The app

Put the Collective on your home screen.

herpcollective.org installs as an app on your phone, tablet or computer, straight from your browser, with no app store in the way. You get an icon, shortcuts, and course units you can read in the field with no signal. This page has the steps for your device, and it is where you manage offline reading.

Install

Get the app on this device

The site can be installed as an app on your phone, tablet or computer. Nothing to download from a store: your browser does it, and the app is the same site with its own icon, its own window, shortcuts, and offline reading for course units.

Checking your device…

Android (Chrome)
  1. Open the browser menu (the ⋮ in the top-right corner).
  2. Tap Add to Home screen (it may read Install app).
  3. Tap Install. The icon appears on your home screen.

If an Install the app button appears above, that is the same thing in one tap.

Android (Samsung Internet)
  1. Open the menu (the ≡ in the bottom-right corner).
  2. Tap Add page to, then Home screen.
  3. Tap Add.
Android (Firefox)
  1. Open the menu (the ⋮).
  2. Tap Add to Home screen, then Add.

Firefox adds a shortcut that opens in Firefox rather than a separate app window; offline reading still works.

iPhone and iPad (Safari)
  1. Tap the Share button (the square with an arrow, at the bottom of the screen on iPhone, top-right on iPad).
  2. Scroll down and tap Add to Home Screen.
  3. Tap Add.

Use Safari for this step: other browsers on iPhone and iPad cannot add the app. The installed app keeps its own saved lessons, separate from Safari.

Windows and Chromebook (Chrome or Edge)
  1. Look for the small install icon at the right end of the address bar (a screen with a down arrow), or open the browser menu and choose Install The Herpetology Collective (Edge: Apps → Install this site as an app).
  2. Click Install. The app opens in its own window and appears in the Start menu.
Mac
  1. Safari: choose File → Add to Dock, then Add.
  2. Chrome or Edge: use the install icon at the right end of the address bar, or the browser menu → Install The Herpetology Collective.
Other browsers
  1. Firefox on a computer cannot install web apps. A bookmark or a desktop shortcut to herpcollective.org works fine; offline reading is not available there.

Once it is installed

Using the app

  • Shortcuts. Long-press the icon on Android, or right-click it on Windows and Mac, for jumps straight to the Course Catalog, My Courses and Resources.
  • Opening. When you are signed in, the app opens on your student dashboard; otherwise on the homepage.
  • Updates. The app updates itself. If something looks stale, close it fully and open it again.
  • Removing it. Uninstall it like any app: long-press or right-click the icon and choose Uninstall or Remove. Your account and progress live on the site, not in the app, so nothing is lost.

Fieldwork

Offline reading

Students can save whole course units to their device and read the lessons without a connection. Sign in and your enrolled courses appear here, ready to save.

Coming

Notifications

Push notifications from the app are on the roadmap: things like a new course opening or a workshop date, never a stream of nudges. When they arrive, you will switch them on and off right here.

Elsewhere

Your account and settings