Beacon Support
A Beacon is a small Bluetooth device — roughly the size of a coin or a matchbox — that a business places at a specific location: a shop counter, a venue entrance, a museum exhibit, or an event booth. It does one thing: constantly broadcast a quiet Bluetooth signal that says "I'm here."
The WebToNative Beacon add-on makes your app listen for these signals. When someone carrying the app walks near a beacon, the app notices and reacts — sending them a notification, calling your API, or logging the visit. When they walk away, the same thing happens in reverse.
Nothing visible happens until a phone with the app crosses the beacon's range. No scanning, no opening the app — it works automatically in the background.
This add-on is included free with your Business plan on Android and iOS, and you need to contact the support team to activate this add-on.
Where to Find It In Your Dashboard
My Apps ➡️ Edit your app ➡️ Add-ons ➡️ +ADD ➡️Device and Hardware ➡️ Beacon Support ➡️ Contact Support
Real Life Use Cases of Beacon
Beacons are a proximity marketing and location-triggered engagement tool — useful for any business with a physical location that wants the app to know when a customer is actually there.
Retail stores
Send a discount, "welcome back" message, or personalised offer the moment a loyal customer walks in — without them opening the app or scanning anything.
Restaurants and cafés
Greet a customer by name or surface today's specials as soon as they arrive. Trigger a loyalty stamp or a table check-in automatically.
Events, expos, and trade shows
Welcome attendees at the entrance or trigger context-specific notifications as they pass different booths — all hands-free for both the organiser and the visitor.
Museums, galleries, and showrooms
Trigger relevant exhibit information, audio guides, or product details when a visitor walks up to a specific item or zone — without staff involvement.
Hotels, gyms, and clinics
Recognise returning guests or members automatically and personalise the welcome — or alert staff that a VIP client has arrived.
Warehouses and delivery hubs
Detect when a staff member or delivery partner enters or leaves a zone — log it automatically without manual check-ins or badge scanning.
How does Beacon Support work
Physical beacons are placed at key locations
The business installs small Bluetooth beacon devices at the spots that matter — one at the entrance, one at a checkout counter, one at a specific exhibit. These are third-party hardware devices purchased separately; WebToNative provides the software integration.
Each beacon is registered with the app
Every beacon has a unique ID. These IDs are registered so the app knows exactly which beacons to listen for — and can distinguish between "customer entered the front door" and "customer is at the checkout."
The app listens quietly in the background
Once set up, the app monitors for beacon signals even when the user is not actively using it. The user doesn't need to open the app, scan a QR code, or take any action.
Phone enters beacon range — app reacts
When the phone of a customer comes within range of a registered beacon (roughly a room-sized distance — far more precise than GPS), the app detects it and can: - Notify your backend that "Customer X just arrived at Beacon Y" - Show the customer a push notification — "Welcome back! Here is 10% off today." - Call your API to log the visit, trigger a workflow, or fetch personalised content
Customer leaves — exit event fires
When the phone moves out of range, the same logic applies in reverse. Your system is notified that the customer has left the zone — useful for session length tracking, exit offers, or staff alerts.
What do beacons not do?
It's equally important to know what beacons cannot do — to set the right expectations with your team and your customers.
No precise distance tracking.
Beacons only know two states: a phone is near, or it is not. They cannot tell you "this customer is 2.3 metres away and moving closer." Range detection is approximate, not exact.
No GPS tracking
Beacons only work where you have physically placed beacon hardware. They do not track customers anywhere outside of those zones — this is not a general location surveillance tool.
No hardware provided
WebToNative provides the app-side software integration. The physical beacon devices must be purchased separately from third-party hardware suppliers and placed at your locations.
Works on registered beacons.
The app only responds to the specific beacon IDs you register. It will not detect random Bluetooth devices nearby or work at locations where no compatible beacon has been installed.
What's needed to use Beacon Support
Hardware
- Physical beacon devices — purchased separately from third-party hardware providers and placed at your desired locations. Compatible with standard BLE beacon protocols (iBeacon, Eddystone).
End-user permissions
- Location access — required for the app to detect beacons.
- Bluetooth access — required to receive BLE signals.
- Notification permission — required if you want to send the user a message on entry or exit.
A system to receive and act on beacon events
- When a customer enters or exits a beacon zone, your backend receives the event — "Customer X arrived at Beacon Y."
- Your system decides what to do with it: trigger a discount, log the visit, alert staff, or fetch personalised content.
- WebToNative handles the detection and event delivery. What happens next is up to your backend.
Required user permissions for Beacon Setup
Users are prompted for these permissions during app setup. Without them, beacon detection will not work reliably. Make sure your app's permission descriptions clearly explain why each permission is needed.
Location
Beacon detection is technically implemented as a location feature at the OS level. Without location access the app cannot receive beacon signals.
IOS - Must be set to "Always Allow" — not just "While Using." Background detection requires this to work when the app is closed.
Bluetooth
The BLE signal from the physical beacon device is received via Bluetooth. Without Bluetooth access, the phone cannot detect beacon broadcasts.
Notifications
Required only if you want to send the user a push notification when they enter or exit a beacon zone. If you're only logging visits silently, this is optional.
What happens after setup
For the end customer
When beacon monitoring is first enabled, the customer receives a one-time confirmation — whether setup succeeded, or why not (e.g. missing location, Bluetooth, or notification permission). After that, everything happens silently in the background. The customer does not need to take any action when they walk into a zone.
For the business
Each time a customer enters or leaves a beacon zone, your system receives an event with the customer and beacon details. If you've configured a notification for that beacon, the customer sees it on their device automatically. No manual trigger, no staff involvement needed.
Read the complete documentation for Javascript integration and setup: https://docs.webtonative.com/javascript-apis/beacon (opens in a new tab)
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the user need to have the app open for it to work?
No — beacon detection works in the background. The app does not need to be open or even visible. As long as it's installed, Bluetooth is on, and the required permissions have been granted, detection happens automatically when the user comes within range.
Why does iOS require "Always Allow" for location?
On iOS, beacon detection is treated as a location-based feature at the operating system level. "While Using" only allows detection when the app is actively open on screen. "Always Allow" is required for the app to detect beacons when it's running in the background or when the screen is off — which is the primary use case. Without it, detection will not work reliably on iPhone.
What beacon hardware should I buy?
The WebToNative Beacon add-on is compatible with standard BLE beacon protocols — specifically iBeacon (Apple's standard) and Eddystone (Google's standard). Most commercial beacon hardware supports one or both. The support team can advise on compatible devices and placement best practices when you contact them to set up the add-on.
How many beacons can I register?
The number of beacons you can register depends on your setup and plan. The support team will confirm the exact limits and help you plan your deployment when configuring the add-on for your app.
What is the detection range of a beacon?
Range depends on the beacon hardware and the physical environment. In open space, most beacons cover 1–70 metres. In practice — with walls, shelving, and other interference — effective range for a reliable trigger is typically 1–15 metres. Beacons can be configured at lower power for tighter zones (e.g. "only trigger when directly in front of this shelf") or higher power for wider areas (e.g. "trigger when anywhere in this room").