A Chipolo transmits Bluetooth signals that are received by nearby smartphones. Without a smartphone nearby, the location cannot be updated as the Chipolo has neither GPS nor an internet connection. However, it works for months with a button cell.

If you see the Chipolo in the app, you have set it up correctly. How often the location is updated depends on how many people with smartphones are in the vicinity. In a busy place like a railway station, the location is updated more frequently than in a remote mountain hut. If your cat is wearing the Chipolo, you will receive more location updates in the city than in the forest, where there are fewer smartphones around.