Crisisworks software supports a wide variety of mobile devices, but there are differences in the level of compatibility and support we can offer depending on the device.

General comments

Mobile device technology is still rapidly evolving, so we recommend adopting a hardware purchase cycle of 2 years to keep current with the changes.

Older devices may still work with Crisisworks, but performance may become slower and less reliable over time. Datalink generally targets device families under 2 years of age, as that is the typical purchase cycle adopted by our customers, however long-term support contracts can be established for enterprises with longer-term support needs.

In general, age is not the only indicator of device lifespan. Typically, higher cost devices have longer lives, so look to maximise the device's internal specs at the time of purchase if longevity is a concern. A base-level iPad with 16 GB storage from 2 years ago is already approaching its end of usefulness, however a 64 GB iPad mini 3 is still useful at 5 years of age.

Apple iOS devices

Hardware

Devices less than 2 years old are fully supported. Devices older than that will typically remain supported so long as they were purchased with sufficient storage, and can be upgraded to within the latest or previous operating systems.

Operating system

Crisisworks will always support the current iOS version as well as the previous version, and we try to keep our backward compatibility as broad as possible.

At the time of writing, this means devices running iOS 12 or later are recommended (iOS versions down to 10 are known to work but are not actively developed), however this will change as Apple release new operating system updates.

You should always run the latest version of the operating system for your device, and ensure you regularly check for and apply updates as they are made available.

Storage

Crisisworks targets devices with 32 GB of storage or greater. Devices with 16 GB of storage are still common and still do work, but you may experience increased error rates especially if working on larger events.

Size

iPads and iPhones are supported at any screen size.

Cellular and GPS

Although Crisisworks will run on Wifi-only models, we recommend a cellular-enabled device to fully utilise the software. iPads without cellular connectivity also do not have GPS capability, and rely instead on less accurate techniques which are not suitable for field use. iPhones are good substitutes for field use if an iPad is not available.

Android devices

Operating System

Crisisworks will support the latest Android version as well as all previous operating system released within the previous 2 years.

At the time of writing, this means devices from Android 10 and later are officially supported (Android versions down to 8 are known to work but are not actively developed). The Crisisworks App has been reported to run on older operating systems, however some or many of the features may not work. If you have an older device, see if you can update the operating system.

Brands and Models

The Android ecosystem is large and diverse, and Datalink does not have the capacity to test on all models and variants. This is why we recommend using popular models within major brands such as Samsung, Google, Lenovo and HTC.

As a word of caution, we have seen the major brands sell ultra low-cost devices within their range that target uneducated consumers and these devices do not have sufficient hardware support for Crisisworks — we recommend you stick to popular models and not use discounted or entry-level models.

Storage

Crisisworks targets devices with 32 GB of storage or greater.

Size

All popular screen sizes are supported.

Cellular

Although Crisisworks will run on Wifi-only models, we recommend a cellular-enabled device to fully utilise the software. Tablets without cellular connectivity tend to also not have GPS capability so are not suitable for field use.

Windows devices

Hardware

The Windows 10 tablet market is diverse and very difficult to navigate, so Datalink cannot provide any direct recommendations.

Brands and models

Our research indicates that the majority of devices do not have cellular connectivity nor in-built GPS, so these devices may not be suitable for in-field use.

Mobile manufacturers such as Samsung appear to have devices that are more field-friendly than more traditional manufacturers such as Toshiba — for example, the Samsung Galaxy Book 12" has a Windows 10 edition with built-in cellular and GPS, with a build quality in line with their Android editions. Meanwhile, there appears to be only one Toshiba's windows tablet at the time of writing that supports cellular connectivity, and it doesn't have an inbuilt GPS unit.

Operating System

The Crisisworks app will run on all Windows 10 editions on tablets, desktop PCs and hybrid machines. Windows 10 has a wide number of editions, and the Pro edition is the target edition for development.

Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 are not supported by the Crisisworks app.

Deployment Options

Crisisworks is deployed in both the retail Retail Microsoft Store and the Microsoft Store for Business (also known as the "Volume Purchase Programme" or "VPP").

Enterprises can deploy the Crisisworks app using their mobile device management system of choice. With this approach, the enterprise will download the app from the app store and upload it into their MDM for distribution. See the following support articles for AirWatch and InTune for more information.

The Microsoft Store for Business and AirWatch (external link to VMWare)
How to manage volume purchased apps from the Microsoft Store for Business with Microsoft Intune (external link to Microsoft)

Enterprises can also choose to side-load the app for testing, although we recommend against this for production, because our app is signed with our test certificate and is deployed to the enterprise from our test environment.

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