Troubleshooting Common Issues on Tablets

Troubleshooting steps for a variety of issues that could affect the driver view on the tablet

No Bird (change notification) Sounds

  1. Make sure physical volume on tablet is up
  2. Go into Settings>Sounds>Volumes and ensure that Media Volume is up all the way as well as the System volume.  The Notification volume isn't used by the MLS app
  3. Make sure the time settings on the tablet are set to Automatic.  If the time is wrong (even by less than a minute) the checks for changes with the server will not be accurate and could cause the tablet not to see changes and notifications properly.
  4. From the manifest, click on Configurator
  5. Toggle "Play sound for auto-refresh alert?"  to No then back to Yes
  6. Tap the SET button
  7. If none of the above works, uninstall the app and install a new one from the play store.
  8. When installing the new app, it's important to tap allow to the prompt for Location.  If you don't see the prompt you'll need to go into the system settings of the tablet to the Application Manager then find the app and go into Permissions and set to allow.

 AVL Update Slow or Non-Existent

The AVL map should update about every 30 seconds if the vehicle is moving.  Here are some things to check that will prevent or delay an AVL position update:

In General, things that will cause no AVL updates:

  • Is the vehicle moving (more than the threshold of 30 meters in 30 seconds)?
  • Is the driver logged in to the app?
  • Is there an internet connection on the tablet or is the manifest app operating in Offline mode?
  • Does the tablet have a good satellite signal?   Things that could be complicate the satellite signal are:  Tablet in map pocket, on the floor, or someplace in the vehicle where it doesn't have a clear view of the sky.  Using mounts in vehicles helps greatly to ensure tablets have a good satellite signal.
  • Internet traffic being blocked, limited or intermittently blocked by a firewall, router, port forwarding rules, security settings or other security settings on the host operating system for the Tablet server.  If you're hosted by Syncromatics you will not have any of these issues.

In the Settings menu of the Tablet:

  • Find Location and make sure that Location is enabled.
  • In the Location Settings make sure that Locating Method is set to "High Accuracy" (we used to tell you "Tablet Only" but this has changed.
  • In the Location Settings Tap on "Improve Accuracy".  Enable (turn on) "Wi-Fi scanning" and "Bluetooth scanning.
  • Ensure Battery Saving/Optimization functions are not interfering with the app.  There are two separate things to check that are both under the title of "Battery Optimization" but seem to have unique settings. (See Additional Directions below).
  • In the Battery Settings:
    • Make sure Power saving mode is OFF
    • Tap "Unmonitored apps" to select apps that won't be suggested to be put to sleep.  These apps an use as much power as they want and App power monitor will not do anything to stop them.
    • Tap "Add apps", scroll to find the MLS app and tap it to add to the list then tap "Done".

How to turn off battery optimization for the Driver App:

Open the "Optimize Battery Usage" settings menu:

Android6
  1. Go into the Tablet Settings -> Battery -> ... (top-right) -> Optimize battery usage
  2. Change the default view at the top of the menu from "Apps not optimized" to "All apps".
  3. Find MLS in the extra long list of apps and tap it to turn the option OFF.
Android 7
  1. Go into the Tablet Settings -> Apps -> Application Manager → and tap on the three dots for the menu (top-right details menu) then tap -> Special Access -> Optimize battery usage.
  2. Change the default view at the top of the menu from "Apps not optimized" to "All apps".
  3. Find MLS in the extra long list of apps and tap it to turn the option OFF.
Android 8
  1. Go into the Tablet Settings -> Apps -> MLS -> Battery (list item with a usage gauge) -> Optimize battery usage.
  2. Change the default view at the top of the menu from "Apps not optimized" to "All apps".
  3. Find MLS in the extra long list of apps and tap it to turn the option OFF.
Android 9
  1. Go into the Tablet Settings -> Apps & Notifications →Scroll down and tap on "Avanced" to expand App permissions, Emergency alert→"Special app access"→"Battery Optimization".
  2. Change the default view at the top of the menu from "Apps not optimized" to "All apps".
  3. Find MLS in the extra long list of apps and tap then tap "Don't Optimize" then "Done".


If none of the above steps work, uninstall the app and re-install from the Play store.  Be sure to Allow any app permissions that come up when you run it.

Drivers Manifest Only on Half of the Screen (Split Screen View)


When you use the task switcher button on the tablet (that looks like the two rectangles) the running apps on the tablet show in multiple windows.  If you tap on the multi-window button to the left of the X in the corner, the app will inter into split screen mode and will use only half of the screen.  This can also happen if you linger a little too long on the task switcher button itself.

 If you get into this mode, there are one or two ways to get out of it (depending on whether the Split screen view action feature is enabled or not).  If it is, you can press and hold the task switcher button at the bottom of the screen and it will return to normal full screen.  Holding the task switcher button will not do anything if the Split screen view is not enabled, and you will instead need to touch and hold on the window split and drag up or down (depending on whether the manifest is on the bottom or top) until it returns to full screen.

Even if the split screen view action isn't enabled, you can still get into the split screen view if you touch the split screen button on the top right of the app's window next to the X while in Task Switcher View. 

Enable/Disable Split screen view action

Go into Settings>Advanced Features>Multi Window and toggle "Split screen view action" on or off

This explanation sounds much more complicated than it is.  I encourage you and everyone to practice it a few times to get used to it and you'll see how easy it is.  If you have any trouble or need additional help, don't hesitate to contact us.

No Route Found on Google Map

Sometimes if you tap on the map button next to a stop, Google Maps opens up but says No Route Found.  This is usually because the Transit Mode button was toggled in the Google Map and there are no published public transit routes to use for your location to the trip stop.  Tap the Car mode button to return back to normal car navigation mode.

Login Page Will Not Load

If you run the app on the tablet but the login screen never appears you might see a long "Loading..." followed by a message about no connection. Here are some things to check:

  • Are other tablets connected?  If not, call us - The tablet server may need to be restarted.  If other tablets are still connected and are not displaying "No Connection" with the orange border, continue through the list.
  • Go into the app menu by swiping down from the center of the screen (not from the top).  This will reveal the app menu.  Tap on Clear Cache and Reload.
  • Check the WiFi  If it's on, and you're in the office connected to your network your URL may not be reachable from the inside the network.  Turn the WiFi off and try again.
  • Try opening a browser on the tablet to see if you can get to the login page by typing the URL there.  If it works, you may need to uninstall the app and re-install from the Play Store.

Update and Check settings

Go to the Tablet Checkup and Update article to see how to check and update the tablet and app settings.