What files and Bb course tools are supported in the Blackboard mobile apps? (restricted)
- Mariann Hawken
- Josh Abrams
Designed specifically for students to view content and participate in courses, the Blackboard app (formerly Bb Student) offers several native tools that correspond to Blackboard workflows and functions. The Blackboard app is available on iOS, Android, and Windows mobile devices while the Bb Instructor app is only available for iOS and Android.
If you could like to ensure your Blackboard course is mobile friendly to your students, please review information about supported content, files, and formats in this article:
Supported Content Types
The Blackboard app supports various HTML and CSS features from the Blackboard content editor across iOS, Android, and Windows platforms. Here are some commonly used tags and styles that are supported:
Bold, Italic, Underline, Strikethrough
Links
Paragraphs, DIV, or   (non-breaking space)
Font style & text size
Lists (bulleted and numerical)
Superscript & Subscript
Background color (text highlighting in content editor)
Alignment: left, middle, and right
Horizontal rules
Tables (TR/TD)
Images: embedded images are fully supported to display inline
iFrames have limited support. For example, embedded videos in iFrames from Vimeo or Youtube are supported, but controls are limited and vary by platform. iOS has full support. Android plays the video but the player controls aren't supported yet.
To be absolutely sure your formatting doesn't change when viewed in the Blackboard app, use an attachment such as PPT, DOC, or PDF.
Supported File Types
Blackboard mobile apps support most common text and media files. Some file types aren't supported because specific operating systems don't support them.
File Type | Blackboard Learn (web) | Windows Mobile | Android | iOS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
PPT, PPTX | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment |
PDF & TXT | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment |
Pages | Unknown Attachment User must have these | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment |
RTF | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment |
M4V | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment |
WEBM | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment |
MP4 | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment |
MOV | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment |
SWF, MPEG, WMV, RM, ASF | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment |
MP3 | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment |
OGG | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment |
WMA | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment |
RA, WAV, AIFF | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment |
BMP, GIF, PNG | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment |
JPEG / JPG | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment |
WEBP | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment |
ICO | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment |
SVG | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment |
TIF | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment | Unknown Attachment |
Supported Blackboard Tools
Content types that are natively supported will display within the Blackboard app instead of launching as a separate web page. Natively supported features provide students the best experience in the Blackboard app.
Content types that aren't natively supported will launch in Blackboard's in-app browser rather than in the device's browser. This makes navigating backward in the app easier for students. For example, a test that isn't mobile compatible opens in a browser view within the appratherthaninathemobilebrowsersforChrome or Safari.