What files and Bb course tools are supported in the Blackboard mobile apps? (restricted)

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 &nbsp (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 DOC, DOCX XLS, XLSX
PDF & TXT
Pages Keynote Numbers	User must have these apps installed on a Mac.
RTF
M4V
WEBM
MP4
MOV
SWF, MPEG, WMV, RM, ASF
MP3
OGG
WMA
RA, WAV, AIFF
BMP, GIF, PNG
JPEG / JPG
WEBP
ICO
SVG
TIF

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.

Content Type	Native Support	Content Type Behavior
Item		Descriptions aren't displayed. File attachments in items are supported, but the types supported depend on the device operating system.
Files		Descriptions aren't displayed. File types supported depend on the device operating system.
Image		Descriptions aren't displayed. File types supported depend on the device operating system.
Audio & Video		Descriptions aren't displayed. File types supported depend on the device operating system.
Content Folder		Text descriptions in folders are supported, but rich text formatting and HTML are not.
Module Page Blank Page		Module pages and blank pages will launch in a web page.
Learning Modules		Learning modules have partial functionality in the Blackboard app. Users can't see the module table of contents like they can in a web browser. Contents are listed similarly to a content folder.
Tests		A test must contain only mobile compatible question types in order to open natively in the Blackboard app. The Blackboard app supports these mobile compatible test question types: True/False or Either/Or Multiple Choice Short Answer Essay Additional question types are available in the edit canvas of a mobile compatible test, but only the types listed here are supported natively in the Blackboard app. Using other question types, or creating a non-mobile compatible test, will cause it to launch in the in-app browser, which isn't the recommended method for taking and submitting the test. Students should take tests that aren't mobile compatible in a desktop web browser. Learn more about Blackboard app compatible tests These test settings are mobile compatible and are respected by the Blackboard app: Randomized Questions Timed Assessment with Auto-Submit = ON These test settings are NOT mobile compatible. The test will still launch natively, but these settings aren't fully enforced by the Blackboard app: One at a Time and Prohibit Backtracking - The mobile app always delivers questions all at once Timed Assessment with disabled Auto-Submit - The timer setting always enforces Auto-Submit in the app at this time. Question Sets and Random Blocks will work as long as all of the questions in the pool are natively supported by the app. One unsupported question type in the pool will cause all attempts to launch in the in-app browser even if that unsupported question isn't delivered for every attempt.
Surveys		Surveyslaunch in a web page, but this is NOT an officially supported method for submission. We recommended a traditional web browser for surveys.
Assignments		Assignmentsare supported in the Blackboard app. Descriptions are not displayed, but instructions are displayed. File attachments are supported, but file types supported depend on the device operating system. There is a file size limit of 250 MB for submissions to assignments. Students can link their OneDrive, Google Drive, or Dropbox account. Learn more about cloud storage and assignments in Blackboard app
Discussions		Discussionsare supported in the Blackboard app with these specific actions: Review forum description, max possible grade, and rubric for a forum View and create threads (including anonymous) Reply to threads & reply to replies View instructor feedback and grades for forums View file attachments to posts; file support depends on device operating system Edit and/or delete post; if enabled by instructor in the forum Unsupported discussion actions are: Add attachment Edit or delete thread Mark asreadfor the thread, post, reply Show unread count Subscribe to a thread Discussion updates appear on mobile activity stream and due dates appear under the Due Dates tool in the app. Learn more about discussions in Blackboard app
Blogs, journals, and wikis		These tools launch in a web page.
Grades		Gradesare natively supported in the Blackboard app. Students can view overall course grades and individual item grades with instructor feedback. However, files attached to feedback or inline grading comments (Crocodoc) will not appear in the mobile app. Students will not see any Grade Center columns that are hidden from students. Learn more about grades in Blackboard app
Push Notifications		Push notifications pop up on student's devices for upcoming tests, past due tests, and new grades. Push notifications aren't available for assignments at this time, but assignments will show up in the Activity Stream if you set a due date. Students can change their notifications by logging in to their Blackboard web account on a computer. Learn more about push notifications in Blackboard app
Announcements		Users can't access the Announcements tool in the same way as Blackboard Learn in a web browser. The tool is not natively within the app, but announcements are aggregated in Blackboard's activity stream as plain text only. When a student dismisses a course announcement it is no longer accessible in the app on any device. When a student dismisses a system announcement, it's no longer accessible in the app on the specific device where the student dismissed the system announcement.
Calendar		The Blackboard app doesn't have a calendar page, but students can access Due Dates and the Activity Stream in the base navigation to see information aggregated across all of their courses. The Due Dates page aggregates due dates from tests and assignments across all of a student's courses. However, content with due dates for some tools will not appear on the Due Dates page: Discussion Forums Blogs/Journals/Wikis LTI tools (3rd party) Surveys Learn more about Due Dates in Blackboard app
Course Links		Content types that are supported natively will also launch natively when accessed from a course link.
WebLinks		The functionality of the target website may be impacted by the device operating system and limitations of the in-app browser.
Publisher integrations		Publisher integration tools launch in the in-app browser. Functionality may be limited by the technical requirements of the third-party content and the device operating system.
LTI Tools		The link launches in the in-app browser and there is infrastructure in place to maintain the user's session in the launch. However, the in-app browser might not support all required technologies to handle the content as expected.
Course Tools Page		The course tools page contains links to each available tool type in a course. Course menu links to the course tools page don't appear in the app. Any course link navigation the course tools page will launch in the in-app browser.
Language Localization		Learn more about language localization in Blackboard app
Adaptive Release		The mobile app does support some adaptive release of content. Specifically, rules that release content to students who meet certain criteria based on date, grade, or membership. However, the app does NOT support the Mark Reviewed feature currently. Students need to access a course in a web browser to use this feature if you made it available for a content item.
Mashups		Flickr, Slideshare, YouTube and other mashup tools work best when added as an embedded mashup within the content editor. Don't select from the Mashups section of the Build Content menu. From the Build Content menu, select Item. Use the Mashups feature in the content editor.
Multimedia & other embedded HTML content		Audio and video are supported, but file types supported depend on the device operating system. We recommend MP4 for maximum cross-platform delivery. Media files embedded within attached files will not work. Video MP4 and HTML attachments will work Embedding the MP4 within the HTML attachment will NOT work. File packages that use index.html with an asset file bundle aren't supported.
Bb Collaborate		Blackboard mobile apps include Blackboard Collaborate with the Ultra experience, which supports synchronous web conferencing, sharing files, recording, etc. with your class. Instructors must access Collaborate in the Blackboard Instructor app to use all moderator tools.