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Participant App FAQs

Got questions about the Labfront Companion app? We've got answers.

 
 
Installing App and Joining Study

How can participants download Labfront's participant app?

The Labfront Companion app can be downloaded here.

Do participants need to install both the Labfront Companion and Garmin Connect apps?

It depends on the data source (s) chosen for the study based on which data the researcher will be collecting. You can learn more here.

Do participants need to provide a subject ID or other ID to join a project?

We provide anonymous invite codes to connect the participants with each project - researchers just need to keep track of the Participant Identifiers.
 
 
 

Setting Up and Syncing

 

How can participants identify their Garmin device among multiple options when pairing to Labfront?

If moving at least 30 feet away from the other devices does not work, we recommend temporarily turning off the other devices' Bluetooth and only turning on Bluetooth for the Garmin device you want to pair.  

How often do participants need to open the Labfront Companion app to sync Garmin data?

It is best practice to open the Labfront Companion app to sync every day. This is because the Labfront app collects data at a more granular level so there is a lot of data to sync. More data = longer sync time.
If a participant forgets to open the app one day and opens it the following day, they will have twice the amount of data and therefore the sync time will be doubled.
Researchers can view the last time participants were seen on the app via the Adherence page.

Do participants need to keep the app open to sync?

Yes, it's recommended to keep the Labfront app in the foreground while syncing until the Upload Complete message appears to ensure a smooth and complete data sync.
Read more about syncing data in this article. 

When a device is synced on Labfront Companion, does it sync on Garmin Connect also?

No, it doesn't. If the study uses Garmin Connect data, participants must regularly open Garmin Connect to sync. We recommend daily syncing for best practices.

The sync stalled before reaching 100%. What should participants do?

Sometimes Garmin's sync will fail a few times if there is a lot of data. Keep trying several more attempts to sync. If it continues to stall, there could be an issue with the Garmin SDK. Restart the phone and try again.

Here are some troubleshooting tips for other syncing problems→

 
 
 

Tasks and Notifications

  

Can participants send notifications to researchers in the app? 

Currently, no. While researchers can send custom notifications to participants during a study, participants cannot send any messages back. 

Can a questionnaire be edited after it's been submitted?

Unfortunately not. While participants can review their answers and make edits while completing the questionnaire, they can't make changes after the questionnaire has been submitted.  

Do participants need to keep the app open when completing a timed task?

No! The timer will continue to run in the background so they don't need to worry about keeping the app in the foreground. Learn more about completing tasks in this article. 
 
 

 

Other 

 
 

What should participants do if they encounter a bug on the app? 

While in most instances, participants should reach out to the researcher in charge of their study if they encounter an issue, a bug (Ex: the app keeps crashing), can be reported directly to the support team by going to  ⚙️ Settings > Report a bug on the app.
Their project ID and user ID will be included in the message and they should write a brief description of the issue so that our team can resolve it as soon as possible. 
They can also view this article for troubleshooting tips.
 
 

Can the Labfront app prevent participants from viewing their Garmin data to avoid biofeedback effects?

While we can’t block all data visibility, there are ways to limit participant access:

  1. Use only the Labfront Companion app (without Garmin Connect).

    • This prevents participants from viewing their data on their phone.
    • Note: Some data, such as sleep summaries, daily summaries or activity summary data, will not be available.
    • For a quick comparison, here’s a chart summarizing the data differences between Labfront Companion and Garmin Connect. If you choose Labfront Companion only, we can share setup best practices to ensure data completeness.

  2. Minimize participant interaction with their watch.

    • You can disable alert notifications on the watch to reduce interaction. Learn how to do this here.