Android App - testers wanted for updated version

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Android app is getting some love with user interface and stability improvements.
There were several reports of app crashes and users having difficulty renaming the doors.
Please try this APK for updated version and post your feedback here. Thanks!

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This is a very clever device, part of me loves it. But the software - wow, not what I expected at all from a $100 purchase. Here are my comments after also testing the beta version:

  1. Door state and time open or closed do not auto-update within the android app. The app seems to update based on what the app “thinks” instead of what the physical garadget device reports. To clarify, the app does not update the “time open” field unless you exit the app and re-enter. Same with detecting the door closed - If you manually close the door with the pushbutton, the app does not update to indicate it’s closed, nor does it update “time closed” unless you exit the app and re-enter, or unless you also press the icon to close it. These things occur in both 1.13 and beta, and from multiple tests it’s clear that the physical device is reporting accurately. If you cannot make it auto-update, then there should be a “refresh” option to update the status, I should not have to exit the app and re-enter to get a true sense of the state. This is CRUCIAL because you can easily leave the door open when exiting the app unless you remember to re-enter the app to verify the state. Then, coupled with the issue below (accidental press of close/open icon), it’s far too easy to leave the door in an unintended state. Fyi, I have the scan period set to 10 seconds, and the exception to the auto-update problem is the web interface which seems to update the status every 10 seconds, as I would expect with scan frequency set to 10 seconds. HINT: It’s far easier to test the above functions with the garadget 2-wire pushbutton cable disconnected.

  2. It’s too easy to accidentally touch the door icon and change its state when you don’t intend to do so. I’ve done it twice in 24 hours on 2 different android devices (a samsung s5 phone and a fire hd tablet). One time I did it just by swiping the blanked screen to re-activate the display. This becomes a bit more important considering your already stated and fully appropriate cautions about safety devices and not being present to monitor the door in person. Perhaps the door button icon should be smaller, but I think a better idea to reduce this risk is to be prompted in the app after pressing the button, with something like “Do you really want to move the door? Yes/No”. Or else have separate open and close icons and build in intelligence as described under alexa comments below.

  3. Related to issue #1 above, I get notification whenever the app on another device requests an open or close. Again, this notification should be based on actual device state change, not on whether someone pressed the app button.

  4. The beta version (labeled with file name “app-release(22).apk”) still reports firmware is 1.13 in settings after install, so it’s impossible to know if it’s even really newer.

  5. With a timed notification set to tell me if “door opened between 8:00 PM and 8 AM”, I was notified that door was opened at 8:27 AM. It was indeed, but that was 27 minutes outside the programmed window.

  6. My garadget came from ebay as “refurbished” - but the prior info (door name, etc) was still programmed. That could have been the ebay person or else your refurbish process does not clear out old data. I know there is a work-around, which I used. Just sayin.

  7. You seemed to fix door naming in the beta, but it’s still weird to do in both the app and in the web interface. The android app seems to require the “enter” key to save the changed name, how about adding text to that effect, like “Hit enter to save changed name”. The web interface seems to save settings by just going back to the “doors” screen. This could all be universally the same if you implemented a save button, or added text like “click “doors” to save changes”. Other settings seem to save when change is made, so each setting appears to save under different circumstances.

  8. Executing the install of the new beta version (on my Samsung S5 phone) fails as an update to the garadget app if the prior version is still installed. It seems to want to try and indicates it will update the app, but the install fails. Removing the 1.13 version and installing the app-release(22).apk did work.

  9. Neither version auto-rotates on the Fire HD8 (6th generation) tablet. It rotates fine on the Samsung S5 phone - and for sure the app is not officially supported on the fire, so just letting you know. There are several other apps that do not rotate properly on the Fire HD8.

The above issues persist even with the newer beta code. Of course I experienced many of the installation issues on 1.13 that others have reported - and I cannot say whether those persist with the beta, because I did not start from scratch to re-install & reconfigure using the beta code. Among the installation issues, for the first few hours settings changed in the app did not seem to propagate when viewing from another device or the web interface, and/or the setting changes didn’t “take” in the first place. They “seemed” to take but did not track to other devices initially, then after changing settings multiple times they seemed to track. The alexa skill would not allow me to enter the garadget account info for about a day (first claiming no client_id, then the login would simply fail - for a day) then the next day the login worked and it linked the skill. Then alexa did not respond to commands for a few hours even though account was linked, then it just started working.
Implied from my experience and other posts is the possibility that the skill goes offline with some frequency, and that would be bad. When it is working, it’s slick and some intelligence seems to be built in: For example if I tell alexa to close the door when it’s already closed, she says it’s already closed. I love that! That’s the kind of logic/intelligence I expected to be built into the app as well.

Thanks for listening!

1 Like
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Update 4/21: It seems difficult or impossible to update email alert, or to turn it on or off, from within the android app. I could only find the ability to change email alert in the web interface. Finding the web access (cloud login) is also difficult, the link is not well documented. Cloud login / access is here: https://www.garadget.com/my/login.php

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Testers, please check out an updated version of the Android app. This should be close to the release quality. Please report any encountered issues. Thank you!

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Is there a newer android version we can download
The links above when i download and try and install say package corrupt
Looking for something more newer if available from 2017 the one in the play store is from 2016
Thanks

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Also, checking to see if there is a version that is compatible with Android Wear v2.6. I just got my first AW watch and wanted to install a version of Garadget on it similar to how I have it on my Pebble watch. When I go to the Play Store, it says that Garadget is not compatible with my device.

Thanks,
Merg

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Thanks for the report. I’ll check with developer re. Android Wear compatibility.

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thank you looking forward to an update to the Android APP soon

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Great!

Thanks,
Merg

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Same problem with corrupt apk

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Something new about an apk compatible with Android Wear 2.6?

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Android Wear 2.7 is out! Please update Garadget app to make it compatible

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I had a discussion with Android developer and it appears that adding v.2+ support is from being a matter of simple update. The apps will have to be re-written from the scratch as standalone software separate from the phone app.

This is on the list, but not the top priority at this time. Please stay tuned.

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Thanks for the updates. I don’t understand why there are some harsh reviews on Amazon. Every issue I have had, you have fixed it! I have recommended this to multiple people. Keep working on it!

1 Like
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I just happened across this thread and notice that the beta version looks like it’s been in the works for a while. Are you still looking for testers? Is the app stable enough to use? Does it replace the current installed version from the store (1.13 I from Nov 2016) or can it run side by side?

Thanks!
-Joel

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FYI, I just tried the last beta version mentioned and it fixed my notifications issues on Oreo 8.1 (Pixel 2 XL). I installed it via ADB, although I am not sure if that is required.

I had to first uninstall the play store version (1.13) because I got the error below when trying to overwrite it. Works fine so far and Android reports the beta app as version 1.15.

Failed to install garadget_22_06.apk: Failure [INSTALL_FAILED_UPDATE_INCOMPATIBLE: Package volpis.com.garadget signatures do not match the previously installed version; ignoring!]

1 Like
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@All, Please check out the new beta for Android client:

Feedback needed for:

  • general stability and responsiveness
  • door status reporting
  • notifications subscriptions and delivery
  • password reset
  • door renaming

Please post your finding and requests.

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How do I get the AndroidWear App? Tthe link above seems to go to a blank page.

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The link works for me. It shows a download button for file garadgetWear16.apk

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Thanks. I found the file and am sending to myself via Cloud Drive.

I will let you know if it works.

Thanks for the help.

1 Like