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Android App Settings

For android devices, the settings is either three squares stacked on each other or under the menu button on the device.

 Connecting

  • Device Code

    • This is where the device code is entered to register the device with Active911 servers.

  • Connection to Active911

  • Connected

    • When your device says it is connected, it means that your phone is registered with Active911 and is ready to receive alerts.

  • Not Connected

    • When your device says its not connected, it means that your phone is not connected to Active911 and will not receive alerts. You will also get this when you haven't entered your device code in correctly. If your device was correctly registered and has 'lost' it's connection, you can re-register the device with two simple steps.

      1. Tap the 'hidden' Connection to Active911 button five times quickly. A banner will flash on the screen that says Renewing GCM token.

      2. Wait a few seconds, and then tap the button again 3 times quickly. This time, the banner will say Re-registering with Active911.

Standard Settings

  • Show Alerts For allotted time

 This setting determines how long alerts will be stored within the app, unless they are manually deleted. EX: If you have the 1 Day option selected, alerts that are older than one cay will automatically be deleted. The options available include:

  • 1 Day

  • 3 Days

  • 1 Week

  • 2 Weeks

  • 1 Month

Screen Timeout

This setting determines how long your screen will stay on/unlocked without interacting with it.

  • 30 seconds

  • 1 minute

  • 2 minutes

  • 5 minutes

  • None

  • Auto-Open Mode

 Click here to expand...

  • OFF

    • The phone will alert you with sound, but you will need to find the app and open it on your phone.

  • Original Auto-open

    • The phone will alert you with sound and once you unlock your phone, the application will automatically open.

  • Popup Dialog (Locked screen)

    • The phone will alert you with sound and a dialog box will popup on the lock screen. The dialog box displays basic alert details, the agency's response vocabulary, More Info and DISMISS options.

    • Response Vocabulary

      • Let your department know if you are responding, unavailable, etc.

    • More Info

      • To find out more information about the alert.

    • Dismiss

      • Click this button to ignore the call.

  • Popup Dialog (Unlocked screen)

    • The phone will alert you with sound and a banner will alert you at the top of the screen. To respond to the alert, click the banner to take you to the app.

  • Foreground GPS**

    • This will track the location of the device ONLY while the app is open.

  • Background GPS**

 Click here to expand...

When the High Accuracy or Battery Saving Background GPS options are enabled, the app will track the location of the device while the app is open, running in the background, or completely closed.

  • High Accuracy

    • The app will ping the device for its GPS location at a higher frequency, providing more accurate position updates for the device. This option has the potential to consume a lot of battery. It was designed for use with department devices on apparatus that have a constant power source. This setting isn't recommended for use with personal devices.

  • Battery Saving

    • The app will ping the device for its GPS location at a lesser frequency than the 

    High Accuracy option, and position updates will be slightly less accurate. It was designed for use with department devices that don't have a constant power source. This setting isn't recommended for use with personal devices.

  • Precise Accuracy for 15 min.

    • The app will ping the device for its GPS location at a higher frequency, providing more accurate position updates for the device for 15 minutes. Functionally, it turns on the precise location tracking for 15 minutes whenever an alert response is tapped and longer report location after 15 minutes.

  • Off

    • This will prevent the phone from being tracked while the app is running in the background or completely closed. This is the recommended setting for personal devices.

  • Continuous Repaging

    • When this option is enabled, and your device receives a new alert, the Active911 app will to continue to notify your device until the app is opened and alert is viewed. This option was designed for people who work in loud environments, heavy sleepers, etc.

Advanced Settings

  • Theme

 Change the background and accent colors of the app.

  • Light

  • Dark (Experimental)

  • Dark Red (Experimental)

  • Battalion Blue (Default)

  • Auto Dim

 Click here to expand...

  • When enabled, the app will automatically switch to the dark theme when your device is in a dark environment.

  • Remote Logging

    • When enabled, the app will collect information about the Active911 app on your device. Active911's development team can use the logs to help troubleshoot specific problems.

  • Map Scale Factor

    • Resizes the map icons based on resolution. The default setting is 1, which may make icons very small on high resolution devices. Recommended values are 1-3, though values up to 9 are recognized.

  • Measurement System

    • Allows the use of English or Metric systems for the app.

      • English

      • Metric

  • Scanner Radio on Alert

    • Using this setting requires that you have the Scanner Radio app installed on your device. Selecting this option will open the Scanner Radio app, and allow you to designate a favorite radio frequency you want to listen to. From that point forward, when your device receives an alert, Scanner Radio will open in the background and start playing the radio frequency you selected.

Agency Specific Settings

Within the settings menu of the Active911 app there is a section for each agency that the device is a part of. There are specific settings that can be adjusted per agency, and they can be found near the bottom of the main settings menu within the Active911 app.

  • Clear Alerts

    • Selecting this option will remove all of the alerts your device has received for that specific agency. It only removes the alerts from the individual device. The alert data is still available to other devices, and within in the Alarms tab at active911.com.

  • Duty Status

 Click here to expand...

  • On Duty

    • The default is on duty. When On duty is selected, the device will receive alerts

  • Off Duty

    • When Off duty is selected, the device will not receive any alerts unless a group is set to override shifts and filters or the device has filters set for certain calls to come through.

  • Auto

    • When the device has a shift set from the roster by an admin, a device can be set to Auto follow the shift schedule.

  • Off Duty but Available

    • When selected, you will only receive alerts when you are within 5 miles of the location of the alert.

  • Notification Settings (For devices using Android version 8.0 or newer)

    • Selecting the Notification Settings option will take you outside of the Active911 app, to the settings menu of your device. Within that menu you have the option to enable/disable notifications, choose "Behavior" options, and an Advanced option that allows you to select a ringtone, vibrate pattern, and override do not disturb options.

  • Pagegroups

    • If your agency is setup to send alerts to pagegroups, you can manage the pagegroups your device is a part of. Chat groups mirror the selections you make for pagegroups. Some pagegroups are locked, and require the admin to add and remove devices.

  • Active911 Assignment

    • If your admin has created assignments, this is where you can manually select the assignment you are currently working. The selection you make will be visible to all the devices in your agency within the Personnel screen of the app.

  • Chat Notifications

 The selection made for this setting will determine how the app notifies your device of new chat messages received for that agency. Your device will only receive notifications for chat groups it is a part of.

  • None

    • Your device will receive chat messages, but your device won't be notified of new chat messages.

  • Closed

    • Your device will receive notifications for new chat messages while the app is open in the foreground, open in the background, or completely closed on your phone.

  • Open

    • Your device will only receive notifications for new chat messages while the app is open in the foreground of your phone.

Workflow For Sending Alerts

  • This workflow requires that your device has been assigned the "Send Alerts" capability by an admin of your agency.

    • There are two ways to access the Create Alert workflow:

      1. Within the Active911 app, select the menu option (usually found near the top right side of the screen), and select the Create Alert option.

      2. Within the in-app mapping system, press and hold with one finger on the map. A new menu appears with a Create Alert option. The location of the alert automatically defaults to the location you committed the long press and hold on the map.

Mapping

  • Accessing the Map

    • There are two ways to access the in-app mapping system:

      1. There is a globe icon in the main menu of the Active911 app. Selecting it will open the in-app mapping system, without routing or directions to a specific alert.

      2. While viewing the details of a specific alert, you can tap on the address of the alert to open the in-app mapping system. The alert's location will be displayed, including a blue line between your device's location and the alert's location for routing purposes.

  • In-App Map Settings

 While viewing the in-app mapping system, there is a circular icon with three rectangles vertically stacked. Selecting that icon will open the settings for the in-app mapping system.

  • Map Type

    • This setting will change the base layer displayed within the in-app mapping system. The default selection is Road.

  • Map Marker Density**

    • You can change the density of the map markers, so you can see more or less of map data points at a time. The default selection is Normal.

    • Urban - Use this setting if your agency has a lot of map data points in a small area. This option will only display map data points when the screen is zoomed in close to ground level, preventing map data from cluttering the screen.

    • Suburban - Allows map data to show only when the zoom level is set high enough to only see a few blocks from the center of the screen

    • Normal - When set to Normal, map data is visible when the zoom level is set to view about a square mile of area.

    • Rural - If the device is in a rural setting, with map data miles apart, select the rural setting

  • Devices, Locations, and Filters

    • These options were designed to help agencies that have a lot of data (devices, map data points, etc.) within their account. These options help filter data so you can easily access the information you need while responding to a call.

  • Agency Selection

    • At the top of this section will be the name of your agency. If your device is a part of multiple agencies, you can tap on the agency name, and a dropdown will appear that allows you to select from your list of agencies. The Devices, Location, and Filters options have to be set separately for each individual agency.

  • Devices

    • When this option is enabled, you will see the position of other devices for that agency (dependent on their GPS selections). When this option is disabled, you won't see the position of any devices for that agency.

  • Locations

    • When this option is enabled, you will see the map data points for that agency. When this option is disabled, you won't see any map data points for that agency.

  • Filters

    • This option will present a list of all the different map data icons your agency has added points for. You can individually enable/disable map data icons that will display within the in-app mapping system. All map data icons for an agency are enabled by default.

  • Mapping Tools

    • Follow Me Mode

      To center the map on your position, tap on the crosshair icon in the lower right hand corner.

      To get the map to track your position as you are moving, tap and hold the button. It will recenter on your position every time your position is updated.

      To exit Follow Me Mode, just pan/zoom the map or tap the crosshair icon again once.

  • Long Press/Hold Menu

 Mapping tools

There are several mapping tools you can access by committing a long press/hold with one finger anywhere on the map. A crosshair will appear on the point you pressed/held, and the menu will appear at the bottom of the screen. Here are the details of the tools in that menu:

  • Distance Ruler

    • This tool can be used to draw a line. The distance of the line will be reported on the screen. Click the DISMISS option to exit the tool

  • Nearest Markers

    • This tool will display a list of data points near the area you committed the long press/hold. Map data points closest to the point will appear at the top of the list, and map data points furthest away will appear at the bottom of the list.

  • Create Alert

    • This tool will open the workflow to create and send an alert to devices. Only devices that have been granted the Send Alerts capability by an admin will see this option.

  • Create Marker

    • This tool will open the workflow to create a new map data point. The map data point will be added at the point which the user committed the long press/hold. Only devices that have been granted the Edit Map Markers capability will see this option.

  • DISMISS

    • This option will close the menu, and remove the crosshair icon where the user committed the long press/hold on the map.

Cadpage with Active911

Active911 has long supported Cadpage. Cadpage is an Android App that allows Active911 to push messages to a phone or tablet without using SMS. There is also a free Active911 app in Google Play, but for those that prefer to use Cadpage, the following instructions apply.

When a user registers an Android phone or tablet running Cadpage with Active911, that device will begin receiving pages from Active911 using a technology known as "Android Push" or "Direct Paging". This technology does not use SMS messages. Also, Cadpage is "sponsored" by Active911 when it is direct connected - meaning the user doesn't need to directly pay for Cadpage.

  • Cadpage Device Setup

 Setup

  1. Go to Google Play on the device and search for "Cadpage". Download the full version and install it.

  2. A user doesn't need to buy Cadpage - Active911 will sponsor it for the user once it is connected to Active911.

  3. In order to register an Android device running Cadpage with Active911, the Active911 account administrator will need to log into the agency's Active911 account and add the device under the agencys's Devices tab. Make sure the Page Type is set to "Cadpage for Android".

  4. Once the device has been added, find the device code that is assigned to that device. This code should be in the far left column on the device roster. This code is used to register the Cadpage app in the next step.

  5. Finally, open up Cadpage on the mobile device, tap settings, tap Direct Paging Vendors, and select the option for Active911. Enter the code from the previous step (if there are two lines, put the numbers on the top line and letters on the bottom line) and press the register button.

  6. As a final check, go back to the Active911 account and use the test button () to test paging functionality. If everything worked, the device will get a page.

  • Cadpage Troubleshooting

    1. Make sure that the downloaded Cadpage app is the newest version and that it was installed according to the instructions.

    2. In the Active911 account, click on the test button () next to the device.

If the device gets the test message, the problem is probably resolved. If the device still doesn't get Active911 messages, even though it gets the test pages, the device probably has shift or filters set incorrectly - remove all shift and filter information from the device in the Devices tab of the account and try again.

  • If pages work, but they are often late or are unreliable

    1. Launch Cadpage

    2. Open Settings

    3. Select Direct Paging Vendors

    4. Select Reconnect Direct Paging

That basically drops the connection to Active911 and reestablishes it. This has helped other people with persistent message drop or delay issues.

  • If the device is not receiving pages at all:

    1. In the settings for the device, make sure Background Data is turned on.

    2. Try the test message again. If it still doesn't work, delete and re-install Cadpage according to these instructions.

Try the test message again. If it still doesn't work, the device may be broken. If the device is rooted, try restoring it to factory condition and try again.

Android Troubleshooting

Note: Only one phone works per device code - if you share your device code, your original phone or tablet will stop working!
 If you are not receiving pages at all:

  1. In the settings for your Android, make sure Background Data is turned on.

  2. Disconnect and reconnect your phone from Active911:

    • Go to settings within the Active911 app

    • Delete your device code and tap OK

    • Re-enter your device code and tap OK

  3. Try the test message again. If it still doesn't work, delete and re-install Active911

  4. Try the test message again. If it still doesn't work, your phone may be broken. If you have rooted the phone, try restoring it to factory condition and try again.

FAQ

  • The About text repeats and isn't formatted nicely?

    • Most of it comes directly from your phone's Android OS, so we can't really change it. We may try to tidy it up in a future patch.

  • When I add my device to a department in the web console, it does not update in the app?

    • The app will not notice this immediately. Close the app and wait for 1 minute, then open it again. Your new department should appear.

  • How often does the Android app update my position?

    • The app requests position updates be sent every 5 seconds, at a rate of every 1 second at most, whenever the app moves at least 10 meters.

    • Note: From Google's documentation - This interval is inexact. You may not receive updates at all (if no location sources are available), or you may receive them slower than requested. You may also receive them faster than requested (if other applications are requesting location at a faster interval).

    • We send this location to our server whenever we receive it, and report position at least once every 5 minutes even if the position hasn't changed.

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