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📲 Manage authentication sessions in the Student app and webviews

This guide explains how the Student app manages logins (SSO, ENT, third-party tools) to ensure a seamless user experience while complying with your institution's security policies.

Written by Elliot Boucher

🏗️ Understanding the 3 session levels

To diagnose connection behavior, it is necessary to distinguish between three independent technical layers that coexist within the application.

Session Type

Role

Persistence

Student Session

Maintains access to the Edusign app.

Long duration (until manually disconnected).

SSO Session

Managed by your institution (CAS, Azure AD).

It depends on the school's security policy.

Webview Session

Manages access to internal tools (ENT, Webmail).

Shared among all the micro-apps in the app.

Note: Do not confuse WebView (the app's built-in browser) with the external browser (Safari, Chrome). They do not share any connection data.

⚙️ How Authentication Works

1. Logging In to the Student App

When a user opens the app for the first time:

  1. The application generates a unique session token associated with the device.

  2. If SSO is enabled, the application redirects the user to the institution's login page.

  3. Once logged in, the user remains logged in unless they change their password or log out manually.

2. Access to Third-Party Tools (ENT, Webmail)

External tools open in a single WebView within the app.

  • Session Sharing: If a student logs in to the digital learning platform, their session is automatically recognized when they open their webmail in the app (provided both use the same SSO).

  • Mobile Isolation: If the student is already logged in to the digital learning platform on Safari, they will still need to log in again the first time they use the Student App.

🔍 Troubleshoot Disconnections

✅ Normal behaviors

It is normal for the app to request re-authentication in the following cases:

  • Your institution's security policy (IdP) requires you to log in again after a specified period of time (e.g., every 24 hours).

  • The student changed his password.

  • The student uses the tool on a new device.

⚠️ Abnormal behavior

If the connection drops several times a day for no apparent reason:

  1. Make sure the Student App is up to date in the App Store or the Play Store.

  2. Verify that the SSO configuration complies with our technical guidelines.

🛠️ If the problem persists

If the session issue persists after the update, contact Edusign Support and provide the following information:

  • School ID (available in your administration system).

  • Email address of the student in question.

  • Type of SSO used (e.g., CAS, Azure AD, Shibboleth).

  • Location of the problem: Specify whether the disconnection affects the entire application or only a specific micro-app (ENT, Webmail).

💡 Best Practices for Administration

  • Standardization: Use the same identity provider (IdP) for all integrated services to maximize student convenience.

  • Communication: Inform students that an initial two-factor authentication (App + Webview) is required upon startup.

  • Testing: Regularly test the workflows using a "Test" account to verify the lifespan of the SSO tokens.

Tip: For technical configuration details, see our article: [Configuring CAS SSO] or [Understanding SSO Login in Webviews].

For further information, visit our help center.

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