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Mobile Form Submission

Field workers fill out safety inspections, toolbox talks, and other forms directly from the Appello mobile app. Each submission is GPS-stamped and timestamped, with support for photo capture, digital signatures, and offline completion.

Bottom Tab Bar → My Forms (clipboard icon)

Workflow​

Filling Out a Form​

  1. Open the My Forms tab on the mobile app.
  2. Forms assigned to the worker's current job appear at the top.
  3. Tap a form to open it.
  4. Complete each field — the form scrolls through sections in order.
  5. Capture photos using the device camera when prompted.
  6. Sign with your PIN when the signature field appears.
  7. Tap Submit.

The completed form is uploaded to the server and appears in the Form Inbox on the desktop for office review.

Mandatory Forms​

If a form is assigned as mandatory for a job:

  • The form appears with a red indicator until completed.
  • The worker may be unable to submit their timesheet until mandatory forms are completed (depending on instance configuration).

What Gets Captured Automatically​

Every form submission includes metadata that the worker doesn't have to enter:

DataSource
GPS coordinatesThe device's location at the moment the form data reaches the server
Started atThe moment the submission record is first created -- when a worker opens the form, or when office staff use + Start Form
Submitted / last updated atThe moment the form is submitted, or last edited or signed after that
Worker identityThe logged-in user filling out the form
JobThe job the form is associated with
Signature locationEach required signer's own GPS coordinates and time, captured separately at the moment they sign

This metadata is critical for compliance -- it proves the form was completed at the right place, at the right time, by the right person. The gap between Started at and Submitted / last updated at is also what the office sees as the "time to complete" on a submission.

note

This does not currently include the device's app version or device model. That information is only tracked on a separate device/push-notification record, not on the individual form submission -- there is no confirmed field on a form submission itself for app version or device type.

Geolocation and Timestamp Tracking​

Where the Office Sees It​

Office staff review a submission's location and timing from the Form Inbox. Opening a submission shows who submitted it, which job it's tied to, and when it was last updated right in the header:

Form Inbox submission header showing the form name, ID, initiator, job, and Last Updated timestamp

If the submission has GPS coordinates attached, a View on map option appears in the ⋮ menu next to the submission -- clicking it opens those coordinates in Google Maps. Each required signer's own sign-off location and time are shown separately next to their signature, with their own Click to View Map link, independent of the submission's own coordinates.

note

The canary demo instance used for this page has no completed, mobile-submitted forms with recorded coordinates, so the View on map link and per-signer "Signed at" location couldn't be captured live. The screenshot above shows the one seeded Draft submission on canary, which was started from the office using + Start Form rather than from the mobile app -- it carries no GPS coordinates, so no map link appears on it. The header layout shown is the same layout a mobile-submitted form uses; only the map link and coordinates would differ.

What Controls It​

GPS capture for form submissions is controlled by a single instance-wide setting, not a per-form option -- there's no toggle on an individual form or form template to require or skip location capture.

Settings → Instance Settings → Location Tracking:

Location Tracking card in Instance Settings, showing GPS Tracking, Geofence Validation, and Persistent Background Tracking toggles, all enabled

ToggleWhat it does
GPS TrackingThe master switch. When off, no GPS coordinates are recorded on form submissions, signatures, or check-ins anywhere on the instance.
Geofence ValidationRequires GPS Tracking to be on. Not used for form submissions -- it applies to job-site check-ins.
Persistent Background TrackingRequires GPS Tracking to be on. Records employee locations every 10 minutes while clocked in; needs the "Always Allow" location permission on the device. Not used for form submissions.

Turning GPS Tracking off also turns off Geofence Validation and Persistent Background Tracking. Turning it back on does not automatically restore the other two -- they must be re-enabled separately.

note

This switch is instance-wide: it also governs the GPS coordinates recorded on check-ins and signatures, not only form submissions. There's no separate, form-specific GPS setting to turn off tracking for one form while keeping it on for others.

Photo Capture​

Forms that include photo fields:

  • Open the device camera directly from the form.
  • Captured photos are embedded in the submission.
  • Photos also auto-upload to the job's file folder (if configured).
  • GPS coordinates are embedded in the photo metadata.

Digital Signatures​

PIN-based signature capture:

  1. When a signature field appears, enter your 4 or 5 digit PIN.
  2. Your signature (name + PIN verification) is recorded.
  3. For "one per worker" forms, each worker on site signs individually.
  4. For "one per job" forms, the foreman signs on behalf of the crew.

Offline Support​

If the worker is in an area with no cellular signal:

  • Forms can be filled out offline.
  • Submissions are queued locally.
  • When connectivity returns, forms automatically upload.
  • GPS coordinates reflect the location at time of completion (not upload).