Help center

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers on trials, licensing, NFC testing with the Wiha PAT-One, PDF reports and more. Can't find what you're looking for? Reach us right from inside the app.

Account, trial & licensing

Start a trial Workspace Frequently asked

Trial Workspaces are started from the Sparkify web client.

  1. Open web.sparkify.cloud/ui/workspace-settings.
  2. Click Settings, then Billing.
  3. Start your 14-day Pro trial from there.

The trial unlocks the full Pro feature set for 14 days. After day 14 your Workspace stays active on the Free plan; nothing is charged automatically. For longer trials or a multi-user Workspace, contact us at support@sparkify.cloud.

What happens to my data after the trial ends? Frequently asked

Nothing is deleted at the end of the trial. Your projects, photos, test items and reports stay in your account, exactly where they were on day 14.

What changes is access to Pro-only features (cloud sync, AI device recognition, signed PDF export). When you upgrade to Personal Cloud, full access is restored — no data migration needed.

If you decide not to continue, you can keep using Sparkify on the Free plan, export your existing PDFs, or request a full account deletion via support@sparkify.cloud.

How much does Sparkify cost per user?

Take a look at our Pricing table and compare the plans by clicking on the link beneath, then choose the subscription which is right for you.

See Pricing →

What's the difference between a Personal and a Pro workspace?

Personal Workspace — single user. You own all the projects, there are no roles to manage, and the workspace is yours alone. Available on the Free, Personal Cloud and Personal Cloud+ plans.

Pro Workspace (B2B / Enterprise) — multiple users. You add colleagues and assign each one a role:

  • Admin — full access; can audit role changes and user assignments.
  • Member — can document projects and generate reports.
  • Viewer — read-only access to projects assigned to them.

Pro Workspaces also include project management for teams, more monthly AI image recognitions, and priority support. See the Pricing page for the full side-by-side comparison.

How do I add additional team members to my workspace?

Only workspace Admins can invite new members. In the Sparkify app, open Profile → Members → Invite user, enter the email address, pick a role (Admin, Member or Viewer) and tap Send invite. The invitee gets an email with a join link that stays valid for 7 days.

Pending invites can be resent or revoked from the same Members list. If you've hit the user limit on your plan, upgrade under Settings → Billing in the web client, or remove an inactive member first.

For a screenshot-by-screenshot walkthrough see the knowledge-base article: Add users to a workspace.

How do I change my email address?

Open the Sparkify app and go to Profile → Account to see the email address tied to your account.

Apple / Google Play trial: do I need to cancel before upgrading to Pro?

If your trial started through the App Store or Google Play, you manage it there. To stop the auto-renewal:

  • iOS: Settings → [your name] → Subscriptions → Sparkify → Cancel subscription.
  • Android: Play Store → profile icon → Payments & subscriptions → Subscriptions → Sparkify → Cancel subscription.

Cancelling stops the auto-renewal — you keep Pro access until the trial period ends.

Can I use Sparkify without Wiha hardware?

Yes. Sparkify is fully usable without Wiha hardware — the Wiha PAT-One integration is an optional accelerator, not a requirement.

Without a PAT-One you can still:

  • Document VDE 0100-600 and VDE 0701/0702 tests by entering measurement values manually.
  • Photograph device nameplates and let our AI image recognition fill in model, serial number and manufacturer.
  • Use any NFC-tagged device — the integration reads standard NFC, not just PAT-One tags.
  • Generate signed VDE PDF reports.

What the PAT-One adds is one-tap import of measurement values from the tester straight into the test form — most pros find it shaves a meaningful amount of time off PAT-testing day. See the Wiha + Sparkify page for the full workflow.

What does "unlimited license" mean?

"Unlimited" in Sparkify refers to volume, not users. On every plan — including Free — you get:

  • Unlimited documentations.
  • Unlimited projects.
  • No per-document or per-PDF cap.

What is metered is monthly AI image recognitions (25 on Free, 500 on Personal Cloud, 5,000 on Personal Cloud+, more on Enterprise) and, on Free, cloud-sync retention (7 days). The number of users — i.e. how many people can join a Workspace — depends on the plan and is listed on the Pricing page.

App, web & platforms

Does Sparkify work on iOS, Android and in the browser? Frequently asked
Yes. Sparkify runs as a native app on iOS and Android, and in the browser at web.sparkify.cloud. The same account works everywhere.
Why can't I log into the web client? Frequently asked

Use the same email and password you set up on the mobile app. The web client at web.sparkify.cloud uses the same account — there is no separate web sign-up.

If you don't remember the password, you don't have to reset it. On the login screen tap Send OTP (one-time code) — we'll email you a 6-digit code that lets you sign in without changing anything.

If neither password nor OTP works, your email might be unverified or have a typo. Open the mobile app, go to Profile → Account and confirm the address — that's the one to use on web.

Does my data sync between the app and the web client?

Yes. The Sparkify mobile app and the web client at web.sparkify.cloud share the same account, so projects, photos, test items and reports created on one device show up on the other once they sync to the cloud.

Sync coverage depends on your plan:

  • Free — the last 7 days of changes are kept in the cloud. Older data lives on the device that created it.
  • Personal Cloud, Personal Cloud+, Enterprise — unlimited cloud sync; everything is mirrored across all your devices.

Sync runs as soon as the device has internet access. You can keep working offline and the changes upload the moment you're back on a network — see Offline usage for the details.

Can I use Sparkify offline?

Yes. Sparkify is offline-first on every plan, including Free.

You can:

  • Open existing projects and continue documenting without a connection.
  • Create new projects, take photos and tap NFC tags — everything is stored on the device.
  • Generate PDF reports once your data is back on a network (PDFs render cloud-side, so the final export needs internet).

Once the device reconnects, changes upload automatically. There's no manual sync button to press and no separate "offline mode" to enable — Sparkify simply queues outbound changes whenever it can't reach the cloud.

NFC, PAT testers & hardware

How does NFC pairing with the Wiha PAT-One work? Frequently asked

NFC pairing with the Wiha PAT-One works out of the box — no driver, no Bluetooth pairing, no menu.

  1. Make sure NFC is enabled on your phone (Android: Settings → Connections → NFC; iPhone: NFC is always on for app reads from iPhone 7 onward).
  2. Open a VDE 0701/0702 test form in Sparkify and tap the NFC field.
  3. Hold the back of your phone against the PAT-One's NFC area (look for the wave symbol on the tester).

The device's serial, model and manufacturer auto-fill in your test report. Most phones read the tag in under a second. See the Wiha + Sparkify page for the live workflow.

Which devices can be identified via NFC?

Sparkify reads any NFC tag your phone supports — it isn't tied to a specific device list. In practice, that means three groups:

  • Wiha PAT-One — the tag is built in. Tap your phone on the wave-symbol area and the model + serial fill in automatically.
  • Devices that ship with NFC tags from the manufacturer — appliances and tools that already carry a readable NFC chip from the factory.
  • Devices you tag yourself — stick a standard NTAG-21x sticker on the device, scan it once to bind it to the test item in Sparkify, and on every subsequent test that device's history is one tap away.

Photographing the nameplate is the fallback when there's no tag at all — Sparkify's AI image recognition fills in the same fields automatically.

What should I do if the app doesn't recognise the NFC tag?

NFC reads can fail for a handful of common reasons. Run through this checklist before reaching out to support:

  1. NFC is enabled. On Android, check Settings → Connections → NFC. On iPhone (7 and newer), NFC is always on for app reads — no toggle.
  2. You're tapping the right antenna area. The phone's NFC reader usually sits behind the upper third of the back; the PAT-One's NFC zone is marked with the wave symbol. Aligning the two is what registers the read.
  3. The phone case isn't blocking the signal. Thick or metal cases dampen the NFC field — try without the case.
  4. You're inside Sparkify with the NFC field selected. Reads only fire when the test form is open and the tag-input field has focus.
  5. The tag is intact. Sticker tags can fail after rough handling. If a tag stops responding to any phone, replace it.

If the read still fails, send us a quick description (phone model, OS version, what you tried) via Profile → Customer Service in the app and we'll dig in.

Do I need a PAT-One to use Sparkify?

No. The Wiha PAT-One integration is an optional accelerator — every Sparkify feature works without one. You can document VDE 0100-600 / 0701/0702 tests by entering measurement values manually, identify devices via AI image recognition or any standard NFC tag, and generate signed VDE PDF reports without ever owning a PAT-One.

What the PAT-One adds is one-tap import of measurement values from the tester directly into the test form, which most pros find shaves a meaningful amount of time off PAT-testing day. See Can I use Sparkify without Wiha hardware? for what's still possible without one, and the Wiha + Sparkify page for the full integration workflow.

PDF & reports

How do I generate a PDF report? Frequently asked

You can generate PDFs at two scopes:

  • For a single test item — open the test item and use its Generate PDF action.
  • For the whole project — open the project and tap the three-dot menu (top right) → Generate PDF.

Works on mobile and on the web client (web.sparkify.cloud). PDFs are rendered cloud-side, so you need an internet connection at the moment of generation.

Why are images missing from my PDF? Frequently asked

If photos are missing from a generated PDF, the most common cause is that the photo is still uploading.

  1. Open the project, scroll to the affected test item, and check the photo gallery — if a photo shows a sync icon (cloud arrow), it hasn't reached the cloud yet.
  2. Make sure your phone has reliable network coverage; the PDF renders cloud-side, so any photo not yet synced won't appear.
  3. Wait 1–2 minutes and re-generate the PDF.
How do I customise the logo and company name in the PDF report?

Same rules as template editing — it's a workspace-license feature (Professional Cloud and Enterprise Cloud), and you do it in the web client at web.sparkify.cloud under Settings.

There are two separate logo slots:

  • The workspace icon — shown in the workspace switcher.
  • The PDF logo — used in generated reports.

Projects & templates

How do I delete a project or sub-project? Frequently asked

Delete projects in our mobile app:

  • The workspace owner can delete completed projects.
  • Creators can delete empty projects.
  • Individual projects can be deleted by anyone.
How do I create a project?

Two paths, depending on where you are:

  • Mobile: open Projects, then tap the + icon (top right).
  • Web: open Projects, then click the New project button (top right) at web.sparkify.cloud.
How do I edit a template?

Template editing is a workspace-license feature — available on Professional Cloud and Enterprise Cloud, not on Free or Personal plans. Once your workspace is on one of those plans, open web.sparkify.cloud in the browser and head to Templates in the workspace admin area. Mobile is read-only for templates; the heavy lifting (fields, sections, branding, defaults) lives in the web client.

Privacy, security & hosting

Where is my data stored? (GDPR / EU hosting)

All your Sparkify data — projects, VDE reports, photos, customer records and PAT-One device readings — is stored exclusively in Germany, on infrastructure operated by Hetzner (Frankfurt am Main). Data is encrypted in transit (TLS) and at rest, and we have signed an Art. 28 GDPR processing agreement with Hetzner. None of your customer data leaves the EU. Full breakdown in our privacy policy.

Are documents deleted after a period of inactivity?

No. We do not auto-delete documents, projects or test reports based on inactivity. Your VDE reports stay where you put them, for as long as your account exists.

Permanent deletion only happens when you close your account (Profile → Account → Delete account in the app). At that point everything — projects, reports, photos, customer records, NFC device readings — is removed from our servers and cannot be recovered.

⚠️ This is permanent and cannot be undone. If there's any chance you'll need a report later (audits, customer disputes, statutory retention), export your PDFs first. We can't restore data after account closure.

Support

How do I reach Sparkify support?

Three ways, ranked by how fast we can help you:

  1. In-app: Profile → Customer Service. The fastest path — your account and device details come through with the message, so we don't have to ask which workspace, OS or app version you're on.
  2. Email: support@sparkify.cloud — best for things you can describe in writing or attach screenshots to.
  3. Phone support is available for paid users 😉 — once you're on a paid plan, we'll share the hotline number in-app.
Is there a tutorial or user guide?

Have a look at our knowledge base — it's still growing. If there's a topic you'd like us to cover, let us know and we'll add it.