Troubleshooting

Running into an issue with Flashcards World? This guide covers the most common problems and their solutions across web, iOS, and Android. If you do not find your answer here, the tips in this guide should help you diagnose most issues.

Audio and Text-to-Speech (TTS)

The App Speaks in the Wrong Language

If the app reads English words with a Spanish accent (or any other incorrect language), the language settings for that specific set need to be adjusted.

Solution:

1. Open the set with the incorrect pronunciation.
2. Go to Edit Set.
3. Look for the language settings for the front and back of the cards.
4. Make sure the correct language is selected for each side. For example, if the front is in English and the back is in Spanish, set the front language to English and the back language to Spanish.
5. Save the changes and try the TTS again.

This is the most common cause of mispronunciation. The TTS engine needs to know which language it is reading in order to use the correct pronunciation rules.

TTS Voice Quality Is Poor

The app uses the native text-to-speech engine built into your device's operating system. The default voice may sound robotic or unnatural, but you can upgrade it.

On Android:

1. Go to your device's Settings > System > Languages & Input > Text-to-Speech Output.
2. Tap the gear icon next to your preferred TTS engine (usually Google TTS).
3. Look for Install Voice Data or Language.
4. Select the language you need and download the highest-quality voice available.
5. Restart Flashcards World and the improved voice should take effect.

On iOS:

1. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Spoken Content > Voices.
2. Find the language you need and tap on it.
3. Download the Enhanced or Premium version of the voice. These are significantly better than the default compact voices.
4. The download may be 100-300 MB. Connect to Wi-Fi first.
5. Once downloaded, the improved voice will be used automatically in Flashcards World.

On the Web:

The web app uses your browser's built-in speech synthesis, which relies on your operating system's TTS voices. To improve quality:

• On macOS, go to System Settings > Accessibility > Spoken Content and download enhanced voices.
• On Windows, go to Settings > Time & Language > Speech and download additional voices.
• On ChromeOS, TTS voices are managed by Chrome and may have limited options.

TTS Is Not Working at All

If no sound plays when you tap the audio icon:

• Check your device volume. Make sure it is not muted and the media volume (not just the ringer volume) is turned up.
• Check silent mode. On iOS, make sure the physical mute switch on the side of the phone is not engaged. On Android, check that Do Not Disturb mode is not silencing media.
• Check browser permissions. On the web, your browser may have blocked audio playback. Look for a blocked audio icon in the address bar and click to allow.
• Restart the app. Close Flashcards World completely and reopen it. On mobile, swipe the app away from the task switcher.
• Restart your device. A system reboot can resolve TTS engine issues that persist after an app restart.

Offline Mode

Is Flashcards World Available Offline?

Yes. Flashcards World is designed to be offline-first. All core features work without an internet connection:

• Create sets and cards -- Build and edit your study material offline.
• Study in all four modes -- Flashcards, Multiple Choice, Writing, and Match List all work offline.
• Spaced repetition -- The SRS algorithm runs locally on your device and does not need a server.
• Text-to-speech -- TTS uses your device's built-in engine and works offline (as long as the voice data is already downloaded).

What Requires an Internet Connection?

A few features do need connectivity:

• Cloud sync -- Uploading and downloading data to/from the cloud requires an internet connection. See Sharing and Syncing for details.
• Browsing the content library -- Searching and adding premade sets requires a connection. However, once a set is added to your collection, it is stored locally and available offline.
• QR code sharing -- Generating and scanning QR codes may require a connection.
• Account sign-in -- Signing in or creating an account requires internet access.

My Offline Changes Did Not Sync

If you made changes while offline and they have not appeared on your other devices:

1. Reconnect to the internet on the device where you made the changes.
2. Open the app and give it a moment to sync. The app syncs automatically when it detects a connection.
3. Open the app on your other device to trigger a download of the latest data.
4. If the data still has not appeared, try closing and reopening the app on both devices.

Sync Issues

Data Is Not Appearing on My Other Device

If your sets or progress are not showing up on another device:

• Verify you are signed in with the same account on both devices. Different sign-in methods (Google vs. email) can create separate accounts even with the same email address.
• Check your internet connection on both devices.
• Open the app on both devices. Sync happens when the app is active, not in the background.
• Wait a moment. Large collections can take a few seconds to sync, especially on the first sync to a new device.
• Pull to refresh (on mobile) or reload the page (on the web) to manually trigger a sync check.

I See Duplicate Cards

Duplicates can occasionally appear if the same set is edited on two devices before either change syncs. To resolve:

1. Open the affected set.
2. Identify and delete the duplicate cards.
3. Let the app sync to propagate the cleanup to your other devices.

To prevent duplicates, try to avoid editing the same set on two devices at the same time. Let one device sync before making changes on the other. See our sync guide for best practices.

Study Progress Is Not Matching Across Devices

Your spaced repetition progress syncs with your data. If progress seems inconsistent:

• Make sure you have a stable internet connection and that both devices have had a chance to sync.
• Study on one device at a time and let it sync before switching.
• If you studied offline, open the app while connected to upload your progress.

Import and Export Issues

CSV Import Is Not Working

If your CSV file is not importing correctly:

• Check the file format. The file must be a .csv file, not .xlsx, .xls, or .numbers. Export from your spreadsheet app as CSV.
• Check the encoding. Use UTF-8 encoding. This is especially important for non-Latin characters (accents, Asian scripts, Cyrillic, Arabic). In Excel, choose "CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited)" when saving.
• Check the delimiter. Flashcards World expects comma-separated values. Some regional settings in Excel use semicolons instead. Check your file in a text editor to confirm.
• Remove header rows. If your CSV has a header row (e.g., "Front, Back"), the app may import it as a card. Remove it before importing.
• Remove empty rows. Trailing blank lines at the end of the file can cause empty card entries.

For more details, see the full Import and Export guide.

Export File Is Empty or Missing Data

If your exported CSV does not contain all your cards:

• Make sure you exported the correct set.
• Open the CSV file in a text editor (not just a spreadsheet app) to verify its contents. Some spreadsheet apps may not display all rows if the file is large.

Performance Issues

The App Is Slow or Laggy

• Close other apps. Free up your device's memory by closing apps running in the background.
• Restart the app. Close Flashcards World completely and reopen it.
• Restart your device. A reboot can resolve performance issues caused by memory leaks or other system-level problems.
• Update the app. Make sure you are running the latest version of Flashcards World. Updates often include performance improvements.
• Check storage space. If your device is almost out of storage, performance across all apps can suffer. Free up space by removing unused apps or files.

The Web App Is Not Loading

• Clear your browser cache. Go to your browser's settings and clear cached data for the Flashcards World site.
• Try a different browser. If the app works in another browser, the issue may be related to browser extensions or settings.
• Disable browser extensions. Ad blockers or privacy extensions can sometimes interfere with web apps. Try disabling them temporarily.
• Check your internet connection. The web app needs to load initially from the server (though it works offline for subsequent visits in many cases).

Installation Issues

I Cannot Find the App on My App Store

• iOS: Search for "Flashcards World" in the Apple App Store. Make sure your device is running a supported version of iOS.
• Android: Search for "Flashcards World" in the Google Play Store. If the app does not appear, your device may not meet the minimum Android version requirement.

The App Crashes on Launch

• Update the app to the latest version.
• Restart your device.
• Reinstall the app. Uninstalling and reinstalling can resolve corrupted installation data. Note: if you are signed in and syncing, your data will be restored from the cloud after reinstalling. If you are not signed in, export your data before reinstalling.

Account Issues

For account-related problems (sign-in issues, password reset, account deletion), see the Account Management guide.

Common quick fixes:

• Cannot sign in: Make sure you are using the same sign-in method (Google, Apple, or email) that you used when you created your account.
• Forgot your password: Use the "Forgot Password" link on the sign-in screen. A reset link will be sent to your email.
• Account deletion: Follow the steps in Account Management to delete your account and all associated cloud data.

Getting More Help

If the solutions above do not resolve your issue:

• Check for app updates. Many issues are fixed in newer versions of the app.
• Restart your device. This resolves a surprising number of issues across all apps.
• Try on another device. If the issue is device-specific, trying on another device can help narrow down the cause.
• Export your data. If you are experiencing data issues, export your sets to CSV as a precaution before troubleshooting further.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Flashcards World support all languages?

Flashcards World supports 25 languages for text-to-speech and content. You can create cards in any language, even if TTS is not available for that specific language -- you just will not have audio pronunciation for unsupported languages.

Can I use Flashcards World on a Chromebook?

Yes. You can use the web app in Chrome on a Chromebook. If your Chromebook supports Android apps, you can also install the Android version from the Google Play Store.

Is my data safe if I uninstall the app?

If you are signed in and your data has synced to the cloud, yes. Uninstalling the app only removes the local copy. Your cloud data remains intact and will be available when you reinstall and sign in again. If you are not signed in, uninstalling will permanently delete your local data. See the Account Management guide for more details.

The app is using a lot of storage on my device. What can I do?

If the app is taking up significant storage, it is likely due to downloaded TTS voice data or a very large local flashcard collection. You can free up space by removing unused TTS voices in your device settings, or by deleting sets you no longer need (make sure they are backed up to the cloud or exported to CSV first).