HTML 5 version Crashes on iPad

Jun 12, 2013

Hi all,

I have updated Storyline to the newest version and have created a flowchart-type course for my organization. Everything works perfectly on the computer, even the HTML5 file.  But on the iPad, it keeps crashing.  I have tried Chrome, Safari, and Mercury browser and it does the same thing.  I am currently testing through Dropbox and thought that might be the issue but I have also tested it on a real webserver and the same thing happens.  My understanding was that the new updated had corrected for this issue.  Can anyone give any insight as to what's going wrong?

Here are the links to the courses on dropbox:

http://db.tt/rM85ZZ8n

http://db.tt/NhFm5H6P

9 Replies
Christine Hendrickson

Hi there Kristin,

For the first link, it took a very long time for the project to load on my PC. However, I tested it on my iPad and it did launch. I was actually surprised to see the size of the course, though - I wonder if that may be one of the issues. 

The second course loaded perfectly for me on the PC. This loaded for me as well on the iPad. 

Curious why this is crashing for you, they seem to be loading up fine on my end. Do you reach a certain point in the course when it crashes? I've been able to navigate through a few slides, so curious if maybe I'm just missing something.

Thanks!

Kristin Anthony

Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.  I reset my network connections and it worked a bit better but, sometimes some of the audio cuts off midstream.  Is that a course size or a connectivity issue?  Is there a way to make the course smaller?  (I'm using wav audio files because I was worried about MP3s not working in certain browsers.)

Also, I am testing on an iPad 2.  Could the memory be a problem?   I realize that Articulate's standard suggestion is to use the mobile app but I just don't see asking people to open it in an app which they would have to download first to be a good user experience here.

Have you been able to test it successfully on an Android device?  I tried it on my phone and it showed up but none of the audio worked.

 I guess I want to know what I need to warn people against when trying to view this on their mobile device.

Thanks for your help,

Kristin

Christine Hendrickson

Hi Kristin,

Internet connectivity will always be in play. If your connection lags, content in any page or course may be affected. It may also be how you're viewing it, though.

Currently, support is only provided for the Safari browser on the iPad + HTML5 content and iPad only. We do not currently support Android devices, so I'm afraid I won't be able to give advice for that device. 

Also, while I understand you may not prefer to use the app, but people download them.. a lot. It really wouldn't be a surprise to anyone that works from a mobile device regularly. But, that's just my opinion :)

What I would suggest, is to try publishing for the Articulate Mobile Player. I'm not trying to talk you into distributing the course this way, just try testing it and see if the performance improves. If it doesn't, then we know the problems aren't related to HTML5 issues or browsers.

I also wanted to share this information, just in case you haven't seen it:

*See more on system and viewing requirements here.

Thanks!

Christine Hendrickson

@Dan,

When you say it "kicks you out" does the browser crash, or does the course simply exit? If you're working with a very large course, maybe breaking it up into smaller segments would improve the performance. 

If that doesn't help, we'd be happy to take a look at what's going on.

@Kevin,

Thanks very much for sharing this information and your feedback. I do agree with you, there's a lot of improvements to be made with HTML5 content and I, for one, am definitely looking forward to the day when we have everything running as smoothly as possible.

I'd like to take a look at the case you have open with us, if you don't mind. Could you share the case number with me, please?

Thanks very much!

Sam Carter

Kristin,

I've found that once Storyline crashes in iPad/Safari, it will subsequently crash every time it is launched.  (I test with an iPad 4s, latest IOS).

The fix for the problem that I've found is to clear Safari cache which is kind of tricky for an end-user.  If that sounds like a minor issue, imagine having to address it with a sizable population of your workforce using iPads.

Would you try clearing your cache to see if the crash resolves?  

SETTINGS>Safari>Advanced>Website Data>"Remove All Website Data"

In my experience, only the latest release of Storyline has any hope of finishing a 20 minute course, and only if you don't click PREV / NEXT before a page finishes playing.

Sam

Matt Bassuk

i know I'm late to this party, but I'm having the same issue. My HTML output crashes at the same point every time on mobile players. Desktop and laptops work fine, but something about the processing of mobile browsers causes it to crash.  The best answer i've heard (from Rustici Software while troubleshooting another issue), is that the way Storyline compresses (or doesn't compress) some javascript files isn't optimal for mobile browsers, and this really manifests in "large" courses. My questions are: is this actually the case? Are there plans to optimize this in the next update? When will that be? Thanks!

Ashley Terwilliger-Pollard

Hi Matt, 

What update of Storyline are you currently using? We're on update 5 which does include a lot of HTML5 fixes.  Additionally how are you testing the course within your iPad, by using the mobile player or viewing in mobile Safari?  

You mentioned Javascript files, and I'm not sure if there is a particular element you're referring to but it's worth noting that JavaScript triggers are supported in the Flash and HTML5 published formats. However, JavaScript is not supported in the Articulate Mobile Player for iPad. (For a full comparison of the different players, click here.)

If you're still having difficulty with your file after updating to Update 5, and using the supported methods detailed here for viewing content on your iPad, please feel free to share the Storyline file with us here or you can always connect with our Support team. 

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