Prerequisites
Before you begin, make sure you have the following:
An iPhone or iPad running iOS 17.0 or later
A Fulcrum account — either self-registered or set up by your organization's administrator
Your Fulcrum login credentials (email and password) or your organization's SSO domain
Knowledge of which Fulcrum instance your organization uses (US, AU, EU, or CA)
An active internet connection for the initial sign-in and first sync
Step 1 — Download and install the app
Open the App Store on your iPhone or iPad.
Search for Fulcrum GIS field data capture, or follow this link: Fulcrum on the App Store.
Tap Get. The app is free to download — your organization's subscription covers access.
Once installation is complete, tap Open.
Step 2 — Sign in
Before proceeding with device setup, ensure you are signed in to the Fulcrum app. If you have not yet signed in, see Signing In on the Fulcrum Mobile App for a complete walkthrough covering all sign-in scenarios — including organization-invited users, SSO, and non-US instances.
Once you are signed in, return to this article and continue with Step 3.
Step 3 — Grant device permissions
After signing in, Fulcrum will prompt you to grant a series of iOS device permissions. These prompts appear one at a time.
Note: The exact wording of iOS permission prompts may vary slightly depending on your device model and iOS version.
Location
Recommended: Always Allow
Allows the app to tag records with GPS coordinates and enables background GPS track logging.
Camera
Recommended: Allow
Allows you to capture photos directly within a record using the Photo Field.
Microphone
Recommended: Allow
Enables the Audio Field for voice notes and Audio FastFill for hands-free field entry.
Note: Audio FastFill also requires Siri and Dictation to be enabled in your iPhone or iPad Settings. To enable them, go to Settings → Siri & Search and turn on Listen for "Hey Siri", then go to Settings → General → Keyboard and enable Dictation.
Photos
Recommended: Full Access
Allows Fulcrum to attach photos from your photo library and save photos captured in the app.
Step 4 — Complete your first sync
Once permissions are granted, Fulcrum will perform its first sync automatically. This downloads your organization's apps, records, and any map layers assigned to your account.
Ensure you have an active internet connection. Wi-Fi is recommended for the first sync if your organization has a large number of records or map layers.
Sync progress is displayed at the top of the screen. Keep the app open until the sync is complete.
Once the sync finishes, your apps and downloaded map layers will be available on the device.
Do not go into the field before completing at least one successful sync. Records and app definitions are only available offline once they have been downloaded to the device.
Step 5 — Begin collecting data
Once the first sync is complete, the Fulcrum home screen displays the apps available in your organization. Tap any app to open it and begin collecting records. Your device is now fully configured and ready for field use.
Updating permissions after setup
If you denied a permission during setup and need to enable it later, you can update any permission at any time from your device settings.
Open your device Settings.
Scroll down and tap Fulcrum.
Select the permission you want to update and change its setting.
Note: On iOS, if you denied a permission and the app no longer prompts for it, you must grant it manually through Settings → Fulcrum → [Permission name].
Notes
Permission prompts appear the first time Fulcrum needs access to each feature. Some appear at initial launch; others appear the first time you use a specific field type, such as a Photo Field or Audio Field.
Always Allow is strongly recommended for location to support background GPS track logging. Selecting While Using the App will prevent track logs from recording when the screen is off.
Precise location is strongly recommended over approximate location for all field data collection workflows.
Audio FastFill requires both the Microphone permission in Fulcrum and Siri and Dictation enabled in iOS Settings.
Always complete at least one full sync on a reliable connection before heading into the field, especially when offline data collection is required.
If you are setting up multiple devices for a team, each device must be set up individually using the credentials of the Member assigned to that device.