DFengage Release 2.4
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Nov 20 2025
DFengage is an application that allows research participants to complete study activities (such as questionnaires, surveys, and diaries) assigned to them by the research team. This guide describes how to access and use DFengage once you have been given access to it by the research team.
DFengage is available as both a web-based application (accessed through a web browser) and a mobile application (installed on a smartphone or tablet). The research team will let you know which version you will be using.
After you are registered or have set up DFengage on your device, you will receive a notification when a new activity is ready to complete, or you can open DFengage at any time to complete any activities that are ready for you.
DFengage is fully integrated with DFdiscover, a software application that allows researchers to collect data for research studies. Once you complete an activity, the data you provide is sent to the DFdiscover server where the research team can see your responses. DFengage requires DFdiscover version 5.4 or later.
This data is sent securely over the internet when you have an internet connection, or, if you’re using the mobile app, saved securely to your device until you have an internet connection. Your responses are removed from the device once they have been sent to the server.
The DFengage mobile app requires a device (smartphone or tablet) running Android™ 8.0 or newer, iOS® 14.4 or newer, or iPadOS® 14.4 or newer. The device must have Wi-Fi and/or cellular communication capabilities.
The DFengage web app requires a browser with HTML5 capabilites. Check your browser’s capabilities at https://html5test.com. DFengage web has been tested with current versions of Chrome, Firefox, and Edge on Windows 11 and Chrome, Firefox, and Safari on macOS 10.14 (Mojave) or later. Browser updates are frequently made available by vendors. We recommend keeping your browser up-to-date to help protect the security of your information. DFengage web is not compatible with any version of Internet Explorer, any browser in Windows XP or any browser in Windows 7.
There are a few differences between the mobile and web versions of DFengage. In general, the mobile app is ideal for those with frequent activities to complete during a study (e.g., on a daily basis) or who may not always have an internet connection available to complete their activities on time. The web app is ideal for those with less frequent activities, with constant access to an internet connection, or who prefer not to install an app on their phone or tablet.
The DFengage mobile app:
Needs to be installed on an Android® or iOS/iPadOS™ device
Requires a PIN code to allow you to open the app without re-entering your password
Sends you push notifications on your device for new or overdue activities, even if you don’t have an active internet connection
Allows you to complete activities, even if you don’t have an active internet connection
Allows you to save partially completed activities and come back to them later
The DFengage web app:
Doesn’t require installation on a smartphone or tablet, can be accessed from any device with a web browser
Does require an active internet connection to login and complete activities
Sends you email notifications for new or overdue activities, if you’ve been registered to receive them
Requires login with your password each time you have a new activity to complete
Requires you to complete and submit activities before logging out of your session
Once you have completed DFengage setup described in Getting Started, you will see three main areas of the app: Today, History, and Settings. The app may look different depending on whether you’re using the web app or the mobile app, since the screen will adjust based on the size of your screen.
DFengage on mobile / smaller screens:
DFengage on web / larger screens:
The Today screen is the home page of the app, where you find and complete your activities for today. The top of the Today screen shows your username and the name of the research study. On mobile, a cloud icon shows your internet connection status in DFengage. On web, a logout button is available for when you are ready to end your DFengage session.
The main part of the screen shows activities that are ready to be completed, in the Overdue and Due Now sections. The Upcoming section shows activities that will become due later today. The Completed section shows the activities that you completed today. Activities completed before today can be found on the History screen.
More details about the Today screen are given in Completing Activities.
The History screen lists the activities you have completed, the date and time of completion, and their sync status with the DFdiscover server, where the research team can see your responses.
Tap View to review your responses (only available when you have an internet connection). Your responses cannot be changed at this point.
Activities that are completed and synced with the server are marked as Sent. Activities that are completed but not yet synced with the server are marked as Pending. Pending activities are automatically submitted when possible, or you can manually submit them by tapping the cloud icon or Sync on the top right. On the web app, all activities must be marked as sent before you can log out, so that your response are not lost. On the mobile app, pending activities may be sent later when you have the app open while online.
On DFengage mobile, if you log out of DFengage and login again, or log into DFengage on a different device, your activity history (including any partially completed activities, or activities that were completed but not synced with the DFdiscover server) will be reset, and you will no longer see the list of completed activities.
On DFengage web, your activity history will remain available each time you log in.
The Settings screen provides details about your account (language), a link to the training module, a link to this user guide (available online only), details about the DFengage application, and the option to logout. For more details on logging out, see Logout.
This section describes how to get started with the DFengage mobile app by installing the app, logging in, and setting up your account on your device (smartphone or tablet). If you’re using the DFengage web app, go to Getting Started with DFengage Web.
Later, if you log out of DFengage or need to use DFengage on a different device, follow these steps to set up DFengage again.
The research team will provide instructions, send you an invitation email, or share a link or QR code to help you get DFengage set up on your phone or tablet. Always follow the instructions provided by the research team.
First install the app on your device from the appropriate app store for your device. For Android™, install from the Google Play Store. For iOS® or iPadOS®, install from the Apple App Store.
Once installed, the DFengage icon will appear on the phone screen or apps list. Tap it to open DFengage.
When you first open DFengage after installation, you will see an overview of the app’s features displayed over 4 pages. The screen will scroll automatically to each page, or you can swipe to view each one. Tap Get Started at any time to continue to the login page. The overview screen will not be displayed again after you tap Get Started.
By default, the DFengage interface language is English, but Spanish and French are also available. DFengage will appear in Spanish or French based on your device language setting.
When first logging in to DFengage, you may be asked to confirm your email address, enter a temporary password, or enter both your username and a temporary password. The details shown in the screenshots above are examples only. If you are prompted to enter the DFdiscover server or API, ask the research team for help.
Always keep your login details (username and password) private and secure so that no one else can log in with your details.
After you log in for the first time, you may be required to set a new password.
Follow the instructions on the screen to set a new password, following any rules shown about how complex your password needs to be, to help make sure your password is secure.
You may be asked to enter a verification code to complete the login process. This provides an additional layer of security.
You will receive an email with the 6-digit security code. The email is sent to the email address registered to your account. Enter the 6-digit security code and click Verify.
The code is unique to your login on this device and is valid for 10 minutes. If you do not receive the email or the code is no longer valid, you can request another code by clicking Resend Code.
Once you log in successfully, set your 4-digit PIN (personal identification number) by following the instructions on the screen. You’ll need to re-enter your PIN to confirm it.
Make sure to remember your PIN! You will need to enter your PIN when you return to DFengage later to complete your activities. When you do so, you have 6 (six) attempts to enter the correct PIN before the app will delete your data and log out of your account. This protects your data from unauthorized access.
Allow DFengage to send you notifications. We recommend enabling all notification types to make sure you receive a reminder when a new activity becomes available in DFengage.
You will receive a notification on your device when a new activity is ready for you, scheduled by the research team.
If you aren’t asked to allow notifications, you may need to enable them manually. Go to the Settings app on your phone and select Notifications, and select DFengage from the list of apps. We recommend enabling all notification options to make sure you don’t miss any reminders and complete your study activities on time.
For more details on notification settings, see Notifications on DFengage Mobile.
Note: This step will not appear if you are using DFengage on an iPhone or iPad.
You will be asked to allow background running for DFengage to make sure you don’t miss reminders. This setting makes sure you receive notifications on time, even if you are offline or have your device in low battery mode.
Follow the instructions on the screen to allow background running for DFengage.
This step may be skipped for your study if no additional languages are made available by the research team, or if the study language is auto-detected from your device language setting (English, Spanish, or French).
To set your study language, tap to open the dropdown menu and select the language you want to use. Tap Continue.
You will see activity names, questions, and any instructions provided by the research team in the language you select. If your device is in a language other than English, Spanish, or French, DFengage will show some app text in English alongside the language you select on this page.
If you need to change the language later, log out of DFengage (go to the Settings tab and tap Logout) and then log in again as shown in Step 3. Make sure you don’t have any partially completed activites on the Today page or Pending activities in the History page before logging out.
The training module teaches you how to use DFengage. You’ll learn how to complete activities and use the other features in the app. Follow the instructions to navigate through the screens to complete the training.
To review this training again at a later time, go to the Settings tab and tap “Training”.
You are now ready to use DFengage!
You will see any activities that are ready for you to complete in the Due Now or Overdue section on the Today screen. If you have activities that will become available later today, you will see these in the Upcoming section and receive a notification when they are ready. For details on completing your activities, see Completing Activities.
If you don’t have activities for today, you will see the message: “No activities available right now. Please check later!”
This section describes how to get started with the DFengage web app. If you’re using the DFengage mobile app, go to Getting Started with DFengage Mobile.
The research team will send you an email or provide you with a link or QR code to access DFengage, for example https://dfengage.dfdiscover.com/?server=explore.dfdiscover.com&api=dfws.dfdiscover.com&username=example&invite. Click the link in the email to open DFengage.
Enter your email address to confirm your account is correctly registered by the research team.
Check your email inbox for a message with the subject line “DFdiscover password reset”. Click the link in that message.
As an alternative to confirming your email address, the research team may provide you with a temporary password to enter the first time you log in to DFengage.
Follow the instructions on the screen to set a new password. Don’t share your password with anyone.
Make sure to remember your password! You will need to enter your password when you return to DFengage later to complete your activities. If you forget your password, click the Forgot Password option on the login page. If you enter an incorrect password too many times, you’ll be temporarily locked out of your account. This protects your data from unauthorized access.
Once you set a new password, you’ll receive an email confirming that your password has changed.
You may be asked to enter a verification code to complete the login process. You will receive an email with the 6-digit security code. The email is sent to the email address registered to your account. Enter the 6-digit security code and click Verify.
The code is unique to your login in the current browser and is valid for 10 minutes. If you do not receive the email or the code is no longer valid, check your spam or junk folders, or you can request another code by clicking Resend Code.
If you are using a personal device, you can choose to enable Trust this browser. By enabling this setting, you will not be asked for another security code for 30 days when using the same browser. If you are using a shared device, do not enable this setting. Two-factor authentication provides an additional layer of security as each login will require a unique security code.
This step may be skipped if no additional languages are made available by the research team, or if the study language is auto-detected from your device language setting (English, Spanish, or French).
The screen will look a little different if you are using DFengage web instead of the DFengage mobile app.
The Today screen shows your activities for today. They are shown in four sections:
If there are no activities in any section, the section is empty and shown in light grey. If the section is not empty, tap the arrow button on the right to open or close the section.
If the research team has provided additional information for an activity, tap ? next to the activity name to see more details.
Tap Start next to any activity to begin.
Follow the instructions for each question to provide the information requested by the research team. Different activities may have different questions, depending on what is required for your research study.
The progress tracker above the question text will show you what question you are currently on and the total number of questions for this activity.
Some questions may have additional information provided by the research team. Tap i to see additional details for this question. Tap x to hide the details.
Once you provide the information, tap Next to go to the next question.
You will not be able to tap the Next button if you leave a required question blank or if you provide a value that does not match the required format. Answer the question or correct your response according to the warning displayed to make the Next button available and continue to the next question.
If you tap Exit (top left), you will leave the activity and return to the Today screen. Your responses so far will be saved, and you can continue the activity later.
If you want to learn more about the activity, tap ? (top right) to see additional details for this activity, if provided by the research team.
When you reach the last question, the Next button will instead show Finish.
When you reach the last question for an activity, tap Finish to complete the activity.
You will be asked to confirm that you are ready to submit your responses. You won’t be able to change your responses once it’s submitted. Tap Yes to submit or No to return to the activity.
After tapping Yes, you will see the Completed screen briefly and then return to the Today screen. The activity you just completed will be listed in the Completed section. If you still have activities in the Overdue or Due Now sections, complete them now.
If you are online in DFengage mobile or using DFengage web when you submit the activity, it will be sent immediately to the DFdiscover server where the research team can review your responses. If you are in DFengage mobile and your device is offline, return to DFengage to send the activity later when you have an internet connection. Go to the History screen to see if any activities are still pending.
On DFengage mobile, you will receive a notification on your device when your next activity is available. At that time, you will need to provide your PIN to continue using DFengage.
On DFengage web, you will receive a notification by email when your next activity is available. At that time, you will need to provide your password to continue using DFengage.
When using the DFengage mobile app, you will receive a notification on your device when a new activity becomes available and when an activity becomes overdue. Click the notification to open DFengage and complete your activities.
If you don’t open DFengage after receiving multiple notifications, you may stop receiving them. Please open DFengage and complete your activities to make sure you keep receiving notifications during your study participation.
If you are not receiving notifications, check your settings to make sure notifications are enabled.
On iPhone, show alerts in your Lock Screen, Notification Center, and Banners, and select the Persistent Banner Style.
If you use Focus modes (such as Do Not Disturb, Sleep, or Work), notifications from DFengage may be silenced or delayed. To ensure you receive DFengage notifications even when a Focus mode is active:
On Android, enable the Pop on screen and Override Do Not Disturb settings, as shown in the examples above. Your phone settings may look different than the ones shown.
On some Android devices, Focus or Bedtime modes may also limit notifications. To make sure DFengage notifications are not paused when those modes are enabled, open that mode’s settings and allow DFengage as an exception for notifications.
To view your responses to completed activities, tap the View button on the History page (which shows all completed activities) or in the Completed section on the Today page (which only shows the activities you completed today).
If the research team made any changes to your responses after you submitted them, you will see the current version of your responses. Contact the research team if you have any concerns.
This feature is only available when you are connected to the internet.
If you don’t have an internet connection on your device, you can still complete your activities and you will continue to receive reminders for new or overdue activities. A red dot is added to the History tab when you have complete activities offline to remind you that they still need to be sent to the study team.
Once you have internet connection again, when you open DFengage and enter your PIN, DFengage will sync with the server, where the research team will be able to see your responses.
You can only review your responses to completed activities when you are online.
If you don’t know or have forgotten your password, you can request a password reset from the login page. Enter your username (if not already provided) and click Forgot Password below the password field. Enter your email address and click Send Email. Check your email inbox for a message containing a link to reset your password. If you don’t receive the email within a few minutes, check your spam or junk folder. Click the link in the email to set a new password. Once your new password is created, you will be logged in to DFengage.
You can only request a new password if your email address is registered in the system. If you receive an error message such as “Password reset failed - Invalid credentials provided” in the Forgot Password dialog, double-check that your username and email address are typed correctly. If you still receive the error, contact the research team to confirm the email address registered with your account.
When using DFengage mobile, you will need to enter your PIN when you reopen DFengage after some time away from it. You will have six attempts to enter the correct PIN. If you enter an incorrect PIN, you will be informed how many attempts you have left.
After four incorrect PIN entries, you will be asked to wait two minutes before entering your PIN again. After the sixth incorrect PIN entry, the app will be reset and you will be logged out. Any activities not yet completed and synced with the server will be deleted from your device, and your activity history will be cleared. This protects your data from unauthorized access.
To continue using DFengage after this happens, you can login again with your username and password and set a new PIN, as described in Getting Started with DFengage Mobile.
On DFengage mobile, your PIN is used to make sure that you are the only person who completes activities in DFengage. Keep your PIN secure and private to you. If you leave DFengage open on your phone, you will be returned to the PIN screen after 20 minutes of inactivity.
On DFengage web, you need to enter your password each time you log in. Keep your password secure and private to you. You will be automatically logged out of DFengage web after 20 minutes of inactivity to keep your account secure.
The only information about you stored in DFengage or sent to the research team are the questions you are asked to complete in your activities.
The DFengage interface is currently available in English, Spanish, and French. The language displayed in the app is based on your device language setting. If you change your device language setting, DFengage will update to display the new language. The DFengage interface is in English if it is unable to match your device language setting.
Separate from the DFengage interface, your activities may be available in languages other than English, Spanish, and French. These languages are determined by the research team. You’ll be asked to select a language during app setup if your device language doesn’t match one of the study languages.
If you need to change your study language later, you’ll need to log out of DFengage and log back in. Make sure you don’t have any partially completed activites on the Today page or Pending activities in the History page before logging out.
When using the DFengage web app, you will need to log out of DFengage each time you’re finished using it. Before logging out, make sure you complete your activities and sync any unsubmitted data to make sure the research team receives it.
To logout on desktop or tablet, click Logout in the top right corner of the screen. To logout when using DFengage web on a smartphone, go to the Settings page and click Logout at the bottom of the screen.
You will be automatically logged out of DFengage after 20 minutes of inactivity to keep your account secure.
When using the DFengage mobile app, only log out of DFengage when you will be completing no further study activities for the research team, if you need to reset your PIN or change your language, or if instructed by the research team.
Make sure you don’t have any partially completed activities on the Today screen or Pending activities on the History screen before logging out, to make sure the research team isn’t missing any of your study data.
When you log out, all data about you is deleted, including your activity history, any responses to activities that were started but not completed, and any Pending activities on the History screen (not yet synced with the server).
If you want to continue using DFengage mobile after logging out, you will need to log in again with your username and password as described in Getting Started with DFengage Mobile.
When you decide to log out, a dialog may warn you that you have changes that have not been synchronized. If this occurs, cancel the logout, and review the following pages to check for changes that have not been sent to the study team.
Today’s Activities Page - On the Today’s Activities page, look for any activity with a Continue button. These are activities where you have answered some questions, but have not completed. Any answers you have provided will be lost if you log out. Complete the activities and click Finish to send the answers to the study team.
History Page - If you completed your activities while offline, or if an issue stopped the activity from being sent to the study team, then the activity will have a Pending status on the History page. Any Pending activities will be lost if you log out. To help prevent this, a red dot is added to the History tab when there are pending activities. In addition, on DFengage web a warning message is shown at the top of the Today’s Activities and History pages, and on desktop or tablets the logout button on the Today’s Activities and History pages is replaced with Sync.
Finally, on DFengage mobile the history of your actions on that device will be lost if you log out. However, the activities you completed are kept by the study team, and can still be viewed on the History page.
Close or dismiss the app, then reopen it and try again. If the problem continues, contact the research team for assistance. Do not delete the app or logout unless you are instructed to do so, to make sure your study data is not lost.
Yes. Activities in DFengage are designed to be completed in one sitting (unless otherwise instructed). However, your responses will not be lost if you stop mid-activity or exit your activity to complete it later. When using the mobile app, the data will be saved to your device until you come back to DFengage and finish the activity. When using the web app, the data will be saved until you log out of DFengage. To finish the activity, tap Continue next to the activity name on the Today screen. You will be returned to the same question where you exited the activity.
However, if you log out of the app (under the Settings tab on mobile), you will lose any activities not yet completed and any pending activities (not synced with the server).
Yes, but only before you tap Finish on the last question in an activity and then tap Yes to submit the activity to the research team.
While completing an activity, tap the Previous button to return to previous questions you completed already. If you make a change to a previous question, you’ll be asked to confirm the change, because the next questions will be cleared so you can answer them again.
Once you complete and submit an activity by tapping Finish and then Yes to confirm, you cannot change your responses in DFengage. Please check with the research team if you need to make changes.
Yes. Tap the View button on the History page (where you can see all your completed activities) or in the Completed section on the Today page (where you can see the activities you completed today).
This feature is not available when you are offline. If the research team made any changes to your responses after you submitted them, you will see the current version of your responses. Contact the research team if you have any concerns.
The PIN is only used in the DFengage mobile app.
PIN is required when reopening the app after 20 minutes of inactivity, if the app was closed or dismissed, or if you restarted your device.
PIN is not required when reopening the app after less than 20 minutes of inactivity or after the device goes to sleep for less than 20 minutes.
If you log out of the mobile app and need to log in again, your username and password is required, and a new PIN must be set, as described in Getting Started with DFengage Mobile. Logging out will delete all data about you, including your activity history and any pending activities.
Once you complete an activity by tapping Finish on the last question and then tap Yes to confirm submission, the completed activity will be displayed in the Completed section on the Today screen and listed on the History screen. However, if you are offline or if the activity was locked by someone on the research team, your data may not be synced with the server yet.
To check this, go to the History screen. If an activity has not yet been received by the server, it will be labelled Pending. If an activity has been received by the server, it will be labelled Sent.
To sync any pending activities with the DFdiscover server, tap the cloud icon or Sync button on the top right. Once the activity is received by the DFdiscover server, the label will update from Pending to Sent. When using the mobile app, an internet connection is required to sync your activities.
In DFenage mobile, if the time zone on your device changes, DFengage will continue sending notifications in your old time zone until you open DFengage for the first time in your new time zone. Once you open DFengage, it will recognize your new time zone and send notifications in your new time zone moving forward.
In DFengage web, notifications are sent based on the DFdiscover system’s time zone and is not affected by your local time zone.
The below sections provides guidance for common messages you will see in DFengage and more unusual problems. Error messages that you see in DFengage include an error code, which will help the research team understand what the problem is and how to solve it.
If you encounter a problem with DFengage, do not uninstall or delete the app or its data, unless the research team tells you to. Instead, follow the guidance based on the problem you’re having. If that doesn’t work, close or dismiss the app and reopen it to try again.
If you continue to have problems, write down the error code and message, take a screenshot, and share the details with the research team so they can help resolve the problem.
This section outlines the common messages you may see in DFengage and what to do about them.
You may see the message “Loading” in the middle of the screen after you login, when you move to a new screen, or after you enter your PIN to open DFengage. This means the app is syncing with the DFdiscover server and updating your data. This is not an error. Loading may take longer on a slow connection or during busy internet traffic times.
Please wait to allow the app to update. If you get stuck or want to try again, close or dismiss the app, then reopen it to try again. Do not delete or uninstall the app.
You may see the message “Activity is currently locked” in the middle of the screen after completing an activity. This means that your activity was completed successfully and saved on your device, but it can’t be saved to the DFdiscover server right now because another person is reviewing your data.
A red dot will be added to the History tab to remind you that this activity still needs to be sent to the study team. On DFengage web you can use the Sync button to try to send the activity again. On DFengage mobile opening the app again will automatically try to send the activity.
On both DFengage web and mobile, make sure you send all your activities before logging out. Activities that have not been sent will be lost when you log out.
On the login page after tapping Login, you may see the message: “Invalid credentials. The username or password you have entered is invalid. Please check and try again.”
Check that your username and password are typed correctly and try again. To check that you have typed your password correctly, click the eye icon in the Password field to show your password. Click the eye icon again to hide it to keep it private.
When using DFengage web, also check that you are using the same browser and device to set a new password that you used to confirm your email address or request a password reset in DFengage. If you use a different browser or device, or switch to a private or incognito window in your browser, DFengage may not correctly identify the DFdiscover server you are connecting to and therefore not recognize your username and password.
On the login page after tapping Login, you may see the message: “The server you have entered is invalid. Please check and try again.”
Check that the server and API are typed correctly, according to the information provided by the research team, and try again.
On the login page in the Forgot Password dialog, after entering your username and email address, you may see the message: “Password reset failed - Invalid credentials provided.”
Check that your username and email address are typed correctly. If you still receive the error, contact the research team to confirm the email address registered with your account.
On the Set New Password page in DFengage web, after setting a new password and tapping Create Password, you may see the message: “Request did not include required parameters.”
Your new password is correctly set, but DFengage is not able to log you in to your study. Check that you are using the same browser and device to set a new password that you used to confirm your email address or request a password reset in DFengage. If you use a different browser or device, or switch to a private or incognito window in your browser, DFengage is missing necessary information to connect you to your study.
If possible, return to the DFengage login page and login with your new password. Otherwise, repeat the invite or forgot password process while using the same browser and device.
You may receive a warning or error message if anything goes wrong in the app. Each message includes an error code to help you and the research team figure out how to solve the issue. If you continue to have problems, write down the error code and message, take a screenshot, and share the details with the research team so they can help resolve the problem.