iOS Shortcut to Send Current Location to Geopulse (OwnTracks Format) at Regular Intervals

[radh21301]

I put together an iOS Shortcut that sends the current location at regular intervals using the OwnTracks JSON format. I mostly cobbled it together from Reddit examples and ChatGPT, but it works well. Thought I’d share.

Use case

I usually disable live location tracking when I get home. Geopulse then shows data gaps. I wanted a way to send my location every X minutes (e.g., every 15 minutes) even when live tracking is off.

Send location shortcut
Send Location (Owntrack Format).shortcut.txt

NOTE: I added a .txt to the filename since github wont let me upload .shortcut. Please remove that to add it to your shortcuts app.

• Gets the current location, accuracy, altitude, battery, and connection type.
• Formats it into OwnTracks JSON and sends it to Geopulse via HTTP POST.
• Basic Auth setup (OwnTracks HTTP). I have already added a placeholder with these credentials. Change according to your setup.
  • Combine username and password with a colon-> user:password
• Geopulse sees it as if it came from the OwnTracks app.

Interval automation shortcut:
Silent Alarm.shortcut.txt

• iOS Shortcuts does not natively support running a shortcut at intervals.
• I used a trick from Reddit. Based on this Reddit comment, slightly edited to fix errors and set the interval (I use 15 minutes). Follow the instructions in the shortcut.
• The shortcut creates an alarm X minutes in the future.
• An iOS automation triggers the shortcut when the alarm goes off.
• The shortcut deletes the old alarm and sets a new one for the next interval.
• Works like a recurring timer without needing the Shortcuts app open.

Notes:

• It is only been running for a few hours now. It seems to work just fine. Even in the background when the phone is locked. The only thing is the screen turns on for a second when the alarm rings. Doesnt bother me too much.

[tess1o]

Hello,

Thanks for sharing this! Overland format might be easier since it uses token for authentication instead of credentials.

[radh21301]

hey. Looks like Base64 encoding can be done in iOS shortcuts as well. So, it makes it much simpler. Edited the post with the new shortcuts.

But yeah, Overland looks simple as well.