Short answer

The phone needs to (a) give the camera app permission to use precise location, and (b) have location tagging switched on inside the camera app itself. On Samsung: Settings → Location → App permissions → Camera set to "Allow all the time" with precise location on; then in the Camera app Settings (cog) → Location tags switched on. Photos taken before this is configured don't have GPS data and have to be retaken.

Detail

Civic.ly does not need its own app to capture assets. The standard pattern is: walk the route with the phone's normal camera, take 20–30 photos in one go, then upload the batch through the Civic.ly mobile app afterwards. The crucial requirement is that the photos themselves carry GPS metadata — Civic.ly reads that on upload to place the asset on the map.

Samsung (Android) setup:

  1. Settings → Location → App permissions → Camera — set to Allow all the time with Use precise location on.
  2. Open the Camera app → Settings cog (or four-box icon) → Location tags — switch on.

iOS (iPhone) setup (similar shape — and watch the Camera permission specifically):

  1. Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services — confirm the master toggle is on.
  2. In that same list, Camera must itself be set to While Using the App with Precise Location on. The Camera has its own per-app location permission, and it can be off even when Location Services is on globally — that's the usual iPhone failure mode (Rudston, Jun 2026: uploads failed with "no location data" / "Camera app doesn't have location permission" despite Location Services being on, until the Camera's own permission was switched on). While Using is enough for the Camera — it doesn't need Always.
  3. While you're there, set the Civic.ly app's Location to Always and Photos to Full Access so the upload flow can read the gallery.
  4. If it still won't take, toggle Location Services off then on, then re-check Camera and Civic.ly underneath.

Once this is done, every photo carries GPS coordinates in its EXIF metadata. The Civic.ly upload flow then reads that and places the asset on the map. AI auto-classification runs on upload and proposes an asset type, description, and condition.

Who needs this setup:

Only the people capturing assets — typically one or two named users per council. Field operatives who are completing jobs (the bin round crew, the grounds contractor) do not need camera location set up — they just install the Civic.ly app, log in, pick up jobs, and tick off. Keeping the camera-permission setup limited to a couple of named asset-capturers also keeps the asset register consistent and avoids duplicate captures.

Watch-outs

  • Photos taken before location was switched on don't have GPS data. No way to back-fill — they have to be retaken at the asset's location with the setting on. Always test with one photo before committing to a full route walk. Quickest self-test: take a new photo, open it in the phone's Photos app and swipe up — if a map appears, location is embedding correctly. If photos still aren't mapping after setup, see I've uploaded photos but they're not showing up on the map / their location isn't being detected — how do I fix it?.
  • GPS is approximate in built-up areas. Cloud cover, dense buildings, tree cover, and standing back from the asset can all introduce drift. Expect to nudge each pin to its true location on the web app after upload — see When I upload photos as assets, how does Civic.ly decide where to place them on the map and what to call them?.
  • Different Samsung phones name the menus slightly differently. "Location tags" vs "Location info" vs "Geotagging". The user is looking for any toggle that mentions location or geotag inside the Camera app's own settings.
  • Don't try to use a screenshot. Screenshots don't have GPS metadata. The photo has to come straight from the Camera app at the asset's location.