All Collections
Program Management
Getting Started
Recommended and Compatible Devices
Recommended and Compatible Devices

[For all users] Learn about our mobile and web compatible devices to use brightwheel on!

Sabrina avatar
Written by Sabrina
Updated over a week ago

Brightwheel works to support as many platforms as possible, giving each program the freedom to use the devices that make the most sense for their business. Please review the compatible devices and browser versions below for more information.


Recommended Devices

Brightwheel works with iOS and Android phones and tablets. To get the most out of brightwheel and ensure you have access to the most recent features, we recommend using a device that supports the most recent operating systems of iOS 16 on Apple devices and Android 13 Tiramisu on Android devices. Additionally, make sure you are keeping the app updated to the latest version.


Mobile Device Compatibility 

The minimum operating system requirements are:

  • iOS 15 on an Apple device

🚩 If you are already using brightwheel and on an older device running iOS 14 or below, we recommend updating to the latest iOS. If you are unable to update to the minimum required version of iOS you will eventually be unable to utilize the brightwheel app. In order to continue using brightwheel you would need to purchase a device that can support iOS 15 or higher.

  • Android 5.0 Lollipop on an Android device

🚩If you are already using brightwheel and on an older device running Android 4 or below, the app will be inaccessible for you after May 10th, 2023, and require you to be using a device running Android 5.0 or higher.

Older devices that don’t meet these requirements are not compatible with brightwheel due to security and functionality concerns. The brightwheel app is incompatible with Microsoft tablets, such as Microsoft Surface.

For administrators considering purchasing program devices for use with brightwheel, we’ve prepared a list of suggested Affordable & Compatible Devices.


Web Browser Compatibility

It's important to keep browsers up-to-date to ensudata security and integrity. The following list contains the supported operating systems, browsers, and devices that support TLS 1.2 and higher, which is required to use brightwheel:

  • Desktop and mobile Internet Explorer version 11 or higher

  • Desktop Internet Explorer versions 8-10 for Windows 7 or higher

  • Firefox 27 or higher

  • Google Chrome 38 and higher

  • Android 5.0 (Lollipop) and higher

  • Desktop Safari versions 7 and higher for OS X 10.9 (Mavericks) and higher

  • Mobile Safari versions 5 and higher for iOS 5 and higher

The version information for a browser is visible by locating the About section in the browser’s settings.


Amazon Fire Tablet Devices

While our Android app does work for some versions of the Amazon Fire tablet, it doesn't update automatically when updated versions are released and doesn’t include some newer features, such as staff messaging and message attachments. For these reasons, we recommend a device that comes with the Google Play store or Apple App Store installed on it. However, Amazon Fire tablet users may be able to access a limited set of brightwheel features by using the resources linked below.

Download the brightwheel app directly onto your Fire device using this link. For further instructions on how to download, install, and access the Android app on Amazon Fire devices, please watch the quick, tutorial video below!


Google Chromebooks

While certain Chromebooks have the capability of installing Android apps through the Play Store, this will vary from device to device. In addition, there is no 100% guarantee that all features will work the same as the brightwheel app is not designed specifically for this device.

For these reasons, we do not recommend using Chromebooks for the brightwheel app. Instead, we advise using a device that meets the qualifications listed above. Check out out researched options on the Affordable & Compatible Devices list for insight.

If you have purchased Chromebooks already, you can check out the articles below from Google that overview how to check if the Chromebook's OS is compatible to download Android apps and how to download apps to the device:

Did this answer your question?