Poll Everywhere for iOS Beta has been updated with several new improvements. Let’s start with the big one: Apple AirPlay compatibility.
AirPlay compatibility makes for seamless presentations on your iPad
Now when you cast your iPad’s screen to an AirPlay compatible screen (more on that on Apple’s website), the audience will see instructions on how to respond to your activities.
When the audience is ready, simply tap an activity to open it and select “Present” in the top menu. Once you do, the instructions screen (on the big screen) will give way to the live chart view, so the audience can see responses as they happen.
You can run your entire presentation this way: just swipe on your iPad to advance to the next activity in your account, and it will automatically be displayed on the big screen. Of course, this also works when you’re not connected to an AirPlay device.
See the AirPlay integration in action in a short demo video by signing up to receive the latest news on Poll Everywhere for iPad Beta. We’ll send the video straight to your inbox so you can test it out at home.
Visual activity creator and inline editing
When you create a new activity, you’ll now see a visual representation of what that activity might look like to the audience. You’ll also find several new categories to choose from, like activities for small or large gatherings and icebreakers, so you can easily choose an activity perfectly suited to your event.
Editing activities is also easier than ever. Tap an activity and select “Edit” to launch editing mode. You’ll notice a new sidebar that mirrors the editing view at polleverywhere.com on the web. And just like on the web, you’ll find options for response settings, audience restrictions, and how the audience can respond.
Dashboard improvements
The dashboard — accessed from the sidebar — gives you quick access to settings and support, as well as options to provide feedback (always welcome!) and log out.
You’ll also find new themes in the settings panel: dark mode softens colors for rooms with minimal lighting, “Midnight” uses classic Poll Everywhere blue, and “OLED black” is a jet black theme that blends in with the bezels of your iPhone or iPad.
Improved search and group organization
Several improvements to the search and group organization features have been added to the latest update.
Perform actions on multiple activities, even if they’re in different groups. When you tap the “Select” button from the Activities view, you can select multiple activities by marking the checkbox next to each activity. If you need to perform that same action on an activity that lives in a different group, simply tap the group name in the sidebar to navigate to that group. Select the activity (or activities) and use the buttons at the top of the screen to perform any of the available actions:
- Move the activities to another group
- Clear responses for all selected activities
- Lock the activity to prevent new responses
- Move the selected activities to the Trash
The action will be performed across all activities in all groups that you’ve selected. For those that work with dozens or even hundreds of activities, this is a real time-saver.
Refinements for a smoother presentation experience
Several small improvements have been made to create a more seamless overall experience:
The presentation experience is now simpler, easier, and faster.
To present, open the activity and select “Present.” From there, you can swipe between activities or use the left and right arrow buttons to advance your presentation. As you do, the big screen will update so the audience can follow along.
Editing activities is also easier than ever. Tap an activity and select “Edit” to launch editing mode. You’ll notice a new sidebar that mirrors the editing view at polleverywhere.com on the web. Just like on the web, you’ll find options for response settings, audience restrictions, and how the audience can respond.
- The order of your groups now matches the order at polleverywhere.com on the web.
- Search accuracy has been significantly improved.
- You can now present or edit activities directly from search results by tapping the activity.
- Permanently delete or restore activities to specific groups from the Trash.
- Reordering activities within groups is now as simple as selecting “Change order” and tapping the arrow buttons to move activities within the group.
Thank you to all the adventurous testers helping us create the future of Poll Everywhere on mobile devices. As always, we welcome your feedback. To share your thoughts, just tap the “Feedback” option in the sidebar.