Mobile app users will learn how to resolve login and Chat access issues in the Finalsite Mobile App, including repeated logouts, sign-in errors, a stuck "no access" message on Chat, and messages that won't send because of attachment limits.
Logging in to CMS platform?
Trying to log in to your school's website rather than the mobile app? See Login help: Choose your user type instead.
💡Quick answers
- "I keep getting logged out every few hours"
- "My profile/avatar is blank or Chat is missing after signing in"
- "The SSO sign-in page spins forever on web"
- "I'm logged out again 20 to 30 seconds after signing in"
- "Chat says I don't have access"
- "My photo, video, or file won't send in Chat"
Not sure which one matches? Each is covered below, in the same words, with its fix.
Before anything else: Update the app
Most of the problems below are already fixed in the most recent app version, so start here before troubleshooting further.
- Open Settings → About to check your version, or check the app store listing.
- If you're not on the most recent version, update the app. See the release notes for what changed in each release.
- Restart the app after updating.
"I keep getting logged out every few hours"
Cause: On an older app version, a logout doesn't always fully complete. The app quietly tries to pick the session back up, which then fails again a short time later, several times a day.
Fix: Update to the most recent app version (see above). If you can't update right away, uninstall and reinstall the app rather than just logging in again. This clears the issue more reliably than a normal re-login.
"My profile/avatar is blank or Chat is missing after signing in"
Cause: The app can't fully load your account details, even though sign-in succeeded.
Fix: Closing and reopening the app won't fix it. Your account needs to be looked at directly:
- Parents, guardians, students, and teachers: Contact your school or district's technology team, or your school office.
- School and district admins: Contact support with your school or district name, the user's username, and roughly when it happened.
"The SSO sign-in page spins forever on web"
Cause: This was fixed in a recent app version. Older web versions could hang indefinitely instead of showing an error.
Fix: Reload the page and try again. If it keeps happening, contact support.
"I'm logged out again 20 to 30 seconds after signing in"
Cause: Your school or district likely changed how sign-in works recently, for example turning single sign-on on or off.
Fix: Sign in using your school's current login method rather than the one you used before. If it happens twice in a row, that confirms the method changed; use the new method going forward.
"Chat says I don't have access"
Cause: Usually a brief background hiccup that gets Chat stuck on "no access" until the app is restarted.
Fix: Restart the app, or update it first if you haven't already (see above). This resolves it in most cases.
If it still says "no access" after restarting and updating, your account most likely hasn't been given chat access. Chat access is set up by your school or district, not in the app. Find your role below for next steps.
Parents, guardians, students, and teachers
Your school or district decides who can use Chat and which chat rooms you're part of. You can't turn on access yourself, and changing app settings won't change it.
- If you're having trouble signing in, see Portal user login help.
- If you can sign in but Chat still says "no access," contact your school or district's technology team, or your school office, and ask them to check your chat access. Include your name, the email or username you sign in with, and the class or group chat you expected to see.
Some schools don't offer Chat to every user type, so it may be intentionally unavailable for your account.
School and district admins
If a user still sees "no access" after restarting and updating, it's a role or permission issue, not a bug. Chat access is controlled by chat roles (District Admin, School Admin, Chat Manager, or Chat Participant) and by a separate visibility setting for parents or students. Common causes:
- The user hasn't been assigned a chat role, or their role doesn't include chat access.
- Chat is hidden for their user type (parent, student, or staff) by school or district design.
See Chat for school leaders: Assign chat roles, create rooms, and manage members to check and adjust roles. If roles look correct and the user still can't access Chat, contact support.
"My photo, video, or file won't send in Chat"
Cause: The attachment is larger than 20MB, or the message includes more than 30 attachments. Both are fixed limits that apply the same way to every role, and identically on the mobile app and Web Chat.
Fix: For a large file, compress or trim it before attaching. Video is the type most likely to hit the limit, since even a short clip can exceed 20MB. For too many attachments, remove some or split them across more than one message.
When a message includes more than 30 attachments, Chat shows: "You can attach up to 30 files per message." A single file over 20MB is rejected when it's added, before the message can be sent. See Chat for all users: File, photo, and video attachment limits for the full limits and tips for shrinking large videos.
Still stuck? Have this ready when you contact support
Parents, guardians, students, and teachers: For account access or sign-in help, contact your school or district's technology team first, since they manage your account. Sharing the details below with them will help them resolve it faster.
- School or district name
- Your username
- App version (Settings → About)
- Device type (iPhone, Android, web browser) and device model
- How you log in (password, SSO, Google, or Microsoft)
- The exact wording of any error message, including any short code in brackets such as R1, R2, or A1. This is the single most useful thing you can send us.
- Roughly when it happened (date and time)
- Whether it's a shared device, or a device with more than one school's app installed
- What you were doing right before it happened