Recently, the Cisco Support Communities (CSC) underwent a migration to a new platform. The team is working diligently to address people’s comments & feedback after the launch.   In addition to those efforts, this discussion is being opened to help consolidate any mobile specific issues that you may run into while accessing CSC from the Cisco Technical Support mobile application for iOS and Android devices.   The Cisco Technical Support mobile application can be downloaded direction from iTunes, Google Play, or the Amazon Android App store - simply search for "Cisco Technical Support", download and login to the app. ... View more

New Release Information On October 10th, we released new versions of our iOS and Android clients that include several new features we thought you may be interested in.  Cisco Validate Designs Over the past year, we received several requests to include Cisco Validated Designs within the mobile app. Nearly 500 Cisco Validated Designs are now available under “Product Information”, and additional design guides will be will be added over time.  Cisco Support Case Trending Information Nearly a year ago, we piloted a service that would send an email to participants after they opened a Service Request. The email contained the top referenced Bugs, Error Messages and Cisco Support Community discussions referenced in recent support cases for similar devices. While the referenced link(s) may not resolve their issues, we heard from customers that the email highlighted issues they were not aware of. Interested? Sign up under “Case Trend Emails" within “Settings.” Notifications We have heard from fellow engineers they have found support case related notifications helpful to stay on top of their cases. One partner engineer told us: “I use it [CTS mobile app] for notifications about cases…. Having an open TAC case is like a game of chess with a timer. You want to make your move and click the timer to get the (responsibility) passed back to the other guy. Lost time eats into our profit margin, too.”  With that in mind, we recently added “My Notifications” - a consolidated list of all support case push notifications and Trending emails we have sent you over the last 30 days. From each notification, you can launch directly into your case, mark them read, or delete them altogether.  If you rather prefer access from your computer, you can do that as well: My Notifications:  https://cway.cisco.com/notifyCache Controlling Notifications We understand you may not want to receive some, or possibly any mobile push notifications. Within "Settings" we have provided several options to help you regain control over what we inform you about. The following video covers a number of topics discussed above, including customizing the app to control which notifications are sent to you.  YouTube Video (~6min):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sZsyZDBnr8 We hope you find the CTS mobile app a valuable asset. If you have any suggestions on how we can further improve the app, don't hesitate to let us know. ... View more

On September 6th, we released new versions of the Cisco Technical Support mobile application for iOS and Android clients. Among the enhancements include: Simplified mobile push notification flow - once a push notification is tapped, you no longer have to confirm whether or not you want to open the app (reduced steps) Added the VCS Service Checker tool which can help identify Jabber login issues, inbound call failures, phone registration failing and XMPP federation. The tool consists of checking if the services (SIP, H323, XMPP, collab-edge) are available in your network. Several minor UI/UX tweaks to the Android client to ensure consistency throughout the app Squashed some bugs that were resulting in a few app crashes as reported by Google Play and user feedback. Looking forward, the next release that is being targeted for early October will include: Access to Cisco Validated Designs including In-App Notifications indicating when new content is available "My Notifications" which will be a "semi-permanent" repository of support case related notifications. Notifications will be kept for up to 30 days, can be marked as read or deleted, and will act as a jumping off point to your case. Ability to subscribe to Cisco Support Case trending information. After opening a support case, an automated process will look to find the top referenced Error Messages, Bugs, and Cisco Support Community references related to the Product ID (PID) associated to your case, build an email with the references linked, and send it to the specified email address(es). If you have any questions about this release, or any other question about the iOS or Android client, please don't hesitate to ask. Regards, Dave Dubé Product Manager Cisco Services ... View more

The Cisco Technical Support mobile application for iOS and Android devices provides access to our most frequent support tools and information while you are on the go. Several features are freely accessible by anyone including access to the Cisco Support Communities, support related videos, RSS Feeds, product documentation and TAC Engineer authored troubleshooting guides.  Customers with Smart Net Total Care (formerly Smart Net) can view, update and create support cases, manage their Install Base with My Devices, and access tools like Bug Search Tool.  To download the client, search for “Cisco Technical Support” within the iTunes App Store, Google Play, or the Amazon Android Appstores. Video also available on YouTube:  https://youtu.be/LKW61EwIXNs ... View more

On June 20th, we released new versions of our iOS and Android clients that provide a number of new features, including bringing back the Cisco Support Communities! In addition to Support Communities, v3.15 of the iOS and Android clients provide: A new look and feel throughout the mobile application. We cleaned up the UI/UX design to be consisitent with the rest of Cisco. 3D Touch Quick Actions on iOS compatible devices let you: Access your open cases Access My Devices (Simplified Install Base Management Utility) Check support coverage on a device Open a new case 3D Touch "Peek" and "Pop" on iOS compatible devices let you to get a quick glimpse of a Support Case or a Support Case Note If it's been awhile since you've used the Cisco Technical Support mobile application, you may find a lot of functionality that was not their prior including: My Devices - A simplified Install Base Management utility you can use to check gaps in support coverage, or check exposure due to End of Life milestones, including passing Last Day of Support. Check Coverage Details - Allows you to check support coverage details on a given serial number New Tools including an SSH Client and IP Sec Overhead Calculator Access to over 1,800 Technical Guides written by, and used by TAC Engineers to solve customer issues. Check out the latest User Guide for a deeper dive into all the features within the mobile application. To get the latest client updates, go to the iTunes "App Store" or "Google Play" app on your mobile device and search for "Cisco Technical Support". Regards, Dave Dubé Product Manager ... View more

Before the end of year holidays, we released a new version of the Cisco Technical Support mobile application on iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon Android Appstores. You can view which version you are currently running in the app's "Help" section.  New Features: Added End of Life Announcements via Mobile Push Notifications Added "Field Notices" and the "Analytics and Automation" blog to RSS Feeds Improved In-App Browser User Interface New "Tools" area that includes: IPSec Overhead Calculator Partner Locator For users with Service Contracts Updated Device Coverage Checker ( Note: Users who prefer the older version can switch back by toggling the "Check Device Coverage" setting found in the "Settings" area in the CTS app ) SSH/Terminal client found in "Tools" under "ASA CLI Analyzer" We're actively looking for feedback on the updated Device Coverage Checker and SSH Client. Feedback can be posted here, or sent to our development team via email to: ctsmobilefeedback@external.cisco.com Productivity Tip #1: Setting Push Notification Preferences We have introduced several type of mobile push notifications over the past year (Support Case updates, PSIRT/Security Advisories, and End of Life Notices). Within the Settings section of the app, users can control which types of mobile push notifications will be sent to their device. To make adjustments, go to: "Settings" -> "Push Notifications" and make the desired changes for your device. Note: There have been a number of PSIRT Advisory notifications during recent months. We are in the process of reducing the frequency of when the application checks for new advisories from 4 hours to 8 hours.  Productivity Tip #2: Changing Support Case Timestamps to your Time Zone By default, the timestamps in support cases are displayed in UTC time zone. Several users have asked to have the ability to view timestamp information relative to their current timezone. By toggling the "Use Local Time Zone" setting found in the applications "Settings" section "on", the application will automatically convert support case timestamps to your local time zone.   We hope you appreciate the new features and welcome your feedback.  Regards, Dave Dubé, Product Manager Cisco Services ... View more

Over the summer, the Cisco Technical Support mobile app has undergone several enhancements. For those not familiar with the mobile app, it is the definitive, one stop shop for all your support needs. Whether managing your, or your customer's support cases, researching software bugs, looking up contract and support coverage on your devices, or general support research, the Cisco Technical Support mobile app is there right by your side. Where you can find the app: iTunes: Cisco Technical Support on the App Store Google Play: Cisco Technical Support - Android Apps on Google Play Amazon Android Appstore (new): Amazon.com: Cisco Technical Support: Appstore for Android   Recent Changes to the Cisco Technical Support Mobile App:   UI/UX Changes: With the release of v3.12 in July, and v3.12.1, we spent some time focusing on the overall user experience. Not only will you notice a new App Icon and Splash Screen, there are several other UI enhancements made throughout the app to help improve the overall experience. One of the biggest changes was around the responsiveness of the app. We were able to see at least a 30% increase in login time, significantly faster loading of case notes (varied by case - most noticeable with cases that had large numbers of notes).   BlackBerry Users We even added a version of the app in the Amazon Android Appstore. BlackBerry users running BBOS 10.2.1 or later can download the Amazon Android Appstore app from the BlackBerry Appstore. Once installed, launch the Amazon Appstore app, and search for "Cisco Technical Support". You'll be able to install the app directly onto your BlackBerry Device. Amazon Android Appstore Listing :  http://www.amazon.com/Cisco-Systems-Technical-Support/dp/B00ZQ2QAWY   Managing your Inventories with "My Devices" In conjunction with a release on the Cisco Support Website, users can now put together a self-curated list of devices that they want to manage. You can either add devices by scanning the device barcode from the Cisco Technical Support mobile app, or you can go to the web to do a bulk upload. Users can add up to 1,000 devices at a time via a CSV file upload. Note: The My Devices functionality is separate from Smart Net Total Care inventory management. My Devices is intended for managing a limited number of devices for customers who do not need the extensive reporting capabilities in Smart Net Total Care. At the moment, My Devices users are limited to a maximum of 5,000 devices. My Devices on the Web :  https://cway.cisco.com/mydevices/devices My Devices User Guide :  http://cway.cisco.com/docs/my-devices/my-devices-user-guide.pdf   We hope you find these updates helpful, and we have a number of exciting features coming soon.   Regards, Dave Dubé Product Manager Cisco Technical Support Mobile App ... View more

Over the summer, the Cisco Technical Support mobile app has undergone several enhancements.   UI/UX Changes: With the release of v3.12 in July, and v3.12.1, we spent some time focusing on the overall user experience. Not only will you notice a new App Icon and Splash Screen, there are several other UI enhancements made throughout the app to help improve the overall experience. One of the biggest changes was around the responsiveness of the app. We were able to see at least a 30% increase in login time, significantly faster loading of case notes (varied by case - most noticeable with cases that had large numbers of notes).   BlackBerry Users We even added a version of the app in the Amazon Android Appstore. BlackBerry users running BBOS 10.2.1 or later can download the Amazon Android Appstore app from the BlackBerry Appstore. Once installed, launch the Amazon Appstore app, and search for "Cisco Technical Support". You'll be able to install the app directly onto your BlackBerry Device. Amazon Android Appstore Listing: http://www.amazon.com/Cisco-Systems-Technical-Support/dp/B00ZQ2QAWY   Managing your Inventories with "My Devices" In conjunction with a release on the Cisco Support Website, users can now put together a curated list of devices that they want to manage. You can either add devices by scanning the device barcode from the Cisco Technical Support mobile app, or you can go to the web to do a bulk upload. Users can add up to 1,000 devices at a time via a CSV file upload. At the moment, users are limited to a maximum of 5,000 devices. My Devices on the Web: https://cway.cisco.com/mydevices/devices My Devices User Guide:  http://cway.cisco.com/docs/my-devices/my-devices-user-guide.pdf   We hope you find these updates helpful, and we have a number of exciting features coming soon.   Regards, Dave Dubé Product Manager Cisco Technical Support Mobile App ... View more

From time to time, we've had several users ask us if there is a way run the Cisco Technical Support mobile app on their Mac or Windows desktops. Blue Stacks has created an Android App Player that you can download on your Mac, giving you access to nearly any Android app right from your desktop. Both Cult of Android and 9 to 5 Mac have written up articles on recent developments. The following is a step by step process for downloading the Blue Stacks App Player, downloading the Cisco Technical Support mobile app to the player, and "kicking the tires" with the app. Surprisingly, the app is very fluid and responsive within the Blue Stacks app player. If you're familiar with the Android Emulator, the experience does not compare - much much better.   Instructions to Download BlueStacks, and Install the Cisco Technical Support mobile app   1. Go to Blue Stacks and Download the App Player (It's a 230MB Image - it may take a while) http://www.bluestacks.com/ 2. Install and Launch the Blue Stacks application on your Mac 3. Search for "Cisco Technical Support" and Install App. 4. To enable the AppStore in BlueStacks, and App Syncing, you'll be asked to log-in to your Google Account - If you don't have one already, you'll have to set one up.  5. Once installed, you'll be asked to open the app   At this point, the app will be installed. You can launch the Cisco Technical Support app from within the Blue Stacks app player. You'll need to login to the app in order to get access to the entitled content like Support Case and Contract information. Admittedly, we haven't fully tested the app in the Blue Stacks player. As one might expect, there is no camera, so the embedded bar code scanner will not work within the Blue Stacks app player. When not within the Cisco Tech Support mobile app, push notifications will appear in the upper left hand corner of the Blue Stacks player. Click and drag down to view notifications list... tapping on a notification will pull up the notification.   Looking forward to hearing about people's experience using the app in the Blue Stacks app player. ... View more

We've often heard from customers that they would like to see if one of their products is covered under a support contract. There is actually two different ways you can look up this information.   If you have the Cisco Technical Support mobile app for iOS, Android, or BlackBerry & Amazon devices, you can look up support coverage by either typing in a serial number, or scanning the serial number barcode of the device. The following video (~2.5 minutes) walks you through the process of looking up coverage information using the mobile app.   Alternatively, if you have multiple serial numbers you want to check at once, you can use Cisco's "Check Device Coverage" tool. The interface allows for submitting 20 serial numbers at a time, or uploading a CSV file with up to 1,000 serial numbers - the result of which will be a coverage information in a CSV file covering all the devices you submitted.   The Check Device Coverage tool has been responsively designed (content flows to fit to your device's resolution) for optimized desktop, tablet, and smartphone experiences. ... View more

The Cisco Technical Support mobile app is now available from the Amazon Android Appstore.    Users with BlackBerry devices running BBOS 10.2.1 are able to download and utilize the Cisco Technical Support mobile app via the Amazon Appstore mobile app which can be downloaded directly from BlackBerry World.   Download the User Guide for a walk through all the major features within the Cisco Technical Support mobile app. ... View more

We are pleased to announce the latest release of the Cisco Technical Support mobile app.    What's New in Version 3.10.1: • Mobile Push Notifications for Support Cases and generic PSIRT announcements • Opt-In to receive Support Case update notifications • Expanded "My Shortcuts" section includes bookmarked Bugs and Video Channels • Expanded access to Product Lookup - no longer blocked whether the device is not under contract or user lacks entitlement • Significant performance improvements loading case notes.  Horizontal swiping support to move directly from one note to the next Note: Tapping on a notification will launch the app, and take you to the content in question.   (View Updated User Guide)   Complete Feature List: Available Features for All Users: • Research Cisco products and services through mobile optimized content, videos and podcasts.  • Complete access to all our installation and configuration guides, data sheets, command reference guides and more for over 7,000 Cisco products.  • Access to over 1,700 troubleshooting guides covering 26 domains; written by TAC, for TAC, and freely available to all our customers. • PSIRT Mobile Push Notifications - Tap on the notification to launch the app and view details about the PSIRT • Control what notifications you receive from within "Settings" • Add bookmarks to your favorite Podcasts, RSS Feeds, and Video Channels for easy access from "My Shortcuts" • Integration with Pocket (Read-It-Later) service. Save content to your Pocket account for offline consumption across all of your enabled devices. Go to http://www.getpocket.com/ to learn more about setting up a Pocket account. Available Features for Cisco Support Contract Owners: Cisco Support Cases & RMAs: • View, Edit and Create Support Cases • Access to all case notes, attachments (txt, pdf, xls, ppt, doc, and image file types), and related bugs • Receive mobile push notifications when a TAC Engineer has been assigned to your case and when your case transitions to a Customer Pending state • Opt-In to receive mobile push notifications for any support case you are entitled to access • Direct contact (phone & email) with your assigned TAC Engineer, On-Site Contact, and Field Engineer • Add bookmarks to Support Cases for easy access from "My Shortcuts" • Single tap to request case updates, case closure, and reopen cases Cisco Support Contracts & Product Coverage Information:  • View basic contract information and set-expiration reminders prior to their expiration • Lookup product coverage details by serial number - An embedded bar code is available to make the process easier  • Ability to validate and update the current installation using your current location Bug Search Tool: • Research Cisco software bugs by product, iOS version, or any other keyword using a simplified search utility  • Bookmark software bugs for easy access from "My Shortcuts" Have questions or want to provide feedback? Send us an email at: ctsmobilefeedback@external.cisco.com   ... View more

Often times, the most appreciated enhancements are often subtle, going unnoticed, but naturally slipping into users workflows. Throughout the past year, we performed several rounds of usability studies, bringing customers and partners in house, giving them an actual device to interact with, asking them to perform general tasks, and then video taping their progress as they try to complete the task. These sessions are quite humbling - ripping apart our assumptions, and beliefs about how users would leverage the Cisco Technical Support mobile app. Over the past couple of releases, we've tried to address a few of these usability issues in order to improve the overall experience. Product Specific-Support Under "Product Information", "Product Specific-Support" provides a filtering mechanism to help assist users locate mobile ready support pages, aggregating all the documentation, software downloads and community content for a specific model (Example: Catalyst 6513-E Switch). When watching users try to locate a specific model, we realized the filter mechanism was "broken". Before, the app would try to do an explicit string match across the entire term. While one user could locate the "Catalyst 6513-E", another user filtering on "6513-E Catalyst" could not. With this latest release, the filtering mechanism separates each term independently, "AND'ing" them as appropriate to refine the list of possible matches.   Support Cases Another area where users often had difficulty was around looking up co-worker's support cases. As a team, we naturally thought users would leverage the support case search functionality to locate cases by their co-worker's CCOID. We quickly realized not only do people not have their co-workers CCOID memorized, users expected to see all open cases associated with their company under "My Open Cases".  One of the first things we added to the app was "My Open Cases" to allow a fast track path to all open cases created by the logged in user. While watching the usability studies, we quickly realized we needed something similar for all open cases associated with an end-customer's company. In a recent release, we added a menu option for "All Open Cases" to provide a quick path to all your company's open support cases. Other Enhancements Tools to help our internal teams more efficiently manage their High Touch and Focused Technical Service customers Added support for iOS8 and iPhone 6 and iPhone 6+ Added support for Android 5.0 (Lollipop) Backend systems work to lay the foundation for future push notifications (more info to be provided in the new year)   Want to Help? Many of the enhancements will undoubtedly go "un-noticed". In the short time that the've become available, we already see increased usage in these areas, providing us some positive confirmation that we are headed in the right direction.  If you happen to be in the San Jose, CA area, and you would like to be an integral part of helping improve the Cisco Technical Support mobile app by participating in a usability study, either send me a PM or start a discussion thread and we'll add you to our pool of end user testers.   Regards, Dave Dubé Product Manager, Cisco Services ... View more