Beacon Support

Email hello@beaconhelps.com. A real person reads it, usually the same day.

Connecting Canvas

Beacon connects to Canvas in one of two ways: an access token, which lets Beacon see your full course list, assignments and what you've turned in, or your Canvas calendar link, which is quicker to set up and gives Beacon your due dates. Beacon only reads; it never changes anything in Canvas.

Access token. In Canvas on a computer: Account → Settings → scroll to Approved Integrations → New Access Token. Give it a name like "Beacon," leave the expiry blank or set it to the end of the semester, and paste the token into Beacon under More → Canvas Connection.

Calendar link. Canvas shows this link only on the web, not in the Canvas app. On a computer: Calendar → Calendar Feed (bottom right of the calendar page) → copy the link. Email or AirDrop it to your phone and paste it into Beacon.

If your school makes you request a token

Some schools don't let students create tokens themselves; you ask the school for one. Beacon walks you through it: in More → Canvas Connection, tap Where do I get a token? (or Don't have a token yet? while you're connecting). Beacon gives you a message to copy, opens your school's request form, and reminds you. Start with your calendar link in the meantime. When the school emails you the token, paste it in More → Canvas Connection.

Replacing your calendar link

If you reset your Canvas calendar feed, or Beacon tells you your link stopped working, copy the new link from Canvas on a computer (Calendar → Calendar Feed). Then in Beacon: More → Canvas Connection → Replace calendar link, and paste it.

Disconnecting Canvas

More → Canvas Connection → Disconnect Canvas. Beacon removes your token or calendar link and everything it read from Canvas. Courses you added by hand and your Tutor history stay. You can reconnect any time.

Forwarding emails to Beacon

More → Forward school email → Get my forwarding address. Beacon gives you a private address of your own. Copy it, then set up forwarding in your school email, or forward single messages to it. Beacon checks that the first message comes from your school, then catches meetings, date changes and announcements. Only forward mail from your school. A date in an email never replaces the date in Canvas; Beacon shows it as a heads-up. To stop, go back to More → Forward school email and turn forwarding off; that deletes the address and everything Beacon found.

Your phone's calendar

On the Calendar tab, tap Show my phone calendar to see your own events next to your deadlines. They stay on your phone; Beacon never sends them anywhere. On an assignment, tap Add to my calendar to put it in your phone's calendar. Beacon only ever changes or removes events it added. To stop, tap Hide my phone calendar.

Face ID sign-in

More → Face ID → turn on Face ID Sign-In. Next time, you can sign in with Face ID instead of an email link or password. Turn it off in the same place.

Not getting notifications

On your iPhone, open Settings → Notifications → Beacon and make sure Allow Notifications is on. Then in Beacon, open More → Notifications and check that Push notifications is on. A Focus mode or Scheduled Summary on your iPhone can also hold notifications back. For text reminders, check that Text messages is on; if you ever replied STOP, reply START to turn texts back on.

Marking something done by mistake

Swipe an assignment right to mark it done. If you slip, tap Undo in the message that appears. If it's already gone, open the assignment → Mark this as… → Not done.

Subscriptions and billing

Beacon's plans are billed through Apple. To change or cancel: open your iPhone's Settings → your name → Subscriptions → Beacon, or in Beacon tap More → Manage subscription. Cancelling stops the next charge; you keep the plan until the end of the period you paid for. Deleting your Beacon account does not cancel your subscription. Apple handles refunds: reportaproblem.apple.com.

Deleting your account

More → Account → Delete account. Your account is scheduled for deletion in 30 days and you'll get an email. Change your mind any time in those 30 days by opening the app and tapping Keep my account. After 30 days your data is permanently deleted, apart from the few records the privacy policy lists.

Something's wrong

Email hello@beaconhelps.com with what you tapped, what you expected, and what happened instead. A screenshot helps. If an assignment or grade looks wrong, check it in Canvas first — Beacon shows what Canvas shows.