> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://support.lena.africa/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Lena on your phone and offline

> Use Lena on a phone, install it from your browser, keep working without a connection, and get updates.

Everything you can do in Lena on a computer, you can do on a phone: hand in an assignment, take a quiz, grade a
submission, set up a school. The pages fit themselves to a small screen.

![Amaka's Courses page on a phone, with the menu button, school picture, bell and avatar in the top bar](https://mintcdn.com/lenaafrica/L730hi-OSS5z45py/images/student/mobile-courses.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=L730hi-OSS5z45py\&q=85\&s=d8006698e60770cad74a5d06448c368c)

Lena for Students on a phone.

## Finding your way on a phone

* **The sidebar becomes a menu.** Tap the menu button at the top left to open it; everything from the sidebar is
  there, Search included.
* **Tabs become a menu.** On a course page, for example, tap the section name to choose **Details**, **Outline**,
  **Study Materials** or **People**.
* **The school switcher shows only your school's picture.** Tap it to switch school.
* **Ask Lena** (Lena for Teachers) is a round button at the bottom of the screen.
* **Teachers** tap the search icon in the top bar to search. When you grade, **Prev** and **Next** stay at the bottom
  of the screen.

![A Week 3 study material open in the Lena for Students viewer on a phone](https://mintcdn.com/lenaafrica/L730hi-OSS5z45py/images/student/mobile-material.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=L730hi-OSS5z45py\&q=85\&s=9e6ce08769e59feed1f797b14097491b)

Course notes open inside Lena, on a phone too.

## Install Lena from your browser

You can add all three apps to your home screen from your browser. Lena then opens like any other app, and opens
without a connection too. You don't need an app store.

> [tab] Android
>
> In Chrome, open the app's address, tap the **⋮** menu, then **Install app** or **Add to Home screen**.

> [tab] iPhone and iPad
>
> In Safari, open the app's address, tap **Share**, then **Add to Home Screen**.

> [tab] Computer
>
> In Chrome or Edge, open the app's address and choose the install icon at the right of the address bar.

## Without a connection

Lena keeps your current courses on your phone or computer, so it opens and you can find your way around with no
connection. Once you're back online, everything catches up by itself within seconds.

A small bar tells you where things stand. On a phone it sits under the top bar; on a computer, at the bottom left.

| The bar says | It means |
| - | - |
| "Offline, waiting for a connection · 2 changes not synced yet" | You're offline. What you did is saved on this device, and will go when you're back. |
| "Can't reach Lena right now" | You have a connection, but Lena isn't answering. Your work is still safe. |
| "All changes synced" | Everything you did offline has reached Lena. The bar then goes away. |
| "1 change was refused" | Lena couldn't accept something. Open the bar to see what and why. |

> [tab] Students
>
> **What you can see offline:** your current courses and their study materials, announcements, your assignments,
> quizzes and exams with your own work and results, and your grades. Lena fetches these the first time you open the
> app online, so you don't have to open each page first. An assignment's question and rubric, and a course's outline
> and People, show offline only if you've opened them before. A file you've never opened needs a connection. So do
> past courses, discussions, the calendar and joining a course.
>
> **What you can do offline:**
>
> * **Hand in an assignment**, with files too. You'll see "Submission queued". Lena keeps your work on this device
>   and sends it, files and all, as soon as you're back online. The assignment shows "Submission saved" until then.
> * **Answer a quiz or exam you've already started.** Each answer is saved on your device the moment you choose it.
>   Under each question you'll see "Saved on this device", then "Sent" once it reaches Lena.
> * **Hand in a quiz or exam.** You'll see "Submission saved". Lena sends it as soon as it can, even if you close
>   the page, and the page changes to "Exam submitted" or "Quiz submitted" when it arrives.
> * **Mark a notification as read.**
>
> **What needs a connection:** starting a graded quiz or an exam, posting in a discussion, joining a course, and
> opening a file for the first time.
>
> > [!WARNING]
> >
> > **Deadlines go by when your work reaches Lena**, not when you pressed Submit. For an assignment handed in
> > offline, get back online before the deadline. For quizzes and exams, answers you chose before time ran out still
> > count if they get through shortly after.

> [tab] Teachers
>
> Pages you've opened before still open offline, under "You're offline. Showing what was last saved." Your courses,
> their people, assignments, quizzes, exams and announcements are kept on your device, and so are the submissions
> and gradebook of courses you've opened. Grades shown offline say how old they are: "Grades as of …".
>
> Changing anything needs a connection: grading, releasing, publishing, posting and creating. Offline, Lena tells
> you straight away and nothing is saved. When grading, you'll see "You're offline. Reconnect to save this grade."
> Keep the page open and save once you're back.
>
> Lena Agent keeps messages you type offline and sends them when you're back. See [Lena Agent's
> limits](https://support.lena.africa/agent/limits-and-privacy.md#offline).

> [tab] School admins
>
> Lena for Schools opens offline too, with your school's structure, students and lecturers as they were last
> saved. Changes and school-wide reports need a connection.

## Keep your work safe

* **Don't sign out with work waiting.** If something hasn't been sent yet, Lena warns you first ("2 changes haven't
  synced"). Choose **Stay signed in**, and it goes when you're back online. **Sign out anyway** deletes it.
* **On a shared computer, always sign out.** Signing out removes your Lena data from that device.
* **If your sign-in runs out while you're offline,** nothing is lost. Sign in again as yourself and your work is sent.
* **Use one tab for a quiz or exam.** A graded quiz can only be answered in one tab or on one device at a time.
* **Lena keeps your current courses only.** A course that has ended leaves your device; open it online.

## Updates

Lena updates itself. When a new version is ready, you'll see "A new version is available". Choose **Refresh now**, or
choose **Later** to finish what you're doing first. **Update available** then waits for you in the sidebar and the
account menu.

After an update, a **What's new** window tells you what changed. To see it again, open the account menu and choose
**What's new**, or read [What's new](https://lena.africa/changelog) on Lena's website.

## Troubleshooting

> [accordion] “This page isn’t available offline”
>
> Lena hasn't kept this page on this device. Open it again once you're back online.

> [accordion] “We couldn’t reach Lena”
>
> This isn't saved on your device yet, and Lena isn't answering. Wait a moment and try again.

> [accordion] “You need a connection to start this quiz.” or “…to start this exam.”
>
> You can't start a graded quiz or an exam offline. Reconnect, then start it. Once it's started, you can keep
> answering if the connection drops.

> [accordion] “Your assignment couldn’t be submitted” or another change was refused
>
> Lena got your work but couldn't accept it, for example because the deadline had passed by the time it arrived. The
> message says why. For an assignment, choose **Open your work**: it's still there, so you can check it, send it
> again, or talk to your lecturer.

> [accordion] “Exam received” and “Your school’s server is busy”
>
> Your exam, quiz or assignment reached Lena in time and is being saved. You can close the page. If Lena later says it
> wasn't saved, choose **Send it again**: your work is still on your device and you won't redo anything.

> [accordion] “Close your other Lena tabs”
>
> An older Lena tab is stopping this one from sending your work. Close the other tabs, then reload this one.

> [accordion] “Lena has been updated”
>
> Choose **Reload** so your work keeps sending. Nothing you've done is lost.

> [accordion] “This device is full”
>
> Lena reads from the internet instead of your device until there's space again. Your work is safe. Free up space on
> your phone if you can.

> [accordion] Something looks out of date
>
> Get online and open the page again: Lena catches up within seconds. If a file or picture still looks old, go to
> **Settings** → **Preferences** and choose **Clear cache**.

## Next

> [card] [Notifications](https://support.lena.africa/get-started/notifications.md)
>
> Get told when something needs you, on your phone too.

> [card] [Take a quiz](https://support.lena.africa/students/quizzes.md)
>
> How quizzes work, including what happens if you lose connection.


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