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Release Notes (Geocaching® app for iPhone: Clustering, Map a List) - June 9, 2016


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Release Notes - June 9, 2016

 

Geocaching® iPhone App

 

With this release (4.3), we have cleaned up the map to make searching for geocaches even easier, as well as added the ability to view your geocache lists on the map.

 

Clustering

 


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  • When zoomed out on the map, caches are now clustered. The clusters break up as you zoom in. Eventually, they break apart completely and the map displays all caches individually.
     
  • The result is a much cleaner look. Just as important is that clustering addresses performance concerns which arose when mapping a list. Which happens to be the next new feature...
     
    86afcbde-ef18-41e6-aed7-7d92adcbe86e.jpgc8484f1c-634c-4e61-8570-54088dd91f6d.jpg

 

Map a List

 


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  • One of the most requested features has arrived!
     
  • Simply go to the My Lists tab, then tap the icon to the right of the list name. (You could also choose the list and then tap the map icon at the top of the individual lists’s screen.)

 

2866416e-14e9-478c-ab60-880df94a200c.jpg

 

Other updates

 


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  • Charter Members’ titles are now accurately displayed on their Profile pages. Previously, the only titles were Member and Premium Member.
     
  • Shop Geocaching is now accessible in Canada. Previously, it was available only in the U.S.

 

The Mobile Team will watch this thread and answer questions when possible.

 

Any questions/comments should be related to features in this release. Any unrelated comments should be directed to other appropriate threads. Thanks!

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Why is it that you add features such as the ability to view a list on a map to iPhone first and not to Android? It makes sense to make these new features available to everyone at the same time..

Different development teams on different platforms. The level of difficulty in implementing any given feature will vary depending on the platform. Should the iOS developers' contributions be held back from the users simply because another team is taking a bit longer?

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Why is it that you add features such as the ability to view a list on a map to iPhone first and not to Android? It makes sense to make these new features available to everyone at the same time..

Different development teams on different platforms. The level of difficulty in implementing any given feature will vary depending on the platform. Should the iOS developers' contributions be held back from the users simply because another team is taking a bit longer?

 

What The A-Team said. And also because even if our dev teams submitted the apps to Android and Apple at the same time, it's very unlikely that they would be approved and made available in the stores at the same time. The review process can vary wildly between Apple and Android.

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Thanks for this post!

 

I'm still using the Classic app because this one still doesn't do field notes but I'm glad to see it improving. I had just logged on to the new one because I do like that I can see a much larger area of caches on the map view. Then I was wondering what the heck all the numbers in the blue circles were all about. Thanks for explaining. Love that we can finally view a list on map view too! Keep up the good work.

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Why is it that you add features such as the ability to view a list on a map to iPhone first and not to Android? It makes sense to make these new features available to everyone at the same time..

Different development teams on different platforms. The level of difficulty in implementing any given feature will vary depending on the platform. Should the iOS developers' contributions be held back from the users simply because another team is taking a bit longer?

 

What The A-Team said. And also because even if our dev teams submitted the apps to Android and Apple at the same time, it's very unlikely that they would be approved and made available in the stores at the same time. The review process can vary wildly between Apple and Android.

 

I don't really know what it takes to develop an app for either market. Thanks for clarifying

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Why is it that you add features such as the ability to view a list on a map to iPhone first and not to Android? It makes sense to make these new features available to everyone at the same time..

 

The iPhone compatibility might not need to be reconfigured as much as the android does. Also the Android teams have many groups so it takes time to get all the developers to configure Groundspeak's updates to the app.

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I tried it again, but it's still not usable for me as I don't have a proper data plan and the app is both too slow and needs too much data. These clusters might be useful for some, but it's useless for planning a driving trip over more than a few miles simply because I cannot see the caches along the route I plan to drive anymore. Guess this app really needs settings: cluster or uncluster, load data on the fly or not, and such kind of things. I'm sticking with the old app as it does everything I need.

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I agree that customizing the clustering would be a very beneficial option.

Geosphere introduced clustering, and shortly after the dev added the flexibility to change the threshold before clustering occurs, up to 500 pins visible on the map. Not auto-clustering at a zoom level, but a pin count. That's much more user-friendly, IMO. That was a couple of years ago too. Today that number could probably expand up to 1-2000 or more with the power of recent iOS devices. My 6S Plus isn't chugging at all at 500 visible pins.

Edited by thebruce0
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Ignore list. Field notes. What can be so hard about implementing these? This version of the app is nearly useless for me without these. People have been asking for these features since day one of the new app scenario. Start working on them now, have them out in the next release, which should be next week, not 3 months from now.

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I still don't use this app as I prefer the classic one and initially I thought this clustering thing was a good idea but I liked it better when I could see all the dots in a wide area. Can't this feature be changed to a toggle on/off? If you want clustering, great. If not, let the user turn it off. Do you guys actually use these apps? It seems like those creating the features have never cached with an app and don't really understand how they are used in the field. It's doubtful that I'll ever use this app. When the classic one quits working I will spend money on a better, 3rd party app that already has the features I'm looking for.

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