Deploy the mobile app—ArcGIS Tracker | Documentation for ArcGIS Enterprise

You can help your mobile users get ArcGIS Tracker installed and configured on their mobile devices. You can do this in the following ways:

Provide a link that can be used to install the app or set the portal URL.
Use mobile device management (MDM) software to deploy and configure the mobile app, including portal URL and update frequency settings.

Open Tracker from a link

Mobile users can specify their portal URL in Tracker, or you can provide a URL directly to them that specifies the correct portal URL. Make it easy for your mobile users to access the correct portal by sharing a link through an email, text message, web page, QR code, or another app. When tapped, Tracker opens to the portal URL you want the mobile worker to use.

Tracker links

Tracker links have the following format: https://tracker.arcgis.app?parameter=value, where parameter and value pairs are replaced with the values you want to use to deploy the app. For example, https://tracker.arcgis.app?portalURL=https://myportal.mycompany.com/arcgis uses the parameter portalURL to take mobile users directly to the sign-in screen for your organization, and prompts them to sign in.

Parameters

The following parameters are supported with Tracker links. If no parameters are passed, tapping the link opens Tracker (or prompts you to download the app).


Parameter	Values	Notes
portalURL	The URL of the portal the mobile user must be connected to	If specified and the mobile user is signed out or connected to a different portal (including ArcGIS Online), the mobile user is signed out, taken directly to the sign-in screen for your organization, and prompted to sign in. Provide the same URL you enter in the browser when you want to access the portal, for example, https://myportal.mycompany.com/arcgis.

Continue reading for examples of using these parameters to achieve specific behavior with a Tracker link.

Connect to a specific portal

Specify the URL of the portal the mobile worker must be connected to.

The following is an example:

https://tracker.arcgis.app?portalURL=https://myportal.mycompany.com/arcgis

Mobile device management

Mobile device management (MDM) refers to software used for the administration of mobile devices in an organization. An MDM is used to enhance data and network security as well as to set and enforce mobile device policies. Additionally, using an MDM increases the efficiency of app deployments and management for mobile devices, including controlling how and when an app is updated. To learn more about how Esri approaches MDM, see ArcGIS Secure Mobile Implementation Patterns in the ArcGIS Trust Center.

When preparing to deploy Tracker to your organization's mobile devices via MDM, there are some application and profile settings you may want to configure. These include portal URL and per-app VPN settings.

Tracker app configuration

App configuration (also referred to as AppConfig) refers to a format for providing application settings such as the portal URL. Instead of configuring these settings manually each time a mobile app is installed, you can use your MDM to specify and apply app configurations automatically. These settings are defined as a dictionary of key-value pairs in an XML file. How the dictionary is created depends on the MDM you're using. To learn more about app configuration, visit the AppConfig Community.

Tracker has the following settings that can be implemented with app configuration in your MDM:


Key	Value	Notes
portalURL	Your organization's portal URL	When Tracker is launched, it skips directly to the sign-in screen for your organization's portal. For example, https://myportal.mycompany.com/gis. The value type is string.
uploadTracksFrequency	The track upload frequency	Overrides the default upload frequency of 10 minutes (60 seconds if the device is charging). Must be set to 30 or higher. The units are in seconds. The value type is integer.
updateLKLFrequency	The last known location update frequency	Overrides the default in-app setting of 60 seconds. The in-app setting is hidden when this value is specified. Must be set to 5 or higher. The units are in seconds. The value type is integer.

Per-app virtual private network

Configuring a per-app virtual private network (per-app VPN) in your MDM allows you to restrict access to internal resources to specific managed apps. Tracker can be deployed with this configuration. To set up per-app VPN for use with Tracker, see the software documentation for the MDM you are using.

Caution:

If you're on iOS, Safari is used to display the portal sign-in screen in Tracker. For this to work correctly with a per-app VPN enabled, your portal domain (for example, mycompany.com) must be specified in the Safari Domains setting in the per-app VPN profile you're using. If Safari Domains is not set correctly, the assigned mobile devices cannot access the Tracker portal sign-in screen.

When you set a Safari Domain in the per-app VPN profile as described above, the Safari Browser can also access the portal domain you specified in the Safari Domains. If you want to block this access, configure an iOS Restriction (if available in your MDM) to Block Safari Browser App on the desired devices.

After you've configured the per-app VPN settings for Tracker in your MDM, when the app is launched on a managed mobile device, it will automatically connect to the designated per-app VPN. When Tracker is running in the background, the per-app VPN is still connected, but only to Tracker. When Tracker is closed, the mobile device automatically disconnects from the per-app VPN.

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