Adding and Managing Device Groups
Administrators can manage settings for multiple devices at once by using device groups. By creating a device group and adding devices to it, an administrator can distribute setting changes automatically, overriding the preferences set by individual device users. For example, if you would like a group of devices that at your site to all use the same alert tone, you can add the devices to a device group in the Enterprise Administration interface, then change the alert tone for every device in the group.
Best Practices for Distributing Setting Changes
Spok recommends that you use device groups, regardless of which Spok Mobile implementation you have deployed. Device groups are extremely important because they minimize system traffic when you distribute setting changes to multiple devices. Spok recommends the following best practices:
- Device groups should contain 300 or fewer devices.
- Changes should be distributed to one device group at a time.
- When distributing settings changes to multiple groups, wait at least 20 minutes before pushing a settings change to another group.
Configuring the Default Device Group
Spok Enterprise automatically includes a default device group, which cannot be deleted. When users are registered in the system, they will automatically be added to this group. Any new devices which are registered with this group will inherit the default preferences from the group.
You can remove devices from the default device group and add them to new groups that you create. The devices will then inherit the new settings configuration from their new group. If the system is upgraded to a newer version of Spok Mobile, all device groups and their lists of associated devices will be migrated to the new version.
Before you configure the default group, click Save to ensure that the feature functions properly.
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In the Spok Enterprise Administration web interface, navigate to the Manage > Mobile > Device Groups menu option to view the Manage Device Groups table. The Manage Device Groups table can be refreshed, searched, rearranged, and reordered. For more information on using the features of the device group table, please refer to Getting Started.
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Click the Edit link in the Default Group row. The Edit Device Group Default Group screen will appear.
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Configure the device settings for the default device group. For detailed information on how to configure device settings, please refer to Adding and Managing Device Groups.
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Click the Save button to save your changes.
Creating a Device Group
Administrators can create new device groups to manage device settings with greater flexibility.
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In the Spok Enterprise Administration interface, navigate to the Manage > Mobile > Device Groups menu option to view the Manage Device Groups table.
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Click the Add link next to the search box. The Add Device Group screen will appear.
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In the Name field, enter a name for the new device group.
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In the Description field, enter a description of the new device group.
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Below the Description field, click on the arrow next to any device type to expand the list of settings which can be configured for that device type.
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When you are finished configuring this device group, click Save to save your changes.
Editing a Device Group
Existing device groups can be edited.
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In the Spok Enterprise Administration interface, navigate to the Manage > Mobile > Device Groups menu option to view the Manage Device Groups table.
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Click the Edit link next to the device group that you would like to edit. The Edit Device Group screen for this group will appear.
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Make your changes to the device group. For more information on these fields, see Adding Device Groups.
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After you are finished making changes, click Save to save your changes.
Deleting Device Groups
You can delete existing device groups from the system.
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In the Spok Enterprise Administration interface, navigate to the Manage > Mobile > Device Groups menu option to view the Manage Device Groups table.
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Click the Delete link next to the device group that you would like to remove. Note that the default device group cannot be deleted.
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The following warning will appear. Click Yes to delete the group.
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After the group has been deleted, the devices that were associated with it will return to the default group.
Device Group Settings
The following settings can be configured for a device group. All devices included in the device group will inherit these settings, overriding any setting changes made by the device's users.
Tone Options
Two types of messages can be sent in Spok Mobile: alert messages and chat messages. If a device receives an alert message, the Message screen will appear. Users will not be able to leave the Message screen, and the alert tone will continue, until the user responds to the message.
The Tone Options section allows you to configure the sound that plays when an alert message is received.
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Use Device Settings |
This option only appears on Android devices.
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Enable the Editable option if the device user should be able to change this setting.
High, Medium, and Low Priority Tone Options
Tone options can be set for devices groups in this section. Spok Mobile messages are classified into three categories by the sender of the message. These levels are: high priority, medium priority, and low priority. For each preference level, you are able to change the tone, tone interval, number of repeats, and vibrate preference (vibrate option available only for Android).
The Editable fields next to the preferences options can be chosen to allow the mobile device user to set his or her own preferences without the device group settings dictating the preferences for the user.
Please note that depending on whether you are setting preferences for an Android or Apple device, the tone options in this section may vary. See examples of each below:
Android
Apple
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Tone |
Within device groups, tones can be chosen to sound when a Spok Mobile message is received on the devices. |
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Tone Volume
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This option only displays for Android device types.
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Tone Interval (seconds) |
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Vibrate with Tone |
This option is for Android devices only.
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Number of Repeats |
From the Number of Repeats drop-down menu, choose a number between one and ten. The number of repeats represents the number of times that the device repeats its notification ring when a Spok Mobile message is received. For example, if you choose five, the notification ring sounds five times after a Spok Mobile message is received. |
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Enable the Editable option if the device user should be able to change any of these settings.
Message Templates
The Message Templates table allows administrators to create a set of standard message templates. A message template consists of static text that cannot be changed when selected. Using a message template allows users to easily choose an already existing text response to reply to a Spok Mobile message or to compose a Spok Mobile message. This means that users do not have to manually type out the text of the message on their device to compose or reply to a message. Instead, when you compose a Spok Mobile message, you can choose a template for the message. The user can then enter any extra text if needed.
After an administrator saves templates in the Preferences screen, the templates are then available on the device.
NOTE: End users cannot remove templates that administrators create for them; however, they are able to add additional templates on their Spok Mobile devices.
Adding Message Templates
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Click the Add link. The Message Templates field expands.
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In the Message Templates field, enter the text for the message template.
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After the desired text is entered into the Message Templates field, click the Update link. The template is saved.
Editing Message Templates
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Access the saved message template you would like to edit. The template displays in the Message Templates field.
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Click on the message template you would like to edit. The field becomes editable.
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Make any desired changes.
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Click the Update link. Your changes are saved.
Deleting Message Templates
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Access the saved message template you would like to delete. The template displays in the Message Templates field.
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Click the Delete link next to the message template you would like to delete. A warning dialog displays.
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Click Yes to delete the message template. The template is deleted.
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Click Save at the top of the page to save the changes. The changes to the device’s preferences are saved and applied to the device.
Message Delivery Notifications
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Failure |
The Failure option determines if the device is notified when a message fails. For example, if the device sends a message and the message cannot be sent to the message receiver, the device is notified.
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Delivery |
The Delivery option determines if the device is notified when a message is successfully delivered. For example, if the device sends a message and the message is successfully delivered to the message recipient, the device is notified.
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Accept |
The Accept option determines if the device is notified when a message is accepted. For example, if the device sends a message and the message is accepted by the message recipient, the device is notified.
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Decline |
The Decline option determines if the device is notified when a message is declined. For example, if the device sends a message and the message is declined by the message recipient, the device is notified.
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Sync interval (minutes) |
The number that is entered into the Sync interval field represents the number of minutes that the Spok Mobile device waits between syncs. Please note that the sync interval should be within the following range: 5-1000 minutes. This option only displays for Android, and Cisco device types. |
Enable the Editable option if the device user should be able to change any of these settings.
Message Storage
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Max Message Age |
The Max Message Age field dictates how long messages are stored on the device. For example, if the “3” option is chosen from the drop-down menu, messages that are older than three days are automatically deleted from the Spok Mobile device. |
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Max Messages Stored |
The Max Messages Stored field dictates how many messages are stored on the Spok Mobile device at one time. For example, if the “500” menu option is chosen, no more than 500 messages are stored on a Spok Mobile device at one time. |
Enable the Editable option if the device user should be able to change any of these settings.
Attachments
The Spok Mobile application has the ability to send Spok Mobile messages with picture and video attachments. Having the ability to send pictures and videos from Spok Mobile devices allows users to send this type of media from mobile devices safely and securely. The Attachments feature allows administrators to configure which devices have the ability to send picture and video attachments from their devices.
NOTE: The Attachments section displays only for Android and Apple devices.
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Enable Attachments |
Choose one of the following options:
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Security
The Security portion allows administrators to require that an access code is entered when chosen users need to access the Spok Mobile application. Please note that if a user is registered to multiple sites and one of their sites requires an access code, the user has to enter an access code every time Spok Mobile is accessed on their device.
NOTE: The Security section displays only for Android and Apple device types.
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Access Code |
Choose one of the following options:
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Minimum Length |
If the Yes option is chosen, the Minimum Length field displays. This field allows administrators to set a minimum number of characters that the Spok Mobile device user can use when setting an access code on the device. |
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Access Code Delay (minutes) |
The Access Code Delay setting in the Spok Mobile application allows you to extend the amount of time that the user’s application waits before locking the application and requiring an access code to re-open the application. More specifically, you can set the application to only lock and require an access code entry to re-enter the application after 10 minutes, 20 minutes, or 30 minutes. |
Notifications Section
NOTE: The Notifications sections is displays only for Android devices.
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Enable Notifications |
The Android Notifications option should be enabled on devices if users should have the ability to use Android wearable devices (Example: Android watch) with the Spok Mobile application.
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Spread the Word Section
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Enable Spread The Word |
Choose one of the following options:
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