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Release Notes (Geocaching Intro is now Geocaching® app) March 9, 2016


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Most missing features from the "classic" app when looking at the new one for me:

 

  • Support for Open Street Map and Open Cycle Map with a possibility to save the maps to offline. Without it the app is basically completely useless for a person who caches a lot abroad. Data roaming prices may kill.
  • Saving Pocket Queries to offline. As above.
  • Submitting different types of logs.
  • Showing the tracking codes of the trackables one has in the inventory. When dropping one to a cache I look at its number and I should be able to quickly find it on the inventory list.

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Read previous Release Notes

 

Release Notes - March 9, 2016

 

A new name for the grown-up Geocaching Intro app

 

With the addition of advanced tools, 'Geocaching Intro' has officially outgrown its name. It has been renamed to the Geocaching® app — an app we made for Premium members.

 

To differentiate the new Geocaching® app from the older paid app, we have changed the paid app's name to 'Geocaching Classic'.

 

We want to create a single geocaching experience on mobile that can do both: serve as a simple introduction to the game and unlock the full geocaching experience with Premium membership. This is a request we've heard from players for a long time and is something we've come to agree with: your Premium Membership should include all the best geocaching tools.

 

With the new Geocaching® app, you will have all the features an experienced geocacher needs, such as live search, Message Center, trackables and, most recently, geocache lists.

 

What's happening with the Geocaching Classic app?

 

On March 23, 2016, the Geocaching Classic app will no longer be available to purchase or download in the Apple or Google Play stores. For those who currently have the app, it will be supported at least through June 2016. We will keep you updated in case anything changes along the way.

 

All of the Geocaching Classic app's features are either already included or are coming soon in the Geocaching® app. In addition, we've made significant improvements to those features. Stay tuned for information on upcoming releases.

 

In the long run, we believe this is the right direction for both seasoned geocachers and new players alike, as we aim to meet everyone's geocaching needs. We are grateful to you for sticking with us through these changes and we promise to keep you updated on the future improvements. If you haven't already, download the Geocaching® app (Apple) (Android) and give it a try!

 

Find more information about these changes in this Help Center FAQ.

 

(HQ's Marketing Team will watch this thread in order to address questions when possible.)

Here is some.

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=337780&pid=5569716&st=0entry5569716

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It currently seems silly to turn off ability to download the 'classic' app when there are features (some of which as indicated by a number of posters a glaring ommisions) from 'the new' app that are only indicated as 'coming soon' said new Geocaching® app.

I guess it at least stops people being ripped off by buying an app with no future... but until the other app catches up, maybe making it a free download instead would be more appropriate?

 

At any rate, the old app won't stop working right away, so if you're used to it, you can keep on using it... and the newbies will never know what they are missing, and will continue to TFTC all the things...

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I started out using the intro app when I started in August, having read the reviews of the paid app (now classic) I stayed clear. Then I went to an event and got chatting to other cachers and learnt how they used the app. So I tried the classic app and whilst I disliked its older clunky interface to begin with I got used to it.

 

I'm a developer myself so I understand how these things come about and timescales are an elastic concept when the userbase wants everything today but you need to sleep and eat (and most importantly drink coffee) as well as code. So I appreciate that this current release of the "new" app is very much a work in progress. However it is clear there are a number of features that require to be ported to the new app before people will abandon the classic one. Since it's helpful to have a checklist to work through here's mine.

 

1. Already indicates as comming but here for completeness - saving a list offline. INCLUDING option for OpenStreetMaps and OpenCycleMaps - actually option to add your own map server URL would be even better as this would allow ofline saving of OS maps for UK.

2. The ability to save a log for later. When out caching there's no guarantee of a signal the paid app allows logging and saving until back on a wifi signal - this not only saves painful upload time but avoids using up data for individuals on low usage caps.

3. The ability to add favourite points when creating a log.

4. The ability to add inventory trackable visits when creating a log.

5. Searches by location name, by near my location, by cache name etc as per classic app. Planning a visit somewhere it is very useful to search at that location then save the nearby caches offline. Thus when you turn up at the location you can go caching without being concerned about a signal in the location.

6. Saving searches as 5. above to an offline list - doesn't need to save to list on website though.

7. Various filters to limit caches shown on map. By default ignored caches should be ignored, filters for premium caches, by username, by type, by D/T etc would all be useful.

8. Personal cache notes these need to be available.

9. Ability to refresh list data that is saved offline. Having to refresh individual caches on the classic app is a right pain.

10. Ability to add field notes

11. Open notifications in app - note I appreciate this is almost certainly an issue with the notifications email and might not be fixed until after the old app dies.

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Just want to add a huge "me too" to those who have mentioned the lack of the OpenCycleMap option. Also the ability to save caches offline - although that has been specifically mentioned as in-progress already.

 

I can probably get used to the new layout and it's nice to see some active development on the app, bringing things like messaging into the mobile.

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I use an iPhone 6 for caching almost all the time now. With this release, I am finding that the New Cache Notifications that contain a link that looks like the following no longer allow me to jump to either the newer caching app or the classic app. When I select that link in my message it now only opens the webpage in Safari for the cache and will not ask me if I want the webpage or the app.

 

Is this feature gone or just an oversight?

 

http://coord.info/GC6CVK2

 

happening here too. device is the latest generation ipod touch

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I use an iPhone 6 for caching almost all the time now. With this release, I am finding that the New Cache Notifications that contain a link that looks like the following no longer allow me to jump to either the newer caching app or the classic app. When I select that link in my message it now only opens the webpage in Safari for the cache and will not ask me if I want the webpage or the app.

 

Is this feature gone or just an oversight?

 

http://coord.info/GC6CVK2

 

happening here too. device is the latest generation ipod touch

 

Same problem here on the 6s+

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I’m a longtime premium user. For the past few years, I’ve cached exclusively using my iPhone (now 6, but I used a 3GS and a 5) and the paid app. I often create offline lists because I’m often in areas where I don’t have data access. I hear you that this capability will be added by the end of March. I hope that means you are in final testing rather than in development.

 

A feature I’ve been intending to request is the ability to refresh an entire list’s data on demand. I’d use this by asking to refresh a longtime list’s data when I am connected at home rather than out in the field. On the current paid app, I have to refresh each one.

 

I just ran a pocket query and it missed one cache I wanted included. I see that the new app downloaded the pocket query. But there seems to be no way to add a cache to a list from the new app. I can’t map the list to see it. There’s no indication that I can save it for offline use (again, you say that feature will appear soon). When I’m off in the woods where data access is spotty, will I be able to look for for those caches? (Yes, I will because I downloaded the pocket query on the old app and saved it to an offline list.)

 

I like the notifications with the message center. It’s already been handy. However, the badge icon has a 1 just sitting there even though I have read all the messages. I had to quit the app and restart to make it go away.

 

I liked that I could copy some coordinates from a log and paste them into a new waypoint. The dials in the old app were cute but clunky. Being able to see and edit all the info in one place seems to be useful. We will see how it works in the field. I just tried saving a new waypoint, and the app crashed (it saved three copies of my test waypoint). I’d like to be able to see the adjusted waypoints on a map.

 

I’m looking through the forums (which I generally haven’t read much over the years), and see that you have some threads about offline use. I gather than means you’re listening to us about offline needs. Thank you. We will get used to the new app, but some functionality is vital.

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Hi everyone,

 

I'm the Mobile Development Manager at Geocaching HQ. First I'd like to thank everyone for their feedback. We're looking to the forums and various other channels for gathering community feedback to help guide us as far as what features we work on and what our priorities are. We know there are some obvious missing pieces, but we wanted to be open about our goals and intentions to avoid confusion. Focusing on a single app for Geocaching allows us to work more efficiently, and long term, I really think the community will see the benefit of this approach.

 

Just want to address a few things that I've seen come up more than once:

 

- Saving for offline is coming very very soon. We're just putting the finishing touches on that now.

- The ability to manage lists from the app is also on our near term roadmap.

- Viewing lists on the map is another feature we know is useful and would like to get in the app as soon as possible.

- OpenStreetMaps/OpenCycleMaps have been discussed, and we know it's an important feature for many people

- Coord.info links will begin opening in the Geocaching® app very soon.

 

There are lots of other helpful suggestions and bits of feedback that I didn't mention but are no less important to many people. Rest assured that we are digesting the firehose of input and it will influence our future work as we build a world-class app for Geocaching.

 

Thanks again, and keep the feedback coming.

 

Casey

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5+ years..... almost 6 years....since i first downloaded the app and things worked.

 

I've had a couple times where this didn't work (coord.info/GC#### link to open the app) and it worked YESTERDAY until i updated the app.

 

I even tried backing-out to the previous version.....NOPE.

 

Why, pray-tell, is this "classic app" being phased out...instead of INTEGRATING everything into ONE app and letting it fly?

 

We want the ability to import GPX files into the app, which CAN be done on Android, but not iOS.

 

Test Test Test.... PLEASE.....before you send it out for update.

 

This is beyond frustrating..... and it does not make folks happy.

 

"Spinning in Circles in SoHo".....aka Warren, MI and Redford, MI.

 

thanks.

 

PS: this is issues with the "CLASSIC app", not the "Geocaching BASIC" or whatever you want to call it.

Edited by RayQix
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Here are the things I feel are more important to be added to this app:

 

1) The ability to create offline lists from the app, not just from the website. And the ability to save your logs (whether in the app or through field notes) to send later. You can't send a log if you don't have cell service.

2) The ability to add a favorite point to a cache.

3) The ability to drop or visit a trackable from the app when you log the cache.

4) The ability to log a Needs Maintenance log (even if this is for premium members only, idc)

5) Have the app NOT jump to the map screen right away. That uses a lot more data than jumping to a menu screen when you open it.

6) Allow me to view my personal notes for caches.

 

And not that this is a big deal but I'd like to be able to see my souvenirs like on the old paid app. I personally like to take a screen shot of any new souvenirs I earn and post on Instagram or something. If you're having all these new souvenirs why not have a way to view them from the app?

Edited by Sherminator18
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I'm just going to weigh in and say that I think the new app is an unmitigated disaster. I am racking up quite a list of features that are just missing. These are not wish-list features. Most are features that I paid for with the paid app that have now been taken away. The survey I just completed was an insult as it only allowed for choosing three missing features we'd like to see added and no place for comments.

 

I consider myself a smartphone power cacher. I had to wonder if Groundspeak consulted with anyone like me when deciding to roll out this app. I have over 12,000 finds almost all of which were found with the iPhone app.

 

Here's the list I have compiled:

 

Pros and Cons of new Geocaching iPhone app:

 

Pros:

• Free (but I already paid for old app!)

• Messages -- you can view and send messages from the Message Center and send a message to a CO right from a cache listing

• Turn by turn directions thru Maps or Google Maps (but not Waze)

• You can see the avatar of the actual CO -- useful if the cache has an alias "placed by" like Friends of So-n-So, for example (but you'd have to recognize the cacher; actual name not shown)

• No more "load more logs" -- just swipe to see older logs

• Access to bookmark lists HOWEVER you can't bring them up in map view, just list view. Also they are listed by cache name, without any modifications you may have done when you bookmarked the cache (like numbering FTFs, for example).

 

Cons:

• No more field notes or "save for later" for logs -- this is functionality I use every time I cache, I can't even imagine caching without it

• You can no longer filter out friends' finds! This is my favorite and most-used Advanced Search feature.

• No map view for PQs or bookmark lists / PQs and Bookmark lists lumped together under "Lists"

• As best I can tell, the only way to log trackables is from within a cache listing that has trackables in inventory. There is no screen where you can just enter codes, say when you're discovering someone's collection. I was just able to call up my own TB hotel, then from there it gave me the option to logs TBs that aren't in that cache's inventory.

• The ability to go out to Maps for navigation is nice but would prefer Waze support

• No more "View on Geocaching.com" -- this is an option I use a lot

• No more "Save to Offline List" which was essentially a way to bookmark caches from the app and, more importantly, save caches for when you'll be in an area with poor cell service.

• When clicking a cache page link from an email or text (or anywhere else, I'd imagine) it no longer gives you the option of opening it via the app vs. a browser. It now takes you straight to the BROWSER.

• Only log types available are Found, DNF and Note. No Disable, Enable, Owner Maintenance, NM, NA.

• No access to personal cache notes

• No Open Street Maps option

• Still no way to quickly ID which caches have recent DNFs. You still have to go into the cache listing and look at logs. It's my understanding that many third party apps display this in list view.

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I can answer a couple of these:

 

• As best I can tell, the only way to log trackables is from within a cache listing that has trackables in inventory. There is no screen where you can just enter codes, say when you're discovering someone's collection. I was just able to call up my own TB hotel, then from there it gave me the option to logs TBs that aren't in that cache's inventory.

Select the search icon (the magnifying glass) and select "Trackable Code" to access and log any trackables you run across.

 

• No more "View on Geocaching.com" -- this is an option I use a lot

On iPhone: Open any cache and select the "Read More" option. Then, click the icon in the upper right corner (this is usually called the share icon and looks like a square with an up-arrow). You will then see an option to "Open in Safari".

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Hello everyone . I would like to thank everyone for their constructive feedback in these posts . Please keep in mind that we are listening to all of these feedback as we keep making this app even better than the paid app

 

In the long run of things , you would see the benefit of this app

 

Like my colleague Casey mentioned some of the things in his post above ,keep an eye out for the much sophisticated features that keep coming into this app

 

I'm just going to weigh in and say that I think the new app is an unmitigated disaster. I am racking up quite a list of features that are just missing. These are not wish-list features. Most are features that I paid for with the paid app that have now been taken away. The survey I just completed was an insult as it only allowed for choosing three missing features we'd like to see added and no place for comments.

 

I consider myself a smartphone power cacher. I had to wonder if Groundspeak consulted with anyone like me when deciding to roll out this app. I have over 12,000 finds almost all of which were found with the iPhone app.

 

Here's the list I have compiled:

 

Pros and Cons of new Geocaching iPhone app:

 

Pros:

• Free (but I already paid for old app!)

• Messages -- you can view and send messages from the Message Center and send a message to a CO right from a cache listing

• Turn by turn directions thru Maps or Google Maps (but not Waze)

• You can see the avatar of the actual CO -- useful if the cache has an alias "placed by" like Friends of So-n-So, for example (but you'd have to recognize the cacher; actual name not shown)

• No more "load more logs" -- just swipe to see older logs

• Access to bookmark lists HOWEVER you can't bring them up in map view, just list view. Also they are listed by cache name, without any modifications you may have done when you bookmarked the cache (like numbering FTFs, for example).

 

Cons:

• No more field notes or "save for later" for logs -- this is functionality I use every time I cache, I can't even imagine caching without it

• You can no longer filter out friends' finds! This is my favorite and most-used Advanced Search feature.

• No map view for PQs or bookmark lists / PQs and Bookmark lists lumped together under "Lists"

• As best I can tell, the only way to log trackables is from within a cache listing that has trackables in inventory. There is no screen where you can just enter codes, say when you're discovering someone's collection. I was just able to call up my own TB hotel, then from there it gave me the option to logs TBs that aren't in that cache's inventory.

• The ability to go out to Maps for navigation is nice but would prefer Waze support

• No more "View on Geocaching.com" -- this is an option I use a lot

• No more "Save to Offline List" which was essentially a way to bookmark caches from the app and, more importantly, save caches for when you'll be in an area with poor cell service.

• When clicking a cache page link from an email or text (or anywhere else, I'd imagine) it no longer gives you the option of opening it via the app vs. a browser. It now takes you straight to the BROWSER.

• Only log types available are Found, DNF and Note. No Disable, Enable, Owner Maintenance, NM, NA.

• No access to personal cache notes

• No Open Street Maps option

• Still no way to quickly ID which caches have recent DNFs. You still have to go into the cache listing and look at logs. It's my understanding that many third party apps display this in list view.

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Multi-caches and caches with higher D/T ratings remain available to basic members on the website, just as they always have, unless marked for Premium Members only. It's been that way since 2002 when I began playing. I guess I have a different definition of "for a long time" and a different baseline. As I "grew up" using the website, I've not observed basic member functions being taken away when viewed against the constant definition of the basic geocaching experience. The introduction of smartphone apps changed that. I view the smartphone apps as an add-on, though I recognize that for many newer geocachers, the free app's feature set defines their baseline.

 

Since this discussion is about app features, not website features, that shouldn't matter here. By "a long time" I obviously mean since the features were available in app form.

 

And while you may view it as an add-on, the fact is that today it most likely is an essencial tool for a whole lot of people.

Nowadays smartphone adoption is through the roof. Thanks to that, people can leave their work and easily log something on their way home since the phone is almost always on their pocket. You can do impromptu hunts without having to plan something days ahead. Out with someone doing something else and there's a lull? Just whip out your phone and start searching. Or people may simply not want to invest on a separate device when they already have a smartphone that can get a GPS signal, even if less reliably.

 

That said, there's still not a single valid reason for why those features should disappear from the app feature set for Basic Members... I mean, other than clearly being a cash grab. Why would these features be removed from general availability if not for that? (Not to mention that it's borderline offensive to the people who paid for the app and are not Premium - they get absolutely nothing back for the money they paid)

 

I understand trying to come up with new features and being creative is hard, but removing features that have been available since the app's inception is unfair and anti-consumer. Premium users should absolutely get more support and features, but not at the cost of all other users.

 

Even from a business PoV, I don't think people getting into Geocaching will find it very appealing to see so many things behind a monthly/yearly plan (again, the app is the first contact point for many people currently), which can turn them away completely before they even get to the website. I mean even people that already used the app are turning their backs because of that. Just look at the reviews on both storefronts.

Edited by jorgersn
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Has the 'Load More' option been removed? Or the ability to refresh your search results based on the section of the map currently displayed? We use this option in the "classic" version ALL OF THE TIME. Right now the new app will only bring up some predetermined number of caches based near me. I have already found everything around here. Also, please please please add the ability to select and visit all/some of the trackables in your inventory at one time just like the website. It is annoying to have to click into each and every trackable to log it.

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Just trying to play around with the new app and am finding nothing but frustration. My situation - I am a non-premium member married to a premium member (because there is no family membership available). In the old paid app on my iPodTouch without a data plan, I could search by cache type and location and view all types of caches expect premium caches. The old paid app is fast, easy to use and I could save a list of caches off-line which was ideal for our use which is mainly on road trips far away from wi-fi signals. The new app is very slow and even though I am sitting at home of our own wi-fi, it keeps telling method the location is unavailable and to check if airplane mode is on (it isn't). When it isn't telling me that I get a banner saying no geocaches found - even though I am in the middle of tons of caches..

 

Perhaps most importantly, I cannot view any non-traditional caches or any traditional caches with a terrain or difficulty rating of over 1.5 without upgrading to premium membership. We already pay for a premium membership and have paid for the old paid app for each of our devices (my iPod Touch; his iPad) - we do most of our geocaches together but sometimes we travel separately and I don't want to lay claim to finding caches in Japan and China when I have never been there.

 

I can see no improvement on the old paid app with this new app - maybe I am in the minority but I will use the classic app for as long as I can and unless some sort of family rate is introduced I won't be buying a second membership for our household.

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Hello everyone . I would like to thank everyone for their constructive feedback in these posts . Please keep in mind that we are listening to all of these feedback as we keep making this app even better than the paid app

 

In the long run of things , you would see the benefit of this app

 

Like my colleague Casey mentioned some of the things in his post above ,keep an eye out for the much sophisticated features that keep coming into this app

 

Great. With respect, I hate the new app - it's slow, it's unresponsive on my iphone, uses too much data, no OSM (really? who thought of that?), plus the points discussed already.

 

I do see the point of having only one app to develop, from your point, and also the benefits for users in quicker dev cycles. But please: organize yourselves to develop features the users want, not features *you* want. Good that you did the survey, but it should have come first, not after release. And much more open.

 

As you're confident you can convince me of the benefits of the new app®, can we agree you only switch off the now classic app (formerly known as the paid one) for users that already have it, when its usage has declined to less than 25% of the current usage? You must be able to run reports on the amount of logs from the different apps, so this should be possible. That way, I can switch when *my* preferred features are implemented, not on an arbitrary deadline be forced to do so.

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Thanks to Moun10Bike for the replies to some of my comments. These are really helpful bits of info. Since I am someone who has been using the app for six years, it should say something that I could not find these features myself.

 

I'd also love if the app added Chrome support. Safari does not retain my geocaching.com login so I have to login every time I open a cache in Safari.

Edited by DinaWorks
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I was reading a blog last night and I figured I should go back and mark a cache with 'needs maintenance'. Could not do it from phone or tablet.

 

So I went to my computer and looked at the cache, still can't indicate it needs maintenance!

 

How do we do that now?

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I was reading a blog last night and I figured I should go back and mark a cache with 'needs maintenance'. Could not do it from phone or tablet.

 

So I went to my computer and looked at the cache, still can't indicate it needs maintenance!

 

How do we do that now?

Online, you simply hit "Log your visit" on the cache page and enter your NM on that soggy log. :)

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With all due respect, this app is becoming a train wreck in progress. Seeing the lists of features that still need to be migrated over to the new Geocaching app, I find it hard to believe they will all be completed within the next 2 weeks. Of course, you are intending to migrate all those features before taking away the old app, right? Several times in the past on the website, functionality was removed before the replacement was ready, so I'd hope the lesson had been learned and this wouldn't be repeated in the mobile division. If you're intending to remove the old app from the app store before all the features are migrated, then that's epic fail #1.

 

Epic fail #2 is the name. Calling it the same thing as the old one is absurd. It smacks of the old Challenges vs. challenge cache ambiguity issue (whatever happened to "make better mistakes tomorrow"?). Now, whenever someone asks a question about the app, the first response will need to be "Are you using the old 'Geocaching' app or the new 'Geocaching' app?"

 

Epic fail #3 is actually a long-standing one: the app bears little resemblance to the website, and in some cases presents completely incorrect information. It had been pointed out many times in the past that the Intro App gave new users the wrong information by:

  • Using completely different symbols (e.g. for FPs, trackables, D/T, cache size, cache type symbol on the map etc.)
  • Using the wrong cache size names (there's no such sizes as "Medium" or "Extra Small")

...and none of this has been fixed.

 

Something else I noticed while trying it out just now is the performance, or more specifically the lack of. Even when viewing an area with only a few caches - or even just a single cache - it takes an unusual amount of time (anywhere from 5-15 seconds while connected to wi-fi) for the cache(s) to show up on the map. I suspect this is because so many more users are now using the API more heavily and it simply can't cope. Tapping on a cache on the map takes over a second to respond, tapping on a cache in the list takes a few seconds, and even tapping on "About" or "Activity" on a cache listing has a similarly-long delay of a second or so. Also, when scrolling in a cache listing, it's very jerky on my iPhone 5s. I hope the app wasn't designed to only perform as expected on the very latest hardware.

 

In the end, I'm just glad I don't cache primarily with the app. The extent of my use is usually just to read the logs on a cache or look up a trackable, and I can still do those, albeit with poorer performance.

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As I "grew up" using the website, I've not observed basic member functions being taken away when viewed against the constant definition of the basic geocaching experience.

 

Not true - consider the new search system vs the old one (which fortunately at the moment still is available but for how long?).

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A shame that it has been released before its fully functional. Without the ability to use it offline it's pretty useless to anyone who caches away from towns and cities. The compass is of no use to me as I'm partially sighted and can barely see it. At least on the old premium app it wasn't all varying shades of one colour.

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Hi everyone,

 

I'm the Mobile Development Manager at Geocaching HQ. First I'd like to thank everyone for their feedback. We're looking to the forums and various other channels for gathering community feedback to help guide us as far as what features we work on and what our priorities are. We know there are some obvious missing pieces, but we wanted to be open about our goals and intentions to avoid confusion. Focusing on a single app for Geocaching allows us to work more efficiently, and long term, I really think the community will see the benefit of this approach.

 

Just want to address a few things that I've seen come up more than once:

 

- Saving for offline is coming very very soon. We're just putting the finishing touches on that now.

- The ability to manage lists from the app is also on our near term roadmap.

- Viewing lists on the map is another feature we know is useful and would like to get in the app as soon as possible.

- OpenStreetMaps/OpenCycleMaps have been discussed, and we know it's an important feature for many people

- Coord.info links will begin opening in the Geocaching® app very soon.

 

There are lots of other helpful suggestions and bits of feedback that I didn't mention but are no less important to many people. Rest assured that we are digesting the firehose of input and it will influence our future work as we build a world-class app for Geocaching.

 

Thanks again, and keep the feedback coming.

 

Casey

Any word on if/when Field Notes is going to be re-added? I assume they will be but you did not include them in your list, so it makes me wonder.

 

With all due respect, this app is becoming a train wreck in progress. Seeing the lists of features that still need to be migrated over to the new Geocaching app, I find it hard to believe they will all be completed within the next 2 weeks. Of course, you are intending to migrate all those features before taking away the old app, right? Several times in the past on the website, functionality was removed before the replacement was ready, so I'd hope the lesson had been learned and this wouldn't be repeated in the mobile division. If you're intending to remove the old app from the app store before all the features are migrated, then that's epic fail #1.

 

Epic fail #2 is the name. Calling it the same thing as the old one is absurd. It smacks of the old Challenges vs. challenge cache ambiguity issue (whatever happened to "make better mistakes tomorrow"?). Now, whenever someone asks a question about the app, the first response will need to be "Are you using the old 'Geocaching' app or the new 'Geocaching' app?"

 

Epic fail #3 is actually a long-standing one: the app bears little resemblance to the website, and in some cases presents completely incorrect information. It had been pointed out many times in the past that the Intro App gave new users the wrong information by:

  • Using completely different symbols (e.g. for FPs, trackables, D/T, cache size, cache type symbol on the map etc.)
  • Using the wrong cache size names (there's no such sizes as "Medium" or "Extra Small")

...and none of this has been fixed.

 

Something else I noticed while trying it out just now is the performance, or more specifically the lack of. Even when viewing an area with only a few caches - or even just a single cache - it takes an unusual amount of time (anywhere from 5-15 seconds while connected to wi-fi) for the cache(s) to show up on the map. I suspect this is because so many more users are now using the API more heavily and it simply can't cope. Tapping on a cache on the map takes over a second to respond, tapping on a cache in the list takes a few seconds, and even tapping on "About" or "Activity" on a cache listing has a similarly-long delay of a second or so. Also, when scrolling in a cache listing, it's very jerky on my iPhone 5s. I hope the app wasn't designed to only perform as expected on the very latest hardware.

 

In the end, I'm just glad I don't cache primarily with the app. The extent of my use is usually just to read the logs on a cache or look up a trackable, and I can still do those, albeit with poorer performance.

 

I agree with this. Am I missing something? What was the rush in getting this app out to the public in a half-finished state? Why would GS not wait until it was fully functional and tested? Unless they can achieve some major turnaround on this official app, it looks like I'll just stick with using the other geocaching app that lets me post field notes, drop trackables, view offline lists and has a better compass.

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Geocaching®

I noticed Groundspeak in using the ® symbol after the word Geocaching. What is the Registration number?

 

From what I understand there was some controversy way back in 2001. Jeremy tried to trademark the word Geocaching and there was some push back from the community.

http://forums.Ground...hp?showtopic=11

 

 

Next thing you are going to tell me is that some company has a trademark on a National Park, like Yosemite.

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Who is paying for the video data that play in a loop?

 

updated Groundspeak caching application is a big fat FAIL.

It's nothing more than a messenger app and data hog. a looping video and will not display/show/download PQ's

 

Their needs to be a block for this stupid messenger.. And now it's on an application? I get many messages that reads.. 'I need a hint' on what??? why is the sky blue?

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Being in the software business for a long long time, I don't see why the new app is already launched as it is with all the things missing compared to the Classic AND have the Classic app phased out in a few weeks already.

 

I agree with most of the cons mentioned in this post and missing the "advanced options" (really advanced?.. missing these are rendering the app useless if you'd ask me).

Not to mention that the new app is almost unusable on "older" devices as iPhone 4S, every click takes for ever to respond.

 

Better keep the classic app alive till the new app has at least the same functionality..

If not, other apps getting more appealing to use then this original app.

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Adding two more points friends have come up with:

 

• Can no longer drop or visit trackables with your log

• Can't assign a favorite point from the app (wonder if I'm just missing something here).

• D/T Ratings and Size not shown in list view -- when choosing which caches to seek these are far more important than trackable inventory and favorite points -- besides there is so much white space there is plenty of room for all this info, plus "recent log" indicators

 

I'm just going to weigh in and say that I think the new app is an unmitigated disaster. I am racking up quite a list of features that are just missing. These are not wish-list features. Most are features that I paid for with the paid app that have now been taken away. The survey I just completed was an insult as it only allowed for choosing three missing features we'd like to see added and no place for comments.

 

I consider myself a smartphone power cacher. I had to wonder if Groundspeak consulted with anyone like me when deciding to roll out this app. I have over 12,000 finds almost all of which were found with the iPhone app.

 

Here's the list I have compiled:

 

Pros and Cons of new Geocaching iPhone app:

 

Pros:

• Free (but I already paid for old app!)

• Messages -- you can view and send messages from the Message Center and send a message to a CO right from a cache listing

• Turn by turn directions thru Maps or Google Maps (but not Waze)

• You can see the avatar of the actual CO -- useful if the cache has an alias "placed by" like Friends of So-n-So, for example (but you'd have to recognize the cacher; actual name not shown)

• No more "load more logs" -- just swipe to see older logs

• Access to bookmark lists HOWEVER you can't bring them up in map view, just list view. Also they are listed by cache name, without any modifications you may have done when you bookmarked the cache (like numbering FTFs, for example).

 

Cons:

• No more field notes or "save for later" for logs -- this is functionality I use every time I cache, I can't even imagine caching without it

• You can no longer filter out friends' finds! This is my favorite and most-used Advanced Search feature.

• No map view for PQs or bookmark lists / PQs and Bookmark lists lumped together under "Lists"

As best I can tell, the only way to log trackables is from within a cache listing that has trackables in inventory. There is no screen where you can just enter codes, say when you're discovering someone's collection. I was just able to call up my own TB hotel, then from there it gave me the option to logs TBs that aren't in that cache's inventory. -- answered by Moun10Bike

• The ability to go out to Maps for navigation is nice but would prefer Waze support

No more "View on Geocaching.com" -- this is an option I use a lot -- answered by Moun10Bike

• No more "Save to Offline List" which was essentially a way to bookmark caches from the app and, more importantly, save caches for when you'll be in an area with poor cell service.

• When clicking a cache page link from an email or text (or anywhere else, I'd imagine) it no longer gives you the option of opening it via the app vs. a browser. It now takes you straight to the BROWSER.

• Only log types available are Found, DNF and Note. No Disable, Enable, Owner Maintenance, NM, NA.

• No access to personal cache notes

• No Open Street Maps option

• Still no way to quickly ID which caches have recent DNFs. You still have to go into the cache listing and look at logs. It's my understanding that many third party apps display this in list view.

Edited by DinaWorks
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Geocaching®

I noticed Groundspeak in using the ® symbol after the word Geocaching. What is the Registration number?

 

From what I understand there was some controversy way back in 2001. Jeremy tried to trademark the word Geocaching and there was some push back from the community.

http://forums.Ground...hp?showtopic=11

 

Yes, I am very concerned about that. There are other geocaching sites out there. Are they going to be slapped with cease and desist letters by Groundspeak lawyers?

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"Who is paying for the video data that play in a loop?"

 

It's in the app itself. Extremely unlikely it's being streamed (highly impractical) rather than just a small local video being played.

In that case, we need A LOT of "turn off this feature" buttons in the settings. I never, ever want to see a video (and don't want the space to be wasted, especially since the app is now twice the size of the old one, and destined only to get bigger).

 

Things I ALWAYS use;

- saved lists on my device for offline use

- maps of the above (and flipping between compass and map--is that working right)

- speedy updates of location distance as I walk (seems this is very slow)

- saving personal Geocache® notes for all those long-term puzzle caches

 

Things I will NEVER use:

- lists from the internet. I stick those things over on the web site for a reason--they're usually temp stuff that I'd never want access to in the field.

- Contacting a cache owner.

 

Something that is missing from the app:

- A way to contact the developers directly from the app to point out bugs and lacking features (and even attach screen shots)

 

It's got a long way to go and a short time to get there.

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Has the 'Load More' option been removed? Or the ability to refresh your search results based on the section of the map currently displayed? We use this option in the "classic" version ALL OF THE TIME. Right now the new app will only bring up some predetermined number of caches based near me. I have already found everything around here.

 

Thank you, glad I'm not the only one missing this feature, I would like to know if this will be added at a later date?

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My phone just updated the un-paid app. I'm also seeing an issue with my TB inventory. On the website, my Trackables Inventory page correctly shows 2 TB's in my possession.

 

However, the app showed that I have 7 TB's in my Inventory. For the 5 TB's that I no longer have in my possession:

  • For 3, the most recent activity was that I dropped it into a cache. These 3 TB's should no longer be in my inventory.
  • For 2, I had previously dropped them and they've since been retrieved by other cachers. Interestingly, the Inventory sync'd and the TB's dropped from my app Inventory after I clicked on the "Activity:" --> "View All" button.

Since the 2 that have been retrieved dropped from my Inventory, the app now shows that I have 5 TB's in my inventory. The correct count should be 2, which is what the website shows.

 

I'm also the same issue - see my post on this thread.

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New App:

 

I set it to filter out my finds and caches, but it persists in listing and showing the four closest finds to my home anyway.

Burying my actual PQs that I want out in the field in with the lists I have on the website is a major pain in the neck.

Not being able to save the lists to my phone is not acceptable--when I travel out of the country, I need to have those on my phone since I don't want to use data internationally to find caches.

Not being able to show lists/PQs on maps makes the lists nearly useless out in the field.

 

As others have said--why in the world is this app released only to be fixed on March 23? Why not release it March 23, fully functional?

 

I understand the classic won't be updated, and I don't care--but if I'm reading the info right, is it true that it won't even be functional after June? That is just all kinds of wrong--I LOVE my paid app, it does everything I want it to do. Why take it away?

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Yes, I am very concerned about that.

 

Me too, in particular because the reasoning used by Jeremy back then was that the registration happened just to secure the name geocaching so that gc.com does not have to use a different name when someone else registers the name.

 

Using the R in the name of the new app is not along the lines of this argument and not necessary at all.

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Being in the software business for a long long time, I don't see why the new app is already launched as it is with all the things missing compared to the Classic AND have the Classic app phased out in a few weeks already.

If the Lackeys who are reading this discussion decide they want to return and address any of the concerns raised here, this is the one that needs to be addressed the most.

 

Why the rush? What reasoning is there behind pulling the Classic app long before the features have been migrated to the new app? Is there some technical reason (I'm guessing no, because you say the Classic app will continue to function)? Is it a legal reason (e.g. Apple App Store requirements)? Did someone at GCHQ just pull a date out of the air and nobody else questioned it? The decision just seems so illogical that there must be some good reason behind it, but it doesn't seem like any of us can think of what that might be. Can you please enlighten us?

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What happens to all my lists with saved waypoints for puzzles and multis from the "Classic" app .can they be imported. AND I cannot even see any list saving capabilities, lists now are actually Pocket Queries.

 

I hated the compass on the intro app, and now its back with this ?new? version. :( :(

 

Filtering - as above.

 

The Classic app works great and I am so used to it - i m H o . just keep tweaking it.

The ONLY advantage is messaging.

 

Without offline caching ability this app is currently useless to me as I have no proper data plan for the simple reason that mobile phone reception is even patchy in town and pretty much absent everywhere else.

 

Once offline caching is implemented I hope it will be possible to run this app without using any data. I don't want to be forced to switch data usage off every time I might end up in an area where I have reception or when I'm abroad.

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What happens to all my lists with saved waypoints for puzzles and multis from the "Classic" app .can they be imported. AND I cannot even see any list saving capabilities, lists now are actually Pocket Queries.

 

I hated the compass on the intro app, and now its back with this ?new? version. :( :(

 

Filtering - as above.

 

The Classic app works great and I am so used to it - i m H o . just keep tweaking it.

 

The ONLY advantage is messaging.

 

This is why I think were still stuck having to use the paid app and the NEW one still. Sighs

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I have to agree that it seems like messaging is one of the only real advantages

 

Live maps are good, but they can be very slow!

Saved offline lists are much better and in some instances the only thing you can use in areas of bad signal.

Also went caching abroad!

 

The bookmark lists are nice to see, but don't have much benefit without a map view!

I feel this improved geocaching app has a long way to go to compete with the classic paid for app

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Noticed somethings missing that I used quite a bit:

 

1. unable to add maintenance logs or archive my caches from new app

2. cannot see my personal geocache notes

3. my owned caches do not have different colors on the map (all show as green star circles)

4. saved lists do not have a map view

5. cannot save caches to offline list

6. cannot open new cache notifications in app (it goes to website instead)

7. cannot add favorite points when logging cache

8. cannot refresh geocache data

9. no setting menu to personalize (miles/km, ignore list

10. no openstreetmaps and no opencycle maps (great for showing park trails!)

11. no option to exclude users in filter

12. cannot filter premium only

13. cannot add needs maintenance log, cannot temporarily disable cache

 

suggestions:

1. add related web page link (helpful for wherigos and puzzles)

2. solved puzzles show corrected coordinates on map

3. able to correct coordinates for letterboxes and wherigos (change to actual final location)

4. add ability to delete messages from message center (I get hundreds from my earthcache answers)

5. add ability to update coordinates for owned caches using the app

 

I have to agree with all of this, there certainly is a lot of functionality missing.

Additionally attributes are missing too, these can be very important especially if special equipment is required such as a boat etc

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Although we are being told that all the functionality of the classic app will be migrated to the new app it is certainly not definite.

The inclusion of Openstreetmaps & Opencyclemaps is being discussed only.

Can someone at Geocaching.com tell me if the classic app will function after June 2016 or is it that it that we can still use it but

no more updates.

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