we don't know what the app is, she said it was to clock in and out. I have no idea how long it has been in use, if its widespread already, and for all purposes its not ideal to ignore the guidelines without reading them.

Now, I'm making assumptions as well. Maybe she didn't receive such e-mail, she is not sure. Maybe the app has been in use for a while and they discussed things there before, which would play in her favour.

I'm just playing devil's advocate here in the sense that we can't 100% put blame here or there. If she escalates and something in these lines is wrong, she may end without a job.