FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
If your questions are not answered here, then please visit our support community where you may obtain more help.
We also have a Twitter account where we post details of any current problems with the service.
Q. How often will I receive new content?
A. There will be a new Small Chair piece once a week, and new Internet Tendency things almost every day.
Q. How do I know when new content is ready?
A. When a new Small Chair item is available, you’ll receive a Push Notification: the badge count on the McSweeney’s app icon will increase, and you might hear a little sound. Launching the app will download the new content. (If nothing new is visible in the Small Chair section, then it is probably still downloading.) Check the Downloads section (accessible via the Subscription button) to see the progress of any current downloads.
There are no Push Notifications for Internet Tendency articles.
Q. I’m not yet a subscriber, but I want the thing you just sent out. Am I too late?
A. You are not too late -- new subscribers will automatically receive the current week’s Small Chair content.
Q. Do I need to be online to view the content?
A. No -- you need a connection to download the material, but that’s it.
Q. Can I get past Small Chair content from before my subscription began?
A. No, sorry -- that content is now available only via store.mcsweeneys.net. However, new subscriptions will begin with the current week’s content, even if it has already been sent.
Q. Is the Small Chair content also available online?
A. Nope, almost never. This is special material, from our print issues and generally nowhere else.
Q. Why do I need a network connection when I first run the app?
A. The first time the application is run, it registers with our servers. This is so we can allocate you the subscription period included with the original purchase and give you access to future content.
After the app has been run once, a network connection is no longer required. New content will only be downloaded if one is present, but you will be able to view existing content offline.
Q. How do I stop very large content downloads taking place over 3G?
A. Most of our Small Chair items will be between 2 MB and 10 MB, although films may be larger. (Note: nothing is downloaded unless the app is running, so if you don’t want to use your provider-specific data allowance, then make sure you’re connected to Wi-Fi before launching.)
However, there is also a 3G threshold setting in the application preferences (accessed by tapping the small (i) at the top of the main menu). This will stop any item larger than the threshold from being downloaded while connected via 3G (including an EDGE connection). The default setting is 6 MB.
Q. Can I delete Internet Tendency articles and Small Chair items?
A. You can delete content by swiping along the row and tapping 'Delete'. If you later decide you want something back, you can restore all deleted items by choosing the appropriate option from the application preferences.
While all Small Chair items are retained indefinitely (until deleted by you), the Internet Tendency section has a maximum number of articles that are kept. Once the count reaches this point, old content will automatically be deleted. The default setting for this 50 articles, but that too can be changed in the preferences.
Q. Why do some Internet Tendency articles reappear at the top of the list even if I’ve deleted them?
A. Sometimes the larger, list-based sections are updated with new content. If this happens, the old version is removed from your device and the new version appears at the top again. This happens even if you have deleted a previous version.
Q. What happens if I delete the app and reinstall?
A. If the app is removed from your device, then all your existing content and preferences are also deleted. If you then reinstall at a later date, the app will automatically download all of your available Small Chair items again. Note that subscriptions continue to run even if app is removed and you will not receive a second inclusive period if you remove and reinstall.
If you restore your device from an iTunes backup then your content and preferences should also be restored.
Q. What happens if I install the app to a second device?
A. Following Apple’s In App Purchase guidelines, subscription purchases are per-device. This means if you have multiple devices, or upgrade to a new device, then your subscription periods will be not be carried over. You will, however, receive the same inclusive initial period you got when you first bought the app, on all other devices linked to your iTunes account.
If you restore an old iTunes backup to a new device (typically when upgrading or replacing a lost or damaged device) and the app stops functioning, then you should manually delete and reinstall the McSweeney’s app to clear the settings and association with your previous device.
Q. How do I extend my Small Chair subscription?
A. A further six months can be added to your subscription from within the app through In App Purchase technology. Simply navigate to the Subscription section (network connection required) and tap the price tag twice. Purchasing an extra subscription works in the same way as buying music from iTunes or other apps from the App Store on your device, with all payments going through your Apple iTunes account.
Q. When can I buy an extra subscription period?
A. You can buy extra periods at any time; the extra days will be appended to whenever your current subscription is due to expire. If you would like to secure a full decade of stimulation, simply renew nineteen times, immediately. If you buy a new period when your old subscription has completely lapsed, it will start right away.
Q. What happens if my subscription expires?
A. If your Small Chair subscription expires, then you’ll simply stop receiving new content. All existing content will remain accessible on your device, and you will continue to receive updates from the Internet Tendency.
An alert icon will be shown at the top of the Small Chair section when you have fewer than 14 days remaining and you’ll receive one Push Notification alert when there are fewer than 24 hours to go.
Q. Why do I swipe right-to-left to turn the page, but then the page flips upwards?
A. Yeah, that’s kind of weird.
Q. Why do some pages scroll and other pages flip?
A. We’re trying to echo the original format of the content, with a balance between convenience and design. Text from the Internet Tendency (and other informational bits) scroll; books and stories flip. We’re still working out the best ways to create a pleasant reading experience -- please let us know if you have any suggestions.
Q. Can I get the full text of your publications on my device?
A. No; for that, your best bet is still good old paper. Visit store.mcsweeneys.net for a full selection and special deals.
