App Troubleshooting Guide
No Sound or Distorted Sound on iPad or Other Tablet
* Most problems can be fixed by closing all open apps or programs and then restarting your device. *
No Sound or Distorted Sound on iPad or Other Tablet
Our apps use many audio files, which use a lot of working memory on your device. If you have too many apps open, then the audio may not load and play or it may be lacking in sound quality (distorted). To fix this, close all of your open apps (see your iPad or tablet instructions on how to do this). If you're still not getting sound, check that your ringer is off and/or your device is not muted (see the video below). Very often people are not aware that their settings are set to mute. To test this, use a pair of headphones. If you get sound with the headphones, then check your settings.
Watch the instructional video below.
Sometimes, on Chrome if Ad Blocker is on (you'll see the image below), Chrome will not allow the game to load (you'll see a red loading line instead of the blue line, and the game won't finish loading). Even though we do not use any advertisements on any of our games or on our website, sometimes Ad Blocker will cause a problem. To fix this, while on our site, right click on the Ad Block icon, in the upper right corner of the browser, and select "pause for this site". Your game should now load.
Browsers save files in cache so that loading
will take less time when you open the web site (or web app) in the future. Unfortunately, this can
cause problems when a change is made to the web app. Some files may update, while others don't, which can cause the app to not load or, if it does load,
it may not operate properly. Your browser needs to be told to do a complete reload (not the same as a refresh).
There are a few ways to make your browser reload all web pages.
For Chrome and Edge
1. Do a reload by pressing the keyboard keys: shift, ctrl, R; note that you press the keys in that order, holding them down at the same time.
2. If #1 above does not work, press the function key F12. You will see developer information either on the bottom or side of your screen. Then press the refresh button on the browser (the little
circle with the arrow). The web app should refresh with a complete reload, and then you can then 'x' out of the developer window.
3. If you tried the above and still are having problems, then you may need to clear parts of your browser's cache. To do this,
usually you open settings on your browser and navigate to "clear your browsing
data" (or you can press ctrl, shift, delete to get there), select "Advanced", then select to clear cached images and files,
as shown in the image below. Make sure all other
boxes are not checked.
Note that you may lose stored data and may have re-enter the code word from the book when you re-open the app. If
you are using the I Can Fly App, you should always keep a copy of the app (using
the save button on the left side of the main page). This will save the state of
the app to a file on your device. When you open the app, after clearing the
browser, you should select "restore" (next to the "save" button), navigate and
select the backup file that you saved. By doing this, you will not lose any
student metrics, coins, or scenes that were saved. Note that the save/restore
feature is only on V1.16 or above.
For Other Browsers
You will have to do a "reload web page" for your browser,
note that this is different from a "refresh". If you don't know how to do this, you can try the above for Edge and Chrome.
If that doesn't work, you should do a search on how to reload a website for the browser you're using. If you are unable to
do that, then you may have to clear your browser's cache (as a last resort). See your browser's instructions on how to do that.
If you're using a tablet or cell phone, close all open apps or other software that's running and then reopen the app. If
you still get a black screen, close all apps and restart your device. If that doesn't work, you should go into settings, select the browser (such as Safari), and then select to
"Clear History and Website Data". This is a last resort, since you will be deleting all of your stored data for the browser.
If none of the above works, please contact us (text preferred: 631-780-4206).
If using Blast Off to Reading, make sure you're
entering the code for the correct book. Note that Blast Off Rev C has it's own
app (click here),
and Blast Off Rev D and E share an app (click
here). To find the revision, look on the bottom of the title page where the
ISBN is. Note that there are no apps for Blast Off Rev A and B. Make sure
you're finding the code in the lesson portion of the book, not the answer key. Codes are not case sensitive. If you followed the directions and
are still having problems with the codes, you may have local storage issues.
Click here to read more about local storage and our apps.
Watch the instructional video below.
If some of our apps run on your device, while other apps don't, then there is most likely a memory issue with your device. Typically, if one game runs the others should as well. However, each game will require memory (of various sizes) and it's possible that you did not have enough space. Note that our online games and tools are not guaranteed to run on your device. Please check that your device supports HTML5 (click here to run the HTML5 validator). The browser that you run the HTML5 app on will require memory for local storage and cookies must be enabled. If you have problems, please check your browser's settings. Click here to read more about local storage limits.
On the iPad the app runs, but it does strange things.
With recent Apple updates, many apps are not opening, or not functioning correctly if other apps are open. Please close all open apps, including the app that you're trying to use. To close apps on your device follow these instructions: If your device has a "home" button, double click the button, and then swipe up to close the apps. If you have a newer device that does not have a home button, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause slightly in the middle of the screen, then proceed to swipe all apps upwards to close them. Once all apps are closed, reopen the app.
If you have trouble running an app and your device belongs to a school or other type of institution, contact your organization's IT administrator. Very often settings have been set to limit usages to protect students, and to limit their internet usage.
You will get this message if the requested file doesn't exist on the Internet. Please send us an email or text to let us know. Be sure to include the link that you used when you got this message.
You should have to enter the code (or codes), to gain access
to the web app, one time. The codes are saved in your browser's local storage and will be deleted if your browser is cleared,
and may need to be re-entered.
If you use another browser, you will have to enter in a code to gain
access to the app for that browser. For example, if you activate the app in
Chrome and then open the app in Edge, Edge will ask you for the code since it
does not share memory with Chrome.
If you enter a code and it was accepted, and then you close the browser and
re-open the app to find that it asks for the code again, then you may have a
setting set to clear the local storage when you end your browser session.
If you use Chrome, to fix this, select the three vertical dots in the upper-right
corner, then select "Settings". On the left side, select "Privacy and
Security". Then scroll down and select "Site Settings". Then select
"Cookies and other site data" (almost there!). Scroll down to where it says "Clear cookies and site data when you quit Chrome", and look at the slider switch to the right. The switch should be set to the
off
position (slid to the left side).
For the problems listed:
1. You entered the code for the app, the app accepted it, but the next time
you open the app it asks you for the code again, and you tried the setting
described above, and the browser still won't save the code.
2. You're using the I Can Fly app, and your student's coins, or metric data, or items bought disappeared.
Our apps use something called "Local Storage" to save data such as whether you entered in the code or not, how many coins your student earned, what items were purchased, etc.
Local Storage is not kept in the cloud, or on a server, it is on your computer, specifically in memory used by your browser. This memory is limited and is dependent on how much
hard disc space you have. If you have the issues described above, it is not the app, it is your browser and your computer. If your space is at the limit, some data may be deleted,
and, consequently, some parts of the app may work while other parts won't.
The process by which the browser determines how much space to allocate for web data storage and what to delete when that limit is reached is not simple and differs between browsers.
Because of this, even if your browser is HTML5 compatible, we cannot guarantee that our apps will work on your device.
If purchasing our reading programs is contingent on the apps working on your device, we recommend you first test the apps thoroughly before buying.
To do this we recommend you test an HTML5 app before you make your purchase.
To free up memory on your device, you can
delete your browser's saved data (clearing your browser). However, this is something you should consider
carefully since you may have data saved that you don't want erased. Very often
once this is done, the apps will function correctly.
It is important to note that data saved during the game (codes, coins, etc.) can be cleared inadvertently by someone using your computer. For example, if you share a computer with
someone who develops software, they may clear the browser
for their work. There may also be a setting in your browser where web data is cleared when you exit the app, in this case every single time you enter the app you will be prompted
to enter the access code.
Schools and other type of institutions may not utilize local storage due to settings in place by the IT department.
Also note that since the data is stored on your device, if you use another device, you will not share that saved data.