Why you are seeing this
Browser privacy settings can block cookies, pop-ups, or cross-site content that VitalSource needs inside Blackboard Ultra. If you see “launch unsuccessful” or similar errors, find your browser below and adjust the settings to allow the materials to load.
URLs to allow when a browser asks for a site:
- https://blackboard.com (in Google Chrome, https://[*.]blackboard.com works best)
- bc.vitalsource.com
Open the Google Chrome settings by clicking the 3 vertical dots in the top right corner of the window, and navigate to the Privacy and security tab. Click Third party cookies.
Under Sites allowed to use third-party cookies, click the Add button.
Type in the URL of the site you wish to allow third-party cookies for, and click Add.
URLs to add:
- https://[*.]blackboard.com
- bc.vitalsource.com
Open the settings of the browser by clicking the 3 horizontal dots at the top right corner of the window. Click on the Privacy, search, and services tab on the left-hand side. From there, click on Cookies.
Find the Allowed to save cookies section, and click Add site.
Type in the URL of the site you wish to add to this list, and click Add.
URLs to add:
- https://blackboard.com
- bc.vitalsource.com
1) Allow pop-ups for Blackboard
Open the settings in Safari by clicking the Apple icon at the top left corner of the screen, selecting Safari settings, and click the Websites tab. On the left of the window, scroll down until you see Pop-up Windows.
Make sure Blackboard and any other sites that need the permission are set to Allow. Setting When visiting other websites to Block and Notify lets you choose to allow a site when the pop-up is blocked.
2) Turn off “Prevent Cross-Site Tracking”
Click the Privacy tab at the top of the window. Deselect Prevent cross-site tracking in the Website tracking section. Also confirm Hide IP Address is not restricting the site.
Back to top1) Turn off “Prevent Cross-Site Tracking”
Open the Settings app, tap Apps, and scroll down to Safari. In the Privacy & Security section, turn off Prevent Cross-Site Tracking. The slider will be grey when the option is off.
2) Turn off “Block All Cookies”
Settings → Apps → Safari → Advanced → Block All Cookies set to Off.
3) Turn off Content Blockers for Blackboard
In Safari, tap the “aA” or puzzle icon in the address bar and choose Turn Off Content Blockers for the site.
Back to topOpen the Firefox settings menu by clicking the 3 horizontal lines at the top right corner of the window. Select Privacy & Security from the left-hand side of the screen, and scroll down until you see the Permissions section (about halfway down the page). Click Manage pop-up and third-party redirect exceptions.
Add the site that you want to allow to redirect to 3rd party sites with pop-ups, and click Save Changes.
URLs to add:
- https://blackboard.com
- bc.vitalsource.com
Enable cross-website tracking for the app on iOS or iPadOS:
- Open Settings
- Scroll to Apps and tap Blackboard
- Turn on Allow Cross-Website Tracking
VitalSource cookie policy
VitalSource requires cookies inside Blackboard Ultra. If cookies are blocked, materials will not load. View policy
Still need help
Send a screenshot of the error to tmcdonald@textbookbrokers.com.
You can also view UA-PTC's official guide: Allowing 3rd Party Cookies from various websites