Tacktab

Help

How to put Tacktab on a wall and keep it there. If your question is not here, email support@tacktab.com or ask on the Tacktab feedback board.

Set it up

  1. Install Tacktab on the tablet from Google Play or the App Store.
  2. Open it and type the page address, for example 192.168.1.10:8123/dashboard. Tap Start.
  3. Sign in to the page once. Tacktab keeps you signed in.

Open settings

Press and hold the top-left corner of the screen for 3 seconds. A red ring fills while you hold, then settings open. Tacktab shows you this on first start.

If you set a settings PIN, Tacktab asks for it first. After 5 wrong PINs it waits 30 seconds before the next try, and the wait doubles each time, up to 15 minutes.

Lock the tablet

Locking needs Tacktab Pro. It keeps people on your page: they can use it, but they cannot leave it.

Android

Turn on Lock to Tacktab under Device lock. On any tablet this uses Android's screen pinning. Anyone can end pinning by holding Back and Overview, so turn on Ask for PIN before unpinning in Android's settings (Tacktab has a button that opens it).

For a full lock, make Tacktab the device owner. Home, Recents and notifications are then blocked, the lock survives a restart, and Tacktab cannot be uninstalled. You do this once, from a computer:

  1. Remove all accounts from the tablet (Settings, Accounts). Android refuses a device owner while accounts exist.
  2. Turn on USB debugging: Settings, About tablet, tap Build number seven times, then Developer options.
  3. Connect the tablet with USB and run:
adb shell dpm set-device-owner com.applifyer.tacktab/com.applifyer.tacktab.kiosk.TacktabAdminReceiver

You can add your accounts back afterwards. As device owner, Tacktab can also block safe mode, factory reset, screenshots, the camera, the volume buttons and USB file transfer. Each one is a switch under Device lock. To undo everything, tap Release in Tacktab's settings.

iPad

iPadOS lets only Guided Access or a device management (MDM) profile lock an iPad to one app.

  1. Open the iPad's Settings, then Accessibility, Guided Access. Turn it on and set a passcode.
  2. Open Tacktab and triple-click the top button (or the Home button).
  3. Tap Options to turn off the side and volume buttons too, then tap Start.

To leave, triple-click again and enter the passcode. On a supervised iPad, allow Tacktab for Autonomous Single App Mode in your MDM and tap Start Single App Mode in Tacktab's settings.

Start after a restart

Android: under Start on boot, tap Set and choose Tacktab as the Home app. The tablet then opens your page when it starts. A device owner does this by itself.

iPad: iPadOS does not let apps open by themselves after a restart. Open Tacktab and start Guided Access again.

Tacktab Pro and codes

Pro is one purchase of $5.99, not a subscription. It unlocks the device lock, the settings PIN and remote control on every tablet signed in to the same Google or Apple account. In settings, open Tacktab Pro to buy it, to try it free for 24 hours, or to restore a purchase.

Have a code? Open settings, then Tacktab Pro, then Redeem code. On Android this opens Google Play; turn the lock off first. On iPad, Apple's own code sheet opens. You can also redeem an Android code at play.google.com/redeem.

Questions

Does Tacktab work with Home Assistant?

Yes. The free Home Assistant integration finds your tablets on the network and adds a screen switch, brightness, the page, a reload button and the battery for each one.

Can the screen turn off at night?

Yes, from Home Assistant or any script, with Pro. On Android the display switches off if you allow it under Remote control. On iPad the screen goes black and dims, because iPadOS does not let apps switch the display off.

What happens when the network drops?

Tacktab shows a short message and reloads your page by itself when the network comes back.

Does Tacktab collect my data?

No personal data. There is no account and no advertising. Tacktab sends anonymous crash reports and counts how often it is opened, and you can turn that off in settings. Read the privacy policy.

Can I use one purchase on several tablets?

Yes, on every tablet signed in to the same Google account (Android) or Apple Account (iPad). Tap Restore purchase on each iPad.

Contact

Report a bug or suggest a feature on the Tacktab feedback board, where you can also see what others asked. For anything private, email support@tacktab.com. Tacktab is made by Edi Hasaj and published by Applifyer, LLC.