Usage Notes

Zebra Workstation Connect 1.6

General Usage

  • Some app icons appear multiple times in the task bar, as determined by the app's internals.
  • When trying to set a shortcut for a running app (by right-clicking on its icon), its shortcut dialog box appears behind any app windows open on the Desktop.
    REMEDY: Minimize foreground apps until the dialog is visible.
  • Some apps after being maximized or minimized cause the background color on the secondary screen to momentarily change to black.
    The background should return to its former color or pattern on its own.
  • Any camera app running on the device will quit when any other app that uses the camera is launched on the secondary screen.
  • Some apps by default do not display the soft input panel (virtual keyboard) on the secondary screen.
  • Mobile apps that run in full-screen mode on the device by default run in full-screen mode on the secondary screen.
  • Apps designed to open only in the primary screen will open there even if launched from the ALL APPS button in the secondary screen. If app interaction is desired on the secondary screen, open the app in primary and select “Move to Desktop” from its icon in the task bar to move it to the secondary screen.
  • App pop-ups and/or sub-menus are sometimes partially obscured by the Desktop task bar when the app is maximized, requiring manual adjustment to the app’s window size or location to view all functions.
  • Zebra recommends avoiding the use of "Application Pinning" (aka kiosk mode) and Split Screen (running apps "side-by-side") on the device when docked.
  • Apps that implement a floating button (aka “toggle head”) feature can be used only on the primary (device) screen.
  • A flickering effect in the secondary screen is seen with some apps that restrict activities to a fixed orientation.
    REMEDY: Press the back button in the task bar.
  • The "Unknown SSID" message is sometimes displayed when hovering the mouse pointer over the Wi-Fi status icon on the desktop screen.
  • Some documents while in "restore mode" do not render properly when moved from the Desktop to the device.
  • Attempting to launch a Settings panel multiple times without interacting with it can sometimes cause the panel to seemingly fail to close, or for pop-ups to appear on the device when expected on the external monitor.
    REMEDY: Close any Settings panel(s) open on the device.
  • Some apps or app windows function properly on the external monitor only when maximized.
  • Some apps that run through a mobile browser provide a better experience when "desktop site" is selected in browser preferences (if supported).

Administration/EMM

Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) Systems

  • Zebra recommends enabling the "Allow Screen Capture" option to ensure that the secondary monitor wakes up when needed.
  • For issues involving remote-control operation, consult your remote control service provider (or EMM vendor). Some technologies used for projection are unable to project the secondary display on a remote screen.
  • On EMM systems that limit the text size of input fields, some configurations might fail or be set incorrectly if large text is pasted into the fields.

All Deployment Systems

  • To prevent automatic updates of the ZWC app when originally installed from Google Play, use StageNow and the “DisallowApplicationUpgrade” option of the MX App Manager "Action" parameter.
  • For all apps, toast messages displayed on the Desktop are hidden behind the task bar. This issue will be resolved in a future release.
  • When working with files on the Desktop, some file management apps crash when using mouse-drag to select, move and/or copy files.
    Zebra recommends using right-click copy and paste functions instead.
  • No more than one Workstation Connect .apk file may be present on a device at any time.
  • When managed configuration settings are deployed to a docked device, the settings are applied the next time the device is docked.
  • The device user can overwrite admin-configured app shortcuts created on the Desktop. Changes are applied the next time the device is docked.
  • Managed configuration settings for device orientation and screen resolution persist following removal and re-installation of the Zebra Workstation Connect app. All other settings revert to defaults.
  • Persistent managed configuration settings can be cleared only by performing an Enterprise Reset or a Factory Reset.
  • After enrolling an EMM agent as the Device Owner, the secondary screen is sometimes blank. With some EMM systems, this is resolved by enabling screen capture during enrollment.

Audio

  • If audio is desired through the speaker on a docked mobile device, it must be selected manually using the Audio settings panel.
  • Increasing audio volume past a certain level sometimes causes a safety warning to be displayed on the primary (device) screen. Tap "OK" to continue.

Device Locking, App Log-in

  • Notifications are NOT displayed on either screen when a docked device is locked; notification LED and sound (if enabled) remain active on device.
  • Zebra recommends disabling Secure Start-up when using Desktop mode (controlled using the DevAdmin CSP).
  • Log-in dialog boxes of apps that require user credentials do not appear on the secondary screen. Such apps can be used in the secondary screen once the credentials are provided on the primary.
  • Prior to ZWC 1.6, the user could unlock a docked device only from device screen. In ZWC 1.6 and later, the secondary screen/monitor CAN be used to interact with the device lock screen.
  • When unlocking the device, clicking on an app in the secondary screen moves focus to that app and enables input from an external keyboard.
  • Some applications that require a log-in hide the task bar when opened in the secondary screen if the user is not logged in. To prevent this, log in before launching the app.
  • Some apps with a log-in page in the secondary screen may require more than one click of the title-bar Close button due to cascading activities on the log-in page.
  • Sign-in buttons and other UI elements are sometimes partially obscured by the task bar when the app is moved to or launched in the secondary screen. This requires launching the app in secondary screen in a maximized state or completing the log-in process in the primary screen and relaunching in the secondary.
  • Apps sometimes exhibit an inoperable maximize function from the title bar, and/or minimize and restore from the task bar icon. In such cases, complete the log-in process completely in the primary screen and relaunch in the secondary screen or skip the log-in step, if possible.
  • Log-in and other app activities lacking a display ID appear on the primary (device) screen by default. To view on the secondary (external) screen, right-click the activity's task-bar icon and select "Move to desktop."
  • The default action when pressing the BACK button on the Desktop screen calls the onBackKeyPressed function of the app currently in the foreground. However, app developers can opt for the following BACK button behaviors:
    • Navigate back through recent activities until reaching the root activity, after which it closes the app
    • Minimize the app to the Taskbar
    • Directly close the app by internally calling the finish() method
  • To quit an app, use the Close button on any of the app's activity windows.

Peripherals

  • Barcode scanners connected to the cradle MUST be in SSI mode to function correctly with ZWC. See the Programmer's Reference guide that accompanied the scanner for information about switching modes.
  • To automatically activate a newly connected scanner, the "Auto-switch to default on event" feature must be enabled in DataWedge. Learn more.

Screen Resolution

  • For low screen resolution settings, the secondary screen might omit some shortcuts created on the Desktop. Re-docking the device sometimes allows more icons to be viewed.
  • App borders can sometimes draw beyond the edges of the secondary screen when the screen's resolution is changed, or if device resolution exceeds that of the secondary screen.
  • When connecting to high-resolution monitors, Zebra recommends a pixel density no greater than 320 dpi.
  • Apps that have not previously run on the desktop of an external monitor (or have not run since the monitor's resolution was changed) initially launch in a window equal to the hard-coded size in portrait mode on the mobile device (or in proportion to the former resolution). In either instance, the window can be manually resized for optimal viewing; the new bounds are retained on subsequent launches. Alternatively, right-click the app's icon in the Taskbar and select 'Relaunch and reset' to return the window to its default position.

Also See

For more information about ZWC setup, features and usage, please refer to the following guides: