Install the NovaVMS mobile app and sign in
NovaVMS ships a native iOS and Android app alongside the web console. The mobile app is built on Expo SDK 55 and uses the same credentials and the same cloud backend as the web app, so anything you can see on the web you can see on mobile (with a few admin-only surfaces that stay on web — see Mobile feature matrix).
Where to get the app
| Platform | Distribution | Minimum OS |
|---|---|---|
| iOS / iPadOS | TestFlight (invite) → App Store | iOS 15.0 |
| Android | Google Play Store (Alpha track during early access) | Android 10+ |
If you do not have a TestFlight invite or Play Store link, ask your NovaVMS admin to add your email to the mobile rollout list.
Sign in for the first time
- Open the NovaVMS app. The launch screen shows the logo, a centred “Sign in to novavms” heading, the app version (e.g. v1.5.2), and an email / password form.
- Enter your work email and password — the same credentials you use on the web console.
- Tap Sign in.
- The app caches your email for next launch (your password is never stored). Switching users on the same device only requires typing the new password.
If you forgot your password
Tap Forgot password? below the password field, then tap it again after entering your email. The app sends a reset link to that address. For security, the app always shows the same “Check your email” toast — whether or not the email matches an account. This is intentional: NovaVMS will not confirm or deny whether an address is in the database.
The reset link itself opens a web page (not the mobile app). Set your new password there, then return to the mobile app and sign in with the new password.
Turn on biometric unlock on Android (optional)
Biometric unlock is available on supported Android devices with a strong fingerprint or face method enrolled. After your first successful password sign-in, NovaVMS asks:
Set up biometric unlock?
[Not now] [Set up]
Tap Set up, then complete the Android biometric prompt. NovaVMS protects the saved sign-in with the Android Keystore. It does not store your password.
If you cancel the Android prompt, you stay signed in and biometric unlock remains off. You can set it up later from More → Account → Security → Biometric login.
Unlock the app
After setup:
- A cold launch asks for your biometric before NovaVMS restores the session.
- If you cancel, the sign-in screen remains open. Tap Use biometric unlock to retry, or enter your password.
- Lock app clears the unlocked key from memory but keeps the encrypted sign-in on this device. The next entry requires your biometric or password.
- Sign out removes biometric unlock and all saved sign-in credentials from this device. The next sign-in requires your password.
NovaVMS accepts only a strong enrolled biometric for this feature. The Android prompt does not fall back to your device PIN, pattern, or passcode. Your NovaVMS password remains available on the sign-in screen.
If you add or remove a fingerprint or face after setup, Android may invalidate the protected key. Sign in with your password and set up biometric unlock again.
If biometric unlock is not offered, your device or enrolled method does not meet the requirement right now. Continue with your password. The current cryptographic biometric-vault release is Android-only; iPhone and iPad users continue to use password sign-in.
What is and is not on mobile in v1
| Feature | Mobile | Web |
|---|---|---|
| Live view (single camera, grid) | ✓ | ✓ |
| PTZ controls | ✓ | — (mobile-only in v1) |
| Talkdown (phone-mic → camera-speaker) | ✓ | — (mobile-only in v1) |
| Snapshot / Share clip | ✓ | ✓ |
| Download clip | ✓ (admin / owner) | ✓ (admin / owner) |
| Events list + NL search + Ask AI | ✓ | ✓ |
| Alerts inbox + acknowledge / resolve | ✓ | ✓ |
| Push notifications | ✓ | — |
| Biometric unlock | ✓ | — |
| Camera onboarding / discovery | — | ✓ |
| Alert-rule editor | — | ✓ |
| User management / billing / org settings | — | ✓ |
| AI provider settings / prompt packs | — | ✓ |
| Platform admin / cross-org tools | — | ✓ |
Mobile is the “monitoring + response” surface; configuration and governance live on the web.
If sign-in does not work
- “Sign-in failed”: re-check email + password on a non-mobile keyboard if you can — the small Android IME has dropped characters on some devices. The Login form prevents this from being silent: validation errors appear under the field.
- Splash screen never disappears: the app waits up to 8 seconds for a stored session to restore, then falls through to the login screen automatically. If you are stuck on splash longer than that, kill and reopen the app.
- Biometric unlock no longer appears: your biometric enrollment or the device-protected key may have changed. Sign in with your password and set up biometric unlock again from More → Account → Security.
- You cancelled the biometric prompt: tap Use biometric unlock to retry, or sign in with your password. Cancellation does not erase the encrypted sign-in.
- “Session expired” appears: sign in again with your password. An expired or rejected refresh credential is removed instead of being reused.