Mobile Apps and Integrations

Extend AfricaOS beyond the web browser with mobile apps and integrations that connect to the tools you already use.

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Mobile Apps

Stay productive on the go with AfricaOS mobile applications.

AfricaOS Mobile App

The official AfricaOS app brings core functionality to your smartphone or tablet:

Available Platforms

• iOS - Available on the App Store for iPhone and iPad
• Android - Available on Google Play for Android phones and tablets
• HarmonyOS - Available on Huawei AppGallery (select regions)

Key Features

• Offline access - View and edit certain data without internet connection
• Biometric login - Secure authentication with fingerprint or face recognition
• Push notifications - Real-time alerts for important events
• Camera integration - Scan documents, barcodes, and QR codes
• Location services - Check-in/check-out for visits and appointments
• Voice input - Dictate notes and fill forms using speech-to-text
• Dark mode - Easy on the eyes in low-light conditions
• Tablet optimization - Specialized layouts for larger screens

What You Can Do Mobile

• View schedules - See today's appointments and bookings
• Create quick notes - Add clinical notes, meeting notes, or reminders
• Scan and upload - Capture receipts, documents, or barcodes
• Approve requests - Review and approve workflow items
• Check inventory - View stock levels and product information
• Send messages - Communicate with team members through the app
• View KPIs - See key metrics and performance indicators
• Manage tasks - View and update your to-do list and assignments

Limitations vs Web

While the mobile app covers many common tasks, some advanced features are web-only:

• Complex reporting - Advanced analytics and custom report building
• System administration - Organization settings and user management
• Workflow creation - Building complex automated workflows
• Bulk operations - Large-scale data updates or exports
• Customization - Branding, themes, and organization-wide settings
• Data exports - Generating large exports or scheduled reports

Getting Started

1. Download "AfricaOS" from your device's app store
2. Open the app and enter your organization's subdomain (e.g., yourorg.africaos.dev)
3. Log in with your AfricaOS credentials
4. Enable biometric login and push notifications in settings
5. Allow necessary permissions (camera, location, notifications)
6. Start using the app for on-the-go productivity

Module-Specific Mobile Features

Different modules offer specialized mobile capabilities:

Patients Module Mobile

• Check-in patients - Use tablet at reception for patient arrivals
• Vital signs entry - Record blood pressure, temperature, pulse, etc.
• Medication tracking - Scan and administer medications
• Appointment updates - Modify appointment status in real-time
• Patient portal - Allow patients to view their own information (if enabled)

Payments Module Mobile

• Process payments - Accept credit card payments via mobile card reader
• View invoices - See outstanding invoices and payment status
• Send payment requests - Request payment for services rendered
• Refund processing - Issue refunds directly from the mobile app
• Cash drawer management - Track cash transactions and shifts

Stock Module Mobile

• Barcode scanning - Scan items for inventory counts or picking
• Stock adjustments - Record waste, damage, or found items
• Location transfers - Move items between warehouse locations
• Low stock alerts - Receive notifications when items need reordering
• Receive shipments - Log incoming inventory from suppliers

Bookings Module Mobile

• Room status updates - Mark rooms as clean, dirty, or under maintenance
• Resource checkout - Track equipment checked out to users
• Availability updates - Modify resource availability in real-time
• Check-in/check-out - Track user arrival and departure times
• Maintenance logging - Report issues with rooms or equipment

Workflows Module Mobile

• Task completion - Mark workflow steps as complete from anywhere
• Approval notifications - Receive and respond to approval requests
• Status updates - Update progress on active workflow instances
• Escalation handling - Respond to escalated items requiring attention
• Comment additions - Add notes and updates to ongoing workflows

Mobile Security

Keep your data secure when using mobile devices:

Device Security

• Use device passcode - Protect your phone or tablet with a PIN or biometrics
• Enable auto-lock - Set your device to lock automatically after a short period
• Keep OS updated - Install operating system updates promptly
• Install from official stores - Only download AfricaOS from official app stores
• Review app permissions - Regularly check what permissions the app has

App Security Features

• Session timeout - Automatic logout after period of inactivity
• Remote wipe capability - Organization administrators can remotely remove app data
• Screenshot blocking - Prevents capture of sensitive information in secure screens
• Keyboard blocking - Prevents keylogging in secure input fields
• Encrypted storage - All data stored locally on device is encrypted
• Secure transmission - All communication with AfricaOS servers uses HTTPS

Lost or Stolen Device Procedure

1. Remote wipe - Have your administrator remotely wipe the app data
2. Change password - Update your AfricaOS password from another device
3. Review access - Check recent activity for any unauthorized access
4. Notify administrator - Inform your organization's AfricaOS administrator
5. Monitor accounts - Watch for any suspicious activity in your organization

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Integrations

Connect AfricaOS to the other tools you use every day.

Popular Integrations

AfricaOS offers pre-built connections to widely used business tools:

Communication & Collaboration

• Slack - Get notifications in channels, send messages from workflows
• Microsoft Teams - Team notifications and adaptive cards
• Zoom - Schedule and launch meetings from appointment bookings
• Google Meet - Video conferencing integration for telehealth
• WhatsApp Business - Customer communications and appointment reminders

Productivity & Office

• Google Workspace - Calendar sync, contact sharing, document attachment
• Microsoft 365 - Outlook calendar, Exchange email, SharePoint documents
• Notion - Export data to databases and wiki pages
• Airtable - Sync data to flexible databases and views
• Trello - Create cards from workflow triggers or appointment completions

Accounting & Finance

• QuickBooks - Sync invoices, payments, and customer data
• Xero - Financial data synchronization for accounting
• FreshBooks - Invoice and expense tracking integration
• Wave - Free accounting software integration
• Sage - Compatible with various Sage accounting products

E-commerce & Sales

• Shopify - Sync products, orders, and customer data
• WooCommerce - Integrate with WordPress-based online stores
• Magento - Connect to Magento e-commerce platforms
• BigCommerce - Sync product catalogs and order data
• Amazon Marketplace - Manage Amazon sales through AfricaOS Payments

Marketing & Customer Relations

• Mailchimp - Sync contacts and automate email campaigns
• HubSpot - Full CRM integration with contact and deal synchronization
• ActiveCampaign - Marketing automation and email marketing
• SendGrid - Transactional email and newsletter distribution
• Hootsuite - Social media management and scheduling

Healthcare & Specialized

• Epic - HL7/FHI R integration for major health systems
• Cerner - Millennium integration for clinical data exchange
• Allscripts - TouchWorks and Professional EHR integration
• Athenahealth - Cloud-based services integration
• Practice Fusion - Free EHR integration for small practices

Storage & Document Management

• Google Drive - Save attachments and export files directly to Drive
• Dropbox - Sync files and documents to your Dropbox account
• OneDrive - Microsoft cloud storage integration
• Box - Enterprise content management platform integration
• SharePoint - Document collaboration and management

Setting Up an Integration

Follow these steps to connect AfricaOS to another service:

1. Check Availability

1. Go to Settings ?+' Integrations
2. Browse the available integrations
3. Find the service you want to connect
4. Check if your current plan includes this integration
5. Note any additional requirements or costs

2. Gather Requirements

Before starting, you'll typically need:

• Account credentials - Username and password for the service
• API key or token - For services that use API authentication
• Administrator access - You may need admin rights in both systems
• Specific permissions - What data the integration can access
• Webhook URL - If setting up bidirectional synchronization

3. Connect the Service

1. Select the integration from the list
2. Click Connect or Add connection
3. Follow the authentication prompts:
   • You may be redirected to the service's website to log in
   • You may need to enter API keys or tokens directly
   • You may need to grant specific permissions
4. Configure what data to sync:
   • Choose which modules or data types to synchronize
   • Set direction (AfricaOS ? Service, Service ? AfricaOS, or bidirectional)
   • Set frequency (real-time, every 15 minutes, hourly, daily)
   • Apply filters to limit what gets synchronized
5. Set up conflict resolution:
   • What happens when data differs between systems?
   • Options: AfricaOS wins, Other service wins, Most recent wins, Manual resolution
6. Test the connection:
   • Use the test function to verify communication
   • Check that sample data transfers correctly
   • Verify error handling works as expected
7. Save and activate the integration

4. Monitor and Maintain

After setting up an integration:

• Check status regularly - Look for connection errors or warnings
• Review sync logs - See what data was transferred and when
• Update credentials - When passwords or API keys change
• Adjust settings - As your needs change, modify what gets synced
• Watch for updates - Integration providers occasionally change their APIs
• Backup before changes - Export relevant data before making major changes

Custom Integrations

For specialized needs, AfricaOS supports custom connections:

Webhooks

Receive real-time notifications when events happen in AfricaOS:

• Event types - Record created, updated, deleted; workflow steps completed; appointments scheduled; payments received; etc.
• Payload format - JSON with event details and related data
• Security - Signature verification to ensure requests are genuinely from AfricaOS
• Retry logic - Automatic retries with exponential backoff for failed deliveries
• Delivery guarantees - At-least-once delivery (may receive duplicates)
• Ordering - Not guaranteed; design handlers to be idempotent

API Access

Programmatic access to AfricaOS data and functionality:

• RESTful API - Standard HTTP interface for CRUD operations
• Authentication - API keys (recommended for server-to-server) or OAuth2 (for user-specific access)
• Rate limits - Generous limits designed for typical integration needs
• Versioning - Backward-compatible versioning with advance notice of changes
• Documentation - Interactive API reference with try-it-out feature
• SDKs - Available for JavaScript/TypeScript, Python, and other popular languages
• Webhooks - Complement API polling with real-time event notifications

File-Based Integration

For systems that prefer file exchanges:

• Scheduled exports - Regular CSV, Excel, or JSON exports to FTP/SFTP
• Incoming feeds - Process files dropped in designated directories
• Format specification - Clearly defined CSV/JSON schemas for each data type
• Encoding standards - UTF-8 with proper handling of special characters
• File naming - Consistent naming conventions for easy automation
• Compression - Optional ZIP compression for large file transfers
• Encryption - PGP or GPG encryption for secure file transfers

Integration Best Practices

1. Start with clear goals - Know exactly what you want to achieve
2. Map data flows - Understand how data should move between systems
3. Test thoroughly - Use sandbox or test accounts before connecting production systems
4. Start small - Begin with a simple synchronization before adding complexity
5. Monitor closely - Watch the first few cycles to ensure everything works as expected
6. Document everything - Keep records of configurations, mappings, and procedures
7. Plan for failures - Know what happens when the integration breaks
8. Schedule updates - Regularly review and update integrations as needed
9. Respect rate limits - Don't overwhelm either system with too many requests
10. Secure credentials - Store API keys and tokens securely, never in client-side code

Troubleshooting Integrations

Common integration issues and how to resolve them:

Getting Help with Integrations

When you need assistance with integrations:

1. Check documentation - Look for specific guidance for the integration you're using
2. Review connection logs - See detailed error messages and timestamps
3. Test with sample data - Use small, known-good datasets to isolate problems
4. Verify credentials - Ensure API keys, tokens, and passwords are correct
5. Check service status - Visit the provider's status page for known issues
6. Look for recent changes - Check if either service recently updated their API
7. Contact support - If you can't resolve the issue, contact support@africaos.dev with:
   • Integration name and version
   • Detailed description of the problem
   • Steps to reproduce
   • Error messages and logs
   • Timing and frequency of the issue
   • Impact on your operations

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Browser Extensions

Enhance your AfricaOS experience with helpful browser extensions.

Official Extensions

AfricaOS offers these official browser extensions:

AfricaOS Helper

Available for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge:

• Quick create - Add new patients, appointments, or invoices from toolbar
• Smart search - Search AfricaOS from the browser's address bar
• Notifications - Get desktop notifications for important events
• Clipboard integration - Copy patient IDs, invoice numbers, etc. with one click
• Deep linking - Create links that open directly to specific AfricaOS screens
• Theme matcher - Automatically adjust extension colors to match your AfricaOS theme
• Keyboard shortcuts - Customizable shortcuts for common actions

AfricaOS PDF Helper

For working with PDF documents in AfricaOS:

• Fill and sign - Complete PDF forms directly in the browser
• Merge and split - Combine multiple PDFs or extract pages from documents
• Compress and optimize - Reduce file size without losing quality
• Watermark and stamp - Add confidentiality marks or approval stamps
• Extract text and images - Pull content from PDFs for reuse in AfricaOS
• Form field detection - Automatically detect and highlight fillable fields

AfricaOS Security Enhancer

Additional security features for sensitive environments:

• Session timeout warning - Get warned before automatic logout due to inactivity
• Clipboard clearing - Automatically clear clipboard after copying sensitive data
• Screenshot protection - Attempt to prevent screenshots of sensitive screens
• Keyboard encryption - Protect against keyloggers in input fields (experimental)
• Domain locking - Prevent accidental access to phishing sites
• Secure logout - Ensure complete logout including clearing local storage

Third-Party Extensions

These popular extensions work well with AfricaOS:

Productivity Extensions

• Grammarly - Writing assistance for notes, emails, and documents
• LastPass/1Password - Secure password management for logging in
• Hover - Preview links without leaving AfricaOS
• Read Aloud - Text-to-speech for long documents or notes
• Dark Reader - Force dark mode on websites that don't support it natively
• uBlock Origin - Ad blocking for cleaner interfaces (use carefully with AfricaOS)

Accessibility Extensions

• Vision - Screen reader and voice navigation aids
• Speech Recognition - Voice control for navigating AfricaOS
• Color Enhancer - Assistive color filtering for color blindness
• Close Blocker - Prevent accidental closure of tabs with unsaved work
• Session Buddy - Save and restore groups of tabs for different workflows
• Tab Manager - Organize tabs by workflow or project

Developer Extensions (Useful for Advanced Users)

• JSONView - Pretty-print and explore JSON data in AfricaOS
• React Developer Tools - Inspect React component hierarchy (for understanding UI)
• Redux DevTools - Monitor state changes (for advanced troubleshooting)
• Lighthouse - Audit performance, accessibility, and best practices
• WAVE - Web accessibility evaluation tool
• Accessibility Insights - Comprehensive accessibility testing

Installing and Managing Extensions

Installation Process

1. Visit the official extension store for your browser:
   • Chrome Web Store (chrome.google.com/webstore)
   • Firefox Add-ons (addons.mozilla.org)
   • Microsoft Edge Addons (microsoft.com/en-us/edge/addons)
2. Search for "AfricaOS" or the specific extension name
3. Click Add to [Browser] or Install
4. Review requested permissions and click Accept or Add Extension
5. Wait for installation to complete
6. Configure the extension via its toolbar icon or settings page
7. Restart your browser if required

Permission Awareness

Browser extensions often request various permissions. Be aware of:

• Access to all websites - Needed for toolbar buttons that work on any site
• Read and change data on AfricaOS domains - Required for deep integration with AfricaOS
• Notifications - For desktop alerts and badge updates
• Clipboard read/write - For copy/paste functionality
• Storage - To save your extension settings and preferences
• Tabs and browsing activity - For tab management features

Managing Extensions

Keep your extensions working well with AfricaOS:

• Update regularly - Enable automatic updates or check manually
• Review permissions - Periodically check what permissions each extension has
• Disable when not needed - Turn off extensions you don't use regularly
• Watch for conflicts - Some extensions may interfere with each other or AfricaOS
• Test after updates - Verify that extensions still work after browser updates
• Report issues - If an extension causes problems, report it to the extension developer
• Consider alternatives - If an extension becomes problematic, look for other options

Security Considerations

When using browser extensions with AfricaOS:

Extension Vetting

Before installing any extension:

1. Check the publisher - Verify it's from a trusted source
2. Read reviews - Look for feedback from other users
3. Check permissions - Ensure requested permissions are necessary for the??
4. Look at update frequency - Regularly updated extensions are more secure
5. Check the privacy policy - Understand how your data is handled
6. Start with a test profile - Try in a separate browser profile first if possible

Safe Usage Practices

To minimize security risks:

1. Limit extensions - Only install extensions you truly need
2. Prefer official extensions - Use AfricaOS's own extensions when available
3. Isolate sensitive work - Consider using a separate browser profile for highly sensitive tasks
4. Monitor behavior - Watch for unexpected changes to AfricaOS interface or behavior
5. Keep extensions updated - Security patches are frequently released
6. Use enterprise policies - If applicable, use browser extension management policies
7. Report suspicious extensions - If you think an extension is malicious, report it

Data Protection

Protect your organization's data when using extensions:

• Avoid storing sensitive data - Don't save passwords or sensitive info in extension settings
• Be aware of data transmission - Some extensions send data to their servers for analysis
• Check encryption - Ensure any data transmitted by extensions uses HTTPS
• Understand data retention - Know how long extension providers keep your data
• Consider offline alternatives - For highly sensitive work, consider offline methods
• Review access logs - Check AfricaOS logs for unusual extension-related activity

Getting the Most Out of Extensions

Productivity Tips

Combine extensions for better workflows:

1. Text expansion - Use text expander extensions with AfricaOS for frequent phrases
2. Clipboard management - Use clipboard managers to keep multiple items available
3. Tab management - Use tab organizers to keep related AfricaOS screens together
4. Voice control - Use voice navigation extensions for hands-free operation
5. Reading assistance - Use text-to-speech for reviewing long documents or notes
6. Writing assistance - Use grammar and style checkers for professional documents

Accessibility Enhancements

Make AfricaOS more accessible with extensions:

1. Screen reader optimization - Use extensions that work well with screen readers
2. Color contrast enhancement - Improve readability for low vision users
3. Keyboard navigation improvement - Make all AfricaOS functions accessible via keyboard
4. Focus indicators - Make it easier to see where keyboard focus is located
5. Text scaling - Ensure text can be enlarged without breaking layout
6. Alternative text - Help ensure images have appropriate descriptive text

Workflow Specialization

Tailor extensions to specific use cases:

• Healthcare - Medical dictionary, drug interaction checker, dosage calculator
• Finance - Currency converter, tax calculator, financial ratio analyzer
• Education - Citation generator, plagiarism checker, lesson planner
• Retail - Inventory calculator, price margin analyzer, sales tax calculator
• Service industries - Time tracker, project estimator, client intake form generator

Keeping Extensions Relevant

Ensure your extensions continue to serve you well:

1. Quarterly review - Every three months, evaluate which extensions you still use
2. Feature check - See if AfricaOS has added native functionality that replaces an extension
3. Performance impact - Monitor whether extensions noticeably slow down AfricaOS
4. Security updates - Ensure extensions are receiving regular security patches
5. Compatibility checks - Verify extensions work with the latest AfricaOS version
6. User feedback - Ask team members which extensions they find most valuable

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Related Guides

• Getting started - Initial organization setup
• Platform management - Managing your organization and settings
• Applications overview - Learn about available modules
• Team management - Managing users and permissions
• Billing guide - Understanding your subscription
• Frontend guide - Using the AfricaOS web interface
• Security best practices - Securing your organization