Second Life Mobile - Public Beta FAQ

Maggie Linden

Modified on: Mon, 6 Jan, 2025 at 2:04 PM

You’ll find answers to common questions and a list of known issues about the Second Life Mobile app, which is now in Public Beta and accessible to all current Second Life Residents!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Common Questions
Known Issues and Troubleshooting

Common Questions

What is the Second Life app?

It is our first official mobile app that lets you enjoy the world of Second Life on the mobile device of your choosing. While you won’t find all the features from the desktop app just yet, we plan a steady stream of updates. Alpha users have the opportunity to test the latest features before they are released to Production, and there are known issues that we are actively working to address.

How can I participate in the Second Life Mobile Private Alpha?

Our Private Alpha — which still exists for testing forthcoming updates to the mobile app — is not currently accepting new applications. Thank you for your interest!

Which devices are supported?

The mobile app is available for both iOS and Android devices. For iOS, we recommend a minimum of an iPhone X running iOS 16.6.1. For Android, we now support additional older devices running Android 10 and up; however, the recommended version remains Android 13 or later, and a mid- to high-end device, comparable to a Pixel 6 or later, is still suggested.

How do I download the Second Life app?

If you have an active Second Life account (including free accounts), you can download & try out the Public Beta right now! To do so, go to Apple’s App Store or the Google Play Store:

• Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/second-life/id6499226173

• Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lindenlab.secondlife

Which features are supported?

As of December 2024:

Choose starting location at login, including Last Location, Home, Favorites, and a curated list of mobile-friendly locations, the Mobile Showcase. The first time you ever log in to the app, your favorites will not be shown, but they will on subsequent logins.
Auto-login after initial login
Teleporting, including sending and receiving teleport offers
Places: Home, Favorites, and Destination Guide.
Friend and unfriend
Direct messages
Nearby chat
Group chat
Group notices appear in group chats, even if they were not sent as chats
In-app Notifications: Alert dot for incoming chats, teleport offers, and more
Block or unblock a resident
Report abuse
Context menu on inworld avatars (long press)
Context menu on inworld objects (long press)
Resident profiles
Wear a saved outfit
Parcel streaming audio controls
Settings -- Name tags, draw distance, LOD, and more
Improved avatar movement
Two-finger camera movement (strafe)
Performance improvements
Avatar rendering improvements
Environment rendering improvements
Avatars appear in outline as they load (no fog!)
MFA support
Push notifications for offline DMs and Group Notices
- When enabled, you will receive notifications when the Second Life mobile app is in the background and when you are offline
Notification badges on device home screen
Nearby users count
L$ Balance and transactions
Chat History for mobile client messages (accessible in the mobile viewer on any mobile device you use)
- View a chat history for direct messages and group chats for the last 90 days (up to 10,000 messages)
- Conversations in Menu > Chats can be sorted by oldest or newest, or sorted alphabetically, as well as filtered to show chats with only Friends, Friends Online, or Groups.

Which features are not supported?

As of November 2024, these features are not yet supported:

Inventory
Marketplace
Voice
Building
HUDs
Menus displayed by inworld objects (LLDialog)

Enter your login and password, choose a location from the dropdown menu, and tap ‘Sign in’.

Can I use the Second Life app without an internet connection?

Because Second Life is an always on, simultaneously connected virtual world, the Second Life app requires a strong internet connection to function, whether wi-fi or cellular. Residents using the mobile app connect to the same Second Life world as desktop users, so a strong Internet connection is required.

How do I report a bug or issue?

Within the app:
- Menu button > Settings > Give Feedback or file a bug
- Enter your user’s email, describe the issue, and tap “Submit report"
Through our feedback portal:
- Bugs: https://feedback.secondlife.com/mobile-public-beta-bugs

Is my account information safe?

Your information is encrypted and protected as per our privacy policy. We always encourage Residents to use strong account protections like a unique password, an up-to-date email address, and enabling Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) if possible. These techniques help protect your account regardless of whether you use the desktop viewer, the website, or the mobile app to log in to Second Life.

Are there tutorials on how to use the app?

A very brief tutorial on mobile-specific controls will appear upon your first login.

How can I provide feedback?

Feedback can be provided in 2 different ways:

Within the app:
- Menu button > Settings > Give Feedback or file a bug
- Enter your user’s email, description, and tap SUBMIT REPORT
Through our feedback portal:
- Feature requests: https://feedback.secondlife.com/mobile-public-beta-features

Can I use the app on multiple devices?

Yes, you can use the app on supported iOS and Android devices, including tablets. Only one session per account is possible at a time, regardless of device.

How do I update to the latest version?

Please check your device’s app store for updates.

For help with manually updating apps on Apple devices: https://support.apple.com/es-lamr/102629
For help with manually updating apps via the Google Play store: https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/113412?hl=en

Is the app available in other languages?

While you're welcome to chat in any language you prefer to use, for the time being the app’s UI is available in English only. We're sorry for the inconvenience!

What happens to my data if I delete the app?

Deleting the app

Does not delete your Second Life account
Does not affect your inventory, friends list, or landmarks

If you choose to reinstall the app later, you may not see your Favorites on the first login (the same as the first time you installed the app before). Essentially, reinstalling the app may mean that your experience is like the first time you used the app, as it may not remember your previous settings.

Known Issues and Troubleshooting

The best part of a beta test is getting feedback from Residents on issues and concerns they encounter while they're using the app, but there are some issues that we're already aware of and are currently working on. Please review this list before submitting a new issue or bug report. Many issues can also be resolved by quitting the app and logging in again as a first troubleshooting step.

The scene or avatar does not finish rendering

Please wait a minute or two for the scene and avatar to fully render. Other steps to try include:

Sign out and sign back in
Teleport to another location and come back
Close the app by swiping up and log back in.

Network disconnections

When disconnected, you will see a red icon in the top right of the screen. If your avatar appears to be in-world, but you cannot move around, that means re-connection attempts have failed and you have been disconnected. Please close the app fully and relaunch.

My tail is in my ear! (Avatar attachments)

Sometimes attachments do not appear properly (or at all) or are not placed correctly. Sorry! We’re working on it! You may want to try detaching and then reattaching your attachment, or to use an outfit or appearance that doesn't use the particular attachment that isn't rendering correctly.

My avatar looks weird! (Avatar deformers)

Some avatars using deformers (attachments which use animations to create custom shape-like appearances) may experience problems. Some deformers may not render correctly. We’re working on it, sorry! In the meantime, you may want to remove any deformers currently in use on your avatar.

Direct Messages and Chat History

Direct message history is shared across mobile devices, but not the Second Life desktop application; chats you have while using the mobile app will not appear in your chat history on the Second Life desktop application (and vice versa).
The label 'Unknown User' may appear in the Menu > Chats page. It can take some time for a username or group name to resolve in Menu > Chats. Relogging may also fix this issue.

Inworld object interactions

After long-press on an object to display the object’s context menu, the object name should appear, but sometimes does not. Sometimes the touch action does nothing. Please try again.

Region Crossing Issues

Walking or flying across region boundaries may produce unexpected results (your avatar may continue moving).

I can't log in after multiple tries

Please confirm that your username and password are correct by logging into secondlife.com or the desktop app. If you're able to log in at secondlife.com, but still receive an error message when attempting to log into the mobile app, you may be able to resolve this issue by resetting your password.

My screen is blank or unresponsive

Please be sure that your device OS is up to date. Restart your device, relaunch the app, and log in again.

I can't see my avatar at all

If your avatar is not visible after a minute, please try to teleport to another location or log out and log back in.

Push Notifications

The notification badge on the Second Life icon on your home screen may not be accurate.
After enabling Notifications (tapping on ‘Tell me about new chats.’), it may be necessary to enable Notification settings in the app. Go to Menu > Settings > Notifications and enable your chosen notifications.
When a push notification is received for a group notice, tapping the notification will take you to menu > Chats, not to the specific group notice at this time.
Android: Certain 'app tracking protection apps' will interfere with Second Life notifications. Disable app tracking for Second Life mobile or remove the tracking protection app to enable notifications.
Android: if Notifications are enabled, but not displaying on your screen - check your device settings. On your Android device go to Settings > Notifications > App Notifications > Second Life > Miscellaneous. Enable Pop up on screen.

I can't log in to my adult region or teleport to an adult region, even if it's my home location.

As a first troubleshooting step, please log in and teleport to your preferred adult region location on a desktop version of the viewer. Then, log out of the desktop app and attempt to log in to your preferred adult region location on the mobile viewer. If you can access the region on the desktop viewer, but still have difficulty access the region on your mobile device, please try the basic troubleshooting step of restarting the app and your device and file a bug report if the problem continues. Thank you!

Please visit secondlife.com to register an account to use with the mobile app. You must have an existing Second Life account registered on the website to login with the mobile app. We're sorry for the inconvenience and Thank you for your interest!

How do I enable push notifications for Group Notices?

In the Second Life Mobile app, go to Menu > Settings > Notifications.
Tap Notify me about new chats
Tap Allow
Move slider for Group notices to the right (a blue check will display). You will now receive push notifications when a new Group Notice is sent to any of the groups that you belong to.

Currently, Group Notice Notifications are on or off for all groups. More granular (per group) control is not available at this time.