ENTER, EXIT, and DISTANCE events with map previews

Send a test event from the trigger detail screen — your automation receives one webhook with the real payload shape, which makes mapping fields to Google Sheets columns much easier.

FlowTrigger Send Test Event button — sends a sample webhook so your automation can map the JSON payload

For the full webhook payload, field reference, and customization options, see the Location Trigger documentation.

Step 4 — Visualize routes on the web map

Open flowtrigger.app/map and paste your published CSV URL. The map draws every row in your Sheet — no signup, no upload, no waiting.

FlowTrigger Location Tracker map — route polyline, geofence zone circles, directional arrows, and a filterable timeline rendered from a Google Sheets CSV

Features:

  • Route polylines — every DISTANCE event in your Sheet, connected in order, with directional arrows.
  • Geofence zones — ENTER and EXIT rows draw the matching zone circle, labelled with its name.
  • Multi-device support — each deviceName gets its own colour, with a legend you can toggle.
  • Filterable timeline — filter by date or event type (DISTANCE / ENTER / EXIT) and the map updates instantly.
  • Light & dark themes — Choose what works best for you.

Where your data goes

The map page runs entirely in your browser. FlowTrigger has no backend that sees, stores, or proxies your CSV — your browser fetches the URL directly from Google Sheets. The URL itself is your "Publish to web" link, so treat it like any unlisted Google document: anyone with the URL can read it, and you can stop sharing at any time from File → Share → Publish to web → Stop publishing.

Start tracking locations today

Download FlowTrigger, set up a location trigger, import a workflow, and watch your GPS data land on the map in minutes.