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Why was I clocked out automatically?

Learn why Clean Smarts clocked you out after leaving a geofence, losing location sharing, or reaching the maximum shift length—and how to prevent repeat issues.

Clean Smarts can end a shift even when you did not use Slide to check out. This article explains the possible reasons, what messages you may see, and what to check if geofence auto clock-out happened unexpectedly—or did not happen at all.

Applies to: Cleaners using the Clean Smarts mobile app and managers reviewing their time. Geofence auto clock-out only applies when the company or location is set to clock users out after they leave the work area.

Why Clean Smarts Clocked You Out

There are three main causes.

You stayed outside the geofence

At locations that use Enforce the geofence at this location and clock users out when they leave, the app monitors the work area while you are clocked in.

When the phone first detects that you are outside, the current app sends this notification:

  • Leaving work area
  • You've left your work location. You'll be clocked out in 5 minutes if you don't return.

If the phone detects that you returned inside within five minutes, the countdown is canceled. If you remain outside, the app clocks you out and sends:

  • Clocked out
  • You were automatically clocked out for leaving your work location.

The five minutes is a return-to-site grace period, not extra paid travel time. The time entry records the initial detected exit time, even though the final notification and server update happen after the grace period.

Required location sharing was turned off

If Clean Smarts detects that required location access was turned off while you were clocked in, it can end the shift immediately. The notification is:

  • Auto clock-out
  • You have been clocked out because location sharing was turned off.

This can happen when Clean Smarts loses location permission or the permission is changed to Never / Don't allow while a geofenced shift is active. Turning off phone-wide Location Services can also interrupt monitoring, but it may leave the shift open until another clock-out rule runs.

You reached the maximum shift length

Your company also has a separate Maximum shift length under web Admin > Company Settings > Timekeeping. This server-side safety limit ends a time entry after someone has remained clocked in for the configured amount of time. It does not mean the phone detected a geofence exit.

If the company also uses Set check-in to expected shift length when employee forgets to clock out, the recorded clock-out time may be set to the shift's expected length after the maximum is reached.

What the Phone Needs for Geofence Auto Clock-Out

The app is designed to monitor an active geofence while it is in the background; you do not need to keep the Clean Smarts screen open. For reliable monitoring:

  • Set Clean Smarts location permission to Always on iPhone or Allow all the time on Android. While Using the App is not enough for active monitoring after you leave the app.
  • Turn on Precise Location.
  • Keep phone-wide Location Services on.
  • Allow motion or activity access when requested. This helps the phone wake location monitoring efficiently; declining it may make monitoring less reliable but does not block check-in by itself.
  • Allow notifications if you want to receive the five-minute warning. Notification permission controls the warning, not whether the app can clock you out.
  • Exclude Clean Smarts from aggressive battery-saving restrictions, especially on Android.
  • Keep the app updated. Do not force-close it during a geofenced shift.

Clean Smarts stops its active geofence tracking after the shift ends. See How do I turn on location sharing for Clean Smarts? for iPhone and Android steps.

How Managers Can Identify the Cause

On the web portal:

  1. Open Time Tracking > Time Detail.
  2. Find the time entry and show the Out Method column if it is hidden.
  3. Compare the method and recorded time: - Left Geofence means the mobile geofence flow ended the shift. - Auto Clock Out means the server's maximum-shift rule ended it.
  4. Check whether the time entry ended exactly at Maximum shift length or at the expected shift length configured by the company.

Do this before editing the time entry. The two automatic methods have different causes and troubleshooting steps.

If Geofence Auto Clock-Out Did Not Happen

If someone left the site but remained clocked in until Maximum shift length, check these items:

  1. Confirm the company or location uses the option that clocks users out when they leave. Users must be on site to clock in and out only checks location during the punch; it does not monitor the shift in the background.
  2. Update Clean Smarts, then log out and back in.
  3. Recheck Always / Allow all the time, Precise Location, phone-wide Location Services, and motion/activity permission.
  4. Check whether the phone lost GPS or internet access, entered battery saver, ran out of battery, or was force-closed. The app needs a location reading to detect the exit and internet access to submit it.
  5. Check whether the problem follows one phone across several sites or happens to several people at one site. One phone points to permissions, battery, or app version; one site points to its map pin, geofence radius, or location override.
  6. Review Time Tracking > Time Detail > Out Method to confirm that Auto Clock Out, rather than Left Geofence, ended the shift.

If the phone detects the exit while offline, Clean Smarts keeps the pending clock-out and retries during later background location activity or the next time the app opens. Until that succeeds, the mobile app and web portal can temporarily disagree.

Do not open Geofence Debug under MORE unless Clean Smarts Support asks you to. It is a diagnostic tool that only appears for selected accounts.

If You Were Clocked Out While Still On Site

  1. Stay on site and tell your supervisor before starting a replacement time entry.
  2. Confirm that Always / Allow all the time and Precise Location are still enabled.
  3. Check whether the phone was in battery saver or had weak GPS, especially indoors, near tall buildings, or on a large property.
  4. Ask a manager to verify the site's map pin and geofence radius. A radius smaller than about 0.125 miles (200 meters) is more vulnerable to normal GPS drift.
  5. Ask the manager to review Out Method and the recorded clock-out time before correcting pay.

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