"Upgrades"

[ladyofastolat]

Grump! I've been using the MapMyWalk app on my phone since January, and have used it to track over 200 walks, ranging from less than a mile to over 30 miles. Barring a few issues with battery use, I've had no problems with it.

Last week, I installed a big upgrade...

After a week of fighting with it, I have had to conclude that the upgrade has made the app unusable on my phone. I don't know if this is because my phone, although less than a year old, is at the budget end of the Smartphone spectrum? I've only managed one successful walk, and that was a simple A to B walk in Southampton, only 2 miles, with no pauses. Otherwise, it refuses to start again when paused. It shouts about not being able to connect to their website - something it never previously moaned about, which is just as well, given the lack of network coverage one tends to encounter on country walks. It sometimes freezes up completely, forcing me to restart my phone. It devours battery life at least twice as fast as the old one, if not more, even when paused.

Yes, I am using the free version of the app, rather than paying to get the more advanced version. I accept that this gives me very limited right to complain. I am not a paying customer, and they owe me nothing. But I'm still grumped about it. I'm 88% of the way through my "walk 1000 miles" target on MapMyWalk, so I don't want to move away from it until I've completed that. I can map walks manually - easy when you walk on roads; rather more challenging when you go cross country - but it's so much easier to have a magic device in your pocket doing all the counting for you.

Grump!

Comments

[rubygirl29.livejournal.com]

Yes, this does remind me of most library "events". It sounds like the annual Friends of the Library luncheon.

We are more alike than not when it comes to libraries!

[leesa_perrie]

Annoying! Upgrades are supposed to IMPROVE things, not make them worse - and yet, so often, they make things worse. *hugs*

[bunn.livejournal.com]

There's 'complaining' and there's 'reporting a potential bug/usability issue'.

'complaining' about a free app may be churlish, but 'reporting a potential bug' with plenty of helpful detail is a valuable contribution to give back to the people who gave you the app you like.

You may not plan to buy the app, but quite possibly lots of other people with the same phone as you may be put off doing so, unless the developers know there's a problem?

I would report this to the developer, assuming that they offer a channel to do that. You should specify exactly what phone, model, software you are using, and give as much detail about the problems as you can.

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

This illustrates the wisdom of a principle I learned long ago to apply to computers: never upgrade if it's at all possible to avoid it.

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

This event was very dominated by the Friends of the Library, too. It's a good thing, really. Until a few years ago, we didn't have any Friends groups, but at least now all our events come with a ready-made audience and a ready-made band of volunteers willing to make tea and donate cake.

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

Good point (although whether I'll get around to doing it is quite another thing!)