Two practical questions shape how a program plans mobile field work: is there an app, and does it work without a signal? The honest answers depend on which of three things you mean, so this post keeps them apart and says plainly what is available today.
Three things, three different statuses
- The browser web app is available now. It runs in the browser on phones, tablets and laptops with a connection. There is nothing to install.
- The native iOS app has a Target release: April 2027, subject to field validation, release readiness and App Store review. It is not in the App Store today.
- The offline, voice-first Inspection Copilot is in development. It is not available today, and no release date is promised.
Because the native app is not offered to customers yet, an agency that uses NPDESTracker on a phone today uses the browser web app.
What works in the browser today
On a connected phone or tablet, inspectors can open the program’s sites and assets on the map, start the right inspection for a site, record findings on a form built for that type of inspection, attach photos, and open a follow-up task from a deficient finding when they submit the inspection. Coordinators see the same records from the office as soon as they are saved. My Work shows each person what they own, and Tasks shows what is overdue and what is coming due.
The same records carry through to notices and, in the Full MS4 Platform, to the annual report, so nothing captured in the field has to be retyped at the office. The full chain is walked through in from field observation to annual report.
Two things to test on your own devices before you rely on them:
- Photos and location. Photo capture, and whether the phone’s location is recorded with it, depend on the device, the browser and the permissions each inspector grants. Test with the phones your inspectors actually carry, not only with a new phone in the office.
- The connection. Loading and saving records needs a connection. A production offline mode is not available today, so a record cannot be saved where there is no signal.
Planning field work around the connection, for now
Until offline work is available, a few habits help in areas with weak coverage:
- Load before you lose the signal. Open the day’s sites and records while you still have coverage, and save each inspection before moving into an area you know is weak.
- Keep a fallback for dead zones. If a stop has no signal at all, take notes and photos with the phone’s camera, then enter the inspection and attach the photos as soon as you are back in coverage, with the actual date of the visit.
- Talk to IT about coverage. Agency hotspots or devices on a different carrier can make a real difference on the routes that matter most.
- Tell us where coverage is a problem. Where a native app helps most depends on where your field work actually happens, and that is useful for us to know.
Why a native app, and why the date is a target
The browser works well wherever there is a connection. The native app is aimed at the part of field work the browser cannot handle well today: places where the connection drops. What the app includes when it is released will be stated when it is released, not before.
“Target release” means exactly that. Three things stand between today and a release:
- Field validation. Testing in real inspection conditions, with real inspectors on real routes, not only in an office with good Wi-Fi.
- Release readiness. The app has to keep records correct when a connection drops and comes back, and it has to match what the web app shows. If it is not ready, it does not ship.
- App Store review. Apple reviews apps before they appear in the App Store, and that timing is Apple’s, not ours.
If the date moves, we will say so on this site. We will not describe the app as available until you can download it.
Questions to ask about any offline field app
Whoever you buy from, an app that works without a signal has to make decisions on your behalf when the signal comes back. These questions show whether a vendor has thought them through:
- What happens if two people change the same record before it syncs, and who sees the conflict?
- How does the app show that a record or a photo has not reached the office yet?
- Where are photos kept on the phone until they upload, and what happens to them if someone signs out or the phone is lost?
- Can a record saved offline be lost by an update, a crash or a full phone, and how would anyone know?
A vendor with good answers will show you, on a device, not on a slide.
What this means if you are deciding now
- If your inspectors usually have a connection, the browser web app covers the field workflow today. Test it on your own devices and routes before you decide.
- If your program depends on working without a signal, plan around that today, and ask us where the native app stands when you are making your decision.
- Do not buy any vendor’s app on a promise. Ask whether it is in the App Store and downloadable today, and test the version you would actually use.
- Keep the record in one place either way. Whichever device your inspectors use, the inspection, its photos and its follow-up belong on one record that the office can see.
More questions
Is there an Android app? No native Android app is offered. The browser web app works in Android browsers on a connection, the same way it does on an iPhone.
Do office staff need the native app? No. Coordinators and office staff work in the browser web app on a laptop or desktop, and that is where the records an inspector saves show up.
Can we see the field screens now? Yes. The public demo runs in a phone browser, so you can see the layout on the device you would use in the field.
Will you tell us if the date changes? Yes. The date is a target, and this site will say so if it moves. Until the app can be downloaded from the App Store, we will not describe it as available.
See it
The Inspections module in the public demo (opens in a new tab) opens in your phone’s browser. The demo uses fictional data and is read-only on our side: nothing you try there is saved on our servers or sent. To see inspection creation on your own devices, request a private demonstration.
The inspections page and field inspection software for MS4 teams cover the field workflow in more detail, and stormwater inspection software gives the overview.