Admins can establish operating system-specific settings from the Management Console, ensuring the end user's Zello experience remains optimized for your network's needs and environment. This article describes the network-wide settings that can be established for users operating on Android devices; for assistance configuring iOS settings, see this article. For assistance with in-app Android settings (i.e. settings configurable by end users), see this article.
To access these settings:
1. Sign in to the Management Console at (yournetworkname).zellowork.com.
2. Open the Settings page.
- If utilizing the updated interface, go to Administration > Settings.
- If utilizing the legacy interface, select Settings from the taskbar.
3. Select Android from the side menu.
NOTE: Settings noted with an asterisk * below can be set as the default using the Management Console. Users can change the default setting on their device and it will stay in effect until the user logs off. Once the user logs back in, the setting reverts back to the default on the Management Console.
General Settings
| Setting | Explanation |
| Bring to the foreground when receiving |
If enabled, Zello will launch to the foreground when you receive a message. The talk screen will be brought into immediate view—even if you're currently using another app—and the message will be played aloud. |
| Turn display on when receiving |
This setting is only applicable if "bring to the foreground when receiving" is enabled. If both this setting and "bring to the foreground when receiving" are enabled, your device's screen will turn on when you receive a message—even if previously dormant. |
| Automatically activate a contact |
When enabled, the talk screen for a contact you've received a message from will be brought to the foreground. Configuration options include: Never, When a message is received in the background, or when a message is received (generally). |
| Bring to the foreground when push-to-talk button is pressed | This setting is only applicable to users utilizing hardware. When enabled, Zello will be automatically launched to the foreground when you press the hardware device's PTT button. |
| Hardware knob mode | This setting controls the cycle of your hardware's selector knob. Possible configurations include indexed contacts. channels, contacts, or recents. Learn more. |
| Bluetooth selection buttons' mode | This feature works similarly to the hardware knob more feature, but for Bluetooth devices. Select either indexed contacts, channels, contacts, or recents; learn more about the expected behaviors here. |
| Automatically sign our when device is connected to charger |
When enabled, users will be automatically signed out—and therefore appear as offline to others—upon device connection to a charger. Note that users can always cancel sign out if desired. |
| Remove user account info from device on exit |
This setting prevents sign in credentials from being saved on a device once a user exits Zello. Consider enabling it if one device is used for many different accounts. Note that this differs from Shared Device functionality, which allows multiple shift workers to utilize the same Zello Work account. |
| Notify about all unanswered calls | When enabled, missed message badges will appear for all calls that weren't answered. |
| Automatically connect channels | When enabled, users will be automatically connected to all associated channels upon sign in. Users can then selectively disconnect as allowed by their user role or the channel type. |
| Sort channel by status | When enabled, a user's channel list will be sorted by status—i.e. connected or disconnected—rather than alphabetically (the default behavior). Connected channels will appear at the top of the list, and disconnected channels at the bottom. |
| Font size boost | Increase the font size of in-app text for all Android users. Note that configuring this setting from the console prevents users from customizing it on their devices. |
|
Recording amplifier* |
Move the slider to the left to make outgoing audio softer, or to the right to make it louder. Learn more. |
| Recording automatic gain control | When activated, this feature will override the recording amplifier. The gain level will be automatically adjusted as your message plays. |
| Increase volume on incoming message after inactivity | When configured, the volume of incoming messages will be automatically increased by your chosen amount after 10 minutes of inactivity. This helps mitigate issues with missed messages. |
| Playback amplifier (dB)* | Move the slider to the left to make incoming audio softer, or to the right to make it louder. Learn more. |
| Playback automatic gain control | When activated, this feature will override the playback amplifier. The gain level will be automatically adjusted as your message plays. |
| Apply audio mode only when message is sent or played | Enable this setting if you'd like to conserve your Bluetooth headset's battery. Disable it to avoid a minor delay of a few milliseconds. |
| PTT code override |
This setting forces a particular hardware button to act as a PTT button. Key codes are often standardized across devices, but its recommended users consult the documentation associated with their particular device to confirm available configurations. |
| Headset sequence mode |
This setting forces an override of a 3.5mm audio connector's PTT button, ensuring that when a piece of wired hardware is connected to an Android device, its PTT button is properly mapped to Zello’s PTT function. |
| USB-C headset sequence mode |
This setting forces an override of a USB-C device's PTT button, ensuring that when a piece of wired hardware is connected to an Android device, its PTT button is properly mapped to Zello’s PTT function. |
| Use specialized wired PTT speaker-mic or headset |
This setting is for specialized, purpose-built, wired PTT accessories. Enable if you're using one to ensure optimized PTT functionality. |
| Wake the device to keep Zello connected |
Enablement prevents your Android device from entering sleep mode when Zello is operating in the background, helping users stay reliably connected to their team. |
| Keep alive interval (mobile)* |
The keep alive interval is the polling time between the app and the service. A longer time polling time uses less bandwidth and improves battery life; a shorter polling time keeps the user status display current and may improve connectivity. For most users, the default value should work fine. Options are s for seconds and m for minutes. |
| Use TCP only (mobile)* |
Disables use of UDP for communication. Reduces data consumption but may cause higher latency. |
| Keep-alive interval (WiFi)* |
The polling time between Zello and your Wi-Fi. A longer time polling time uses less bandwidth and improves battery life; a shorter polling time keeps the user status display current and may improve connectivity. For most users, the default value should work fine. Options are s for seconds and m for minutes. |
| Use TCP only (Wi-Fi)* |
Speeds sign-in and improves Wi-Fi connection reliability. However, it may delay receiving messages in real-time. The alternative is TCP and UDP connectivity. Learn more here. |
| Hide on inactivity |
Minimizes app when inactive for the configured timeframe. Note that this doesn't close Zello—just pushes it to the background—so you'll still receive messages. |
| Location sharing |
This feature enables users to send their current, static location to a contact, group conversation, or channel. Learn more. |
| Auto-run on startup |
When enabled, the Zello app will automatically start when a user turns on their device. |
| Set Zello status to Busy when phone is in silent mode. |
Enablement means a user's status will automatically change to Busy when their phone's notifications are silenced. This prevents new messages from playing aloud. Learn more. |
| Allow message playback during phone call |
When enabled, Zello messages received while you're on a phone call will play aloud. Learn more. |
| Playback buffer |
The playback buffer controls the amount of audio that's preloaded before playback begins. If you've noticed a delay in your communications, consider decreasing the playback buffer. If you've noticed your message includes audio gaps or cutoffs, consider increasing it. |
| Allow overlay buttons |
When enabled, users can create overlay buttons—talk buttons that layer on top of other apps, ensuring your conversations continue with ease when Zello is running in the background. Learn more. |
| Enable and display recent contact overlay button |
When enabled, an overlay of the most recently-contacted contact will appear—allowing seamless, targeted communication even when Zello is in the background. |
| Allow car mode |
Car mode ensures users don't have to handle a mobile device while driving. Learn more. |
| Allow extended notification in the Android system tray |
When enabled, Zello's notification bar will display a user's last contact and allow them to send a message directly from the pull-down notifications menu. |
| Call pre-setup |
Allows faster setup for repeated calls to the same contact. Uses more data. |
| Asynchronous message delivery |
Queues missed messages while in 'Standby' status. Messages will autoplay once internet connection is restored and status becomes 'Available'. |
| Debug log size |
Adjusts the amount of memory reserved for the application's debug log. Set to Large to store 10 times as many log messages. Note that you will not need to change this setting unless requested by the Zello team during troubleshooting. |
Local History
Settings related to location history control how you Android locally stores messages. If you're concerned about storage capacity, consider lowering these parameters so that Zello requires less storage space. Note that once your device reaches its storage limit, your oldest Zello messages will be deleted.
| Setting | Explanation |
| Automatically delete messages |
All Zello messages will be deleted upon reaching the configured timeframe. Note that this exclusively applies to local message history that's stored on on users' devices; it's not applicable to Message Vault storage.
|
| Protect history | When enabled, users can't delete message history stored locally on their device. |
| Maximum voice history size | This setting allows admins to configure the maximum storage capacity utilized by Zello to locally save your Zello messages. Choose a value between 16 Mb and 1Gb. |
| Maximum number of images in the history | Choose a value between 100 and 10,000. Once this number is exceeded, the oldest messages will be deleted. |
| Maximum number of call alerts in the history | Choose a value between 100 and 10,000. Once this number is exceeded, the oldest alerts will be deleted. |
| Maximum number of text messages in the history | This controls the maximum number of text messages stored locally. Note that 0 is not a valid entry. If you'd like to turn off text messaging for your network, find the setting under Settings > Common > General. |
| Maximum number of locations in the history | Enter a value to control the maximum number of locations stored locally on a user's device. Please note that 0 is not a valid entry; if you'd like to disable location messaging for your network, see this article. |
Alerts
Configuring alert settings in the management console prevents users from configuring them on their individual devices. Note that alert tone can be configured from the Zello app on an individual user's device.
| Setting | Explanation |
| Alert volume | Volume that notifications are delivered. |
| Ready to send beep | The beep that occurs when your device is ready to record your message. You may begin speaking when you hear this beep. |
| Talk button up beep | You've released the PTT button. |
| Delivery delayed beep | This indicates the delivery of your message has been delayed. |
| Incoming message beep | Plays at the beginning of an incoming voice message when the user's status is set to available. |
| End of incoming message | Plays at the end of an incoming voice message when the user's status is set to available. |
| Call alert beep | Another user has sent a call alert. |
| Default contact selected beep | Zello has switched to your default contact. Learn more. |
| User text beep | You've received a text message from another user. |
| Channel text beep | You've received a text message in a channel. |
| Repeat call alert signal | The number of times a call alert will repeat if missed. |
| Call alert repeat interval | The frequency a call alert will be repeated if missed. |
| Channel alert beep | You’ve received a channel alert— targeted message sent by a user in a special role to an entire channel. |
| Repeat channel alert signal | The number of times your channel alert repeats if missed. |
| Channel alert repeat interval | This setting determines how frequently a channel alert will repeat if unread. |
| Image received beep | You’ve received an image. |
| New conversation beep | You've been included in a new conversation. |
| Connection lost beep | You’ve been disconnected from the network. |
| Notify after 30 seconds of network disconnection | Users will be notified if they've lost connection for 30 seconds or longer. |
| Connection restored beep | You’ve been reconnected to the network after a period of disconnection. |
| Error beep | An error has occurred. Common errors include a disabled microphone; connection difficulties; or busy channels. |
| Vibrate when ready to send | Your device will vibrate when it is ready to send a message. |
| Vibrate on incoming message voice message | Your device will vibrate when a voice message is being delivered. |
| Accessory initialization delay | Configure a delay for accessory initialization. This functionally means there will be a short delay before audio begins to give your accessory time to fully connect. |
| Vibrate on missed message | Your device will vibrate to notify you of a missed message. |
New Conversation Notifications
| Setting | Explanation |
| Enable new conversation notifications | New conversation notifications are notifications that bring attention to newly-started Zello conversations. They include a sound, vibration, and a visual marker. |
| New conversations timeout | After this timeframe, any new activity in a chat (channel or 1:1) is considered a "new conversation." Options range from 1 minute to 1 hour. |
| Sound | If enabled, users will receive an audio notification at the beginning of a new conversation. Users can modify the tone of that sound in their Zello app under Options > Notifications. |
| Vibration | Nature and pattern of the device's vibration upon receiving a new conversation notification. |
Voice quality
| Setting | Explanation |
| Noise suppression | Enable if you've found messages sent across your network include significant background noise. |
| Samples per second | This defines how frequently per second audio is sampled when recording messages. It’s best to leave this setting at its default value unless you’re familiar with it. |
| Bitrate | Controls how much data is used to transmit audio. A higher value may result in increased audio quality, but it requires higher bandwidth. |
| Frames per packet | Controls how audio data is grouped before it is sent. While it may help improve audio quality, we recommend leaving its value as-is unless instructed otherwise by Zello's support team. |
| Frame size | Smaller frames may reduce latency but lower audio quality; larger frames may improve audio quality but result in delay. |
| Jitter adjustment threshold |
The setting controls the dynamic buffer size algorithm. Higher values reduce the chances of breaks in communication. Lower values reduce latency at the expense of increased probability of breaks in incoming messages. |