Apple Watch App vanishes after recent update

[+rcccraft]

Its the same as geocaching. but more powerful

 

[+TeamRocket_be]

Yesterday I went on a non-Geocaching walk with the ViewRanger watch app and totally fell in love. Not having to constantly check my phone by Just taking a quick look on my wrist made a hughe difference. Please bring the Geocaching Watch app back! As mentioned before, I Think the first app was released to soon. The Watch still had to grow and its a pitty we now are punished because you guys where to fast . Give us a New app in 2019, The iOS app now contains all that we could do with the old basic app and even more. Give us The watch app back, its time ;). (Caching since 2011 only with iPhone and still loving it!)

[+Casanova_team]

Anything new about Geocaching app on Apple Watch?

Hurry up, Groundspeak! My premium membership ending soon.

[+ashtri_]

so I ended up buying apple watch and cachly app for geocaching

and I have to say I'm a bit disappointed..

cachly app on apple watch shows distance to cache but compass directions are horrible slow to update and its kinda walking in circles..

if its clear where cache is then watch is enough, but with a bit more difficult caches I end up getting my iPhone anyway..

since the main reason I bought apple watch was geocaching its kinda waste of 500+$..

maybe official geocache app could do better than cachly?

[+kunarion]

2 minutes ago, ashtri_ said:

so I ended up buying apple watch and cachly app for geocaching

and I have to say I'm a bit disappointed..

cachly app on apple watch shows distance to cache but compass directions are horrible slow to update and its kinda walking in circles..

if its clear where cache is then watch is enough, but with a bit more difficult caches I end up getting my iPhone anyway..

since the main reason I bought apple watch was geocaching its kinda waste of 500+$..

maybe official geocache app could do better than cachly?

 

The Apple Watch has no magnetic compass.  An App would have to read continuous compass data from a connected phone, and that will drain the battery on both devices.  Lots of smart watches have magnetic compasses.  A watch App that loads a couple of nearby caches wherever you are might be cool. If I knew which particular compass-friendly watch can be easily loaded on the fly, maybe I'd buy that exact setup (after I get rich, I mean).  With "smart watch" technology changing so fast, whether Cachly or anybody would or should devote development on that is a question.  How much per month would you be willing to pay for that?

[+ashtri_]

1 hour ago, kunarion said:

 

The Apple Watch has no magnetic compass.  An App would have to read continuous compass data from a connected phone, and that will drain the battery on both devices.  Lots of smart watches have magnetic compasses.  A watch App that loads a couple of nearby caches wherever you are might be cool. If I knew which particular compass-friendly watch can be easily loaded on the fly, maybe I'd buy that exact setup (after I get rich, I mean).  With "smart watch" technology changing so fast, whether Cachly or anybody would or should devote development on that is a question.  How much per month would you be willing to pay for that?

 

How much would I be willing to pay?

I'm already paying around 30$/year for support of app and website,

Groundspeak don't place caches all over the world, I do that with other geocachers,

thay don't even review them, volunteers do that..

the only thing thay do is supporting geocaching platform and I would say 30$/year is quite a lot,

so I would expect good and full service, that would include apple watch app to..

the most I would be willing to pay is buy the app for few bucks not pay for subscription constantly

[+cerberus1]

3 hours ago, kunarion said:

With "smart watch" technology changing so fast, whether Cachly or anybody would or should devote development on that is a question. 

Agreed.  

In October '16 that was explained by a Lackey.  The new app needing work and "very few users" helped with their thinking ...   

Add in that whenever a third-party site offers a solution (like the stat sites...), there's little incentive here to go through yearly changes for few people (and little return).

Apple watch 3 came out sept '17,  4 was out last sept,  stores are already expecting a 5 this sept.

Instead of hitting reviews on these things, folks plunk the money and expect someone to make it work for them.    I don't get it...   

The other 2/3rds uses hers at work only.

[+ashtri_]

On 5/25/2019 at 10:17 PM, cerberus1 said:

Agreed.  

In October '16 that was explained by a Lackey.  The new app needing work and "very few users" helped with their thinking ...   

Add in that whenever a third-party site offers a solution (like the stat sites...), there's little incentive here to go through yearly changes for few people (and little return).

Apple watch 3 came out sept '17,  4 was out last sept,  stores are already expecting a 5 this sept.

Instead of hitting reviews on these things, folks plunk the money and expect someone to make it work for them.    I don't get it...   

The other 2/3rds uses hers at work only.

 

I can understand the reason like kunarion stated: 'The Apple Watch has no magnetic compass', if it's technically impossible to create good app at this moment, then so be it..

but the reason that there are very few users and third-party sites solution sounds like excuses not to do something right, becouse Groundspeak are just to lazy and cheap..

compared to android there are very few iOS users, so why bother to create iPhone app?

why bother to create app at all, with that logic lets go back to ancient times and use website only..

and help from third-party sites? jesus.. 

thousands and thousands geocachers all over the world pay around 30$ to Groundspeak every year, plus sales of TB's, logbooks and there are even ads in GC website..

Groundspeak should be making millions of dollars and they can't create apple watch app? how much that would cost? few thousands? it should be penies for such company..

in the end for this specific activity watch app would be really useful, in my country it's forbidden by low to cross street while using phone,

so walking with your smartphone in hand and eyes on it is actually dangerous for your life!

so thank you Groundspeak for not taking care of our safety

Edited May 27, 2019 by ashtri_

[+IceColdUK]

1 hour ago, ashtri_ said:

so thank you Groundspeak for not taking care of our safety

 

I think you need to take some responsibility for your own safety.  Legality doesn’t really come into it: if you’re crossing a road, best not to be focussed on your phone or your watch!

[+ashtri_]

3 hours ago, IceColdUK said:

 

I think you need to take some responsibility for your own safety.  Legality doesn’t really come into it: if you’re crossing a road, best not to be focussed on your phone or your watch!

 

without doubt that is true,

but still I think watch is a bit safer alternative than smartphone,

and I'm not just talking about crossing road,

what if you're looking for a cache on a cliff, rocks over water..

it's easy to drop your expensive smartphone and broke it/merge to water..

with watch it's not that easy..

plus if you're carrying 1000$ iPhone in your hand some thief could just run by you and grab it from your hand and with watch it's a bit more difficult to do that..

[+cerberus1]

10 hours ago, ashtri_ said:

...  compared to android there are very few iOS users, so why bother to create iPhone app?

why bother to create app at all, with that logic lets go back to ancient times and use website only..

and help from third-party sites?  

Ancient times, we'd be still using maps made of hides.  

 

Actually, I started "phone caching" with the app that created this pay-to-play setup, the Windows-phone app.

Because it had the fewest people , I guess it seemed the best bet to see how things worked.

When the other two apps came out, that Windows-phone app that had the fewest people was canned.

Life goes on though, and I simply went back to a GPSr.  

 

[+cerberus1]

Phone replaced by a gizmo a quarter of it's size is for safety...   

The same people who now create entertainment on evening TV by what they're smacking into have an even smaller target to stare at.  

If someone would only say, "But it's just so cool !" I could see that.   

To make up stuff, not so much...

 

  

[+noncentric]

18 hours ago, ashtri_ said:

in the end for this specific activity watch app would be really useful, in my country it's forbidden by low to cross street while using phone,

so walking with your smartphone in hand and eyes on it is actually dangerous for your life!

so thank you Groundspeak for not taking care of our safety

If looking at a phone while crossing a street is dangerous, then looking at a watch would be dangerous too.  Do you really care about safety, or about what is forbidden by law?

 

12 hours ago, ashtri_ said:

without doubt that is true,

but still I think watch is a bit safer alternative than smartphone,

and I'm not just talking about crossing road,

what if you're looking for a cache on a cliff, rocks over water..

it's easy to drop your expensive smartphone and broke it/merge to water..

with watch it's not that easy..

plus if you're carrying 1000$ iPhone in your hand some thief could just run by you and grab it from your hand and with watch it's a bit more difficult to do that..

So it's really not about "safety", but about being clumsy and dropping a phone. And you think that GS should be responsible for that?   If cachers cannot accept the responsibility of holding onto their phone, or their GPSr, then that is their own problem.

 

18 hours ago, ashtri_ said:

thousands and thousands geocachers all over the world pay around 30$ to Groundspeak every year, plus sales of TB's, logbooks and there are even ads in GC website.. 

Groundspeak should be making millions of dollars and they can't create apple watch app?

You think GS is making millions of dollars based on $30 annual memberships?  It takes 33,333 PM's to make ONE million dollars.  Consider how much money is costs a company to have 100 employees?  One million dollars is an average of $10,000 per employee. I would be surprised if GS wasn't spending at least Six million dollars per year just on employee salaries.

 

18 hours ago, ashtri_ said:

and they can't create apple watch app? how much that would cost? few thousands? it should be penies for such company..

A few thousands?  You must be joking!

[+ashtri_]

4 hours ago, noncentric said:

So it's really not about "safety", but about being clumsy and dropping a phone. And you think that GS should be responsible for that?   If cachers cannot accept the responsibility of holding onto their phone, or their GPSr, then that is their own problem.

 

of course I don't want to risk my expensive device, as I told before geocaching is specific activity, that could really benefit from watch app

since in normal circumstances I wouldn't walk on rocky cliff with smartphone in my hand,

but when geocaching I don't really have a choice..

You shouldn't drive and talk with your phone at a same time, but if you have to, if your work is to drive and talk to clients at a same time, you have a safer option of buying hands free set,

but with geocaching there is no safer alternative..

and its not all about risk of braking device..

do I really have to give an example of every possible scenario?

ok, lets say you're geocaching on that rocky cliff with smartphone in your hand and you slip, you're falling..

you'll probably by reflex going to try to safe not only your self, but your device to and by doing that your injuries may be bigger,

but if you would have an extra free hand to grab on something, you may end up with lighter injury..

 

4 hours ago, noncentric said:

A few thousands?  You must be joking!

 

ok, ten-thousands.. how much do you think it costs? millions? billions of dollars?

its just an app, not a space rocket, it shouldn't be unaffordable for descent company

 

4 hours ago, noncentric said:

You think GS is making millions of dollars based on $30 annual memberships?  It takes 33,333 PM's to make ONE million dollars.  Consider how much money is costs a company to have 100 employees?  One million dollars is an average of $10,000 per employee. I would be surprised if GS wasn't spending at least Six million dollars per year just on employee salaries.

 

so far I've heard only one decent reason not to make watch app, its technical reason of apple watch not having magnetic compass,

although it still would be nice to at least have watch app for reading hints, descriptions, logs...

 

all other reasons is basically stating that Groundspeak is barely making a living and just can't afford such big luxury like creating simple app..

that makes me feel like I'm getting into lost cost, like windows phone users did..

[+ashtri_]

6 hours ago, noncentric said:

If looking at a phone while crossing a street is dangerous, then looking at a watch would be dangerous too.  Do you really care about safety, or about what is forbidden by law?

 

it's not really a problem not to look at a phone for few seconds while you're crossing the street,

I've just wanted to point that it's recognized even by lows that using phone might be dangerous in some circumstances..

and in my opinion watch is at least a bit safer and in some cases a lot safer than smartphone..

[+hal-an-tow]

9 hours ago, ashtri_ said:

 

of course I don't want to risk my expensive device, as I told before geocaching is specific activity, that could really benefit from watch app

since in normal circumstances I wouldn't walk on rocky cliff with smartphone in my hand,

but when geocaching I don't really have a choice..

 

A choice : GPS, on a lanyard. Cheap, robust waterproof., not a thief magnet.

9 hours ago, ashtri_ said:

You shouldn't drive and talk with your phone at a same time, but if you have to, if your work is to drive and talk to clients at a same time, you have a safer option of buying hands free set,

but with geocaching there is no safer alternative..

 

Safer alternative: in my very basic android 'phone I have an offline GDAK database, when I select a cache  and then go to  'compass' I get the option to 'navigate'  and it sends the location to my navigation app so I can drive to the nearest trailhead. Hands free. Thats the only way I use the 'phone for caching (apart from running wherigos)

9 hours ago, ashtri_ said:

ok, lets say you're geocaching on that rocky cliff with smartphone in your hand and you slip, you're falling..

you'll probably by reflex going to try to safe not only your self, but your device to and by doing that your injuries may be bigger,

but if you would have an extra free hand to grab on something, you may end up with lighter injury..

 

I somehow doubt that a few million years of human evolution, survival adaptation and reflexes are going to  be overcome by the conscious thought when falling off a cliff that one must save the $1000 toy. But then, if you are doing anything at the edge of a rocky cliff while paying attention to a smartphone or anything else in your hand , evolution is not your friend, altho'  a Darwin Award could lie in your future.

I've done a fair bit of small scale falling (we call it ukemi) and I can assure you, the only thing that goes through your mind at the time is " Oh &*%$£ !"

10 hours ago, ashtri_ said:

so far I've heard only one decent reason not to make watch app, its technical reason of apple watch not having magnetic compass,

although it still would be nice to at least have watch app for reading hints, descriptions, logs...

OK, so here's why there is no watch app.

It is not economic.

If there was any perceived demand , and someone (not necessarily Groundspeak) was able to do it and make some profit from it, they would develop it. Look at the huge range of caching apps out there: with the odd (open ) exception, they were all made by someone who profits from them , if 'free' there will be adverts,.

I  seem to recall reading that ios is less easy to produce apps for than android ( security, proprietary software, limited access to the system, something like  that, I don't know, I'm no expert and expect I'll be corrected by someone who is ...) And then how often do new i phones and watches come out with new software which would demand app changes or new apps  ?

 

So, you have a combination of it being a difficult app to build, provide, and keep current, and a lack of demand , coupled with the watch having no compass, so any app would mostly get bitter complaints about it's lack of accuracy from folk who expect 100% service after spending all that money on both devices .

 

I have to agree with cerberus

22 hours ago, cerberus1 said:

Phone replaced by a gizmo a quarter of it's size is for safety...   

The same people who now create entertainment on evening TV by what they're smacking into have an even smaller target to stare at.  

If someone would only say, "But it's just so cool !" I could see that.   

To make up stuff, not so much...

 

If you buy an expensive gadget because you want it, well, that's your choice.

If you make optimistic assumptions about what it can do , instead of doing thorough research before you put down your cash, that's your choice too.

If the justification you made to yourself for needing that gadget turns to dust, that's an expensive lesson you just got.

 

[+ashtri_]

39 minutes ago, hal-an-tow said:

A choice : GPS, on a lanyard. Cheap, robust waterproof., not a thief magnet.

Safer alternative: in my very basic android 'phone I have an offline GDAK database, when I select a cache  and then go to  'compass' I get the option to 'navigate'  and it sends the location to my navigation app so I can drive to the nearest trailhead. Hands free. Thats the only way I use the 'phone for caching (apart from running wherigos)

I somehow doubt that a few million years of human evolution, survival adaptation and reflexes are going to  be overcome by the conscious thought when falling off a cliff that one must save the $1000 toy. But then, if you are doing anything at the edge of a rocky cliff while paying attention to a smartphone or anything else in your hand , evolution is not your friend, altho'  a Darwin Award could lie in your future.

I've done a fair bit of small scale falling (we call it ukemi) and I can assure you, the only thing that goes through your mind at the time is " Oh &*%$£ !"

OK, so here's why there is no watch app.

It is not economic.

If there was any perceived demand , and someone (not necessarily Groundspeak) was able to do it and make some profit from it, they would develop it. Look at the huge range of caching apps out there: with the odd (open ) exception, they were all made by someone who profits from them , if 'free' there will be adverts,.

I  seem to recall reading that ios is less easy to produce apps for than android ( security, proprietary software, limited access to the system, something like  that, I don't know, I'm no expert and expect I'll be corrected by someone who is ...) And then how often do new i phones and watches come out with new software which would demand app changes or new apps  ?

 

So, you have a combination of it being a difficult app to build, provide, and keep current, and a lack of demand , coupled with the watch having no compass, so any app would mostly get bitter complaints about it's lack of accuracy from folk who expect 100% service after spending all that money on both devices .

 

I have to agree with cerberus

If you buy an expensive gadget because you want it, well, that's your choice.

If you make optimistic assumptions about what it can do , instead of doing thorough research before you put down your cash, that's your choice too.

If the justification you made to yourself for needing that gadget turns to dust, that's an expensive lesson you just got.

 

 

well yes, in the end if Groundspeak will decide to make watch app then I'll have it, if not, then not..

I was hoping to have a better geocaching experience, but it's good activity already..

and maybe some day we'll have decent smart glasses, that would be really safer and nice