Troubleshooting Handheld Crashes

Overview

When using the Mango Mobile app over long periods of time without proper maintenance you may start to notice the app closing/crashing, looping, not saving modifications, parsing errors etc. The typical cause for this is the memory usage on the phone, security permissions, outdated software or corrupted handheld data. In this article we will go over the different measures you can take in order to prevent your handhelds from erroring.

NOTE: If you are receiving a "cannot connect to communications server" or "route code is invalid" error, use this article for further troubleshooting: Unable to Upload/Download

Clearing Data

Corrupted Data on a handheld is known for causing loops with the app or the app aborting itself during a process. If you see yourself running into these issues it would be best to clear the data and give the app a fresh restart.

Some important information to know before clearing the data is that ALL handheld transactions need to be uploaded from the handheld. If they are not uploaded, you will need to upload them first or the invoices will be deleted when you clear the data. If you are in the middle of a run and have already serviced customers, it is NOT recommended that you clear the data.

If you cannot get the invoices to upload, do not proceed forward with the following steps and instead reach out to our Support Team for further assistance.

1. Open your handheld Settings and look for the Apps section.
2. Locate the Mango Mobile App.
3. Locate and click on the "Storage" section. (Depending on the phone type it might say "Data" instead.)
4. Once in the Storage, you should see an option to "Clear Data" or "Clear Cache".
5. Select "Clear Data".
6. A warning may pop up stating all data will be deleted. You can select "yes" or "ok" to continue.
7. Once the data is cleared, make sure you have closed out completely from the Mango Mobile App window.
8. This may mean you will need to swipe up on your handheld to see all open windows and close out the app or you may need to use the 3 vertical lines or square in order to see all open windows and close out of the app.
9. Once closed out, reopen the Mango Mobile app and test out your processes again. If the issues still occur, reach out to our Support Team.
   

Permissions

Most devices will be defaulted to require permissions for each app that is installed. If the permission requirements are not properly set, the application can crash or be inaccessible due to the read/write privilege's that were not implemented with the permissions.

It is always best to make sure that these permission settings are set on the ARS Apps. This includes: Mango Mobile , Mango Mapping, Launch Your App, etc.

1. Open your handheld Settings and look for the Apps section.
2. Locate the Mango Mobile App.
3. Look for the "Permissions" section. (You may need to go to "Privacy" first then "Permissions".)
4. In the top right corner of this window, you may see 3 dots for additional features.
5. Click on the 3 dots to make sure you are in "All Permissions". (All permissions may also be a separate button on certain handhelds.)
6. Confirm that the Camera, Location, Phone and Storage are all set to allowed.
7. Back out of this window and go back to the Mango Mobile App Info.
8. Locate the "Install unknown apps" section. (Typically at the bottom of the list.)
9. Confirm that the app is allowed to install from unknown sources.
10. Once closed out, reopen the Mango Mobile app and test out your processes again. If the issues still occur, reach out to our Support Team.

Updating the App

With all software devices you will notice that they require updates to keep the program up to date with the latest modifications/requirements. This can happen automatically with some phones or manually depending on the setup.

Due to this process, you may not notice an update to your handheld device that may trigger the capabilities of the specific Mango Mobile APK version you have installed. This in turn can cause the app to have a parsing error or package loss, corrupted data, application closing out etc.

We highly recommend that if you notice these errors happening on the Mango Mobile App or your device recently had an update, you uninstall and reinstall the application for the latest version.

This may not be required for every situation but it is definitely recommended if you have received these errors and the last Mango Mobile reinstall/update was done over a year ago.

Note: The following section is used for the V7 version of Mango Mobile. If you are using the V8 Mango Mobile version, please use this article V8 Uninstall/Install moving forward.

1. Confirm all transactions/invoices have been uploaded.
2. Clear the data on the Mango Mobile App. (Use the "Clearing Data" section for this process on this article.)
3. Go to your phone Settings>Apps>Mango Mobile.
4. Click the "Uninstall" option.
5. After the application is uninstalled and removed, go to your Internet Browser. (Chrome, Edge, Explorer etc.)
6. Open the browser and tap the Address Bar at the top of the screen so you can input the following website address: SH003.ARS247.com:46001
   • NOTE: If the Sh003.ARS247.com:46001 site is down, contact Support to get a download directly from your server.
7. Select the GO or Enter button on the keyboard. You should receive a notification on the bottom of the screen that the Download has started.
8. You should then see an option to select a program to install:
9. Click on Mango Mobile and download the APK.
10. Once downloaded, open your web downloads window or click on the option that says "Open".
11. Tap or double click on the MangoMobile-Aligned.apk notification to start the installation process.You may receive a pop up asking if you would like to "install" this app. Select Yes/Ok/Install.
12. After the installation is complete, you will be prompted with the following screen. Select Open to open the application.
13. The app will then take you directly to your "Transfer Parameters" where you will need to input your server information.
14. If you do not know where this information is, you can find it by going into RMA and locating the Lists>Routes>Handheld class window.
15. Select the Handheld Class that this driver is set for and locate the GPRS tab.
16. In the GPRS tab you will find all the information needed for the handheld.
17. To confirm that the installation/update was completed, download a route and make sure no errors populated.
18. If the errors persist, reach out to our Support Team.

Memory

Many apps need adequate space for creating new files or storing data created when you use the apps. When your Android device begins to run low on storage space, it gets difficult for the app to create data. Many devices feature lots of storage, but if you have too many apps and data files taking up space, your app may crash.

An easy way to solve this problem is to check for apps you haven't used for a long time and uninstall them. You can also use Android apps to clean up old and unwanted files from the device.

Multiple windows running on a handheld can also cause a delay or crash when using another application. A safe measure to input would be to close out all windows besides the Mango Mobile/Mango Mapping (if used) applications when doing a run.

Battery Life

Battery Life is another phone setting that can disrupt handheld functions when using alternate applications for he Mango Mobile App. For instance, if you are trying to call a customer directly from Mango Mobile and you notice the MM app crashes once you switch to the phone app it could be due to your battery settings.

If the phone's battery settings are restricted, it may cause apps not being used to close out so that it is not running in the background.

Use these steps to confirm your battery life is optimal for your handhelds.

1. On your handheld locate the Settings App.
2. Once open, look for the option Battery.
3. Locate the Mango Mobile app.
4. Confirm that the "Unrestricted" option is chosen.

Antivirus/Malware Software

Antivirus/Malware Software can be installed on both the server as well as the handhelds. If the software is not properly set to allow for all access to the RMA data, it can cause the handhelds to error out or time out when trying to upload/download.

On most occasions, this happens when the Antivirus/Malware Software is installed on the server and running. If your server IT is planning to use an Antivirus Software or Malware Software, they will need to make sure it is not quarantining any data being passed to RMA through the server.

If you are unsure if you have an Antivirus or Malware Software on your server, you will need to reach out to your Server IT for information. If you are on our Cloud Server, the software is always set to allow communication back and forth from the handhelds to the server.

For any handheld Antivirus/Malware Softwares, you will need to locate them in your "Apps" section of your phone settings. Some data providers will have software apps auto installed on the phones. i.e. Verizon

If you find that your phone currently has an Antivirus/Malware Software installed and running, we recommend that you temporarily turn it off and try uploading/downloading. If the process is a success, you will want to remove the software or make sure it is set to allow communication to the server. If you are unsure of how to do this, you will need to reach out to the Software Provider to further troubleshoot.

Port Closed

In order for RMA to communicate from the handhelds to the server, you will need to have a Port number set on the handhelds and within RMA that is active. To confirm if a Port is active, you will need to check 3 areas:

In RMA

1. In RMA go to Lists>Routes>Advances Communications Configuration.
2. Check the Setup tab and locate the port number:
   1. 
   2. On the server, go the the search bar.
   3. Type in Windows Firewall (This may require admin permission).
   4. Click on the Inbound Rules.
   5. Locate your Advcomms rule.
   6. Double click on the rule and check the Protocols and Ports tab.
   7. Confirm that the port is available in the available ports section.

External IP

If you are using an external IP address for your handhelds to service and upload out in the field with mobile data, you will need to confirm that the port if open for that external IP address. If the address is not static and you have a power outage, modem reboot, unsafe restart, it can change your IP address so you will need to use the following steps to confirm your current external address as well as the port being open.

1. Open up a web browser on the server.
2. Type in the following url: ismyportopen.com
3. You will see the site auto populate your external IP address for the server.
4. Type in the port number that your RMA system is using and click "Check"
5. The prompt should then say "Open".
6. If the prompt states "Closed" contact your Internet Service Provider to confirm that the port is open on their end.
   1. NOTE: ARS does not control the port forwarding with the modem/router so we request that you reach out to your service provider first for further assistance with their setup.
7. If the port is opened, you will need to verify that the server does not have any Antivirus/Malware software that could be blocking communication to the server.
8. If the port is closed, the service provider confirmed it is forwarded and there is no Antivirus/Malware software running on the server, contact Support@advantagers.com for further assistance.

Transfer Parameters

In the handheld Transfer Parameters there is a field for the port information of the server. If at any time the port information is changed within RMA, you will also need to update the Lists>Routes>Advanced Communications Configuration>Setup tab as well as the handhelds Transfer Parameters tab.