Documentation

Appearance

Native mobile app (iOS and Android) #

The Dataplicity native apps (iOS and Android) are for operators who need fleet access and on-call actions without opening the desktop Fleet Console. They are not a read-only companion: you can enrol devices, open a terminal, work incidents, track monitor health, use project boards, and work with shared files from the phone.

This page is about the phone apps. Guides that say “in the Dataplicity app, select Add device” often mean the web console’s Add device panel. Both surfaces can enrol a device; the steps differ.

Main tabs #

TabWhat you can do
DevicesSearch and presence; tap a device to open Terminal (when online and on-plan); Add device; open terminal sessions
FilesBrowse shared folders, upload and preview files, download or export copies, and manage content with your folder permissions
ChatOpen conversations and get help from Dataplicity support
BoardsShown when project boards are enabled. Create boards/lists/cards, drag cards, edit card details
IncidentsShown when the organisation has incidents entitlement. List, acknowledge, escalate, hold, leave updates, confirm fix. Critical push opens the same incident

Open Settings from the app's settings control for account details, notifications, and sign-out. Product documentation opens in the browser. See support specialists and plan access for the available help and human-support escalation.

Critical incident push opens the same incident record as the web console. See Take the incident on the phone without losing the plot.

Sign in #

  1. Enter email, then Continue.
  2. Sign in with password, or Continue with SSO (use Open in browser if the embedded login stalls).
  3. Enter an authenticator MFA code when prompted.
  4. Use Forgot password? for a reset email. The app does not change passwords or enrol MFA itself, and it has no organisation switcher.

Language follows the phone locale (English, Spanish, German, Polish, Mandarin Chinese).

Add a device from the phone #

  1. Open the Devices tab.
  2. Tap Add device.
  3. Prefer guided setup when the Raspberry Pi is on the same Wi-Fi as the phone and SSH is enabled. On iOS, allow Local Network access when prompted. The app scans the LAN, lists candidates, and can install Dataplicity over SSH (defaults often pi / raspberry).
  4. If nothing is found, confirm Wi-Fi + SSH, tap Try scanning again, or choose Manual install.
  5. Manual install shows your organisation’s install command or script. Copy it onto the Linux device (any supported image, not only Raspberry Pi) and run it there.

Plan device limits still apply. Extra devices may appear under Not included on your plan and cannot open a terminal until the plan covers them. Upgrade happens on the web.

Terminal #

Tap an Online, on-plan device to open the terminal. Use the sessions control to resume or close shells. The terminal supports Paste, Reboot (with confirmation), and common control keys. Offline and Not included devices cannot open a shell.

Incidents and notifications #

From an incident you can Acknowledge, Escalate / Page next, Hold 15 minutes (detail and notification actions), Leave update, Confirm fix, and Cancel auto-resolve. Denying notifications does not remove the Incidents tab.

For alerts that must wake a muted phone:

  • iOS: grant Critical Alerts (beyond basic notification permission).
  • Android: complete Breakthrough (unrestricted battery use and Do Not Disturb access).

Monitors and boards #

Monitors are status only in the app. Create or edit monitor definitions in the web Fleet Console, then refresh the phone list.

On Boards you can create boards, lists, and cards, drag cards between lists, and edit card content (including photos and links to devices, monitors, or incidents). Prefer the web console for full board administration.

Shared files #

Open the Files tab to browse shared folders, upload documents, preview supported files, and download or export copies. You can also rename, move, replace, delete and restore content with the appropriate folder access. The same permissions apply on the web and in the desktop Files apps.

See Files on iOS and Android for the full workflow and Files access for sharing folders with your team.

Apple Watch (iOS) #

Sign in on the iPhone first. The Watch companion can triage incidents (acknowledge, hold, page next) and show on-call state. It is not a full substitute for the phone app or terminal.

What stays on the desktop console #

Use the web Fleet Console (or Pingüino there) for heavy fleet operations such as Fleet Jobs, creating or editing monitor definitions, device admin beyond shell, organisation switching, and billing upgrades. The phone app is built for presence, terminal access, incident response, monitor status, boards, and shared files.

Next #