Photo check-ins

A check-in is how you prove you made it. It’s the single action at the centre of the whole game: you’re at a place, you check in, you earn experience.

How a check-in works

1. You arrive at the place. Check-ins are proximity-based — you have to actually be there.
2. Your phone confirms you’re there. Locatour uses your device’s location to check that you’re at the spot, not somewhere else.
3. You take a photo. You snap a quick photo, live, in the app — a little memento of the moment and your visit.
4. You’re checked in. Experience is awarded, your streak ticks over, and the moment is saved to your history.

Snap a photo, then tap Check in

Checked in — XP added to your level

Why a photo?

Three reasons, in order of importance:

• It’s the memory. The photo is the souvenir — the thing you’ll scroll back through later. Locatour is about creating memorable experiences, and the photo is how each one gets saved.
• It marks that you were present. Taking a photo on the spot is part of being there, not just passing through.
• It keeps the game fair. Real check-ins from real visits are what make levels and achievements mean something.

Share a check-in

Made it somewhere special? You can share any of your check-ins as a link. Open a check-in from your profile, tap Share, and Locatour creates a public page for that moment — your photo, the place, and when you were there — that you can send to anyone.

It’s the easy way to show a friend the hidden waterfall you found, or to look back on a favourite day out. Only the check-ins you choose to share get a link, and anyone you send it to can open it without a Locatour account — so share the moments you’re happy to make public.

Keeping it fair

Locatour is a game of genuine visits, so we take fairness seriously. The app is designed to recognise a real, in-person check-in and to gently discourage ways of faking one. We keep the exact details of those checks under the hood — partly so they keep working, and partly because honest players never need to think about them. If you actually went, you’re fine.

If a check-in doesn't work

• “You’re not close enough.” Get a bit nearer to the exact spot and try again.
• “We can’t pin down your location.” Step into the open, away from tall buildings or dense tree cover, and retry — your phone needs a clear view of the sky.
• Location is turned off. Make sure location services and Locatour’s location permission are enabled.
• You’re offline. No signal? No problem — Locatour can save your check-in and finish it when you’re back online.

Want the plain-language technical version? See How photo check-in works. Curious what we do with the photo and your location data? See Your data & security.