LEGO® Education SPIKE™ App

The SPIKE App

Which coding language is the SPIKE App built on?

The SPIKE App uses an intuitive drag-and-drop coding language that’s based on Scratch. Some of the blocks are identical to the ones that are used in Scratch 3.0, while others have been specially developed to interact with the SPIKE Prime hardware.

Are the programs created in the SPIKE App compatible with Scratch 3.0?
No, you can't use programs created in the SPIKE App with Scratch 3.0 (and vice versa).

Which operating systems are compatible with SPIKE Prime?
The SPIKE App is available for Win10, Chrome OS, iOS, Android, and macOS. .

Why isn't SPIKE Prime available for Windows 7?
Microsoft implemented Windows 7 “end of life” in January 2020, meaning that it has discontinued all support, including paid support; and all updates, including security updates. LEGO Education has therefore decided to focus on Windows 10.

Why is there no USB support for the Chromebook version of the SPIKE App?
SPIKE Prime has been brought to Chromebooks as a “Ported Android App,” which Google recommends as the most sustainable. Currently, Ported Android Apps don't support USB connectivity.

Which version of Python is used in the SPIKE App?
The Python editor in the app uses MicroPython, which is an efficient and commonly used version of the Python language that's optimized to run on microcontrollers or small computers. The majority of Python's language features are found in MicroPython. However, MicroPython doesn't contain the entire Python library by default.

App Updates

We regularly release app updates to keep our software up to date, including bug fixes and new features.
Keep in mind that installing and updating SPIKE App software requires administrator rights. App updates are performed as follows:

Windows and macOS

Users are directed to https://education.lego.com/downloads, from where they can download and install the new release. Windows users can also download the update from the Windows Store.

iOS, Android and ChromeOS

If users have enabled auto updates in their app store configuration, updates are downloaded and installed automatically. If not, they will be required to manually update their app from within the relevant store.

Content Updates

Updates to curriculum unit plan content can be carried out using the following methods:

1. If enabled, users can trigger a unit plan update directly from the update notification within the app.
2. Users can update the content of a unit plan from within the unit plan overview, if the “Update available” button is visible.

Notifications

Notifications are a useful way of letting users know that an update is available or required. Enabled within the app settings page, notifications are sent when

1. a critical bug fix or feature release is available (non-critical bug fixes will not trigger a notification);
2. a content update to a downloaded unit plan is available; or
3. a user is required to update the Hub, because the app and HubOS versions are not compatible with each other (this notification cannot be disabled).

HubOS Updates

When a user connects a Hub to their device, the app verifies that it is compatible with the HubOS version. If not, the app notifies the user that a HubOS is required before they can continue.