Open a shared canvas on mobile

Shared canvas links still follow permissions

Opening a shared canvas on mobile is usually simple: tap the link, sign in if asked, and review or comment. The important part is access. A shared link can be public, workspace-only, limited to named people, view-only, comment-only, or edit-enabled. Mobile follows those rules.

If a link does not open, do not assume the mobile app is broken. The link may require a different account, the share may have been revoked, the canvas may have moved or been deleted, or your workspace membership may have changed.

Availability

Open the link

1. Tap the canvas link from email, chat, calendar, or another app.
2. If prompted, open it in ALLO.
3. Sign in with the account that was invited or granted access.
4. Review the canvas, comment, or edit if allowed.

If the link opens in a browser first, that is not automatically a problem. Sign in and continue, or open the link from the ALLO app if your device offers that option.

Choose the right account

If a teammate shared the canvas with your work email, sign in with that work email. If you sign in with a personal email, ALLO sees a different account and may deny access.

This is the most common shared-link failure. Before asking the owner to resend the link, compare the email address shown in mobile with the email address that received the invite or share.

Understand access levels

Mobile can still hide or simplify complex editing controls. If you have edit permission but the task is precise or heavy, open the canvas in web or desktop.

For the full sharing model behind those access levels, see Share a canvas and Roles and access.

If the canvas opens read-only

Read-only can be correct. The owner may have shared view-only access, your role may not allow editing, the canvas may be locked by its current state, or mobile may not expose the control you expected.

Use When work is read-only to check permissions. Ask the owner to change access only if you are supposed to edit.

If the link says you cannot access it

Possible causes include:

For full access recovery, see When you can't access work.

Comments from a shared link

If you have comment access, use mobile comments to ask questions in context. If you do not see comment controls, you may only have view access, the comment thread may be closed, or the mobile surface may not expose the control in the place you expected.

For comment behavior, see Use comments on mobile.

Handoff to desktop or web

Use desktop or web when the canvas is large, the edit requires precise placement, the file is difficult to inspect on a small screen, or you need billing controls. Export, print, and workspace settings can work on mobile when your account and workspace allow them, but a larger screen may still be more comfortable. The same link should work on desktop if the same account has access.

If the link works on desktop but not mobile with the same account, update the mobile app and contact support if it still fails.

Troubleshooting shared mobile links

When to contact support

Contact support if the owner confirms you have access, the same account opens the link on web or desktop, and the latest mobile app still fails. Include the link, account email, workspace name, device model, OS version, app version if visible, and screenshot of the error.