Tablet setup

Set Up Your Kiosk Tablet

Four steps, about five minutes. At the end the tablet opens straight to FabCommand and stays there — through a restart, and through the Home button.

The tablet itself Wi-Fi About 5 minutes
Back to Kiosk

Do This On the Tablet, Not a Computer

Everything below happens on the tablet you're setting up. The app installs from this page, so the page has to be open on the tablet's own screen — that one detail is behind most setups that stall.

Open this page in the tablet's Silk Browser. Downloading the file on a computer won't install anything on the tablet.
1 Allow installs

Let the Tablet Install the App

Fire tablets block apps that don't come from the Amazon Appstore until you say otherwise. Do this first — the download in step 2 won't install without it.

Settings › Security & Privacy › Apps from Unknown Sources
  • Turn Apps from Unknown Sources on
  • If it shows a list of apps, turn it on for Silk Browser

Then come back to this page.

Settings › Security & Privacy
Security & Privacy
Apps from Unknown Sources
Allow installs from outside the Appstore
Silk Browser
Allowed to install apps
Docs
Not allowed
2 Download

Download the App

One tap. The file is about 5 MB and lands in the tablet's Downloads.

Tap the button below on the tablet. If you're reading this on a computer, open fabcommand.com/kiosk/setup in Silk first.
Download FabCommand Kiosk Tap here on the tablet itself
Silk Browser · this page
fabcommand.com/kiosk/setup
Download FabCommand Kiosk Tap here on the tablet itself
kiosk.apk
Download complete · tap to open
3 Install

Install It

  1. Tap the file when the download finishes
  2. If nothing happens, open the Docs app, find the file under Downloads, and tap it there
  3. Tap Install, then Open

If a warning appears about an unknown app, choose the option to install anyway. That's normal for apps that aren't from the Appstore.

Install prompt
FabCommand Kiosk

Do you want to install this application?

Cancel Install
4 Set up

Follow the Setup Screen

The app opens to a short setup screen with the FabCommand logo at the top.

  • Which site? — already filled in for you. Leave it alone unless we've told you otherwise.
  • Choose an admin PIN — at least 4 digits, entered twice.
  • Make this the home app — tap Open home app settings, choose FabCommand Kiosk, tap Always if asked, then press Back.
Write the PIN down. You need it to change any setting later, and there is no way to recover it.

The home app step is what stops the Home button from leaving FabCommand. Please don't skip it.

Tap Start kiosk. Done — the tablet now opens to FabCommand, and stays there after a restart.

FabCommand Kiosk · setup
FabCommand Kiosk
Which site?
fabcommand.com
Admin PIN
••••
Confirm PIN
••••
Open home app settings
Start kiosk

Once It's Running

Three things worth knowing before you hand the tablet to the floor.

Turning It Off and On

It boots straight back into FabCommand. Nothing to do.

The Screen Stays On

While the kiosk is showing. Keep the tablet on a charger if it's used all day.

Opening PDFs

Links like "click here to view your PDF" open in a built-in viewer, with an ✕ in the top-left corner to close it.

Changing Something Later

There's no visible settings button — that's the point, so a curious user can't find one. Admins reach it with a hidden gesture and the PIN you chose in step 4.

1
Tap the top-left corner 7 times quickly. Anywhere on the screen's top-left corner.
2
Enter your admin PIN. The one you wrote down.
3
Change the site, change the PIN, or exit kiosk mode to use the tablet normally for maintenance. Open the FabCommand Kiosk app again to go back in.

If Something Goes Wrong

The six things that actually come up.

"App not installed"
Unknown Sources isn't enabled — go back to step 1. Or an older copy is still installed: uninstall it and try again.
The download opens a page of text instead of installing
The link was opened in something other than Silk, or the file didn't finish downloading. Open the Docs app and check Downloads.
A page says the tablet is restricted
That page is on a web address we haven't allowed yet. Send us the address and we'll add it.
A PDF won't open
Usually the documents live on a different web address than the main site. Send us the link and we'll add it.
The Home button leaves the kiosk
Step 4's "Make this the home app" wasn't completed. Reach settings with the 7-corner-taps gesture and use the Open home app settings button there.
Forgotten PIN
There's no recovery. Uninstall and reinstall the app, then run through setup again. Uninstalling clears the saved settings.

Stuck On Any of This?

Get in touch and we'll walk you through it — or have us ship the next one with everything already done.

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