Kasa Geofencing Not Working? How to Fix Smart Actions
Kasa's geofencing feature, part of its "Smart Actions," is a powerful tool for automating your home. It uses your phone's location to automatically turn devices on or off when you arrive home or leave, saving energy and adding convenience. However, when it doesn't work, it can be frustrating.
This guide will walk you through the most common reasons why Kasa geofencing fails and how to fix them. The solution almost always lies in your phone's settings and app permissions.
## The Key to Geofencing: Location Permissions
Geofencing requires the Kasa app to know your phone's location, even when the app isn't open on your screen. If the app doesn't have the correct permissions, this feature will fail.
### For iOS (iPhone) Users:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and tap on Kasa Smart.
- Tap on Location.
- This is the most critical step: you must select "Always". If it's set to "While Using the App" or "Never," geofencing will not work correctly because the app can't check your location in the background.
- Also, ensure the "Precise Location" toggle is turned ON. This allows the app to accurately determine when you have crossed the geofence boundary.
### For Android Users:
The steps can vary slightly depending on your Android version, but the principle is the same.
- Open the Settings app on your Android phone.
- Go to Apps (or "Apps & notifications").
- Find and tap on Kasa.
- Tap on Permissions, then Location permission.
- You must select "Allow all the time." An option like "Allow only while using the app" is not sufficient for geofencing.
- Make sure the "Use precise location" option is enabled.
## Disabling Battery Optimisation
Modern smartphones are very aggressive about closing apps that run in the background to save battery. This can prevent Kasa from checking your location. You need to tell your phone to make an exception for the Kasa app.
- On Android: Go to Settings > Apps > Kasa > Battery. Select "Unrestricted" or "No restrictions." This prevents the Android operating system from putting the app to sleep.
- On iOS: Low Power Mode can affect background app activity. Ensure your phone is not in Low Power Mode for geofencing to be most reliable.
## Configuring Your Smart Actions in the Kasa App
Once your phone's permissions are correct, double-check your settings within the Kasa app itself.
- Set Your Home Location: Go to the "Smart Actions" tab and edit your "Arriving Home" or "Leaving Home" action. Tap on your address to view the map and ensure the pin is placed correctly on your home.
- Adjust the Geofence Radius: You can adjust the size of the circle around your home. If you find actions are triggering too early or too late, try making this circle larger or smaller.
- Check for Multiple Users: If you share your Kasa account with other people, the geofencing logic is "first one home, last one to leave." The "Arriving Home" scene will trigger when the first person enters the geofence, and the "Leaving Home" scene will only trigger after the very last person has left the geofence. Every user must have the Kasa app on their phone and have their location permissions set correctly for this to work as intended.
## Other Troubleshooting Steps
- Enable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth: Even if you're not connected to a network, having Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled on your phone helps it get a faster and more accurate location fix.
- Update the Kasa App: Make sure you are running the latest version of the Kasa Smart app from your phone's app store.
- Recreate the Smart Action: If all else fails, delete your "Arriving Home" and "Leaving Home" actions in the Kasa app and set them up again from scratch. This can sometimes resolve a configuration glitch.
By ensuring the Kasa app has constant and precise access to your location, you can solve the vast majority of geofencing issues and enjoy seamless home automation.