Mobile App
Foundation — Mobile App
For new users — essentials to get up and running confidently.
The SEAtS mobile app is available for iOS (App Store) and Android (Google Play). It gives students one place to check into sessions, submit absence requests, view their timetable, and receive attendance notifications — without visiting a web portal. For lecturers, it provides mobile register management and eAttend access from any device. Setup takes under two minutes.
- Search for "SEAtS" in the App Store or Google Play — the icon is a dark navy circle with the SEAtS logo
- Log in with your institutional email and password — SSO institutions are redirected to your institution's login page automatically
- When prompted, allow Location permissions — "Always" for GPS check-in; "While Using" is sufficient for QR and BLE modes only
- Enable Push Notifications — these deliver attendance confirmations, absence approvals, and alert notifications
- The home screen shows today's timetable, the next check-in requirement, and any active notifications
Tip: Create a 2-minute "app setup" video for welcome week communications. Most app setup issues come from students using personal email addresses — a short video showing the correct login screen eliminates 80% of IT support tickets.
Q1. Which of the following statements about getting started with the seats mobile app is correct?
Q2. Which of the following is accurate according to this lesson?
Q3. What is the recommended best practice highlighted in this lesson?
The SEAtS app supports three student-facing check-in methods. Each works differently, and students benefit from understanding all three — especially when one method isn't available or their connection is poor.
- QR code: lecturer displays a QR on screen; students open SEAtS app → Check In → scan. Code rotates every 5 minutes. Requires camera permission and clear view of the displayed code
- GPS: app detects the device is within the campus geofence and records attendance automatically when a session is active. Requires Location set to "Always". No interaction needed
- BLE beacon: a Bluetooth Low Energy beacon in the room is detected automatically. Requires Bluetooth enabled. Also fully automatic with no student interaction required
If a check-in fails, the app shows the reason ("Outside geofence", "Bluetooth off", "QR expired") so the student knows what to do next.
Tip: Advise students to enable all three check-in methods in app settings. If QR scanning fails in poor lighting, GPS or BLE may still work — having a fallback prevents missed check-ins.
Q1. Which of the following statements about checking in: qr, gps, is correct?
Q2. Which of the following is accurate according to this lesson?
Q3. What is the recommended best practice highlighted in this lesson?
Students can submit absence requests directly from the SEAtS app — selecting the affected sessions, choosing the absence type, and uploading supporting documentation from their phone. The request routes to the appropriate approver automatically; students receive notifications when it is approved, declined, or needs further information.
- From the home screen: Absences → New Request
- Select the sessions to be covered — only upcoming or recently past sessions are shown
- Choose the absence type from your institution's configured list (Medical, Personal, Religious Observance, and so on)
- Upload supporting documents from camera or photo library — accepted formats: JPG, PNG, PDF
- Request status (Pending, Approved, Declined) is visible on the Absences screen and updates in real time
Tip: Tell students to submit absence requests as soon as they know they'll miss a session — not retrospectively after receiving an alert. A pre-approved absence never generates an alert; a retrospective one may not reverse one already sent.
Q1. Where in SEAtS ONE would you find this setting: "Absences → New Request"?
Q2. Which of the following is accurate according to this lesson?
Q3. What is the recommended best practice highlighted in this lesson?
Push notifications keep students informed about their attendance status without them needing to proactively check a portal. Well-configured notifications are one of the most effective tools for reducing students who are surprised by alerts.
- Notification types: check-in confirmed, session about to start (reminder), attendance alert triggered, absence request approved/declined, and message from tutor or support staff
- Students configure which notification types they receive in App Settings → Notifications — they cannot disable attendance alerts (institution-controlled)
- The app home screen widget shows current attendance percentage at a glance without opening the app
- Students view their attendance percentage, week-by-week trend, and missed session list from the Attendance tab
- If a student reports no notifications, the most common cause on Android is battery optimisation — direct them to Device Settings → Apps → SEAtS → Battery → Unrestricted
Q1. Which of the following statements about app notifications is correct?
Q2. Which of the following is accurate according to this lesson?
Q3. Which statement best reflects the guidance in this lesson?
Practitioner — Mobile App
For experienced users — deeper configuration and workflows.
The SEAtS lecturer role view (within the main SEAtS app) lets teaching staff manage session registers, display QR codes, and view attendance summaries from their mobile device — without needing to be at a desk or access the web portal during a session.
- Switch to the Lecturer view from the app's role selector — only users with a lecturer role in SEAtS can access this
- Today's sessions are listed on the home screen; tap any to open the register view
- Display a QR code for student scanning by tapping "Show QR" — the code rotates automatically and can be extended for longer sessions
- Manually mark students present or absent by tapping their name — same manual correction workflow as the web portal, available in-session
- Session summary at the end shows how many checked in, how many were absent, and any late arrivals — the lecturer can add a session note before closing
Tip: For large lecture theatres, display the QR from a laptop browser on the projector rather than a phone screen. A phone QR code is too small for students beyond the front rows.
Q1. Which of the following statements about the seats lecturer app: managing registers on mobile is correct?
Q2. Which of the following is accurate according to this lesson?
Q3. What is the recommended best practice highlighted in this lesson?
The most frequent app support requests fall into a small number of predictable categories. Understanding these patterns lets support staff resolve the majority of issues without escalating to IT or SEAtS support.
- Login failure: confirm institutional email (not personal); check SSO is working by testing the web portal first — if SSO is broken it affects all students equally
- QR scan failure: confirm camera permission in Device Settings → SEAtS → Camera; try increasing screen brightness on the device showing the QR; move closer to the display
- GPS not registering: confirm Location is set to "Always" (not "While Using"); toggle Airplane Mode on/off to force a GPS refresh
- Stale timetable: pull down to force a data refresh on the home screen; if still incorrect, trigger a re-sync from Admin → Integrations → Force Timetable Sync
- BLE not detecting: confirm Bluetooth is enabled; check the device hasn't disabled SEAtS background refresh in battery settings
Note: Android battery optimisation is the single most common cause of GPS and BLE check-in failures. Create a student-facing help article specific to your most common device types (Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus) with screenshots of the exact settings to change.
Q1. Which of the following statements about common app issues is correct?
Q2. Which of the following is accurate according to this lesson?
Q3. What is the recommended best practice highlighted in this lesson?
Campus buildings with poor signal, students with older devices, and students with accessibility needs all require consideration in a mobile deployment. SEAtS is designed with these scenarios in mind.
- QR check-in requires a data connection to validate the code; GPS and BLE check-ins can be queued offline and submitted when connectivity is restored
- Offline sessions: attendance records captured without a network connection are stored locally and synced automatically within 15 minutes of reconnection
- Accessibility: the SEAtS app supports iOS VoiceOver and Android TalkBack — all core check-in functions are screen-reader accessible
- Text size scales with the device's system font size setting; a high-contrast mode is available in App Settings → Accessibility
- For students with disabilities preventing standard app usage, the web portal offers the same functionality in a fully keyboard-navigable interface
Q1. Which of the following statements about app accessibility, offline mode, is correct?
Q2. Which of the following is accurate according to this lesson?
Q3. Which statement best reflects the guidance in this lesson?
A well-deployed SEAtS app has the vast majority of students installed, understanding how to use it, and actively checking in. Reaching this level requires a structured communication campaign at induction, ongoing support materials, and regular reminders during the academic year.
- Induction launch: include a 5-minute "install the SEAtS app" activity in every induction session — by far the most effective adoption driver
- Pre-populate a QR code in your freshers' welcome email linking directly to the app store listing for iOS and Android
- Create brief help videos (30–60 seconds each): installing and logging in, checking in with QR, and submitting an absence request
- Send a weekly reminder in the student newsletter for the first two weeks of term — adoption typically reaches 80%+ in this window if actively promoted
- Track adoption rates from Admin → Analytics → App Installs — percentage of enrolled students with an active app session in the last 7 days
Tip: The biggest adoption driver is framing the app as a student benefit: "You'll get attendance confirmations after every class and always know your current percentage." Framing it as a monitoring tool dramatically reduces uptake.
Q1. Which of the following statements about app adoption campaigns is correct?
Q2. According to this lesson, what is the correct value or limit mentioned?
Q3. What is the recommended best practice highlighted in this lesson?
Expert — Mobile App
For administrators and power users — integrations, governance, and advanced setup.
For institutions managing student or staff devices via MDM, the SEAtS app can be silently installed, pre-configured, and kept up to date without any student manual action — eliminating the self-service installation step entirely.
- Supported MDM platforms: Microsoft Intune, Jamf Pro, VMware Workspace ONE, and MobileIron/Ivanti
- Use the SEAtS App Configuration schema (available from your project manager) to pre-configure institution URL, SSO settings, and default check-in mode via MDM app configuration profiles
- Silent install pushes the app to managed devices without any App Store interaction — it appears automatically when the student enrols in MDM
- App updates via MDM: hold back app store updates until your team has tested the new version in UAT — configure the minimum required version in Admin → Mobile → Version Policy
- Devices wiped and re-provisioned through MDM automatically receive the pre-configured SEAtS app on the next MDM sync
Q1. Which of the following statements about mdm deployment is correct?
Q2. Which of the following is accurate according to this lesson?
Q3. Which statement best reflects the guidance in this lesson?
SEAtS releases regular app updates introducing new features, bug fixes, and OS compatibility updates. Managing the update cycle requires co-ordination between the SEAtS mobile team and your institution's IT and registry operations.
- The minimum app version policy (Admin → Mobile → Version Policy) specifies a minimum version below which check-in is blocked and students are directed to update
- New versions go through a two-week testing period before App Store/Play Store release
- Subscribe to the SEAtS release notification service (available from your project manager) for advance notice of upcoming releases and changelogs
- Enforce minimum version updates during non-teaching periods where possible — enforcing mid-term generates a wave of IT support requests
- Critical security updates may require immediate enforcement — SEAtS contacts your primary technical contact directly when urgent deployment is needed
Note: iOS and Android major OS releases (typically September–October) sometimes break app functionality until SEAtS releases a compatibility update. Flag the annual iOS release date to your IT team and check SEAtS compatibility status before it rolls out to student devices.
Q1. Which of the following statements about app version management is correct?
Q2. Which of the following is accurate according to this lesson?
Q3. What is the recommended best practice highlighted in this lesson?
BLE beacons provide the most seamless check-in experience — no interaction, no QR scan, no GPS permissions required. However, reliable beacon infrastructure requires careful planning around placement, battery management, and network integration.
- Beacon placement: one per teaching room at 2–3m height above the main entrance. Standard range: ~10m in open space — walls and glass significantly reduce this
- Register each beacon in Admin → Devices → BLE Beacons with room assignment, floor, and building — unregistered beacons are ignored by the app
- Battery life: standard SEAtS-compatible beacons last 18–24 months on a single battery — schedule annual replacement during summer maintenance works
- Interference: high-density 2.4GHz Wi-Fi APs can interfere with BLE signals; check for AP congestion if a specific room reports consistent BLE failures
- Check for firmware updates annually — outdated firmware can cause compatibility issues with newer iOS and Android BLE stacks
Q1. Which of the following statements about ble beacon infrastructure: deployment is correct?
Q2. According to this lesson, what is the correct value or limit mentioned?
Q3. Which statement best reflects the guidance in this lesson?
The SEAtS app collects location data (for GPS check-in), Bluetooth data (for BLE check-in), and device identifiers (for session management). This creates obligations under UK GDPR and requires transparent communication with students about what is collected and how it is used.
- Location data is only transmitted at the point of a check-in event — it is not continuously tracked or stored beyond confirming the student was within the geofence when the session was active
- Your Privacy Notice must disclose the SEAtS app as a data processing activity — work with your DPO to ensure data collection is accurately described
- Students have the right to withhold location permissions — they can still check in via QR without any location data being collected
- The app does not access contacts, photos, or any other device data beyond what is required for check-in validation and session management
- In the event of a student complaint about data collection, your DPO should be the first point of contact — SEAtS privacy documentation is available from your project manager
Note: Review your DPIA for the SEAtS mobile app deployment before each major app version update. New features (e.g. a new check-in method) may alter the data processing scope and require a DPIA update.
Q1. Which of the following statements about security, privacy, is correct?
Q2. Which of the following is accurate according to this lesson?
Q3. What is the recommended best practice highlighted in this lesson?