New app - some issues

[+gasbottle]

I'm having some issues with the new app so here is some feedback for the developers.

 

1. It is SLOW! Why load hundreds of caches in my area when I'm only interested in maybe the nearest twenty? Can this be added to the settings somehow?

 

2. Sometimes it logs my finds twice. I find I have to check the listing after I've posted and delete the spurious entries on the web site.

 

3. There is no way to log a Needs Maintenance entry (or Needs Archive, but that's less important)

 

4. NM entries are displayed in the logs as Write Note, making it more difficult to tell what is going on

 

5. Logging an earth cache offered me 'Send Answers' or 'Continue', neither of which seemed to do anything after I'd pressed the button. I tried both and then found I had logged the find twice. This is different from point 2 above.

 

6. Same earthcache, sending answers to the CO doesn't give any feedback about whether the message has been sent. The message, if it has been sent, doesn't appear in the message centre, and if it hasn't been sent there's no way to know. I still don't know if the CO got my answers that way. I sent them separately via the web site to be sure.

 

7. Navigation is clunky and counterintuitive. During a multi-cache it once offered me an opportunity to add a waypoint but I could never get it to do it again and had to manually add waypoints as I went. My notebook was far easier.

 

This could be really good. Unfortunately it's a long way from ready.

[+TeamCatalpa]

I tried using the new app yesterday. What a mess. Couldn't get it to work at all; couldn't even find a 'settings' button of any description to change the stupid thing from kilometers to miles. And the giant pointer covers half of the roads around the cache I'm trying to find. Took forever to load caches and the interface is clunky and cartoonish. Why release it when it's so not ready?

[Keystone]

I am moving this thread to the proper forum section for the Geocaching® app for Android.

 

Metric or imperial settings are inherited from your phone's settings.

[+-OZZ-]

My Sony Xperia Z1 is set up as English (United Kingdom) in Language and Input menu yet Geocaching® insists on using kilometers. The old app lets you choose.

[+TeamCatalpa]

I am moving this thread to the proper forum section for the Geocaching® app for Android.

 

Metric or imperial settings are inherited from your phone's settings.

 

Not so. My phone is set for feet/miles for everything - intellicast, weatherbug, gcdroid, google maps, the original (and SO much better) geocaching app. Only the new geocaching app decided to go metric. I searched and searched and couldn't find any 'settings' on the new app that allowed me to make the change, until I uninstalled and reinstalled it. Then magically it appeared and I could finally set it to feet/miles. Not that it did any good, the stupid thing still crashes every time I try to use it.

[+Tassie_Boy]

My Sony Xperia Z1 is set up as English (United Kingdom) in Language and Input menu yet Geocaching® insists on using kilometers. The old app lets you choose.

 

That would be correct considering the UK uses the Metric system.

[+dmlookhere]

As long as I'm here. It would be great to be able to see my "personal cache notes" many of us will put clues in there or something that lets us know we have solved this puzzle and coords are updated. So fare I have found no way to see this in the New app.

[+thebruce0]

do we?

i think you'll find that us in the UK use Miles, yards and feet for distances.

Kind of a grey area... For curiosity's sake and out of boredom and interest -

wiki:

Although the United Kingdom uses the metric system for most official purposes, the use of the imperial system of measure, particularly among the public, is widespread and is permitted by the law.

BBC:

Nonetheless, the legal requirement to display measurements for most products in both systems means many Britons have become adept at making the mental switch from ounces to grams and back again.

...Despite its popular identification with European bureaucracy, British attempts to scrap imperial measurements stretch back long before the UK came under the jurisdiction of Brussels.

...Since 1995, goods sold in Europe have had to be weighed or measured in metric, but the UK was temporarily allowed to continue using the imperial system.

...To supporters of metric measures, it is a source of frustration that what they regard as a more logical mechanism has never achieved predominance.

ETA: I think this may be a good argument to allow in-app switching of measurement system!

Edited April 5, 2016 by thebruce0

[+thebruce0]

Maybe it's different in different parts of the UK. *shrug* I can't speak first-hand of course, but can you provide reputable official reference, moreso than the links I provided, stating the measurement system status of the UK? I find this intriguing

 

And yes, btw, I'm on your side, in that I think the apps should default to the selected OS localization, but still provide the user the option to change it if they wish.

[+thebruce0]

ok, still no reputable (eg government) UK source outlining the official measurement status, but unlike my usual forum self I'm just going to drop it now carry on.

[+thebruce0]

road signage is managed by the Department of Transport, which is a government agency.

is that reputable enough for you?

Yep, thanks! Looked it up again with a bit more focus on transit, and you're right, road signs are still imperial; but that supports the earlier points that metric and imperial are both used in official capacities in various contexts, yet imperial is still generally the system of choice among the people.

 

More from wiki (which does quote from and cite references) - sourcing from the final report of the metrication board:

In its final report [1980], the Metrication Board wrote "Today metric units are used in many important areas of British life – including education; agriculture; construction; industrial materials; much of manufacturing; the wholesaling of petrol, milk, cheese and textiles; fatstock markets and many port fish auctions, nearly all the principal prepacked foods; posts and telecommunications: most freight and customs tariffs; all new and revised Ordnance Survey maps; and athletics. Nevertheless, taken as a whole, Britain is far from being wholly metric." The report major identified areas that had not yet been metricated as being the retail petrol trade [metricated in 1984], retail sale of loose goods [metricated in 2000] and roads signs [not metricated].

Intriguing situation! Anyway, I'm satisfied, and still support making unit selection an in-app feature.

 

can i ask where you are from?

Canada.

Edited April 5, 2016 by thebruce0

[+j&a tagarro]

I have just discovered a wonderfool feature in the Classic app missing in the new one. When you clic no the map of a trackable it permits you to suffer al the way of the TB, are we going to lose that !?

[+Hoe]

Metric/Imperial should NOT depend on language or country anyway - a lot of prefers English (UK/US) on the Android, since most terms and technical stuff anywhere in the world are in (especially on the Internet)English. It HAS TO BE a setting either in the OS or in the program. Program setting is preferred, since your may prefer metric/imperial when you hunt, depending on local signs and other local indicators - independent of your OS regional settings.

[+Dixie Kup]

All of a sudden this week absolutely no caches found or unfound are showing up on my premium paid app. My husband has free version and it is working fine on his phone which is same kind of android I have. Did update of app and no change. More than little frustrated, not only that I pay for it and at this moment it is nothing more than a satalight map, but I really enjoy using it when it is usable. I noticed in app reviews others having same issues. What is up with this, want to get back to caching.

[+Dave.Halpenny]

sorry... I am not a proficient forum poster. I don't see a delete button for duplicate posts. Ignore this message.

Edited January 26, 2017 by Dave.Halpenny

[+Dave.Halpenny]

If you want me to use this app, you must provide the ability to use metric units. It would be nice to have the choice of imperial units too, but it is not important to me right now.

Before my android cell phone will run this properly it must be able to put everything (especially offline maps) on the SD card.

[+Viajero Perdido]

Groundspeak doesn't expect you to use their app; there are others, full (very) full-featured caching apps on the approved list from other providers.

 

I'm too lazy to post links right now (relaxing in the tub), but look around. The house-brand app is for you to get started, and for Groundspeak to get your credit card number.

[Keystone]

3. There is no way to log a Needs Maintenance entry (or Needs Archive, but that's less important)

The February 8th release added the ability to log "Needs Maintenance" or "Needs Archived" from the App.

[Blue Square Thing]

do we?

i think you'll find that us in the UK use Miles, yards and feet for distances.

Well, lots of people do for measurements, particularly older people, yes. Most people measure their height in feet and I guess miles are generally used, but I don't think most of the kids I teach would have a clue about yards fwiw and might well be better off using metres rather than feet.

 

But even some old people use metric for everything. I'm in my late 40s and use metric for everything other than buying a pint in a pub - speedo in km/hr and everything. :-)

[+Zargonians]

3. There is no way to log a Needs Maintenance entry (or Needs Archive, but that's less important)

The February 8th release added the ability to log "Needs Maintenance" or "Needs Archived" from the App.

How do you get the February 8th release? I uninstalled and reinstalled the app just now and there is still no choice to log a Needs Maintenance or Needs Archived. Frustrated with this app!

[+noncentric]

3. There is no way to log a Needs Maintenance entry (or Needs Archive, but that's less important)

The February 8th release added the ability to log "Needs Maintenance" or "Needs Archived" from the App.

How do you get the February 8th release? I uninstalled and reinstalled the app just now and there is still no choice to log a Needs Maintenance or Needs Archived. Frustrated with this app!

Did you find the NM/NA logging method? The method to create those types of logs was detailed in the February 8th Release Notes thread that Keystone linked.