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Release Notes (Website: add Search results to Lists) - March 23, 2016


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Release Notes - March 23, 2016

 

With today’s update, Premium Members can add Search results to Lists directly from the Search page!

 

Once you’ve performed a search on Geocaching.com, you’ll see checkboxes to the left of each resulting cache listing.

 

47d7b9eb-fa80-4fe5-87f0-d6cab9a058ad_l.jpg

 

Check the box for each cache you wish to add to a List, then click the “Add to a List” button. (Alternatively, you can add caches to a List one by one by clicking the + button to the right of a listing.)

 

f67bff76-4d75-448b-a78e-fd141eafb8ff_l.jpg

 

From there, you can add the cache(s) to an existing List or add to a new List.

 

bac6db37-08b1-415e-a652-565651dbc1ea_l.jpg

 

 

In addition to your Lists being available via Your Profile page on the website, you can also access them via the Geocaching® app.

 

f990a033-b287-45d0-b11d-d6f8faef036e_l.jpg

 

On a related note, we had hoped to have Offline Lists available today for Geocaching® app users. The app update is rolling out to Google Play as planned, and Android users should have access to the update with Offline Lists today or tomorrow. We have submitted the iPhone update to Apple, but it is currently held up awaiting Apple approval and won't be released today. We'll update you as soon as we know that the update has been approved. Edit: Offline Lists are now available in the Geocaching® app for both Android and iPhone.

 

Ben H of HQ’s Product Team will follow this thread and try to answer Search/Lists questions when possible.

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With today’s update, Premium Members can add Search results to Lists directly from the Search page!

 

Once you’ve performed a search on Geocaching.com, you’ll see checkboxes to the left of each resulting cache listing.

This is a great step forward and makes the search tool much more useful. Kudos to those who worked on implementing this improvement!

 

However, I do see one glaring omission: an option to tick all boxes. If you wanted to add a few hundred search results to a list, it will take a lot of clicking to tick them all. I realize there could be issues with this if there are a very large number of results, so maybe the "tick all" function could be limited to only be available up to a predetermined upper limit? The limit on lists is 1000 caches, so maybe allow the function only if there are <= 1000 results?

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Is there a way of opting out of landing on the stupid search page by default? some times I really want to be on the main page and navigate from there. Being on the search page, which hardly ever use is a pain on the lower side.

The experiment/test was only supposed to run for a couple of weeks, but as of today it's been a month. Did someone at HQ forget to turn it off? I still see the search page at work, but I now see the old home page again on my home computer (after seeing the search page for about a week at the beginning).

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[...]

However, I do see one glaring omission: an option to tick all boxes.[...]

 

Agreed 100%

 

Hans

 

Yes please! I don't see myself using it at all without that option, as the next step would be to make a PQ.

 

There's not an option for this already? Shouldn't that be kind of an automatic thing?

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This is a great step forward and makes the search tool much more useful. Kudos to those who worked on implementing this improvement!

 

However, I do see one glaring omission: an option to tick all boxes. If you wanted to add a few hundred search results to a list, it will take a lot of clicking to tick them all. I realize there could be issues with this if there are a very large number of results, so maybe the "tick all" function could be limited to only be available up to a predetermined upper limit? The limit on lists is 1000 caches, so maybe allow the function only if there are <= 1000 results?

 

Thanks for the appreciation and, more importantly, for the feedback. We knew going in to this work that an option for bulk selecting search results would be very important for many players. With that in mind, bulk select has been part of our plans from the outset. We wanted to put this first chunk of new functionality on the search page into players' hands as soon as possible, but rest assured we will be following up with additional improvements including an option for bulk selection.

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We wanted to put this first chunk of new functionality on the search page into players' hands as soon as possible, but rest assured we are will be following up with additional improvements including an option for bulk selection.

 

Sometimes I wonder how strange the code might look like. When implemented in the way I imagine it to be possible it should be done in 5 minutes - something like setting a default flag, so not so much something one would delay for a next update.

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Sometimes I wonder how strange the code might look like. When implemented in the way I imagine it to be possible it should be done in 5 minutes - something like setting a default flag, so not so much something one would delay for a next update.

 

An interesting, but 100% incorrect guess.

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Glad to see that work is progressing on the Advanced Search feature. I started checking it out and noticed one thing that seems to be a bug. I think it's good that the search page retains the check-mark selections, but the "Add x to a List" button should be available whenever caches are checked. ETA: This behavior seen in both Mozilla Firefox and IE.

 

The steps below align with the included photo:

 

Retrieve search results and check the top 3 caches.

A: The "Add 3 to a List" button appears, but I clicked on "My Lists" instead.

 

Cicked the Back button from the Lists page to go back to Search Results.

B: The three caches still show check marks (good), but the "Add 3 to a List" button no longer appears (bad).

 

Click on the 2nd check-marked cache.

C: The "My Lists" button is still the only button available.

 

Click on the 2nd check-marked cache again.

D: The "Add 1 to a List" button now appears, even though there are 3 caches that have check marks.

 

GC-SearchListButtons.png

Edited by noncentric
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Sometimes I wonder how strange the code might look like. When implemented in the way I imagine it to be possible it should be done in 5 minutes - something like setting a default flag, so not so much something one would delay for a next update.

 

An interesting, but 100% incorrect guess.

 

That's why I wrote "when implemented in the way I imagine ...." which was not meant to be a guess about GS's system, but a statement that I'm pretty sure that it would work easily that way (while you know GS's system, I know what I have in mind and there is no need to guess for me). I did not say that I believe that it works that way in the Groundspeak implementation as I learnt over time that one of the main issues is that the developpers have to fight with a design that is quite unfortunate in my eyes.

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We wanted to put this first chunk of new functionality on the search page into players' hands as soon as possible, but rest assured we will be following up with additional improvements including an option for bulk selection.

Along with bulk selection, there should be an accompanying option for bulk de-selection. Hopefully, these complementary two options (select / deselect) would be rolled out at the same time.

 

Some other suggestions:

  1. Allow for sorting on the check-box column, similar to how the other columns are sortable.
  2. Either decrease the font of the Lists or expand the width of the pop-up window so that the List names are not truncated when clicking on the "+" sign on the right.
  3. When a new list is created, there's a window that pops up above the "My Lists" button. The user cannot see that pop-up message unless they are already scrolled to the top of the screen. It might be better to have the pop-up message appear under, or to the right, of the "My Lists" button so the user will actually see the message.

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Glad to see that work is progressing on the Advanced Search feature. I started checking it out and noticed one thing that seems to be a bug. I think it's good that the search page retains the check-mark selections, but the "Add x to a List" button should be available whenever caches are checked. ETA: This behavior seen in both Mozilla Firefox and IE.

 

Thanks for reporting this. We will fix it ASAP.

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Is it intended that this functionality exist only from the new search page? I tried the old search page and can sort of understand why it's not there as I imagine you want to encourage folks to wean themselves away from the old search (which, btw, I still find much more intuitive, not to mention easier, than the new search). But why wouldn't it be available when choosing "search for geocaches near my home location" from the profile page?

 

Mrs. Car54

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Am I missing something? How do you view a list on a map instead of a listing?

When you see the listing of caches in the Search Results, then look in the upper-right (under the mountain/sky image) and there's a button to "Map" the results. Is that what you're looking for? If you don't see that button, then let us know what type of browser you're using and maybe it's an issue with the browser?

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We wanted to put this first chunk of new functionality on the search page into players' hands as soon as possible, but rest assured we will be following up with additional improvements including an option for bulk selection.

I've never been a fan of the Groundspeak model of rolling out unfinished features and then (sometimes) continuing to work on them later, but I do agree in this case that having the function in its current state is still useful.

 

I look forward to seeing the ongoing improvements to the system.

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Am I missing something? How do you view a list on a map instead of a listing?

When you see the listing of caches in the Search Results, then look in the upper-right (under the mountain/sky image) and there's a button to "Map" the results. Is that what you're looking for? If you don't see that button, then let us know what type of browser you're using and maybe it's an issue with the browser?

I see that on a search but I want to map my offline lists. I have an Android phone.

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Glad to see that work is progressing on the Advanced Search feature. I started checking it out and noticed one thing that seems to be a bug. I think it's good that the search page retains the check-mark selections, but the "Add x to a List" button should be available whenever caches are checked. ETA: This behavior seen in both Mozilla Firefox and IE.

 

This bug should be fixed now. Please let us know if you continue to see it.

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App has appeared on App Store now. So called offline save is utterly useless. You absolutely MUST be able to save the result of a search offline. Having to leave the app go to the website create a list then save individual caches to a list and then go back to the App is a massive backwards step from the ease of use of the Classic App.

 

It also doesn't seem to download the maps which is crucial for offline saving. There's no point having the cache description and logs if you can't actually see how to get to the cache as all that you have is an empty grid instead of a map. I tested this by downloading a list of local caches and then disabling mobile data. When selecting a cache a few miles from home all I get is an empty grid with no maps.

 

Why on earth do your management think it's acceptable business's practice to allow half build features released? That shows a fatally flawed understanding of consumer confidence. Let your developers finish and quality test features before releasing them. This constant releasing things half done is depressing and worthy of the pointy haired boss in Dilbert cartoons style of management. A total failure.

 

Far far better to port the features across from the classic app and release when that feature is READY and COMPLETE.

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App has appeared on App Store now. So called offline save is utterly useless. You absolutely MUST be able to save the result of a search offline. Having to leave the app go to the website create a list then save individual caches to a list and then go back to the App is a massive backwards step from the ease of use of the Classic App.

Yes, it certainly wasn't communicated very well that the upcoming addition of offline functionality would be extremely limited and would still be missing much of the critical functionality of the Classic app. To top it all off, I just checked and confirmed that the Classic app has now been pulled from the app store, so that isn't even an option for new users anymore.

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Whist i appreciate there is now an option for offline lists in the latest update we are still unable to do this via the app on my phone. I use my phone all the time and with the old app had the option to search and then save to offline list whilst out and about. This i cant do anymore. I used this all the time as here in Devon in the UK there are hills and valleys and the phone signal is poor in lots of areas. I dont always plan my days out caching so i use the option to save to offline lists all the time. The other thing is why can we not bulk log our trackables when visiting a cache. Soooooooooooooooo long winded to do now logging individually. I have so far been shooting down the whingers of the new app as i found it great to use but not anymore without the features i have mentioned. Very disappointed with the update

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When I updated the Geocaching® app on my iPhone, the "What's New" blurb said "Up next: Create and edit new lists of geocaches from the app." So, little by little, key features are moving over from the Classic app. Once they get to field note functionality, I'll move over too. Meanwhile the Classic app works fine for me.

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Just to let you know the new useless create a list function has a bug as well. The box that pops up to name the list does not always load especially with single caches. When i click on create list it flashes up and goes off. I had to scroll back to the top of the page wait several minutes and try again. Not happy please fix this and make it available ( working properly ) on the phone app where it is most useful.

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When I updated the Geocaching® app on my iPhone, the "What's New" blurb said "Up next: Create and edit new lists of geocaches from the app." So, little by little, key features are moving over from the Classic app. Once they get to field note functionality, I'll move over too. Meanwhile the Classic app works fine for me.

In the german version of the Appstore, I'm pleased with the Announcement: "Als nächstes kommt das Erstellen und Bearbeiten von Geocaches in der App." That's something completely different.

And ... who asked for that? Hope, it's just a mistranslation.

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- Coord.info links will begin opening in the Geocaching® app very soon.
as mentioned in Caseys announcement isn't solved yet.

Are you using the Android or iPhone app?

 

I'm using the Android app and I am getting the option to open coord.info links (from email notifications) in the Geocaching-R app. However, there still seems to be a BUG in this functionality because instead of opening the specific cache, it opens the search screen with the GC Code pre-populated. I can get to the specific cache by then hitting enter, but it seems this extra step shouldn't be necessary.

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Having just updated both my iPhone and iPad with the latest update, things have gone a bit haywire!!!! Firstly my iPad crashes straight way when trying to view my pocket queries in the new app!!

I like to use a combination of the Web based browser page and both the original and new app!! If I look at the map in the browser and choose a cache to look at at, it then opens the new app!! It's a shame I can't have a choice until the new one is up and running the same as the old one with the newer features!! If that make any sense? The same problem arises when a notification comes in! I want the choice as to what App or browser I want to use! I've paid for this App and want to use it!!!!! It's my choice!!

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"I had a solved mystery and on the app was able to see the solved coords. I managed to delete those and found that they were also deleted in the cache listing on the website. I also could not then correct the coords on the website. I could put them in but when I clicked 'accept' the old coords were still there. Finally, I added solved coords to the cache in the app and they re-appeared on the website listing."

 

I posted this on the March 9th site - just want to be sure that someone at HQ sees it. I cannot, repeat CANNOT, enter corrected coordinates on the website listing if they were deleted from the app listing. I have to re-enter solved coords. into the app, then it propagates back to the website.

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I didn't read all of the above entries but would like to share my thoughts on the new official app. While I do absolutely love being able to access my bookmark list easier, I in shock that all of my offline saves cannot be accessed. I must now create a list for all of my offline saves in the other official app. What's worse, with the omission of the offline saves function, I am unable to view a map in order to see where I am in relation to those saves so that I might more easily choose which cache I would like to attempt to find. The same issue applies to bookmark lists; I am unable to easily map the bookmark.

 

Additionally, it would appear there is no longer a fieldnote option, which I use very frequently.

 

In the end, I see the new official app being less user friendly for me. The fact that the old official app (the one I paid $10 for) will no longer be supported as of June is very upsetting to me because I must now figure out a different method of doing my caching wheb I travel to Denver for GeoWoodstock in July.

 

While I see that the folks at Geocaching HQ are doing an excellent job of making it easier for new geocachers to familiarize themselves with geocaching (which is awesome since I introduce geocaching to many), I feel that the experienced geocachers have been neglected to some degree.

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I have a list that includes mystery caches. I've solved some of them and have entered the coordinates on the web site. I asked the updated app to save the cache for offline use. I then put my iPhone in airplane mode. The updated coordinates were not saved. That I *have* updated coordinates is not shown under Waypoints. In addition, the first three times I looked at Waypoints for that cache, the existing waypoints (posted and parking) did not come up. Just now they did. But my corrected coordinates are not showing. If I tap Start, I'm given the choice of View Puzzle, Enter Solved Coordinates, and Go to Posted Coordinates. Tapping the screen makes that panel go away; please make cancel an explicit choice as well.

 

For a non-mystery cache in that list, only a very high level map was saved.

 

For the mystery cache, in the classic app with the info saved for offline use, I see the posted coordinates, the parking, and the corrected coordinates. To be fair, the classic app didn't have the hybrid satellite map downloaded.

 

The new app needs to be able to create a list and add a cache to a list *within the app*. Creating a list and adding it while on the web site is not sufficient.

 

And it absolutely must download corrected coordinates.

 

So I took my iPhone out of airplane mode and am looking at that solved mystery. It now says solved. But if I click on Waypoints, it isn't showing any (not parking or the solved coordinates). Only after I start navigation (which does show a map now), stop navigation, and look at waypoints does it finally show solved coordinates (not posted coordinates which is what is was showing when I had saved for offline use) and parking.

 

There's no indication of which mystery caches in the list in the app have solved coordinates.

 

I took my phone back into airplane mode and looked down the list to another one I have solved. Tapping it, it does *not* show that it is solved. No waypoints show up. No waypoints show up now for the one I was examining above although it does now say Solved and is showing the corrected coordinates on the map. Stopping takes seconds. ... Took phone out of airplane mode and the waypoints show up including the solved coordinates for the solved mystery.

 

I understand that you are trying to provide functionality incrementally so that we have "something". But that isn't a good way to develop software. And it is really annoying from the user's perspective when one of the things "saved for offline use" does not include the corrected coordinates for solved mysteries.

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So with the new update for the app.. you can't CREATE an offline list from the app?? You can only use lists you've created on geocaching.com for offline use? Not much of an improvement in my opinion. And not even available on iPhone yet like they promised.

So, so agree. Making off-line lists from smart phone search on the app is currently simple, quick and effective.

We don't all have access to PCs or tablets while out and about.

If it ain't broke...

And can someone tell me if I really will lose all my saved off-line lists from June....? Please, please tell me I don't have to try and move them all over manually.

PS messaging system working really well - many thanks to those who worked on that. Had almost instant response from a CO today which probably saved me from being arrested for damaging something which definitely wasn't a cache!

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I just tried out the limited offline capability, and I find it generally unintuitive. Here are a few things I noticed:

  • After you tap the (...) button and then "Download Offline Data" and it apparently downloads the data, a little green icon shows up. I'm guessing it's supposed to depict a smartphone and represent that the data is now on your phone, but it isn't immediately clear that this is what it means. An icon that looks more like the stereotypical smartphone would help, or even better a text label.
  • After you've saved a PQ/list offline and tap it to view the list, tapping the (...) at the top or on the "My Lists" page gives two options: "Delete Offline Data" and "Download Offline Data". The first is fine, but why is there an option to download the data? Isn't that what I just did? If not, what DID I just do? Tapping "Download Offline Data" seems to re-download the data and this option still remains, with no discernible purpose.
  • There's no way to cancel the download of a PQ/list. Once it starts, you have no choice but to wait until it finishes, short of killing the entire app or turning off the phone's data connection/wifi. This could potentially cause issues if someone inadvertently starts downloading a large list while out in the field and on limited battery/connection.
  • If you do kill the app during a PQ/list download (see above), a green circular arrow icon shows up on that list which seems to indicate that you can resume the download. This is a good feature, but the particular icon that has been used is nearly universally recognized these days as a "refresh" indicator, so it isn't immediately obvious that this is a "resume the download" button as opposed to a "refresh this list" button (a function which Classic app users are used to).

IMO, the heavy use of symbology rather than text leads to ambiguity and a lack of intuitiveness. The Classic app - with its labeled icons and use of familiar website symbology and terminology - is far more intuitive and easier to navigate.

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Maybe one day this will be a finished and useful APP.

Unless I have overlooked it, I can't find the cache attributes. This is extremely useful.

Many would like to know if it is a tree climb before bushwhacking into the woods.

 

Also, the caches in my ignore list are displayed on the map.

Edited by Khoda
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Remark on the 'new' search page on the web site:

 

Starting a search I am always ticking these boxes

- You haven't found

- You don't own

- Are enalbled

to limite the caches still available to find.

 

Is there no possbility to get these boxes (or others depending on) ticked by default? Saved as a kind of user-standard?

 

Of course this is not a blocking issue, but a very nice to have...

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[...]

Is there no possbility to get these boxes (or others depending on) ticked by default? Saved as a kind of user-standard?

[...]

 

I would like to this feature too. In the meantime you could browser bookmark the site with your search settings.

 

Hans

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Hello,

 

I was happy to see that some extra's came in the APP.

 

The problem I notice : above stands 36 lists available but I see only the last 4 list on the screen.

 

In the search tool on the website I can select only the lists from yesterday. The new one I maked today is not available to fill u

 

or do I something wrong?

 

greeting,

 

ConnyVA

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i see we're back to releasing app updates with no changelogs again.

got another update to the new android app this morning (v3.9.2), no changelog whatsoever.

this is very sloppy.

 

i raised this a while back and the response i got was essentially "we didn't think the changes were worthy of use telling you", but changelogs did start again.

 

a changelog should ALWAYS be included.

I totally agree

Even if just minor changes, the changelog should show that.

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I just tried out the limited offline capability, and I find it generally unintuitive. Here are a few things I noticed:

  • After you tap the (...) button and then "Download Offline Data" and it apparently downloads the data, a little green icon shows up. I'm guessing it's supposed to depict a smartphone and represent that the data is now on your phone, but it isn't immediately clear that this is what it means. An icon that looks more like the stereotypical smartphone would help, or even better a text label.
  • After you've saved a PQ/list offline and tap it to view the list, tapping the (...) at the top or on the "My Lists" page gives two options: "Delete Offline Data" and "Download Offline Data". The first is fine, but why is there an option to download the data? Isn't that what I just did? If not, what DID I just do? Tapping "Download Offline Data" seems to re-download the data and this option still remains, with no discernible purpose.
  • There's no way to cancel the download of a PQ/list. Once it starts, you have no choice but to wait until it finishes, short of killing the entire app or turning off the phone's data connection/wifi. This could potentially cause issues if someone inadvertently starts downloading a large list while out in the field and on limited battery/connection.
  • If you do kill the app during a PQ/list download (see above), a green circular arrow icon shows up on that list which seems to indicate that you can resume the download. This is a good feature, but the particular icon that has been used is nearly universally recognized these days as a "refresh" indicator, so it isn't immediately obvious that this is a "resume the download" button as opposed to a "refresh this list" button (a function which Classic app users are used to).

IMO, the heavy use of symbology rather than text leads to ambiguity and a lack of intuitiveness. The Classic app - with its labeled icons and use of familiar website symbology and terminology - is far more intuitive and easier to navigate.

 

I have a real use case for the offline list next weekend as I'll be in a place where a GPS is not legal and I won't have access to data. Creating the lists from the search results was very easy (there were about 20 caches in two separate locations) as was loading them as offline lists once I brought up the app (I use the Android version).

 

Then I put the phone into airplane mode and brought the app back up, selected the lists from the menu, then started to navigate to the cache using the compass (even though it's a long way from here). So far so good, but when I've gone caching in other countries, especially some place where the cache listings may not be in my native language, having access to CO supplied photos can be very useful. When I looked at the cache listings which contained photos, and selected the photos "tab", I just got a black portion of the screen where the photos would be rendered. Turning the airplane mode off and I can see the photos again.

 

With the old paid app one could download map tiles but it doesn't appear that we can do that or that any images are downloaded either.

 

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