Overview
The PreStartGo mobile app is the operator's tool — inspections, defects, unlocks, all offline-first. This article covers what it needs from a phone, the permissions it asks for and why, and how updates are handled.
Before you start
- Role
- A licence created by your organisation against your mobile phone number — operators can't sign themselves up in the app
- An iOS or Android phone from recent years
- Bluetooth, for machines with an Interlock
- A camera, for QR scanning and photo evidence
Device requirements
| Capability | Needed for | Required? |
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | Unlocking Interlock-equipped machines, BLE spotter confirmation | Yes, for any fleet with interlocks |
| Camera | QR scanning, photo evidence on checklist items and defects | Yes |
| NFC | Tap-to-scan GoTags (gloves, worn labels); Technicians installing tags | Recommended — required for Technicians who install GoTags |
| Mobile data / Wi-Fi | Syncing — not inspections, which run fully offline | Periodically — see Working Offline |
Ordinary modern phones meet all of this. Shared devices work too — each person signs in as themselves, and signing out clears the previous person's data from the device.
Installing and signing in
- 1
Install the app on the phone — your organisation provides the install link during onboarding.
- 2
Sign in with your mobile phone number. A code arrives by SMS; entering it signs you in. There's no password and no separate registration — your account exists because your organisation licensed your number. If sign-in says it doesn't know you, that's the first thing to check: see Inviting Your Team.
- 3
Let the first sync finish. The app downloads your equipment, checklists and licences — this first sync is the one that genuinely needs a connection, because it's what makes everything after it work offline.
The permissions, and why each is asked
- Bluetooth — talking to Interlocks. Without it, machines with an interlock can't be unlocked from this phone.
- Camera — scanning QR codes and capturing photo evidence.
- Location — required by the platform's operating systems for Bluetooth scanning, and recorded with compliance events (where a check was performed) as part of the audit record.
- Notifications — how the platform tells you about invalidated checks, licence changes, and assigned work. Worth granting: critical notices are sent at high priority, and if pushes can't reach your phone the app shows a warning banner rather than letting you miss things silently.
Declining a permission never breaks the whole app — it limits the specific capability, and the app explains which.
Updates and version enforcement
Keep the app updated — updates carry compliance-relevant fixes, not just polish. The platform enforces a minimum supported version: a very old app is blocked from syncing until it's updated, with a clear prompt in the app.
Two properties of that enforcement are deliberate:
- Your queued records survive. If an old app is blocked mid-queue, the pending compliance records are kept and upload after the update — a forced update never costs evidence.
- A checklist item type the app doesn't recognise fails safe. If the office adopts a newer item type before your app updates, that item renders as unsupported and a required one blocks completion — the app never silently skips something it can't render.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| No SMS code at sign-in | Number not licensed, mistyped, or poor coverage | Verify the exact number with your admin; wait a minute and retry |
| Signed in, but the app is empty | First sync hasn't completed | Get coverage and pull to refresh |
| "Update required" screen | The app is below the minimum supported version | Update the app — queued records are kept and upload afterwards |
| Machines won't unlock from this phone | Bluetooth off or permission denied | Enable Bluetooth and the app's Bluetooth permission; see Bluetooth Connection Issues |
| NFC tap does nothing | Phone lacks NFC or it's disabled | Use QR scanning instead — every GoTag carries both |