Who it's for: everyone who works on site with a phone: foremen, contractors, site supervisors and managers, the investor.
What you'll do: install Buildinio on your phone's home screen, turn on mobile mode and learn to get around it with one thumb.
Before you start
- Buildinio runs in the browser; you don't download it from an app store. Once added to the home screen, it opens from its icon, full screen, like a regular app.
- Mobile mode and installation are on every plan.
Steps
1. Install the app
Android (Chrome):
- Open Buildinio in Chrome and sign in.
- In the account menu, choose Install the app and click Install.
- Confirm in the system window. The Buildinio icon appears on your home screen.
iPhone (Safari):
- Open Buildinio in Safari and sign in.
- Tap Share on the Safari bar.
- Choose “Add to Home Screen” and confirm with “Add”.
From now on, open Buildinio from the icon. On iPhone, push notifications work only this way.
2. Turn on mobile mode
Mobile mode (Beta) is built for fingers: large fields, key actions under your thumb, one question per screen. Data and links are the same as in full mode.
- When you open Buildinio on a phone, the app asks: “Working on your phone?”. Click Switch to mobile mode.
- Later, switch from full mode via the account menu (your avatar at the bottom of the side bar) → Mobile mode (Beta).
- To go back: Me on the bottom bar → View → Full.
3. Get around mobile mode
The bottom bar has five tabs:
| Tab | What's there |
|---|---|
| Start | Project progress, today's tasks, delays, issues, weather and new messages. |
| Modules | All project modules available on your plan. |
| Add | “What are you adding?”, e.g. a journal entry, an issue, a cost. The form guides you step by step. |
| Chats | The team channel, rooms and 1:1 conversations. See How to chat with the crew and the client. |
| Me | Project, view (mobile or full), account settings. |
On a list, e.g. tasks or issues, swipe left to go to the next item and right to the previous one. The first time, the app shows a Swipe sideways hint.
Instead of typing, you can dictate: use the microphone on your phone keyboard.
Some less frequent tasks, e.g. new folders, report bundles or budget changes, are only in full mode. The Open in full mode button takes you to the right place.
What happens next
- In Settings → Preferences → View on phone you choose how the app opens on a new phone: Ask me, Mobile mode (Beta) or Full mode.
- Without signal you can still save entries. See How to work offline on site.
Troubleshooting
- I can't see “Install the app”. The app is already installed on this device, or the browser doesn't support installing. On iPhone, use Safari and the Share button.
- Notifications don't arrive on iPhone. Open Buildinio from the home screen icon, not from Safari, and turn on notifications in settings. Requires iOS 16.4 or newer.
- The icon on iPhone opens an old start page. Remove the icon from the home screen and add the app again via Share → Add to Home Screen.