How do I add my board to my phone's home screen?
Put your board on your iPhone or Android home screen so it opens in one tap, full-screen, like an app. No app store needed.
Why add my board to my home screen?
On meeting day you probably open BoardTools on your phone, through an email
link or by typing your board's address (yourboard.boardtools.io). Adding
the board to your home screen gives you an icon that opens it in one tap. It
opens full-screen, without the browser's address bar, and lands on your
board's Overview.
There is nothing to download from an app store. The icon opens the same BoardTools you use in the browser, so everything stays up to date automatically.
Each board has its own address, so add each board you belong to separately.
How do I add it on an iPhone or iPad?
Use Safari:
- Open your board's address in Safari and sign in.
- Tap the Share button (the square with an arrow pointing up). Depending on your iOS version it sits at the bottom of the screen or behind the ⋯ menu.
- Scroll down and tap Add to Home Screen.
- The suggested name is BoardTools. If you belong to more than one board, you can type a different name, such as your board's name.
- Make sure Open as Web App is turned on (if you see that option), then tap Add.
The BoardTools icon now appears on your home screen.
How do I install it on an Android phone?
Use Chrome:
- Open your board's address in Chrome and sign in.
- Tap the ⋮ menu in the top-right corner.
- Tap Add to home screen, then Install. On some phones the menu says Install app straight away.
- Confirm by tapping Install.
The app is named after your board and uses your board's colour for the bar at the top of the screen. The icon is the BoardTools mark.
Will I need to sign in again?
You might need to sign in once. On an iPhone or iPad, the home-screen app keeps its sign-in separate from Safari, so the first time you open it you see the sign-in page. After that it stays signed in like the browser does. On Android the installed app shares Chrome's sign-in.
What doesn't it do yet?
The home-screen app needs an internet connection, just like the website. It doesn't work offline yet, and it doesn't send phone notifications. You still get BoardTools emails as usual (see Notifications).
How do I remove it?
Remove it like any other app. Press and hold the icon, then choose Remove App (iPhone or iPad) or Uninstall (Android). This only removes the icon. Your board, its records and your account aren't affected.