Smartphone App

Introduction

TrackAbout's smartphone app for iOS and Android enables users to perform a variety of asset tracking operations.

Requirements

The app is intended only for existing customers of TrackAbout. Call your sales contact for more details.

Pricing

The smartphone app is billed on the basis of a count of active devices per month. At the end of each billing period, TrackAbout calculates how many active, unique devices were in use within a given customer account and time period.

An active device is a device on which a user logs into the TrackAbout app.

If a user logs in on two distinct devices on the same day, this counts as two active devices.

Reinstalling the app on a device and then logging in again can cause us to count the same device as a second active device. If you feel you are being billed unfairly for active devices, please contact Support.

Features

Core Tracking - Internal Users

As of January 2015

• Asset Search - search for assets by tag and view asset details and history
• Locate - set location of assets to internal branch locations
• Delivery - basic delivery of assets
• Add New - basic add new of assets
• Customer Audit

Follow On Tracking (FOT) Users

The app supports several Follow-On Tracking mobile actions:

• Asset Search - search for assets by tag and view asset details and history
• Move Asset - tracks customer movement of assets between their internal locations
• Record Weight/Volume - sets an asset volume or weight depending on asset type

Apple iOS Devices

iOS App Download

iOS Version Compatibility

• iOS version 7.0 or higher
• iPhone: iPhone 4, 4S, 5, 5C (Identifying iPhone Models)
• iPad: iPad 3rd, 4th gen, iPad Air, iPad Mini 2st, 2nd gen (Identifying iPad Models)
• iPod Touch: iPod Touch 5th gen (Identifying iPod Models)

iOS Version Support Policy

Apple releases new major versions of iOS (e.g. iOS 7 to iOS 8) each year. See [Wikipedia History of iOS] for the exact schedule.

TrackAbout must choose how far back to support major versions of iOS. As time passes, it becomes increasingly expensive and eventually impossible to continue supporting apps on old versions of iOS. Apple forces the hand of developers by dropping support for older versions of iOS from their developer tools.

iPhones and iPads are consumer technology, and the pace of change in the consumer space is rapid. Whereas rugged enterprise devices are typically expected to have a useful service life of 5 years, consumer technology generally has a life-span of 2 years, 3 at the most.

TrackAbout is sensitive to the needs of its customers and does not wish to unduly prohibit use of the app by paying customers who haven't yet or cannot update their devices to the latest version of iOS.

TrackAbout's iOS Version Support Policy balances these competing realities by: Supporting the last two major releases (back to the most recent dot version of the older OS). For example, if iOS 8.3 is the latest version, TrackAbout supports iOS 8.X and iOS 7.1, which was the highest version in the 7.x series. Prompting users periodically to upgrade from within the Trackabout app when a newer iOS version is available. Increasing TrackAbout’s minimum requirements 6 months after Apple releases a new OS. New versions of iOS typically reach greater than 80% adoption within 6 months of release.

Android Devices

Android App Download

Android Version Compatibility

• Android version 4.1 or higher
• A rear-facing 2 megapixel or more camera
• Minimum 1 GB RAM

Android Version Support Policy

Google releases new major versions of Android (e.g. Android 4.0 to Android 5.0) a few years apart. There does not appear to be a set schedule for major releases. Minor releases (Android 4.3 to 4.4, or 5.0 to 5.1) tend to occur 1-3 times a year. The "minor releases" can be small to large in terms of differences and new features, and are not a good factor to base TrackAbout's Android version support off of. See Wikipedia's Android Version History for detailed timeline of Android's version history.

In addition, manufacturers update existing devices to newer versions of Android at different speeds. Traditionally, manufacturers have been slow to update devices, some times not at all. This leads to a lot more versions of Android being actively used than iOS. The effect is more profound globally.

Android phones and tablets are generally a consumer technology, and the pace of change in the consumer space is rapid. Whereas rugged enterprise devices are typically expected to have a useful service life of 5 years, consumer technology generally has a life-span of 2 years, 3 at the most. There are a few rugged Android devices, and they tend to be a few Android versions behind at their release, putting them more in line with traditional rugged enterprise devices. TrackAbout expects more and more rugged Android devices in the future, and less of based on Microsoft's technology.

TrackAbout is sensitive to the needs of its customers and does not wish to unduly prohibit use of the app by paying customers who haven't yet or cannot update their devices to the latest version of Android.

TrackAbout's Android Version Support Policy balances these competing realities by: Supporting Android versions that have 10% or greater market share according to Google's monthly statistics. Support for rugged devices will be decided on a case-by-case basis. Supported devices are listed below. This policy will be reviewed quarterly to ensure customers' needs are being met.

Currently supported rugged devices are:

• Zebra/Motorola TC55 (Android 4.1)

App Settings

On the main screen of the app tap "Settings"

Server

Hostname

For production environment use: www.trackabout.com

For test environment use: test.trackabout.com

Port: 443

Use SSL Encryption should be on or checked

Feedback

If your device allows vibration you can choose to enable or disable this setting.

About

Make sure that you have the latest version of the app downloaded from the iTunes or Google Play stores depending on your device. Updating to the latest version of the app may resolve any issues or problems you may be experiencing with the app.

AWS Setup

The Smartphone app needs to be enabled in your instance. Call your sales contact for more pricing and details.

1. The Support Team will enable the Smartphone in your instance.
2. Mobile Roles Setup: Create and setup Mobile roles. Be sure to select the correct role purpose. The new role MUST select "Smartphone and Tablet"
3. Setup Internal Users
   1. For each user requiring access, check the box TAMobile Android/iOS
   2. Also assign the TAMobile Rugged and TAMobile Desktop role and save

Tips & Tricks

iOS

Screen capture

• To capture screen in iOS device, hold the Home and Power buttons simultaneously. The snapshot will be saved in the Pictures.

Android

Screen capture

Screen capture exist natively but depends on the device manufacture

• Samsung Galaxy S3: Press and hold the Power button and the Home button at the same time
• Most others: Simultaneously press Volume Down + Power for 1 second