Mobile app and API

The app pulls your organization’s zone list from the mobile geofences endpoint (authenticated with the same mobile JWT as the rest of the mobile API).

Remote config (/api/mobile/config) exposes features.geofences: when disabled, the client does not apply geofence rules even if zones exist server-side.

The Sentinel mobile app does not ship with preloaded geofences: it downloads them from the server when the operator signs in. Authentication uses the same JWT as the rest of the mobile API, so if the session is valid sync happens automatically. That choice ensures the operator always works with the latest version of zones, no app update required.

Remote config exposed at /api/mobile/config has a switch called features.geofences. When off, the app does not apply geofence rules even if zones exist on the server: it doesn't draw, evaluate, or notify. This lets you globally disable geofences for an organization without deleting zones or redeploying the app. Useful in test environments or during policy migrations.

When the flag is on, the app evaluates the operator's GPS position locally against synced geometries. Local evaluation has two virtues: it works offline (as long as zones were previously synced with network) and reduces latency (the restricted-zone alert is immediate, no server round-trip). The operator must have granted location permission in the OS for this to work.

Operationally, the recommendation is: the operator opens the app at least once with network at the start of the shift, to refresh zones and config. From there they can operate offline for hours as long as GPS works. Any zone change made during the shift will sync at the next network window. For long-duration operations in areas without coverage, planned refresh points are part of the SOP.