Sphero Edu Platform Scheduled Maintenance: July 8th, 2023Updated 23 days ago

Starting at 9AM EDT on July 8th 2023, the Sphero Edu platform will undergo scheduled maintenance. This maintenance update should take less than one day, and operation should return by July 9th 2023. This downtime is needed to facilitate three changes:

• A migration of all accounts and user data to new platform services
• The launch of our new edu.sphero.com website
• The deployment of new backend services and APIs for the Sphero edu apps

All three changes are mandatory to continue the stability and functionality of the Sphero Edu apps and website.

Impact to Users

There are a number of ways you will be impacted during this maintenance update. During the actual migration and deployment of the platform, the Sphero Edu website and platform services will be inaccessible. This will mean you cannot:

• Sign into your account on the website or via the Sphero Edu app
• Access saved programs with your account
• Access activity progress associated with your account
• Access classes with class codes
• Use the edu.sphero.com platform services, including class management, assignments, and activity builder tools

After the maintenance is complete, the new edu.sphero.com platform will be launched. This new website will include modifications to the Sphero Edu website, including:

• New user interface and navigation for the entire site
• Architectural changes for increased performance for a number of features, like class management and activity assignments
• Updates to our VPC process for teachers/educators and parents/guardians

Accessible Features During Scheduled Maintenance

While you cannot use the edu.sphero.com website or access your account during the scheduled maintenance, there are ways to use your robots during the downtime. Using the Sphero Edu app, you will still be able to:

• Use "quick start" mode to use the app without an account and;
  • Connect to your robot (including BOLT, RVR/RVR+, Mini, SPRK+, etc.)
  • Drive your robot
  • Program and save programs locally to your device

Account Migration Notification

Most accounts will be migrated to the new platform services during the maintenance period. However, there are a few things to note:

• If an account has not actively been used in the last year, it WILL NOT be migrated to the new platform
• If an account manages other accounts, it WILL be migrated, regardless of if it has been used in the last year or not
• If an account has publicly published content, it WILL be migrated, regardless of if it has been used in the last year or not

Activity Progress Reset Notification

Assigned activities will be migrated for valid user accounts during the scheduled maintenance. However, all assignment step progress will be reset to 0%. This means any completed individual steps will be reset for all assessment types. Activities that are fully completed will also be reset to 0%. 

All user programs are being migrated so programs attached to activities will be migrated; that work will not be lost. So even though the activity progression is reset to 0%, the coding work done in the canvas will be migrated over.

Reasons for These Changes

At Sphero, we acknowledge that platform downtime and maintenance can be disruptive. There are a few reasons these updates are mandatory:

• Core platform services that Sphero Edu rely on will no longer be supported and available later in 2023 for technical reasons
• Existing services, like class management, are not performant at scale and needed major rework for future stability
• For future iteration and rapid improvement, the core technology and UI of edu.sphero.com needed major overhauls