Premium Membership and Smartphone Caching

[+The Caching Coulters]

I ask because I was out with a friend in an area I was unfamiliar with and he used his Droid with the official caching app and he was able to find the nearest cache, get turn by turn directions and log his visit all from his phone.

 

The only thing it wasn't great at was at the cache site. It didn't have a compass so you had to walk around until it zeroed in.

 

So if one caches with a smartphone and a caching app why would you need a premium membership?

[+Chrysalides]

So if one caches with a smartphone and a caching app why would you need a premium membership?

Access to the off-topic forums.

 

I haven't used any of the phone apps, so I can't answer this seriously. I'm curious, though.

[+coffee/wired]

I think most people who cache with their phones use pocket queries, and you need a premium membership for those.

[+The Caching Coulters]

I think most people who cache with their phones use pocket queries, and you need a premium membership for those.

 

He didn't need a PQ. He was able to use the app to find the nearest caches.

[+coffee/wired]

If you/him want to create a route or use pocket queries, you need premium memberships. Those have little to do with smart phones, but you would need a premium membership if you wanted to use those two things with your smartphone. I've never done either so I'm probably not explaining it well.

[+geodarts]

The smartphone will pick up the nearest caches when you are within network coverage. But the pocket queries that come with premium membership will allow you to find caches in places where the phone can't reach. There are also apps that allow you to filter the pqs and look for specific types of caches. And if you decide to use a dedicated gpsr the pqs on the smartphone will complement that very nicely.

[+Walts Hunting]

They break down into two classes.

 

Those that find the nearest cache by querying GC. Such as GeoNavigator. They do not need a premium.

 

Most of the applications require you to load a PQ in some form either to the phone or to bcaching.com where the phone app gets the info. They require a premium because you need the PQ>

[+Casting Crowns]

Also, if interested, you get the email notifications for "FTF" hunts. But then there's that ol' standby of SUPPORTING a great website/game!

[Andronicus]

There is no Official App for Android.

 

Anyway, no you don't need a PM to use a smartphone. A PM will help if you want to do PQs. A lot of smartphone apps do screen captures of the website, and harvest the info that way. Therefore they do not need PQs. Groundspeak has told us that this violates the Terms of Use (TOU). So, realy, you should get a PM and use PQs.

[+The Caching Coulters]

There is no Official App for Android.

 

Anyway, no you don't need a PM to use a smartphone. A PM will help if you want to do PQs. A lot of smartphone apps do screen captures of the website, and harvest the info that way. Therefore they do not need PQs. Groundspeak has told us that this violates the Terms of Use (TOU). So, realy, you should get a PM and use PQs.

 

Well that explains it. I wondered why GC.com would put out an app that would let you get all the info needed to cache without a premium membership.

 

For the record I do have a PM and use a dedicated GPSr, PQ's, GSAK, and an Itouch for paperless. That's a lot of work just to go find caches.

 

Being able to go out with just a phone and maybe a GPSr and still do everything I do currently looks very attractive.

[+Lil Devil]

I beg to differ. There is an official app for Android. But it's still in beta right now. Your friend is probably one of the hundred or so people that is beta testing it.

 

You said, "The only thing it wasn't great at was at the cache site. It didn't have a compass..." Yep, that's the beta of the official app. The compass is horribly broken in the current beta version. They're working on that.

 

All that said, there are plenty of other reasons to become a Premium Member, most of which have already been mentioned. But on the other hand, the official app is going to run about $10 (one-time) so Groundspeak will still get something out of you.

[Andronicus]

But on the other hand, the official app is going to run about $10 (one-time) so Groundspeak will still get something out of you.

I suspect it will be somewhat like live.geocaching where BM only get the nearest 5 caches, while PM get all caches in the current map veiw. Something like that.

[+Lil Devil]

I suspect it will be somewhat like live.geocaching where BM only get the nearest 5 caches, while PM get all caches in the current map veiw. Something like that.

Now I'm curious. Is the official iPhone app like that? Does it differentiate between basic and premium members? Anyone with an iPhone know?