Send photos, ATAK Data Packages, and other files to your Workspace over a high-bandwidth connection. View received files in the Somewear web app, the ATAK plugin, or directly on the ATAK map.

Send a file from a Workspace conversation

1. Open the Workspace conversation in the Somewear ATAK plugin or the web app.
2. Tap (or click) the upload icon in the message composer.
3. Pick the file from your device.
4. Confirm send.

The file appears in the conversation and in the Workspace Files view — see Receive and view files.

Send a file from ATAK

Any ATAK marker with an attachment can be sent through Somewear.

Note

Sharing data packages and using the ATAK QuickPic tool are also supported with these steps.

1. In ATAK, select Send on the marker with the attachment you want to share, then select Yes to include attachments.
2. From the Send with attached file dialog, select Somewear. The plugin opens to the conversation picker with your last conversation at the top.
3. Tap the Workspace to send to.
4. Confirm send.

Note

Receivers see the marker on their map right away — the marker itself travels over any connection, including satellite. The attached photo follows over high bandwidth, so the marker may show without its image until the receiver is back on Wi-Fi or cellular.

Send a file from another app

Use this when the file lives outside ATAK — the Android gallery, a file browser, a photo you just took with the phone camera.

1. Open the file in another app (e.g. gallery, camera, file browser, etc.).
2. Tap Share.
3. On the Android share sheet, tap More if Somewear is not on the top row.
4. Select Somewear from the expanded picker. ATAK opens with the plugin on the conversation picker.
5. Tap the Workspace to send to.
6. Confirm send.

Receive and view files

Received files show up in both the Workspace conversation and the Workspace Files view.

In a conversation

• In the plugin, tap the file to open the file detail view. From there you can Import to ATAK, Download to Phone, or Open File.
• In the web app, click the file to open a preview.

The file detail view shows when the file was shared and, for photos that carry capture data, when it was taken. Location metadata displays in MGRS or latitude/longitude, following your ATAK coordinate-format preference.

Note

A Data Package shows an ATAK symbol in the conversation instead of an image preview — tap it to open the package in ATAK. Photos inside a Data Package don’t preview in the chat.

Access Workspace Files

Every Workspace has a Files view that lists every file sent or received in that Workspace — including files that arrived before you joined.

• Plugin: open the Workspace and tap Files.
• Web: open the Workspace and open the Files view.

Note

When you join or rejoin a Workspace, historical files show up in the Files view, but do not appear in the message stream — the chat only shows messages sent after you joined.

Limits and behavior

• 250 MB per file. Files larger than 250 MB are not supported.
• High-bandwidth only: Wi-Fi or cellular. If you’re off high-bandwidth when a file is sent to you, the file shows as pending and will download automatically once you reconnect.

File Retention

• Files are kept on the Somewear system for 30 days, after which files are deleted from storage. After this time, they will not be available or recoverable.
• Files you export from the ATAK plugin to another app’s storage, such as your phone’s gallery or Downloads folder, must be managed through that app.
• Map items, such as waypoints, shapes, and Data Packages must be managed through ATAK’s native features.
• Uninstalling the Somewear ATAK plugin will delete any files in its cache that haven’t already been imported to your ATAK map.

Related

• Sending Messages — send Workspace and individual text messages
• Waypoints and Shapes — build the markers and shapes you’d typically bundle into a Data Package
• Network Status — confirm you’re on a high-bandwidth connection before sending