Mobile App Versions of the Flashcard Program

Mobile App Versions of the Flashcard Program

1. Intro

We now have both an iOS and an Android version of the flashcard program. They are still new, so note the info below on how to send feedback re: any changes/improvements we could make

2. How to install the app

You can find both the iOS and Android version here:http://www.lrc.lsa.umich.edu/mobile/german-flashcards/

On this page, you will see an icon at the top for downloading the app, and an “Installation” button you can click for detailed installation instructions. These are summarized here:

iOS installation: Basically, you just need to tap the download icon at the top to automatically install the app. When you receive the notification that the download is complete, tap on it to confirm that you want to install the app. Additional info from a student from November 2015 (please email Hartmut if anything here should be changed!):

  • He was only able to download the app via Safari. Chrome did not work
  • Once the app had downloaded, he received an error message that it was not a trusted app. In order to “trust” the app, he had to go to Settings > General > Profile > Select Profile > Trust
  • Another iOS user received a similar message about the app not being trusted after it had previously been working on her phone. For her, the solution was to go to Settings > General > Device Management

Android installation: You will need to enable non-Market apps in the device settings before downloading. To do this (before tapping the download icon):

  • go to Settings (from your home screen, i.e. not the Settings menu available once you’re in your device’s internet browser)
  • tap “Security” (in the “Permissions” category, which on my phone is found under the heading “More,” i.e. not under “Connections,” “My Device,” or “Accounts”)
  • check the “Unknown Sources” box (which on my phone is found under the “Device administration” subheading) [You’ll get a warning when you do this, so you may want to un-check this box again once the installation is complete.]

If you’re connected to a WiFi network, the installation should be very quick. When you first open the program, you then need to wait briefly for it to download data from the database; this is only necessary the very first time you open it.

3. How to use the app

Both versions of the app include a “Help” screen at the end of the “Options” menu, which I recommend reading through once quickly (you need to choose some cards to load before you get to this menu). If you don’t like reading instructions, here are the basic things you should know:

  • Once you’ve loaded the cards, imagine them as one big deck of flashcards. Clicking “Know it” moves a card to the bottom of the deck; clicking “Need Practice” moves it 10 cards down the deck; clicking “Don’t know it” moves it 5 cards down the deck (go to Options > Preferences if you want to adjust these numbers)
  • Button mode just uses the above three basic buttons; Text mode additionally lets you type in the word (you’ll normally want to have the English side up first in Text mode; see below for how to do this). Tap and hold a, o, u, and s respectively to type umlaute and ß.
  • Options > Shuffle Deck shuffles the cards
  • The “Hint” button shows you the first letter of each word; one more each time you tap it
  • Go to Options > Preferences to turn on the audio generally (there’s also an audio button on each card)
  • Go to Options > Preferences > Default side (at the top of the Preferences menu) to change whether the program initially shows you the German or English side of each card.
  • You could use the “Notes” section on each card to write down mnemonics or hints for yourself
  • The apps will work offline (e.g. in Airplane mode), but you need an internet connection for the audio to work
  • In general, whenever you’re reviewing vocab, I recommend forming a very simple (3-4 word) sentence in your head with each word you review before you move on to the next one. This will also help you build fluency. The sentence can be quite silly; consciously picturing or thinking about what it means will help you process the word.

4. How to send feedback

In the iOS version, just use the “Send feedback” button in the app The Android version also has a “Send feedback” button, but it doesn’t work ==> if you’re using this version, please just email your feedback directly to me (hmr@umich.edu), with the subject line “Android app feedback,” which will help me keep track.

Viel Spaß – we hope you’ll find these apps useful and easy to use!