What is Locate & Message?
Locate & Message lets you pinpoint the location of a subject or bystander and communicate with them directly by text message — all from within Connect Rocket. It's a fast way to establish where someone is and stay in contact with them, without waiting on dispatch or other services.
This is especially useful in search and rescue operations, missing person calls, or any situation where knowing someone's exact location helps your team respond faster.
How it works
You send a Locate request to a subject's mobile phone, either from the Connect Rocket web app, the mobile app, or by text message. The subject receives a text message with a link. When they tap it, their phone's GPS shares their location back to you — visible on a map within Connect Rocket.
You can also exchange text messages with the subject throughout the process, so you can guide them, ask questions, or simply stay in contact while help is on the way.
What you can do with Locate & Message
- Pinpoint a location — see exactly where a subject's phone is, refined over time as their device's GPS gets a better fix.
- Monitor battery level — see the subject's device battery level where available, helping you gauge how much time remains before their phone may lose power. Android devices share this automatically; iOS users are prompted to provide it manually.
- Message back and forth — communicate directly with the subject without needing their number saved as a contact.
- Communicate across languages — messages in the Messages tab are automatically translated for both sides of the conversation, so you and the subject can each write in your own language.
- Work independently of dispatch — initiate a Locate request in seconds, without needing to go through another service first.
What you'll need
Locate & Message works with any smartphone that has GPS, a data connection, and the ability to send and receive text messages. The subject doesn't need the Connect Rocket app installed — everything happens through their phone's web browser.
For full details on requirements, best practices, and how the location refinement process works, see Locate & Message: Requirements and Best Practices.