The App is Just Not Working
If you’re having problems with the app, we recommend trying these steps in order:
!
The steps below were correct at the time of writing, but device and software settings change with updates. If a step has moved, search for the relevant setting by name.
1) Check you have the latest app
Go to the App Store and check you have the latest version. If you do and it’s still not working, delete the app and reinstall it from scratch.
2) Restart the app
Follow the steps in our frozen app article to force quit and reopen the app.
3) Update your operating system
iPad/iPhone
You need to be using iOS 12 or later.
Android
You need to be using Android 9 or later.
4) Schools — check whitelisting
Ensure the following URLs are on your safe list:
- https://phonicshero.com
- https://*.phonicshero.com
Then test the following:
Test A: Load a game on the device through our website:
- On the device, open Settings › Safari (or whichever browser you use) › Block Pop-ups and switch it off.
- Go to your tablet’s internet browser and visit our homepage. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on one of the games in the ‘Try Some of Our Reading and Spelling Phonics Games’ section.
- If the games don’t load, whitelisting is not working on your devices. Tell your IT team: “The whitelisting of Phonics Hero is not working on our devices.”
Test B: Load a game on a computer on the same network as the device:
- Go to your computer’s internet browser and visit our homepage. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on one of the games in the ‘Try Some of Our Reading and Spelling Phonics Games’ section.
- If the games work on a computer but not the tablet, tell your IT team: “The tablets are not connected to the same network as the computers, so the whitelisting of Phonics Hero is not being applied.”
Still having problems
We’re here to help — please get in touch with the following information:
- What the problem is: downloading the app, logging in, or playing a game.
- Your username. If you are a school, include a few examples of usernames with the issue.
- The device model number (normally found in Settings).
- The operating system you are using, e.g. iOS 17.5.
- The version of the app you are using. To find it, open the app — the version number is in the bottom right corner.
- The results of Test A and Test B from section 4 above.
