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March 21, 2026

Setting Up Feeding Station and Run Station Tablets

By Pet Ops Team
operationsoperations-stationstabletsfeeding-stationrun-tasksandroidkioskgetting-started

Operations Stations give you dedicated surfaces for Feeding Station (meal and feeding workflows) and Run Station (door and yard work tied to runs). This guide walks through turning the feature on, then configuring one tablet per station so staff can launch Pet Ops from the home screen and land on the right board.

Before you touch the tablets

Complete these steps once in Pet Ops on a computer or phone (owner or admin account).

  1. Turn on the Operations Stations module Open Billing and enable the Operations Stations add-on for your account. If this module is not enabled, Feeding Station, Run Station, and tablet setup stay unavailable.

  2. Enable stations for each physical location Open Locations, edit the location that will use wall or floor tablets, and turn Operations Stations on for that site. Repeat for every location that needs its own feeding or run boards.

  3. Confirm you can open Operations In the admin sidebar, open Operations. You should see cards for Daily Workflow, Feeding Station, Run Station, and (under Tablet & Device) preview and tablet management. If you see a message about billing or locations instead, fix the step above before continuing.

Configure the feeding tablet

Do this on the device that will live at the feeding area.

  1. On the tablet, open a supported browser (Safari on iPad, Chrome on many Android tablets) and sign in to Pet Ops as usual.

  2. Go to Operations, then under Daily Work choose Open Feeding Station. Alternatively, append /admin/stations/feeding to your usual Pet Ops admin base URL and open that path in the browser’s address bar.

  3. You should see the Feeding Station header and, for a new device, the Tablet setup section. Expand Show header if the setup panel is hidden (desktop browsers sometimes collapse it).

  4. Under Tablet location, pick the correct location from the dropdown. This must be a location that has Operations Stations enabled.

  5. Tap Set Up This Tablet. That saves this browser as a Feeding Station device for that location. The app remembers the station type (feeding versus run tasks) from the page you are on when you save.

  6. Add Pet Ops to the home screen so it opens without Chrome’s tab strip (see Android (Chrome): choose Install, not Create shortcut below). On iPad, use Share → Add to Home Screen—that is the right path there. On Android Chrome, use ⋮ → Install app or Add to Home screen, and when asked, pick Install—not Create shortcut—and do not use the system Share sheet for this step unless you are sure it is doing a full install.

  7. Optional: collapse Tablet setup or use Hide Tablet Setup so the main feeding board stays front and center for daily use.

Configure the run station tablet

Repeat the same pattern on the second device, but start from Run Station instead of feeding.

  1. Sign in on the run-task tablet and go to Operations → Open Run Station (or open /admin/stations/door on your domain).

  2. Choose the Tablet location for this device (often the same building as the feeding tablet).

  3. Tap Set Up This Tablet so this browser is saved as Run Station for that location.

  4. Add Pet Ops to the home screen the same way as on the feeding tablet: on Android Chrome, always end with an Install of the web app, not a Create shortcut (see below).

Each tablet should be configured while viewing the station type you want (feeding URL versus run station URL). The saved setup ties the device to that station and location.

Android (Chrome): choose Install, not Create shortcut

Station tablets should open Pet Ops in its own window—no Chrome tab strip, no omnibox taking over the screen. On Android, that means installing the web app, not adding a bookmark-style shortcut.

What to tap (after Set Up This Tablet)

  1. Stay on the feeding or run station page in Chrome.
  2. Tap ⋮ (top right).
  3. Use the first option that applies:
    • If you see Install app or Install Pet Ops, tap it and confirm. Done.
    • If you see Add to Home screen but not Install app, tap Add to Home screen. Chrome will often show a second step: Install and Create shortcut. Tap Install (or Install Pet Ops). That is the option you want for station use.
  4. Do not pick Create shortcut for the daily launcher. Create shortcut only puts a link on the home screen that opens Chrome with tabs—same as a bad Share-sheet shortcut.

What to avoid

  • Share → Add to Home screen from the Android share sheet usually creates a shortcut that always opens the full browser.
  • Create shortcut in Chrome’s own flow when Install is available side by side—always prefer Install.

If something still opens Chrome with tabs

You may have a shortcut icon, not an installed app. Remove the bad icon (long-press → Remove), then repeat the steps above and choose Install.

If Chrome only ever offers Create shortcut—not Install

Sometimes Chrome needs a fresh copy of the site, or the page was not open long enough before you opened the menu. Try this in order:

  1. Use your usual Pet Ops address—the same URL your team uses in the browser every day (not an old bookmark, copy-pasted path, or offline tab). Open Operations, go to Feeding Station or Run Station, wait a few seconds on that screen, then tap ⋮ again.
  2. Refresh or restart: pull to refresh the station page, or close Chrome completely and open Pet Ops again.
  3. Clear stored data for Pet Ops so Chrome is not holding an outdated copy of the app:
    • From the page: Tap padlock or ⓘ next to the URL → Site settings / Permissions → Storage or similar → Clear data / Delete data / Clear & reset (labels vary).
    • From Chrome: ⋮ → Settings → Privacy and security → Site settings → All sites (or Sites) → find your Pet Ops hostname → Clear & reset or Storage → Clear data.
    • Last resort: ⋮ → Settings → Privacy and security → Delete browsing data → Advanced → Last hour → Cached images and files + Cookies and site data → Clear data (may sign you out of Pet Ops and other sites in Chrome—sign back in afterward).
  4. Update Chrome from the Play Store.
  5. If Install still never appears, you can still run the station in Chrome and use screen pinning (below), or ask your IT contact about a kiosk browser from the Play Store locked to your Pet Ops URL.

Note: Pet Ops should be opened with a normal https:// address. Unusual or test URLs may not show the same install options.

Android: kiosk-style lock to Pet Ops (optional)

If you want the tablet to stay in Pet Ops and make it harder for staff to open other apps or browser tabs, use Android’s built-in screen pinning (sometimes called app pinning or pin app). This is not a full enterprise lock, but it is the practical “kiosk light” option most facilities use without IT-managed devices.

1. Turn on pinning in system settings Open Settings and search for pin, screen pin, or app pin. Enable the feature. Exact names and menus depend on the Android version and manufacturer (Google Pixel, Samsung, Lenovo, etc.), but the toggle is usually under Security, Security & privacy, or Biometrics and security. You may be asked to set a screen lock (PIN, pattern, or password) before pinning is allowed—use a code your managers know, not a shared staff password tied to Pet Ops.

2. Finish Pet Ops setup first Complete Set Up This Tablet and add Pet Ops using Install (not Create shortcut—see previous section) before you pin, so you pin the installed app, not a Chrome tab.

3. Pin Pet Ops while it is on screen Open Pet Ops from the home screen icon you added via Install. With Pet Ops in the foreground, open Recents / Overview (square button or swipe-up gesture). Tap the Pet Ops window (it may list as its own app, not “Chrome”), then tap Pin. If you only see Chrome with tabs, remove the home-screen icon and reinstall using Install, not Create shortcut.

After you confirm, Android keeps the user inside that app until the device is unpinned.

4. How to exit pinned mode (managers) Typically you hold the Back and Overview buttons together, or use the gesture your device shows on the unpin prompt. You must enter the device PIN or unlock method. Train managers on this path so they can reach Settings or Clear Tablet Setup when needed.

5. When you need stricter kiosk control Screen pinning does not prevent a reboot from returning to the home screen, and it is not a substitute for Android Enterprise, Samsung Knox, or a dedicated MDM (mobile device management) profile. If your policy requires a true single-app kiosk, work with your IT provider or tablet vendor to deploy managed devices or a kiosk browser locked to your Pet Ops URL.

Daily use

  • Staff opens Pet Ops from the home screen icon that was added with Install (standalone window). The app should return to the configured station for that tablet.
  • On Android, if tapping the icon opens Chrome with tabs, the icon was probably added with Create shortcut or the Share sheet—remove it and add again using ⋮ → Install app or Add to Home screen → Install (see above).
  • To adjust location, change feeding versus run tasks, or reinstall the launcher, use Operations → Tablet & Device → Manage Tablet Setup, or open Device Settings / Tablet Setup from the station header when needed.
  • Clear Tablet Setup removes the saved station configuration for that browser if you need to reassign the device.

If something does not appear

  • “Operations Stations unavailable” — Enable the module in Billing and turn on Operations Stations for the location in Locations.
  • No locations in the tablet location list — The dropdown only lists locations with Operations Stations enabled. Update the location record first.
  • Home screen opens Chrome with tabs (Android) — You likely used Create shortcut or Share → Add to Home screen. Remove the icon, then use Chrome ⋮ → Install app, or Add to Home screen → Install when both choices appear. On iPad, Share → Add to Home Screen is usually correct.

Chrome labels change between versions; the intent stays the same: enable the module and location, open the correct station, save tablet setup, then add Pet Ops with Install, not Create shortcut, on Android.