NZ Met Service weather APP

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Wannabe Geek
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Metservice

#1771837 28-Apr-2017 13:00

MetServiceComms:

Thanks Doug, very useful feedback which is on its way to the dev team!

Cheers

Jacqui

Hi all, Stephanie here, the digital product manager at MetService. Sorry for jumping into the conversation a little late - J has been passing along feedback.

For some context - i'm the first ever PM for digital at MS and I was hired in August '16 so in addition to the app front end there's been a pretty huge back end piece of work to get the new app up and running in a robust way. It gives us a great platform for future dev though, i think.

Re. location refresh, i'm trying to understand if you're describing expected behaviour or a bug. The app waits about 10 minutes before looking for a new location and there currently isn't a way to force refresh the location - we need to understand the impact of location services on load a bit better before allowing that. If you are waiting 10-15 minutes and the current location still isn't updating, could you flick some screenshots of the location menu and weather screen through to the feedback email below?

Re 4x1 Android widget, it's coming back for sure. The old widget did not display warnings notifications and we are obligated to display warnings notifications everywhere we display our forecasts. I am waiting on a major overhaul of the way warnings are produced. Those changes will allow us to display a smaller warning icon that reflects the warning severity and type without taking up 1/3 of the widget with our currently required "Severe weather" phrase.

@doug3, all these suggestions are great and many of them are on the backlog (night time shader coming soon!). Send us an email at feedback at metservice dot com if you're keen to be a beta tester - because of the wide range of end users of the app i have as much diversity as possible in age, location and comfort with technology in my test pool, but a more technical eye is often helpful too.

metsteph

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Wannabe Geek
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Metservice

#1771841 28-Apr-2017 13:09

netspanner:

Jaquie, take to mind the pedantic and picky nature of many of the posters here. we are only talking about a few dollars which would be hardly noticed. Sure there is the principle of the matter, but big companies have been screwing us over for years with worse things than $2.50 and we just roll over and take it.

I just downloaded your app for the first time. I like it! Its well made, nice color, all the things I need are there. Be happy with your product, its good.

The widget is also really nice, sure a variety of sizes would be good however we are only a very small market, and you would be doing it for love, not money.

I would like to see some automation tools incorporated, such as when the Current Temp = Set Temp, then an alarm might go off, etc. It would be good for farmers and their crops etc. Or an alarm for frost, rain, How about surf conditions for fishermen, surfers as well etc.

All that would be fun to code and could be on a premium version.

Adverts could be removed for people by enabling an Adverts Off button in settings for people who have / will pay.

Personally I don't see any adverts on my phone anyway, which is an option that people could choose if they dislike them.

The Freemium model would be the best way to recoup the expenses of creating the app. Alternatively, I know a bunch of amateur student coders who would love access to your API to make different versions for fun using Xamarin. We could have a profit sharing model 50/50 or just promise not to publish them, and do it for the experience.

It would be a great creative opportunity to see what can be done with the data you have access to.

@netspanner, we're looking at making available in the near term a "research API" that would allow people to work with our data in a sandbox type environment - I'll make sure we post here again if that does come to pass.

alasta

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#1771911 28-Apr-2017 14:41

Personally I'm quite happy to use the standard iOS weather app, mainly because it supports Siri and has a watch app featuring complications. I'm assuming the Metservice app doesn't support these types of extensions.

Dulouz

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#1771935 28-Apr-2017 15:07

The new app sucks. I hate the adverts.

I used the old one daily. My main use is to see what the weather is going to be like over the next few days to ten days. The old app made this easy to do. The new one doesn't. I also liked being able to personalise the old app with photos.

Amanon

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#1771969 28-Apr-2017 15:26

In general I like the app update, but I don't like having had paid for one and now having that overwritten by an ad supported version without asking. I'd happily pay for a version sans adverts (again), not primarily because they annoy me, but because I want the easiest navigation experience I can get with my apps. That being said. <$5 and you'd have my money instantly, <$10 and you'd get it eventually, >$11 and you'd struggle to make me bother with the app at all given the options I have available now. Give me API access and i'd happily subscribe for a yearly fee if you can argue why I would want to use your data over the multitude of other options...

I do prefer to use metservice data where I can due to me assuming a local meteorological service will probably have better/more up to date data for forecasting than other services. That belief is what has kept me coming back to Metservice when the interface/website was not as prettily displayed, or easily available, as non-local sites. I realise that Metservice does provide weather data if you know the right web address (that's googleable) but it does feel a little like cheating.

The app is visually nice, and I particularly like being able to rearrange the relevant information snippets and modules. Being able to disable particular modules altogether (like the snippets) would be nice. I simply don't need all the other guff being loaded. And lets be honest, it doesn't load lickety split, does it? There's a good 3-4s of load time (when no full page advert gets loaded first) and it feels somewhat slow when compared with Wunderground or Yahoo weather apps which load as much, if not more, data.

The widget development will no doubt continue. It would be nice to see some options there. 1 day, 3 day. 5 day views maybe. I feel like the temperature (the thing most people care about the most) is not given enough priority here. I also don't think i'll be reading your long forecast string, perhaps the simple forecast word (Cloudy etc) would suffice here. I feel that widgets are for glancing, not searching for the information. If I want more info I tap the widget to load the app and get that information at that point. Do I need to see the metservice logo on the widget? I installed the app, and will be loading it when I tap on it. You aren't advertising to anyone but myself, who already uses your app.

I want to give you my money. It shouldn't be this hard?

My 2c.

FineWine

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#1772372 29-Apr-2017 11:34

Been waiting for this App, previously I just had the Metservice mobile site URL on my home screen.

SUGGESTIONS (iOS)

1 - yes I would pay a small fee for an advert free App

2 - the 'Current Conditions' module is really not necessary, all that info is already at the top of the screen except for "Pressure" which you could just turn into a 'Snippet'

3 - I discovered by accident that there is a right side pop out bar containing a 5 day very brief forecast. Perhaps the wording '5 day forecast' plus a right pointing arrow just below the 'forecast summary' would be helpful

4 - insert the 'Day' next to the date in the '48 Hour Forecast' module. eg = Saturday 29 Apr

5 - on App closure then on reopen the App returns to the last location viewed NOT the current location. You have to double click the Home button and clear the App and then open to return to current location

6 - Perhaps a 'Severe' weather Notification Centre Alert Badge, Sound, & Banner

7 - Provide a link within the App for 'Help & HowTo' instructions plus a 'FeedBack' link

6 - I am happy with the Widget

PS - Have posted this in your MetService Blog

Whilst the difficult we can do immediately, the impossible takes a bit longer. However, miracles you will have to wait for.

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Linuxluver

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#1772389 29-Apr-2017 12:08

freitasm:

I paid the $2.59 for the Metservice app, years ago. Even if you'd like to wait the free one, nothing preventing you getting this one.

Same. I've been using it for years. Can't understand why anyone wouldn't pay $2-$3 for it.

It just upgraded to a new app.....looks nice. Still working it out. The new app has ads in it. I'd rather pay them $3 and skip the ads.

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kharris

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#1773904 1-May-2017 22:13

Is here a new iPad app. There seems to be an old version but no current updated one.

Kirk

rp1790

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#1773984 2-May-2017 07:40

Have to say after using the app since released I've grown to like it (apart from the ads). However, the non refreshing of the location is a real nusicance. The old metservice app didn't have this issue.

iPhone 7+ latest IOS.

For example, I live in Titahi Bay, check the temp when I wake up, all good. Drive to Porirua train stn, doesn't refresh (double tap home button, swipe up and reopen to get Porirua). Get to Work at Welly Central, still no refresh. Hours into the day it doesn't refresh so I am now in the habit of swiping up to close it and then re-open.

Looking forward to an iPad app..

myopinion

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#1774172 2-May-2017 11:59

Well I've deleted the new app just don't like it sorry Metservice. Sticking with the iOS weather app and rain radar via web app/home link shortcut.

scuwp

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#1774258 2-May-2017 13:11

New app is horrible. That's aside from the fact that I paid for an add free one and now I am forced to have adverts. The old one much better as far as updating locations and looked nicer too.

Lazy is such an ugly word, I prefer to call it selective participation

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metsteph

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Metservice

#1774280 2-May-2017 14:23

rp1790:

Have to say after using the app since released I've grown to like it (apart from the ads). However, the non refreshing of the location is a real nusicance. The old metservice app didn't have this issue.

iPhone 7+ latest IOS.

For example, I live in Titahi Bay, check the temp when I wake up, all good. Drive to Porirua train stn, doesn't refresh (double tap home button, swipe up and reopen to get Porirua). Get to Work at Welly Central, still no refresh. Hours into the day it doesn't refresh so I am now in the habit of swiping up to close it and then re-open.

Looking forward to an iPad app..

Hmm. Thanks to a helpful person (who i assume originates from here) emailing with steps to replicate, I have been able to replicate the no-refresh behavior, but only by not using the phone at all between refresh attempts. Will it eventually update the location if you keep it open for a minute or two? I assume pulling down to refresh has no effect?

freitasm

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#1774363 2-May-2017 16:12

I've seen the "no refresh" behaviour yesterday and today. On Android and even if you tap the refresh icon the widget does nothing...

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#1774476 2-May-2017 17:45

@MetServiceComms spot the error? ;)

rp1790

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#1774728 3-May-2017 07:42

metsteph:

rp1790:

Have to say after using the app since released I've grown to like it (apart from the ads). However, the non refreshing of the location is a real nusicance. The old metservice app didn't have this issue.

iPhone 7+ latest IOS.

For example, I live in Titahi Bay, check the temp when I wake up, all good. Drive to Porirua train stn, doesn't refresh (double tap home button, swipe up and reopen to get Porirua). Get to Work at Welly Central, still no refresh. Hours into the day it doesn't refresh so I am now in the habit of swiping up to close it and then re-open.

Looking forward to an iPad app..

Hmm. Thanks to a helpful person (who i assume originates from here) emailing with steps to replicate, I have been able to replicate the no-refresh behavior, but only by not using the phone at all between refresh attempts. Will it eventually update the location if you keep it open for a minute or two? I assume pulling down to refresh has no effect?

Repeated the test this morning and the same thing happened, no refresh/update of location when I got to Porirua st or to work (Welly central).

I did notice something when going home on the train yesterday. I was at Tawa and checked the app, no update even after pulling down for refresh, still said Wellington Central (after I had swiped up and closed at work earlier). I then pressed home to go back to the homescreeen, opened Google maps, which updated and showed the current location. opened metservice app and it updated to the current location (Tawa).

Tried that experiment at work just now. I arrived at Welly Central, app didn't update location, even after pulling down and refreshing. Opened Google maps which updated and showed the correct location, went back into metservice app, very brief pause (1/2 second) and bingo it showed the correct location.

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