Cache Description not Loading in Android App

[+sweep]

Is anyone else unable to view cache descriptions etc in the Android App since the update on the 7th October?

 

I'm getting a 'something went wrong - this content could not be loaded' error message.  This has just started after I installed the 7th October update via the Google App store.

 

I've tried clearing clearing the application data and cache on the phone, and reinstalling etc.  The problem doesn't go away.

 

Anyone else having the same problem?

 

[+RosieRambles]

Same error as me, in addition I can't download offline lists.

[+kunarion]

1 hour ago, sweep said:

Is anyone else unable to view cache descriptions etc in the Android App since the update on the 7th October?

 

I'm getting a 'something went wrong - this content could not be loaded' error message.  This has just started after I installed the 7th October update via the Google App store.

 

I've tried clearing clearing the application data and cache on the phone, and reinstalling etc.  The problem doesn't go away.

 

Anyone else having the same problem?

 

You should post the phone model and the App version, just in case it's a specific bug.  And please post when it clears up.  That is, if you get it working, when it started working and what fixed it (if you know).

 

Are you offline?  Does it work in Locus Maps or other Geocaching App?  You reeeeally must have a backup App in case this kind of thing happens after an update.  … unless you like to wait a while to continue Geocaching...

 

Is your phone's data signal really bad in that screenshot?  Or am I misinterpreting those icons?

 

Does this bug affect only PMO caches?  A previous post was about that kind of thing, almost like the App didn't recognize PM.

 

Does the screen change if you reload it?  There was a previous glitch where every time I reloaded, the data was different (no map, yes description, or yes map, no description, things like that).

 

Does it work for you on another phone? …if you have that...

 

I didn't try anything in particular, except to check that PMO cache listings work.  Mine seems fine online, but I'm not seeing a "7th October update", so maybe all phones will break pretty soon:

 

Version 8.5.1

Android 9

HTC U11

 

Edited October 8, 2019 by kunarion

[+sweep]

8 minutes ago, kunarion said:

 

You should post the phone model and the App version, just in case it's a specific bug.  And please post when it clears up.  That is, if you get it working, when it started working and what fixed it (if you know).

 

Are you offline?  Does it work in Locus Maps or other Geocaching App?  You reeeeally must have a backup App in case this kind of thing happens after an update.  … unless you like to wait a while to continue Geocaching...

 

Does this bug affect only PMO caches?

 

Does it work for you on another phone? …if you have that...

 

I didn't try anything in particular, except to check that PMO cache listings work.  Mine seems fine, online:

 

Version 8.5.1

Android 9

HTC U11

 

 

The version of the app with the problem is:

 

version 8.7.0 (I think this was released today)

android 8.0.0

samsung  SM-G930F (S7)

 

The problem is viewing any cache accessed from the map view.  The list view is also affected.

 

Unfortunately, I haven't got access to another phone to try it on.  It does appear to affect all caches including PMO's.

 

I do have a couple of alternative apps to use, so its not the end of the world for me just yet!

 

Hopefully, this thread will get the attention of the right people who can offer a solution if it is a problem with the latest version of the app.

[+kunarion]

3 minutes ago, sweep said:

version 8.7.0 (I think this was released today)

 

Yeah.  So this thread may fill with people shortly.

…unless there's a server update that was supposed to occur to coincide with the update, which will fix it all once that happens.

 

I'll keep an eye out for the update, and when I get it I'll post an... update.

 

 

Edited October 8, 2019 by kunarion

[+RosieRambles]

Both my partner and I have the issue on our respective android phones both using v.8.7.0

[+kunarion]

I'm seeing something weird about the App version.  On both my HTC U11 phone and on the web, the "Google Play Store" shows the most recent version as 8.5.1, not 8.7.0.  Yet while on the phone App Google Play store it says it was updated on Sep 21, on the web it was "updated on October 7th".  I wonder why there's a discrepancy in the dates, and I really wonder why "8.7.0" is not shown as an option!

 

Can you roll back to version 8.5.1?  That's the version currently available on Google Play.  Maybe 8.7.0 was retracted.

 

Both of the above posters with problems seem to be in the UK.  So it's also possible that "8.7.0" is coming to the US, but is only for the UK at this time.  In which case, Google Play is showing a different version to the UK than the US?  I haven't figured out the purpose for doing it that way.

 

Edited October 8, 2019 by kunarion

[+sweep]

21 minutes ago, kunarion said:

I'm seeing something weird about the App version.  On both my HTC U11 phone and on the web, the "Google Play Store" shows the most recent version as 8.5.1, not 8.7.0.  Yet while on the phone App Google Play store it says it was updated on Sep 21, on the web it was "updated on October 7th".  I wonder why there's a discrepancy in the dates, and I really wonder why "8.7.0" is not shown as an option!

 

Can you roll back to version 8.5.1?  That's the version currently available on Google Play.  Maybe 8.7.0 was retracted.

 

Both of the above posters with problems seem to be in the UK.  So it's also possible that "8.7.0" is coming to the US, but is only for the UK at this time.  In which case, Google Play is showing a different version to the UK than the US?  I haven't figured out the purpose for doing it that way.

 

Having just read this last post, I've uninstalled the app then had a look at what was offered in the web store.  Only version 8.5.1 was offered, having installed it, the identified issue is now resolved.

 

It does indeed look like version 8.7.0 has been retracted.

 

So to be clear the problem for me was resolved, by uninstalling, then reinstalling the earlier version (8.5.1) which was the only one offered by the Play store.

[+kunarion]

1 minute ago, sweep said:

It does indeed look like version 8.7.0 has been retracted.

 

So to be clear the problem for me was resolved, by uninstalling, then reinstalling the earlier version (8.5.1) which was the only one offered by the Play store.

 

That's great news!

 

How did "8.7.0" even get installed?  Was it automatic?

[+sweep]

5 minutes ago, kunarion said:

How did "8.7.0" even get installed?  Was it automatic?

It wasn't an automatic update for me.  I periodically check the 'My Apps' section of the Play store for updates, and do an update all.  I may have been unlucky and the 8.7.0 has appeared earlier today.

Edited October 8, 2019 by sweep

[geo_android]

Hello!
 

Hopefully I can clear some stuff up.

 

First, thank you all for reporting this. Please continue to report as @kunarion suggested, by adding your phone model and app version. Easiest way to do it is the way that @RosieRambles did, by taking a screen shot of the Version Info dialog. You can find it at the bottom of the slide out menu on the map.

 

Second, not everyone is going to be receiving the update and I can explain that too.

For the version of the app, we use Major Minor Hotfix. So the major for this release is 8, the minor 7, hotfix 0 (since it wasn't a hotfix)

I mention that to help explain our release process. 

 

We release a new, minor version of the app every two weeks. (I am sure everyone is noticing that it jumped from 8.5.1 to 8.7.0, that is because 8.6.0 was never released :) )
When we release, it is on a slow rollout. Currently we were at a 10% rollout to all users, but it has a hard cap at 10%. It then rolls out to 20% of all users if the 10% group isn't experiencing anything game-breaking, and so on until we release it to 100%. That is why some of you have 8.5.1 still, and some of you have 8.7.0.

Right now the rollout is halted because of this issue.

(I keep adding more as the replies roll in)

Halting the release forces the only available version to be 8.5.1 again so people aren't continually plagued with the issue.
If you have auto updates on (or hit your Update All), the app will update to 8.7.0 if you are one of the lucky chosen to be part of the 10% initial rollout. 

[+kunarion]

 

2 minutes ago, geo_android said:

Hello!
 

Hopefully I can clear some stuff up.

 

First, thank you all for reporting this. Please continue to report as @kunarion suggested, by adding your phone model and app version. Easiest way to do it is the way that @RosieRambles did, by taking a screen shot of the Version Info dialog. You can find it at the bottom of the slide out menu on the map.

 

Second, not everyone is going to be receiving the update and I can explain that too.

For the version of the app, we use Major Minor Hotfix. So the major for this release is 8, the minor 7, hotfix 0 (since it wasn't a hotfix)

I mention that to help explain our release process. 

 

We release a new, minor version of the app every two weeks. (I am sure everyone is noticing that it jumped from 8.5.1 to 8.7.0, that is because 8.6.0 was never released )
When we release, it is on a slow rollout. Currently we were at a 10% rollout to all users, but it has a hard cap at 10%. It then rolls out to 20% of all users if the 10% group isn't experiencing anything game-breaking, and so on until we release it to 100%. That is why some of you have 8.5.1 still, and some of you have 8.7.0.

Right now the rollout is halted because of this issue.

(I keep adding more as the replies roll in)

Halting the release forces the only available version to be 8.5.1 again so people aren't continually plagued with the issue.
If you have auto updates on (or hit your Update All), the app will update to 8.7.0 if you are one of the lucky chosen to be part of the 10% initial rollout. 

 

Cool!  Mystery solved!

[+RosieRambles]

For some reason I had auto update enabled. Reverted to v8.5.1 and all is ok. Stopped auto updates too. Thank you for the explicit response to the issue.

[+GoGayleGo]

Same issue here

[geo_android]

Hello again, friends!

 

We rectified the issue with the 8.7.0 release.

Short story is that there was a miss in how Android's new build tools affected the way we make certain calls to the server for data. We fixed the relationship between the app and the build tools and now they know what not to ignore and what is important.

 

A new version of the app will be in the store today with the version number 8.7.1. You all should see it within a couple of hours barring any weirdness from the Google Play Store.

 

Thank you again to everyone who reported this and added their information in, and thanks also to those to reported it to https://www.geocaching.com/help/. It is extremely helpful.

[+knhdah]

Same problem since recent app update:

Can't figure out how to post screen shot but I have this info: Version 8.7.0, Android 8.1.0, Motorola Moto g5 plus.  Guess I will try grabbing the fix from the play store.  Thanks for the help!

[+knhdah]

Installed the new version 8.7.1, and everything seems to be there :). Thanks for the quick fix.  Now if they could just tackle the new souvenir alert...

[+Max and 99]

App 8.7.1

Android 10

Descriptions on caches showing as expected.