Frequently Asked Questions

I'm a Sub Contractor, How to I start a free account?

Sub Contractors should click on Sign Up, complete the required fields, and then select Free Sub Contractor Subscription.

How do I know which type of subscription is best for my needs?

Sub Contractor Subscription is for those who act as Sub Contractors on a project. They do not create or manage a project, they only see the items assigned to them by a Primary Role Participant, such as a Contractor. Professional Subscriptions are perfect for single users who will participate in a project as a Primary Role Participant, such as an Owner, Architect, Contractor, Engineer, or Consultant. With Professional, single users have full functionality and features of the application. Not only can they create and manage their own projects, but act as Primary Role Participants in others projects when invited. Corporate Subscriptions are perfect for businesses and corporations who will want to manage multiple licenses within their company. With Corporate, Account Managers can even issue licenses outside of their company. This streamlines the ability to provide access to a project by Primary Role Participants who may not have the ability to instantly join the project team. Corporate solves this problem.

I'm a Contractor and have downloaded the Sub-Viewer App on my phone. Why can't I see all of the Pins on my phone?

The Sub-Viewer App is specficially designed for Sub Contractors to use. When a Sub Contractor is assigned by a Contractor to an item as the "Responsible Party", only the Sub will have the ability to see these items. Workaround: However, if the Contractor invites a team member as a sub contractor, and then assigns them as a responsible party to each pin as well, then that Contractor team member would have the ability to see those pins on the Sub-Viewer phone app. Example: Contractor invites Team Member as Sub Role Contractor invites Sub as Sub Role Contractor assigns a Responsibility to both (Team Member and Sub) Team Member and Sub have access to Pin Details on Phone App

I put my tablet in sleep mode to let the app sync my pins; however, when i wake my tablet after any period of time, the pins haven't yet synced. Why haven't my pins synced?

On some devices, such as iOS, programs are not allowed to run in the background. This is a requirement of the operating system manufacturers of those devices to help save energy and battery consumption. When a device is set to sleep, or the screen is turned off, or the case is closed, the application will be overridden by the operating system and the app sync will be suspended. Therefore, your device should be left ON and the application should be left OPEN on the screen until your projects have completely synced. You can check the status indicators on the My Projects screen of the application to verify when the sync is complete.

I have an Android Tablet and Phone, is the app available for them?

Yes. Pinbloop is available for download on your Android devices at Google Play. View it Here.

I have an iPad and iPhone, is the app available for them?

Yes. Pinbloop is available for download on your iOS devices on Apple iTunes. View it Here.

I'm a Sub-Contractor and have downloaded the Sub-Viewer App on my phone. Why can't I see any Pins on my phone?

You may have not been assigned to any Pins by the Contractor yet. You will need to contact the Contractor an ask to be assigned to the Pins you are responsible for. When you, as the Sub Contractor is assigned by a Contractor to an item as the "Responsible Party", you will have the ability to see these items.

I'm a Sub-Contractor and have downloaded the Sub-Viewer App on my phone. Why can't I see any Projects on my phone?

You may have not been invited to participate in your project by the Contractor yet. You will need to contact the Contractor an ask to be invited as a Sub Contrator to the Project. You will recieve an invitation to the email you provided when setting up your account. Follow the email link to accept the invitation from the Contractor. Once complete, log back into your account on the Sub-Viewer App and you should see your project in the projects list.

What are Alerts? I see a red triangle, What is that for?

Alerst are indicated by Red Pin and Red Triangle. Alerts are Role specific, and are to indicate to the User that there is information which may be important to the User that is not yet complete. Examples Include: Architect has not assigned a Cost to a Pin. Engineer/Consultant has not assigned a Cost to a Pin. Contractor has not assigned a Responsible Party to a Pin. Without these Role specific fields being complete, the system will indicate an Alert. However, Alerts are for reference only and do not have any affect on the users abiltiy to use the application in it's entirely.

What do the different Pin colors mean? Blue, Yellow, Grey, Red

"Blue" Pins are those items which are marked OPEN. They are items which have not yet been marked as READY, and are considered to be incomplete. "Yellow" Pins are those items which are marked READY. They are items which have been consisered to be complete, but which must first be verified by another Role. "Grey" Pins are those items which are marked COMPLETE. They are items which have been verified as being completed. "Red" Pins are those items which are marked as ALERTS. They are missing information in the Pin Details. These include Cost and Responsible Party.

I'm trying to upload drawings but I'm getting an error? Why?

Verify the format of the drawing is PDF. Verify the drawing is NOT a multipage PDF. Verify the drawing being uploaded is a single page PDF. Verify your PDF is flattened, and does not have embeded layers by other programs. Once you've verified these things, the PDF you upload should work. If you continue to have problems, visit our Help page and send us a detailed description of your issue. Note: One way to help ensure embeded layers are removed, open your pdf and then print it to a pdf from the program right to your computer.

I'm trying to delete a Pin, but can't. Why?

There are a few reasons you can't delete a Pin. 1.) You are not the original author. If you didn't create it, you can't delete it. 2.) Another User modified or contributed to the Pin. Cost, Description, Responsibility. 3.) Another User changed the Status of the Pin. Ready, Complete, Re-Open. Once a Pin is touched by more than one user, it becomes community property and will reside in the project forever.

Can I move a Pin after it is placed?

No. Once a Pin is placed by a user, it cannot be moved from that location. However, if the user is the original author and no other user has contributed to the Pin, the user can then delete the Pin, and then place a new Pin at the desired location.

Can I add a Pin using the Web Application?

No. The creation of a Pin must take place using the Tablet App. However, if a user adds a pin using the tablet app, at their office for example, they can then upload a photo to that pin from their computer. There may be instances where a user has a photo sent via email by someone at the jobsite, or taken by phone during a seperate visit, and or available on their computer that they need to add. This helps address in such cases.

What if I don't have Wi-Fi or Cellular connection on my Tablet? Will the App work?

YES! Pinbloop works both in On and Offline mode. You don't need an internet connection to use the application in the field. When your able to establish an internet connection, then all of your data will start to sync with the cloud.

My Pins Dissappeared! Where are my Pins? My Pins didn't Sync!

We're Sorry! But there is a few ways this could have happened.

Let's first discuss the importance of verifying your Pins are actually synced and or syncing with the cloud. Just because you conduct your list on your tablet and establish a wi-fi connection doesn't mean your Pins will start and complete the sync process without a few things being established first. In most cases, they will sync on their own, but this is determined by whether or not the application is open and active.

ISSUE:

In most cases involving this issue, users will close out the program, sleep the device, or accidently log out prior to the Sync process being completed, then they log out of their profile. One example of this is if two users are trying to use the same device and one of them logs out the other without their knowledge. If this happens, all of that users pin data is permantily deleted from their device and they will lose any un-synced pin data.

PLEASE CONSIDER:

It's good practice for users to verify that the sync process is working and complete after conducting their work. Whether it's 10 Pins or 100, sync verification is very important, and it only takes a minute for your data to sync.

IMPORTANTANT:

DO NOT LOG OUT OF YOUR DEVICE UNTIL THE PIN DATA IS 100% SYNCED. IF YOU OR SOMEONE ELSE LOGS YOU OUT OF YOUR DEVICE WITHOUT THIS PROCESS BEING COMPLETE, YOU WILL LOOSE ALL PIN DATA THAT WAS NOT SYNCED.

Will my Subscription Auto-Renew? How do I cancel the Auto-Renew Option?

Yes. This will ensure that your account will not lapse and you will be able to access your projects. However, in the event that a customer does not wish to Auto-Renew their subscription, they can simply uncheck the Auto-Renew box in their user profile at anytime. Also, if a customer contacts Pinbloop Support within 30 Days of the renewed subscription and request a refund, a full refund will be provided back to the user within 24 hours and their subscription will end at that time.

Error Notification "Data Is Missing! Critical information is missing for items within this project. Add missing item information to remove alerts."

This error occurs when the syncing process was/is interrupted at some point and the project did not complete the sync process. Most Examples are due to: 1. Sleeping the screen during sync. 2. Loosing internet connection during sync. (leaving coverage range) 3. Spotty cell coverage or hot spot. 4. Similar Interuptions When syncing, it is good practice to let the sync process complete using a stable internet connection and then turn off your internet connection, and then open the plans to make sure your pins are there. In most cases, users can completely close out of the program. DO NOT log out of your profile or any new data will be lost. Only close out the program. Once you close out of the program, establish an internet connection and re-open the the application. Once the application is open, make sure on the Project List Screen the sync switcher is turned on so that the project you want to sync will start to sync. Stay on that screen and wait for the sync notification to say "Just Now". Once that is complete, go ahead and open your project and check for your pin data. They should be there. It is at this step in the future that you would confirm your project is synced then turn your internet connection off. Working in offline is more stable for users who may experience spotty connection in the field.