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This page provides information on how to set up Android devices in preparation for using them with CommCare. If you want instructions on how to install and set up CommCare for Android please go to Install CommCare for Android Smartphones to get started. |
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- Go to Settings -> Wireless and Network Settings -> Wi-Fi Settings OR Settings -> WiFi
- Turn On WiFi
- Select the desired Wi-Fi network and enter the Wi-Fi password
- There should be a WiFi icon next to the phone bars
- Use the browser to navigate to www.google.com to test network
Setup Google Account
You need a Google account to download applications from the Google Store for the phones. You can either create an individual account for each phone or create a single account for the project. To setup an account go to https://accounts.google.com/SignUp from your computer.
Individual accounts: You can create individual accounts for each phone in a sequential fashion (projectname0001@gmail.com, projectname0002@gmail.com, etc.).
- Pro(s): You can use the Android Device Manager to track the devices and lock/wipe them if they get lost. The individual email addresses can also be added to the respective mobile users' profiles on HQ so it's easier to track. The best tool for tracking a phone's location is Google Maps' Location History.
- Risk(s): In at least one case, a few days after starting the system, Gmail shut down these accounts because it suspected they weren't people's personal accounts, which violated its terms of use.
Single account for project: You can create a single project account such as projectname@gmail.com.
- Pro(s): One fixed account to manage with one password can standardize setup of phones for new users without having to create additional accounts.
- Risk(s): Having a single account for all phones can have a slew of unintended consequences - contacts, photos and settings will all get backed up to the same Google account. There are some pretty significant privacy concerns and the likelihood for serious HR problems. To minimize these potential issues, please make sure to follow the "uncheck the auto-sync option" in the steps below.
Once you have the account(s) per your requirements, follow the steps below.
- Go the Add Account page (Settings -> Accounts and sync -> Add Account OR Settings -> Accounts Section -> Add Account)
- Choose Google account and select that you have an existing account
- Enter account information
- If prompted, uncheck "Keep this device backed up with my Google Account"
- if prompted, don't choose to setup the phone for Google +
- If prompted, uncheck all the Sync options
- Optional: to reduce bandwidth usage and stop multiple devices with the same account from sharing contacts/photos/other data between each other, choose the Account from Settings -> Accounts and Sync and uncheck all the sync options
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- Open the Play Store from Applications. On older devices, it may be called Marketplace
- Search for CommCare. Choose the CommCare and Install It. Make sure Auto-Update is checked.
- Search for Amaze File Explorer and install it. This is useful if you are installing Multimedia on the phone.
- Optional: Search for Barcode scanner and install one such as the zxing one"Barcode Scanner" by ZXing Team. Note that Barcode / QR code scanning is a native feature of the Camera app on more recent versions of Android. You can easily check that by trying to scan a code using the Camera app.
- Optional: If typing in a different language is required, you may want to install Google Input for your language. For example, Google Hindi Input is available.
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- Remove all extra home screens: pinch screen and tap and hold the others to remove them
- Remove all extra shortcuts except CommCare, Settings and Play Store - add the missing ones
- Set wallpaper and lockscreen to a simple theme: tap and hold background
- Update phone firmware: Settings -> About Phone -> Update Software -> click through confirmations
- Update existing apps: Play Store -> Top Menu -> All Apps -> Update all
- Create CommCare shortcut on lockscreen for easy access
- Increase the Display Time Out
- Go to Settings -> Display
- Set screen timeout or sleep to 2 minutes
- Turn Off Screen Auto-rotate
- Go to Settings -> Display
- Uncheck auto-rotate screen
- Set the Display Brightness
- Go to Settings -> Display
- Set the Brightness to Auto if available (recommended for battery savings)
- If Auto is not available, set Brightness to medium level or high level depending on whether phone will be used outdoors
- Disable notifications for extraneous apps:
- On older devices, go to Settings > Apps. Select the relevant apps, and for each one, disable the "Show notifications".
- On newer devices, go to Settings > Sounds and notifications. Select the relevant apps and enable "Block notifications".
- Optional: Set Phone to Local Language.
- Go to Settings -> Locale and Text or Settings -> Language Input
- Change the Language to the local language
- Optional: Setup the keyboard
- Go to Settings -> Locale and Text or Settings -> Language Input
- Check Google Input for your language if installed
- Change the Default Keyboard. On some devices choose Select Input Method. On others choose Default
- Select the default keyboard
- Optional: Adjust text size
- Go to Settings -> Accessibility -> Font Size (or Settings -> Display -> Font Size
- Try different sizes and confirm with user (if present) when text is big enough to be read
GPS And Camera Settings
If you're using GPS or capturing images in CommCare there are some additional settings required.
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- Note: If you have multimedia, download your multimedia zip file from CommCareHQ, plug in your phone to a computer and copy the zip file to the phone.
- Open CommCare (Applications -> CommCare)
- Choose the Enter URL option (recommended) or use the barcode scanner to scan the application QR code on CommCareHQ
- Enter the App Code for your application (or scan the QR code)
- Choose Begin Install
- Phone will connect to the internet and download your application
- If you have multimedia, you will prompted about missing multimedia. Press the Settings -> Install Multimedia
- Choose the folder button and find the multimedia zip file you copied to the phone
- Multimedia should validate correctly
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