Support and Troubleshooting

Note: This issue is specific to iPhone users only, and only when running the app on version 12.0 of iOS.

• After tapping a portal flag on the map of the Alamo compound and then tapping VIEW, sometimes the portal scene loads and plays fine.
• However, if you are an iPhone user and are running the app on iOS v12.0, sometimes after tapping VIEW the portal scenes don’t play – rather the iPhone just displays a black screen underneath the white back arrow and the text (portal user instructions).
• If you get a black screen, tap the back arrow to return to the flags map of the Alamo compound. Tap the flag and then tap VIEW in the blue box to attempt to get the scene to play.
• Note: It may take a couple of tries and/or you may need to quit out of the app and relaunch the app – then return to the Portal section and try to play the portal scene again.
• Again, this workaround is provided as a tip for iPhone users running the app on iOS 12.0. We are working to get this issue resolved.

Both iOS and Android

If you have problems after downloading new versions of the app, please try going to settings/reset all content. If that doesn’t work try uninstalling and reinstalling the app.

iOS

Launch App Store, Search for Experience Real History: Alamo app, tap ‘Get’, Enter ID. App will download.

Android

Open Play Store (you will need to download Play Store if you haven’t already), Search for Alamo Experience, tap on app/install, tap accept/download, will display in ‘All applications tab’.

After reinstalling the app you may need to reset your settings:‍

• Open the app and go to Settings in the hamburger menu
tap: Reset All Content
• If you have previously purchased Premium Content, tap: Restore All Purchases
• If you are still having problems, try uninstalling and then reinstalling a fresh version from the App Store or Play Store.

• Tap your screen from time to time to keep device from going to sleep
• Snap a photo of the scene while exploring the portals to keep your device from going to sleep
• In settings, set your device to go to sleep at longer intervals (if you do this watch for overheating – see troubleshooting issue ‘After using the app, why is my device warm or hot?’ under ‘Applies to all Alamo Reality Apps’

You must first download content while online before you can use the app in offline mode.

**Some features of the app require an internet connection and won’t be available while using the app offline:

• accessing the products and portal videos
• accessing the troubleshooting web page
• ordering ERH products.

First, check to see if you have an Internet connection. Go to Fast.com (on your phone or tablet) and see how fast your download speed is. If possible, try and connect to WiFi and not your cellular connection.

Note: The Experience Real History: Alamo app MUST have WiFi access or be connected to Cellular data in order to download.

iOS

• Try checking available storage: Go to settings/general/iPhone(iPad) storage.
• TIP: You need about 780 MB of available space to install the app and store the associated data
• Try closing any open apps
• Try downloading another app from the app store, if cannot download check restriction setting.
• Check Restriction Settings: Go to settings/general/restrictions (you will need your restrictions passcode); scroll down to ‘Installing Apps’ and make sure it is set to “ALLOW”. Also set ‘Deleting Apps’ and In-App Purchases’ to ALLOW.

Android

• Go to Settings > Apps > All > Google Play Store and select both Clear data and Clear cache and finally Uninstall updates. Restart your device, open Google Play Store and try to download the app again.
• Check storage by going to Settings, then Storage (you need about 525 MB of available space for the app).
• Update the OS, Try updating your phone and then attempting to install the app again.
• If you use an app to adjust screen brightness, it may be the reason you aren’t able to install Android apps. If you can see the Install button but can’t click on it, it is likely the problem. Disable the screen-dimming app (this can be enabled later)

Note: The Experience Real History: Alamo app MUST be connected to WIFI or Cellular data in order to download and open/load the app the first time.

• Check internet connection. The App loads files when opened after installing and it depends on your connection speed as to how long it takes to load.
• iOS: Check your settings in the Control Panel: Low Power Mode should be OFF
• Check storage
• Close any open apps

Once the app has been downloaded and opened/loaded you will have the option to play the AR scenes online or offline.

Using the main board, if the flags don’t display, or you get only 4 flags on the right, try one or all of the following:

• If on an iPhone or iPad, make sure you are using the latest iOS.
• Point your phone at the floor for a few seconds and refocus the camera on the map. Try this a few times.
• Go back to the home screen and tap on ‘Products’.
• Check that camera is on
• Make sure you are in a well lit room
• After tapping ‘Products’ make sure the entire target (map) in the camera view on your device’s display
• Slowly move the phone up/down or side to side, while focusing on target

If it still does not work, you may try deleting and reinstalling the app. If that doesn’t work, try turning off your phone and turn it back on again.

If you are using the mini board and having a hard time getting flags to display, point your camera at the ground, away from board for several seconds, then slowly move it back and point it at the board. The flags should appear. Once they appear, tap a flag to view the scene preview, then tap ‘view’

If the issue continues, here are a few things to check and/or try to solve it:

• If on an iPhone or iPad, make sure you are using the latest iOS.
• Point your phone at the floor for 4-5 seconds and refocus the camera on the map. Try this a few times.
• Go back to the home screen and tap on ‘Products’.
• Check that the pass-through camera is displaying on your screen.
• Make sure you are in a well lit room
• After tapping ‘Products’ make sure the entire target (map) appears on your device’s display
• Slowly move the phone up/down or side to side, while focusing on target

If it still does not work, you may try deleting the app, powering down your device, restarting your device and reinstalling the app.

Pink and brown scenes can be an indication of a really slow WIFI connection. Make sure you have a strong WiFi connection, or turn on and use Cellular Data.

Tips:

• Make sure your device’s battery is charged
• Make sure you have a reliable internet connection (Hi-speed WiFi or cellular), or have downloaded all content for offline use.
• Check your settings in the Control Panel:
• iOS– swipe up from the bottom of your screen to bring up the control panel.
• ANDROID– swipe down from the top of your screen (2x) to access the control panel.
• Low Power Mode should be OFF.
• WiFi or Cellular Data: turn on if possible (recommended), if you are not in range of WiFi turn on and use Cellular Data.
• Bluetooth: turn on if using wireless headphones or a bluetooth speaker
• Airplane mode: make sure this is OFF as it will prevent you from connecting to the internet
• Check your connection speed at Fast.com (on your phone or tablet)

You must maintain a lock on the target (map or flag) while the scene loads. If you lose the tracking the scene may not load. Go back to the target and reload the scene, keeping the target locked on your camera view. If you are in online mode and you have a slow connection, it may take some time for the scene to load.

The ERH: Alamo Edition app can be operated online or offline, however you must download all the content with WiFi connection before using the app offline.

Check your internet connection and that WIFI is turned on, go to settings and tap on ‘Reset all Content’ to be sure that you have downloaded all of the content for offline operation. Before going offline try playing a few scenes to make sure the content was downloaded.

Close any open apps (double click home button and swipe/closed any open apps)

Close apps running in the background: Go to your device settings/general/background app refresh and turn it to off, or set to wi-fi and scroll down the list of apps and individually toggle off Background App Refresh setting for apps that aren’t critical to keep refreshed. Note: using a VPN app can severely degrade the speed of your connection, turn VPN to off (!);

You must maintain a lock on the target while the scene downloads for the first time. If you have a slow connection, it may take some time.

iOS Tips

• Make sure your device’s battery is charged
• Make sure you have a reliable internet connection (speed req? Hi-speed WiFi or cellular) or that you have downloaded all content for offline operation.
• Check your settings in the Control Panel (swipe up from the bottom of your screen to bring up the control panel):
• Low Power Mode should be OFF.
• WiFi or Cellular: Turn on WIFI (recommended), or if you are not in range of WiFi, turn on Cellular data.
• Bluetooth: turn on if desired
• Airplane mode: make sure this is OFF as it will prevent you from connecting to the internet

Android Tips

• Make sure you have a reliable internet connection, and have downloaded all content to operate offline. Play a few scenes to make sure the download completed, or go to settings and tap ‘Reset All Content’.
• Check your connection speed at Fast.com (on your phone or tablet)

iOS

Note: This feature is only available on iOS.

• Make sure you are in a well lit environment and point your device’s camera at the ground
• It may take a few attempts to initiate proper control of the device camera.
• The exposure through the camera should look natural and as if you are taking a picture of the ground.
• Slowly move the camera in a figure 8, up/down, forward/back until you see a blue rectangle. Then tap inside the rectangle to bring up a ‘doorway’ or portal. Step through the portal to explore the Alamo.
• You can explore at the ground level, and/or step on the disc to rise above the compound and view the AR scene associated with the flag you tapped.

NOTE: Once you step through the portal and begin to explore – STAY AWARE | STAY SAFE – Be mindful of your physical surroundings and respectful of other people’s space as you move inside these portals scenes! Once you enter the portal, determine if you have enough clearance to explore the scene to your satisfaction. If your space is restricting portions of the scene you would like to walk up to, you can always move to a space with less obstructions and launch the portal scene from there (assuming you still are in range for WiFi or you use a cellular connection to the internet).

Please stay alert of conditions in your physical surroundings and monitor activity in your vicinity for your safety and the safety of others:

• Don’t wander into traffic!
• Don’t cause others in a common physical space to move in order to avoid a collision with you

Monitor the physical environment in front of your path as you explore to avoid:

• Tripping over objects
• Sudden changes in elevation (step up, step down, holes in ground, walking off a platform)
• Bumping into objects

It’s important to let each portal scene finish loading BEFORE tapping inside the blue rectangle.

After tapping a numbered flag on the map, a scene description pop-up window should appear. Tap on VIEW to begin loading this scene and aim your device’s camera at the ground and move the device in a figure 8 until you see a blue rectangle. Wait for the spinner to stop spinning and go away BEFORE you tap inside the blue rectangle. **If you wait for the spinner to go away before tapping inside the blue rectangle, the portal will open in the correct location and when you step on the blue disk, you will be elevated to a great vantage point to experience the scene.

If you tap on the blue rectangle before the spinner stops spinning, you will enter the portal before it’s done loading, and you may find yourself in a non-optimal location to see the action as the scene plays.

If you tap inside the blue rectangle and then take a few steps inside the portal before the scene has finished loading – you may see the blue disk several more steps in front of you, but the blue disk may look like it’s floating amongst a ghosted or hazy/dreamy non-environment – that’s a hint that the portal you entered as well as the blue disk may be in a non-ideal location, relative to where the scene will take place.

Although you may proceed to step on the blue disk and go up to start the scene playing, you may realize you are viewing the scene from a non-optimal vantage point. This is due to not waiting for the scene to fully load.

REMEMBER – let the spinner stop spinning and go away BEFORE tapping inside the blue rectangle and entering the portal.

After entering a portal, feel free to explore the Alamo compound in the vicinity before stepping on the blue disc. Once you step on the blue disc, it will raise you up and the scene will play.

After Apple provides an iOS update, you may need to go to the hamburger menu in the app, tap settings and then tap ‘reset all content’. If you experience any trouble bringing up the flags or loading scenes, you may need to uninstall the app, and then re-download from the store and reinstall the app.