Available December 1: LEGO® Education SPIKE™ App 3
Published
Here’s everything you need to know about the new LEGO® Education SPIKE™ App 3 available as of December 1, 2022. In addition to new and exciting features, there’s a few important updates you’ll want to plan for ahead of launch.
The LEGO® Education SPIKE™ App 3 is an entirely new app for the LEGO® Education SPIKE™ portfolio and will be available as both a Web App and download on December 1, 2022. It is both a firmware and software upgrade and was built with the classroom experience in mind. The SPIKE App 3 is a powerful tool to help teachers facilitate engaging, hands-on STEAM learning in the classroom. It is for use with both SPIKE™ Prime and SPIKE™ Essential.
New features in the SPIKE App 3 include the following benefits:
Easy wireless connection means students can start working on lessons faster allowing them to spend more time engaging and learning. Additionally, wireless connections through Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) are more straightforward and faster.
Wireless Connections
Wireless connections through Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) are more straightforward and faster and available for all platforms and SPIKE sets. This includes wireless connection for SPIKE Prime for web app users!
Improved Firmware Upgrade
Updating firmware is now much faster for SPIKE Prime. Students can continue to work on their coding during the upgrade.
Enhanced Model Movement Prediction
With more precise motor movement and enhanced programming possibilities students can bring models to life with more accuracy and predictability than ever before.
Simplified Motor and Movement Blocks
Simplified options for motor and movement blocks makes coding more intuitive to empower students to test, debug and optimize their designs.
Support for Bigger User Programs
More Hub memory supports bigger user programs which allows advanced users and competition teams to string longer code together to solve missions more effectively.
Not sure if you should upgrade right away? We recommend thinking about how you typically use your SPIKE solution.
I am a classroom educator and typically follow LEGO® Education Lessons and use word or icon blocks with my SPIKE Essential or SPIKE Prime sets.
You should upgrade to SPIKE App 3 when it is available. The new features and benefits will enhance the classroom experience for you and your students. If you are in the middle of a Unit or Lesson, wait until you’ve completed that module before upgrading though, as some of the blocks have changed.
I am a more advanced user or on a competition team and reuse/revisit saved programs, or I code directly in Python.
It is best to wait to upgrade as your programs will not be compatible with SPIKE App 3. Competition teams using Chromebooks and the SPIKE Web App can access a Legacy version of SPIKE App 2 by visiting: SPIKElegacy.LEGOEducation.com.
SPIKE App 2 will continue to be available for download as a legacy app through the end of June 2023. Find the legacy SPIKE App 2 here: https://education.lego.com/en-us/downloads/spike-legacy-app/software.
Last Update: December 8, 2022 at 17:15 ET
New features in the SPIKE App 3 include the following benefits:
- Faster connection to the SPIKE Prime Hub
- Wireless connection on all platforms
- Improved firmware upgrade for SPIKE Prime
- Increased predictability of the model movement
- Support for bigger user programs
- Simplified motor and movement blocks
Key Attributes
Faster Hub ConnectionEasy wireless connection means students can start working on lessons faster allowing them to spend more time engaging and learning. Additionally, wireless connections through Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) are more straightforward and faster.
Wireless Connections
Wireless connections through Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) are more straightforward and faster and available for all platforms and SPIKE sets. This includes wireless connection for SPIKE Prime for web app users!
Improved Firmware Upgrade
Updating firmware is now much faster for SPIKE Prime. Students can continue to work on their coding during the upgrade.
Enhanced Model Movement Prediction
With more precise motor movement and enhanced programming possibilities students can bring models to life with more accuracy and predictability than ever before.
Simplified Motor and Movement Blocks
Simplified options for motor and movement blocks makes coding more intuitive to empower students to test, debug and optimize their designs.
Support for Bigger User Programs
More Hub memory supports bigger user programs which allows advanced users and competition teams to string longer code together to solve missions more effectively.
Prepare for Upgrade
The SPIKE App 3 is a great upgrade for most users. There are a few things to know before upgrading from the current SPIKE App 2.- Projects are incompatible across the two app versions. User programs created and saved in the current SPIKE App 2 will not work in SPIKE App 3 and vice versa.
- Python will not be part of the initial SPIKE App 3 launch. Advanced users and competitions teams should wait with upgrading to SPIKE App 3 until the future release when the Python API is added.
Not sure if you should upgrade right away? We recommend thinking about how you typically use your SPIKE solution.
I am a classroom educator and typically follow LEGO® Education Lessons and use word or icon blocks with my SPIKE Essential or SPIKE Prime sets.
You should upgrade to SPIKE App 3 when it is available. The new features and benefits will enhance the classroom experience for you and your students. If you are in the middle of a Unit or Lesson, wait until you’ve completed that module before upgrading though, as some of the blocks have changed.
I am a more advanced user or on a competition team and reuse/revisit saved programs, or I code directly in Python.
It is best to wait to upgrade as your programs will not be compatible with SPIKE App 3. Competition teams using Chromebooks and the SPIKE Web App can access a Legacy version of SPIKE App 2 by visiting: SPIKElegacy.LEGOEducation.com.
Availability and Timeline
The SPIKE App 3 is available as of December 1, 2022 as a downloadable native app and as a Web App and can be found by visiting: https://education.lego.com/en-us/downloads/spike-app/software.SPIKE App 2 will continue to be available for download as a legacy app through the end of June 2023. Find the legacy SPIKE App 2 here: https://education.lego.com/en-us/downloads/spike-legacy-app/software.
Last Update: December 8, 2022 at 17:15 ET
Blog Product and Solution Updates
11/15/2022 12:04pm EST
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Is there a way to stream the code in the latest Spike 3 app? We are building battle bots and want to be able to tap code to drive them with the iPad. The previous version allowed streaming the code that would be a work around for us to be able to move in different directions when the code was clicked. I am not seeing the streaming capability on the Spike 3 App. Maybe I am missing it. Thank you for any help you can provide.
Hi,
I am FLL / WRO robotics coach for 10 years now. these are my inputs and suggestions
We need the following improvements and add-ons in the upcoming updates:
From what I know, my students who migrated from NXT to EV3 (predecessor) were amazed by the possibilities they had to make amazing robots.
We can speculate what the EV4 features will be like, but don't search for EV6 Mindstorm as you will end up finding information about its non-existence.
Mindstorm has always been ahead of its time compared to other platforms, which have not been able to perfect themselves. Collaboration with them is not the answer. The EV3 predecessor was able to do everything without any add-ons, and it spoke seamlessly to all other platforms.
So disappointed !!! 😔
I have upgraded one robot, but now, I'm not able to downgrade this robot.
At school, there is only Spike 2 available, so I can't use this robot !
Do you know a procedure to downgrade the firmware ? because I get an error by connecting the robot with Spike 2.
Maybe using python ?
Moreover, green HUB is now incompatible, so I need 2 softwares instead 1…
it is certain that this lock is voluntary, but I spend more than 2000€, because all material was compatible, I now it's lock … 😤
I found a solution for downgrade firmware :
How come my hub disconnects or won't run more than once without restarting the app?
How come it takes up to 2 minutes to start the program (tried multiple computers with same results), then stops part way through the program?
Why can't I change my color sensor to reflet and motor to relative position in spike 3.0?
Thanks, @Dafydd Machin-Kocon for the response.
Same Problem as Ralph Copley, we only have Robot inventor Hub and us spike OS, since we are a google chrome school. Works good, but now we cannot update the Robot inventor hub to version Spike 3.0 Help.
That's realy strange to say that there is a technical limitation …
I think that's a business strategy : separate education and home products
So why is not possible to downgrade the firmware ???
Hi @Ron Bruurs , @Ralph Copley ,
Thank you for your messages. Spike App 3 is not compatible with Robot Inventor Hubs due to technical limitations, so you will not be able to update the firmware on these Hubs. You can continue to use Robot Inventor Hubs with the Spike App Legacy, and the Hub will then also remain compatible with the Robot Inventor system. SPIKE Legacy App | Student App Download | LEGO® Education
Please note that if you update Spike Prime Hubs to Spike App 3, then they will no longer compatible with the Robot Inventor system.
I hope that this is of help, and please let us know if there are any questions.
Kind regards,
Dafydd Machin-Kocon
Test Manager Quality Assurance
LEGO Education
I have a mix of Spike Prime HUBs and the Robot Inventor HUBs which worked fine with the SPIKE “Legacy” application. The Robot Inventor HUBs have the latest Firmware installed by the SPIKE “Legacy” application. When I try to use Robot Invertor HUBs with SPIKE 3.0 application, the application sees the HUB and prompts me to update… when I select to update the HUB the software says an error occurred and the HUB simply disconnects. This happens regardless if whether I use a USB or a Bluetooth connection. Is SPIKE 3.0 application compatible with the Robot Inventor HUB?
Good Morning, I said that in the app2, there is some troubles with percentage of force sensor. Indeed, it return a multiple of 10% (10%, 20%,…) and not 23% for example… I made some device for steam projects and it was difficult to work well with this trouble… I hope you fix it in app3