Browsing for cache on mobile opens app

[+yxza]

If I start a browser on my mobile and search for a cache then it is displayed in the app. I can normally live with that, although I think it is a small pain in the ***. However if the cache is archived the app refuses to find it. Invalid code is the result. Why can't the caches be displayed in the browser? If I want a cache in the app I can search for it in the app.

[+Team Microdot]

Can you describe the process you follow and also which phone, OS and web browser you have?

[+yxza]

I start firefox or safari and enter geocaching.com homepage. in the search field I enter a gc code and select the "lowest" alternative of the two that pop up. then the app is opened automatically.

[+Team Microdot]

5 minutes ago, yxza said:

I start firefox or safari and enter geocaching.com homepage. in the search field I enter a gc code and select the "lowest" alternative of the two that pop up. then the app is opened automatically.

 

I've just followed that same sequence and whichever of the two options that appears in the dropdown menu after searching just takes me to that cache page in Firefox.

 

I'm on Android.

 

 

Edited July 24, 2018 by Team Microdot
typo

[+IceColdUK]

58 minutes ago, yxza said:

I start firefox or safari and enter geocaching.com homepage. in the search field I enter a gc code and select the "lowest" alternative of the two that pop up. then the app is opened automatically.

 

I’m on an iPhone.  I haven’t been able to replicate your problem exactly, but I understand the issue - I used to have the same problem opening a cache from an email (fired up the Geocaching App rather than opening the page in Safari say).

 

To fix that, if you ‘long press’ the cache link, you get a menu of open options.  Maybe something like that will help here?

[+Team Microdot]

Just now, IceColdUK said:

I’m on an iPhone.  I haven’t been able to replicate your problem exactly, but I understand the issue - I used to have the same problem opening a cache from an email (fired up the Geocaching App rather than opening the page in Safari say).

 

I do get that too - somehow the preferred browser for geocaches according to my device is the geocaching app.

 

Like you I long-tap the link in the email and then I just paste the link into a regular web browser.

[+IceColdUK]

4 minutes ago, Team Microdot said:

 

I do get that too - somehow the preferred browser for geocaches according to my device is the geocaching app.

 

Like you I long-tap the link in the email and then I just paste the link into a regular web browser.

 

From email, if I choose the ‘Open in Safari’ option than the choice ‘sticks’ for subsequent links.  Trying to reproduce yxza’s problem from within the browser, I couldn’t get my selection to stick.  In my case, unless I explicitly selected the ‘Open in “Geocaching”’ option, it always opens the cache page in the Safari.  Strange.

[+Team Microdot]

The other odd thing about this...

 

On my android it's possible to configure default apps - a bit like file associations in Microsoft Windows - so that accessing a particular file type (resource type to be technically correct here) triggers the launch of the associated default app.

 

Thing is though - the geocaching app on my droid isn't set as the default app for ANYTHING - although I notice this option:

 

Go to supported URL's : via this app

 

And then:

 

Supported web addresses : coord.info and other supported web addresses

 

 

Go to supported URL's : has three options:

 

• Via this app
• Always ask
• In other app

 

I'm going to switch over to Always ask and see what happens...

 

 

ETA:

 

Supported URL's include:

 

• coord.info
• www.coord.info
• www.geocaching.com
• geocaching.com

 

Edited July 24, 2018 by Team Microdot
additional info

[+Team Microdot]

Aha!

 

So now, when I get an email with a coord.info url, I tap on the link and my droid pops open a little Open with popup and I can tap on either my default web browser or the geocaching app.

 

Cool

[+Team Microdot]

Hmmm.... but the second time I click that same URL in that same email - it just goes to my default web browser be default (which was the choice that I made when I was offered a choice)

 

[+Team Microdot]

And sending a new email with a link to a different cache still results in automatically opening in the default web browser - no choice is offered

 

Let's see what happens if I set the default to be the geocaching app and leave the always ask option on...

 

That doesn't seem to be a selectable configuration

 

Looks like the mechanisms for being able to select the app to be used are there - but don't quite work as expected

[+fuzziebear3]

But I think the question posed is 'why are archived caches not shown in the app'.

 

I'm guessing that it just how it is designed -- archived caches are effectively off the playing field.  You can still go to those coordinates and see what you find, but it is likely archived for a reason.  The reason could range from the cache is missing or damaged, to the cache owner isn't responsive, to land manager issues that mean you really shouldn't be looking there.  Additionally some areas could have multiple generations of archived caches and they would be very much clutter in the map and app.

 

Since the app doesn't really know the history and is designed for simple start and go, it does not include archived caches.

[+Team Microdot]

1 minute ago, fuzziebear3 said:

But I think the question posed is 'why are archived caches not shown in the app'.

 

I don't think it was - but I grant you it's a bit unclear.

 

The answer to that question though is probably as simple as - because that's the way the app was designed.

 

[+yxza]

on iPhone a long tab on cache url in a mail - nothing happens. but that was not my original problem. it was - starting a browser, going to geocaching.com, entering a gc-code in the search field and then selecting the "lower" choice with the cache popping up doesn't take me to the cache in the browser but opens up the app. very irritating. about archived caches, that they don't appear in the app is one issue, but if it was opened in the browser i could see it. which could be of interest sometimes. it's my archived cache e.g. and i would like to write a note like "cache archived, the secret code is ###" so future pt loggers could find the finale cache.

 

[+IceColdUK]

59 minutes ago, yxza said:

 

on iPhone a long tab on cache url in a mail - nothing happens.

 

 

Do you not get that options menu I showed earlier?  If I do a ‘long press’ on a cache url from the search results, in Safari, I get something similar (attached).  Do you see that?

[+The A-Team]

2 hours ago, yxza said:

starting a browser, going to geocaching.com, entering a gc-code in the search field and then selecting the "lower" choice with the cache popping up doesn't take me to the cache in the browser but opens up the app.

That's very strange. I just tried the same thing, but it opened up the cache page in my browser as expected. It definitely isn't supposed to be doing what you describe, and I haven't heard of it working like that for anyone else.

[+Twinklekitkat]

14 hours ago, yxza said:

If I start a browser on my mobile and search for a cache then it is displayed in the app. I can normally live with that, although I think it is a small pain in the ***. However if the cache is archived the app refuses to find it. Invalid code is the result. Why can't the caches be displayed in the browser? If I want a cache in the app I can search for it in the app.

 

So before I read this post I did not have this issue.  I have an iphone running iOS 11.4.1  I also use the Safari browser and have both Cachly and the Groundspeak Geocaching app loaded to my phone.  When I would do as you described the safari browser would open the archived page.  But I had to see for myself what you were talking about and see if I could replicate what you said.  When I used the Safari app to browse GC.com anytime I searched a cache I got a banner across the top asking me to open in the app? I always ignored but today of course like a dummy I clicked that and I got the invalid code result.  Unfortunately I could not figure out a way to make it stop opening in the app other than deleting the app but I have since figured out a work around to do it!  Just type in the GC code directly into the browser and search for it.  The archived cache opened in the browser for me.  Not ideal but at least it works. 

 

FYI: If I long press the cache GC code from the search screen I only get two options shown in the screenshot: Open or Cancel.  Not real helpful as Open goes right to the app.  Not sure if this is iOS version based or what but there is not an option to open in geocaching.com and revert the action of opening in the app.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I did just discover this while fooling around trying to get it back to opening in GC.com:  Using the browser, I navigated to a list of mine with a known archived cache on it.  When I clicked the list of caches it opened the app but then forwarded back to the browser showing me the list of caches.  When I selected an archived cache it opened the page in safari. So maybe the answer for you is to put the archived caches you would like to view on a list and open them that way from the browser.

 

Another FYI: from e-mails a long press on the cache name will open in the app and a light tap will open the browser.  You will get an 'Invalid code' though if the cache is archived or newly published and the app is not yet up to date.

 

*****My true answer to this problem though is to just use Cachly.  You can type in any archived GC code and the app will open it.  If it is your cache you can make any kind of log to it that is available on the site.  If you have an iphone I highly recommend getting it and you'll soon find it will be the best $5.00 you've ever spent on Geocaching.*****

 

 

Edited July 24, 2018 by Twinklekitkat