Drafts Broken Since May Release

[+bdp]

How long do we have to wait for "drafts" to be fixed on the Android app?

It's been reported multiple times.

They have been broken since the App update which made the Android App *look* like the iOS version of the App.

Enough is Enough.

Prior to the iOS-ing of the App -- drafts could be written, drafts would display on the map as '!', drafts could be opened and edited on the Android App. Life was good.

Enter the iOS-ing release of the Android app.

Drafts can be written.

Drafts only momentarily display as '!', then they revert to original icon.

Drafts can't be edited - when opened again, the draft is empty, causing me to re-enter my draft notes -- only to have them disappear again.

This multiple draft entries then shows up on the web site as multiple drafts for the same cache.

Not cool.

 

I can go to the same set of caches in the iOS app on my iPAD and they show up correctly on the map *AND* I can edit the draft note from the iOS app -- but they are not there in the Android app.

I can go to the website and the same set of caches will show up as drafts on the map *AND* I can edit the MULTIPLE draft notes.

 

Almost SIX months to fix a BASIC function of the Android app?  Seriously?

 

I've attached the screen shots of what a single sample of caches look like on the Android app, the iOS app and on the website.

 

Stop with the 'small' visual tweaks and FIX the everyday REAL bugs.

 

 

[+Bl4ckH4wkGER]

First off, sorry that you are experiencing these issues. They clearly are very frustrating for you and I can understand why if drafts are a key part of your caching experience.

 

That said, if this bug is as frustrating to you as the above writeup suggests, I am surprised that you a) never contacted our customer support in the past six months to draw attention to it and b) waited six months to report it in the forums. FWIW this is the only report of this behavior we have received and while frustration is fair and human, I would ask you to keep the dialogue constructive.

Asking around the various Android users in the company, people are unable to reproduce the bug, including myself. That is on the latest app builds (v8.59) with Android 10+ and modern(-ish) phones.

 

So let's start with some of the missing essentials from your report:

• What app version are you running? (You can find that under Version Info under the ... More menu in the bottom right corner)
• What Android version are you running? (You can find that under Version Info under the ... More menu in the bottom right corner)
• What phone are you using?

[+bdp]

2 hours ago, Bl4ckH4wkGER said:

First off, sorry that you are experiencing these issues. They clearly are very frustrating for you and I can understand why if drafts are a key part of your caching experience.

 

That said, if this bug is as frustrating to you as the above writeup suggests, I am surprised that you a) never contacted our customer support in the past six months to draw attention to it and b) waited six months to report it in the forums. FWIW this is the only report of this behavior we have received and while frustration is fair and human, I would ask you to keep the dialogue constructive.

Asking around the various Android users in the company, people are unable to reproduce the bug, including myself. That is on the latest app builds (v8.59) with Android 10+ and modern(-ish) phones.

 

So let's start with some of the missing essentials from your report:

• What app version are you running? (You can find that under Version Info under the ... More menu in the bottom right corner)
• What Android version are you running? (You can find that under Version Info under the ... More menu in the bottom right corner)
• What phone are you using?

Thank you for your response. I did report it. Back in May -- at least here.

I've actually never been unable to find a direct line to a *real CS* venue where I would get a ticket number. Otherwise I would use that.

 

For the Version Info:

Version 8.59.0

Android 11

samsung SM-G973U (Galaxy S10)

 

I've deleted the app and re-downloaded multiple times (and again just now).  Same effect.

 

It probably has to do with the APP's arbitrary limit of only being able to hold 250 drafts - whereas Cachly, the iOS version, Geooh Go and the website

have no such arbitrary limit.

 

In my most recent adventure (of which some are pictured). Some  caches on the bookmark list - do have the ability to hold the draft and edit,

while others done later in the trip do not.  I did start the trip with less than 250 drafts, but now I have 293 on the website and 293 on the iOS app.

Why so many drafts? Many road trips with many challenges and wanting to write decent log entries. And if one was doing the ET highway one

would have over 2000 drafts - so 250 really is a very arbitrary limit which can't have been written into the specs of the app.

 

So unless those around HQ have tested this limit -- of which I've mentioned before (see May 3rd) -- this is probably why no one can reproduce it.

 

I provide screen shots of the # of drafts in the iOS app and the # of drafts in the Android app.

 

Please fix and I would love to know the webpage to provide a real CS ticket -- or perhaps a 'Submit a Bug Report' on this 'More Page'?

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 13, 2021 by bdp
add the correct picture.

[+Bl4ckH4wkGER]

Alright, so a (technical) limitation and resulting side effects are not a bug. Whether you think it is arbitrary or how other apps or different platforms for the same app (android vs iOS) handle that don't change that. If the Android app can process 250 drafts, it will not show more than that on the map.

 

We can pass this on to the mobile team, but if this limitation has not been resolved over the past months, it is likely for good reason.

 

In the future, you can report bugs via the help center at https://www.geocaching.com/help/

 

Choose the contact us interface at the bottom and select category "18. Bug reporting".

 

 

[+bdp]

5 minutes ago, Bl4ckH4wkGER said:

Alright, so a (technical) limitation and resulting side effects are not a bug. Whether you think it is arbitrary or how other apps or different platforms for the same app (android vs iOS) don't change that. If the Android app can process 250 drafts, it will not show more than that on the map.

 

We can pass this on to the mobile team, but if this limitation has not been resolved over the past months, it is likely for good reason.

 

In the future, you can report bugs via the help center at https://www.geocaching.com/help/

 

Choose the contact us interface at the bottom and select category "18. Bug reporting".

 

 

Thank you for the information about the bug reporting --  that is really convoluted and very difficult to find - but now we know.  

BTW - searching for 'bug' on the help forum, instructs one to use this 'Community Forum' to report a bug.

 

The technical limit of 250 is certainly arbitrary as every other Android geocaching app is able to show me all my 293 drafts.

This is definitely not a technical limitation of Android. The fact that I can have bookmark lists with 1000 different caches listed and I can view them all 

happily in the Android app as a list and on the map indicates the Android apps can handle arrays bigger than 250.

 

Why it hasn't the 250 issue been resolved yet? Probably not on the radar. The majority of long time cachers don't use the HQ app.

I happen to like using it as for the most part it's very efficient and easy to use - but others have moved to either sanctioned or unsanctioned apps because they are

frustrated with the HQ app due to simple issues such as this one.

 

Hope that this gets resolved now that I've identified the technical issue that stops a user from being able to edit drafts from the app.

 

 

[+Max and 99]

9 minutes ago, bdp said:

Thank you for the information about the bug reporting --  that is really convoluted and very difficult to find - but now we know.  

Just fyi: at the bottom of every single page on the geocaching website is a help center link where you can contact HQ. 

 

[+bdp]

2 hours ago, Max and 99 said:

Just fyi: at the bottom of every single page on the geocaching website is a help center link where you can contact HQ. 

 

Thanks Max and 99,

I've never had any luck with using those methods for contact. ie. send message and get zero response.  I suppose that there is a first time.

Will try that way next time.