Main Dashboard & Tab Bar
The home base of the app, where the bottom tab bar and top header let you reach every feature.
After you sign in, the app opens to the main dashboard. A row of tabs runs along the bottom of the screen, and a header sits across the top. From here you can move between the five main areas of the app, switch organizations, scan a QR code, and see at a glance where you have unread items waiting.
Overview
The dashboard is the container that holds everything else. The bottom tab bar always shows five tabs in a fixed order, and the top header shows which organization you are currently working in.
| Tab | Order | Opens |
|---|---|---|
| Home | 1 | Your main grid of feature tiles |
| Logs | 2 | Log-related tiles (such as Inventory) |
| Alerts | 3 | Alert tiles |
| References | 4 | Reference material (Maps, Communications) |
| Account | 5 | Your profile, settings, and notifications |
| Header element | Description |
|---|---|
| Organization name | Shows the organization you are viewing; tap to switch organizations |
| Mute icon | Appears next to the organization name when notifications are muted; the name turns red while muted |
| Unread count badge | A red bubble showing your unread items across all your organizations |
| Scan button | Opens the QR code scanner (the flashlight can be toggled while scanning) |
| Banner you may see | What it means |
|---|---|
| "No Internet Connection - All data is offline only" | You have lost service; everything already downloaded still works |
| "Permissions might effect app function" | Location or notifications are switched off — see App Permissions |
| Navigation banner | Turn-by-turn navigation is running in the background; tap it to return to the route |
Getting Here
- Open the REDENES Mobile App.
- Sign in with your email and password (see Sign In).
- Confirm which devices should be logged in and let your agency's data download.
- The dashboard opens on whichever tab your default start screen setting names.
The tab the app opens to first comes from the default start screen setting loaded with your account at sign-in. It can be Home, Logs, Alerts, References, or Account, and Home is used when nothing is set. Change it in Settings on the Account Tab.
Switch Between Tabs
The bottom tab bar is the fastest way to move around the app.
- Tap any tab — Home, Logs, Alerts, References, or Account — to switch to it.
- You can also swipe left or right across the main area to move between tabs.
- The selected tab's icon and label turn red so you always know where you are. The other four follow your theme: dark in light mode, white in dark mode.
Double-tap the tab you are already on to scroll its tile grid back to the top. This is handy when you have scrolled far down a long list.
You cannot swipe back out of the dashboard the way you can leave other screens. The dashboard is the app's base — to leave it you sign out from the Account tab.
Read the Tab Badges
Small red bubbles on the tabs tell you where unread items are waiting.
| Badge | What it counts |
|---|---|
| Home | Unread chat messages for features on the Home tab, in the current organization |
| Logs | Unread chat messages for features on the Logs tab |
| Alerts | Unread chat messages for features on the Alerts tab |
| References | Unread chat messages for features on the References tab |
| Account | Your unread notification alerts plus your unread system alerts |
| Header badge | Your unread items across every organization you belong to |
A badge disappears when its count reaches zero. The four tab badges count only the organization currently shown in the header, which is why the header badge can be higher than the tab badges added together.
A badge means something is waiting for you. Check tabs with a red badge promptly so you do not miss an alert or message.
Switch Organizations
If you belong to more than one organization, you can move between them from the header.
- Tap the organization name at the top of the screen.
- A dropdown list of your organizations appears, each name centred.
- Each organization in the list shows its own unread count and a mute icon if it is muted.
- Tap an organization to switch to it.
- The dashboard reloads: all five tile grids, your directory, and every badge now reflect that organization.
A muted organization turns its name red and shows a mute icon. Muting affects only notifications — you can still open and use a muted organization normally. The mute has an expiry time, so the red name clears itself when the mute runs out.
Switching organizations changes what every other screen shows. If a colleague is missing from the directory or a tile has vanished, check the organization name at the top before anything else.
Scan a QR Code
The header includes a scanner for quickly opening codes.
- Tap the Scan button in the header.
- If this is the first time, the app explains why it needs the camera, then your device asks for permission. See App Permissions.
- Point your camera at a QR code.
- Toggle the flashlight if you are scanning in low light.
- The app recognizes the code and acts on it.
What happens next depends on the kind of code.
| Code contains | What the app does |
|---|---|
| A REDENES board link | Opens that link board — see Link to a Command Board |
| A REDENES QR link | Looks the code up and opens whatever it points to |
| Another web address with a code in it | Looks the code up with your agency |
| Device pairing information | Opens the pairing pop-up for that device |
| Anything else | Shows the scanned value in a pop-up so you can read it |
A looked-up code can open a website, a form, an album, a directory record, a calendar event, a map, a chat, a phone call, a vote, or a radio channel — whatever the code was created for. When a code opens a phone call, a Select call option sheet lets you choose Default Phone or Cancel.
| Message you may see after scanning | What it means |
|---|---|
| "This account does not have permission for this Directory Code" | The record exists but your role cannot open it |
| "This account does not have permission for this Calendar Code" | Same, for a calendar event |
| "This account does not have permission for this Map Code" | Same, for a map |
| "Device Registered" | The code registered this device successfully |
| "Data not found for this QR Code" | The code does not match anything in your agency |
| "Website url not available" | The code points at a website that has not been set |
| "Template not available" / "Album not available" | The form or album behind the code is missing |
| "Directory not available" / "Chat not available" | The feature behind the code is not enabled for you |
| "Location tracking started" / "Location tracking stopped" | The code toggled your location sharing |
Scanning works without a connection for codes your agency has already downloaded. If you are offline and the code was not part of that download, the lookup fails and a message explains why. Website and map links always need a connection.
What the Dashboard Does in the Background
While you are on the dashboard, the app quietly keeps itself ready for the field.
| Behaviour | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Downloads your agency's offline data files | Forms, codes, and records keep working without signal |
| Pre-downloads map layers and offline map areas | Maps open instantly and work out of coverage |
| Keeps the screen awake | Only if keep screen awake is on in your settings |
| Starts the screensaver timer | Only if a screensaver timeout is set |
| Re-checks permissions every time you return to the app | Keeps your agency's device list accurate |
| Sends your agency list and key features to a paired Apple Watch | The watch stays in step with the phone |
| Refreshes the home-screen widget | The widget shows the features you chose in settings |
How This Connects
The dashboard is a shell — almost everything on it is drawn from somewhere else.
- The five tile grids are the same list of features split by which tab your agency assigned them to. They come from the agency data downloaded at Sign In, and are read from the device from then on. See Home Tab, Logs Tab, References Tab, and Account Tab.
- The organization list in the header dropdown is the set of agencies you were approved for. Requests are made on the step after sign-in described in Sign In.
- The badges are counted from the messages and alerts stored on the device, so they are accurate even with no signal. Reading messages inside a feature is what clears them, and every grid and badge on screen updates at the same moment.
- The mute icon and red name come from the mute state loaded at sign-in and from any change you make in Settings on the Account Tab.
- The theme (light or dark) also comes from your settings, and the tab bar recolours itself the moment you change it.
- Losing signal shows the offline banner. Every tile, badge, directory entry, and form you already downloaded keeps working; what stops is anything that has to reach the server — opening a web link, looking up an unknown QR code, changing your status, or switching to an agency whose data has not downloaded. When you reconnect the banner disappears, downloads resume where they left off, and counts refresh on their own.
Troubleshooting
| If this happens | What to do |
|---|---|
| The app opens on the wrong tab | Change default start screen in Settings on the Account tab. |
| A badge will not clear | Open the feature it belongs to and read the waiting messages. The Account badge needs the Notifications list opened. |
| The header badge is higher than the tab badges | The header counts every organization; the tabs count only the current one. Check your other organizations in the dropdown. |
| The organization name is red | Notifications are muted for that organization. It clears when the mute expires, or turn it off in Settings. |
| A tile you expect is missing | Check the organization name at the top, then check with your administrator that the feature is enabled for your role. |
| Tabs feel empty after switching organizations | That agency has fewer features enabled, or its data is still downloading. |
| The Scan button does nothing | Camera permission is denied. See App Permissions. |
| A scanned code says you lack permission | Your role cannot open that record. Ask your administrator. |
| A scanned code says data was not found | The code is not part of your agency's data, or it was created after your last download. |
| A banner says there is no internet connection | Expected when out of coverage. Everything downloaded still works. |
| A banner mentions permissions | Location or notifications are off. See App Permissions. |
| The screen keeps dimming | Keep screen awake is off in your settings. |
| A screensaver keeps appearing | Lower or clear the screensaver timeout in Settings. |
| You cannot swipe back out of the dashboard | That is intended. Sign out from the Account tab instead. |
Related Pages
Next: Home Tab ➡️