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Toonartist

macrumors 6502
Sep 19, 2017
459
433
Newcastle Upon Tyne
Glad that fixed it. I do plan to add contours to the map at some time, although it would cost me more for the data, so I would have to charge extra for it. At the moment I am trying to increase the user base so I don't want to do that, because it would put people off.

However if the app ever gets more popular then I may add some "Pro" features, and charge extra for them. Only for extra features though, not for any existing ones.

"Pro Features" sounds a good way to deal with it. No objection in paying a bit extra for that ??
 

cfc

macrumors 68040
Original poster
May 27, 2011
3,012
2,515
For people who have updated the iPhone app but are wondering why the watch app has not updated, it seems that you now need to update it separately by using the new App Store app on the watch.

Apple have changed things because of the ability for watch apps to run independently, but I don't know why that means that they cannot make the watch app update at the same time as iPhone app (when there is an associated iPhone app).

Thanks to @FunkyMagicUK for finding out how to update it!
 
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NME42

macrumors 65816
Sep 15, 2019
1,338
819
So is the only way to search for WOD in the Appstore app on the watch? Is there no overview of updates?

Edit: found it. Thanks Funky. Well hidden at the bottom after scrolling through pages of boring apps.
 
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avkam

macrumors regular
Jun 9, 2014
144
64
There’s a direct section for updates in the Watch App Store. Account > Updates. Not sure if these are the correct words because I don’t have an English OS.
 
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cfc

macrumors 68040
Original poster
May 27, 2011
3,012
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There’s a direct section for updates in the Watch App Store. Account > Updates. Not sure if these are the correct words because I don’t have an English OS.

That's great - thanks for that. I think I will be pointing users in that direction a lot in the future!
 

Wando64

macrumors 68020
Jul 11, 2013
2,342
3,119
I have installed the upgrade and I cannot see the persistent heart alert function.
i hope this is something you will still consider for a future update?
Thanks
 

cfc

macrumors 68040
Original poster
May 27, 2011
3,012
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I have installed the upgrade and I cannot see the persistent heart alert function.
i hope this is something you will still consider for a future update?
Thanks

This release is mainly about changes for iOS 13 / watchOS 6 / AW5.
I added your request last month to my “To Do” list, but to be honest it is pretty low down the list because no-one else has asked for it yet. If that changes (and it may do after your post) then it will be more likely to be implemented in the future.

Sorry about that.
 

Wando64

macrumors 68020
Jul 11, 2013
2,342
3,119
This release is mainly about changes for iOS 13 / watchOS 6 / AW5.
I added your request last month to my “To Do” list, but to be honest it is pretty low down the list because no-one else has asked for it yet. If that changes (and it may do after your post) then it will be more likely to be implemented in the future.

Sorry about that.

Thanks for your reply.
I hope others might add their weight as this is pretty much a standard feature on dedicated heart rate monitors, which I hoped the AW with WOD would replace entirely.
Cheers
 

akidokraja

macrumors 6502
Jan 19, 2013
421
491
Is it possible to have different GPS logging periods to extend battery life? For example Garmin on its Fénix 6 has an option to ping the GPS every 15 min or every 30 min instead of every second to prolong the battery life. Is this even allowed in positioning API?
 

FunkyMagicUK

macrumors regular
Oct 26, 2018
163
124
There’s a direct section for updates in the Watch App Store. Account > Updates. Not sure if these are the correct words because I don’t have an English OS.
Same in English.
However...if you clicked that, did you see WorkOutDoors sitting waiting to be updated?
If I click it, it (used to) just quickly display an empty screen, even though I knew an update was definitely available.
Having now updated WOD, in the Account>Updates section I just see reference that WOD was recently updated.

My concern is I have other apps not being updated on Watch...as my evidence is that WOD on the watch wouldn’t have updated UNLESS I manually searched into the AppStore on the Watch...(although maybe it would if I’d just done nothing for a day or two?).

What I have done is disabled “automatic updating”...which says it gives a notification when update is available....so that I can see and act for an update to happen in future and have evidence. It may well be that automatic updates are happening as and when they need to (but not at exactly the same time as the phone app), and I just don’t notice?
 

Significant1

macrumors 68000
Dec 20, 2014
1,686
780
Same in English.
However...if you clicked that, did you see WorkOutDoors sitting waiting to be updated?
If I click it, it (used to) just quickly display an empty screen, even though I knew an update was definitely available.
Having now updated WOD, in the Account>Updates section I just see reference that WOD was recently updated.

My concern is I have other apps not being updated on Watch...as my evidence is that WOD on the watch wouldn’t have updated UNLESS I manually searched into the AppStore on the Watch...(although maybe it would if I’d just done nothing for a day or two?).

What I have done is disabled “automatic updating”...which says it gives a notification when update is available....so that I can see and act for an update to happen in future and have evidence. It may well be that automatic updates are happening as and when they need to (but not at exactly the same time as the phone app), and I just don’t notice?
When I updated WOD, there where other on that list I had not manually updated. Unfortunately I updated WOD before knowing about this section, so didn't get to see, if it was listed as update available.
 
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cfc

macrumors 68040
Original poster
May 27, 2011
3,012
2,515
Is it possible to have different GPS logging periods to extend battery life? For example Garmin on its Fénix 6 has an option to ping the GPS every 15 min or every 30 min instead of every second to prolong the battery life. Is this even allowed in positioning API?

Unfortunately Apple do not allow that. I could manually implement it by switching the GPS on every 15/30 minutes and waiting for a good lock and then switching it off.

However the acquisition is what uses the most power, so the gap between locations would have to be reasonably long to make a significant difference to battery usage.

As it is the app can track for 10+ hours with the iPhone supplying the GPS, which is enough for most situations. I suspect that infrequent use of the GPS wouldn't make enough of a difference to make it useful for most of the situations that need longer than that.
 
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akidokraja

macrumors 6502
Jan 19, 2013
421
491
Unfortunately Apple do not allow that. I could manually implement it by switching the GPS on every 15/30 minutes and waiting for a good lock and then switching it off.

However the acquisition is what uses the most power, so the gap between locations would have to be reasonably long to make a significant difference to battery usage.

As it is the app can track for 10+ hours with the iPhone supplying the GPS, which is enough for most situations. I suspect that infrequent use of the GPS wouldn't make enough of a difference to make it useful for most of the situations that need longer than that.
Thanks for the explanation. Very helpful.
 
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cfc

macrumors 68040
Original poster
May 27, 2011
3,012
2,515
Is there a reason why intervals are not saved into Apple Activity app ?

They are saved as segments in Apple's systems but the Activity app doesn't display them. If you look at the workout in the Health app you will see the segment events for each interval. I don't know why Apple do not display them though.

The best place to analyse the intervals is the WorkOutDoors app.
 

rbart

macrumors 65816
Nov 3, 2013
1,333
1,102
France
I export to strava, the intervals appear if I directly export from WOD, but not from Apple health (through healthfit).
So I have a workaround ...
 
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pcunite

macrumors member
Nov 26, 2010
97
2
Just bought the WorkOutDoors app. Thank you for making this!

Suggestion:
Please add another layout option.

Overview:
I'm coming from a Garmin background. So, I primarily use four data fields. However, none of your layout options can currently mimic the Garmin like so:


Layout5.png



Explanation:
I really do use two pace fields to show Pace Average and Pace. I would like them side-by-side. Also, I personally might blank out options 5, 6, and 7, but I like how your app allows for these to be shown if desired.

I appreciate your consideration.
 
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cfc

macrumors 68040
Original poster
May 27, 2011
3,012
2,515
Just bought the WorkOutDoors app. Thank you for making this!

Suggestion:
Please add another layout option.

Overview:
I'm coming from a Garmin background. So, I primarily use four data fields. However, none of your layout options can currently mimic the Garmin like so:


View attachment 875871


Explanation:
I really do use two pace fields to show Pace Average and Pace. I would like them side-by-side. Also, I personally might blank out options 5, 6, and 7, but I like how your app allows for these to be shown if desired.

I appreciate your consideration.

Thanks for buying the app. You can show something like what you describe by using the tower layout and the largest text size. This shows two full width fields above two fields side by side:

Layout.png
 

akidokraja

macrumors 6502
Jan 19, 2013
421
491
You should definitely charge more money for your app. Like double and it would still be worth it if for nothing else but your excellent customer service and your dedication. Or you can include tip button via in-app purchase in the settings page so if someone wants to give you some more money they can.
 
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Significant1

macrumors 68000
Dec 20, 2014
1,686
780
You should definitely charge more money for your app. Like double and it would still be worth it if for nothing else but your excellent customer service and your dedication. Or you can include tip button via in-app purchase in the settings page so if someone wants to give you some more money they can.
I think it is dangerous to charge more up front, for new user uptake, even though it is worth it. But I have also wondered how to pay more, to support development, without turning into subscription which I loath. I would definitely tip, but other options would in app purchase. Maybe unlock specialized/advanced variants, because I fear it will get feature creep, to satisfy everyone, making the user interface cumbersome and confusing for casual users.
 
Last edited:
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cfc

macrumors 68040
Original poster
May 27, 2011
3,012
2,515
You should definitely charge more money for your app. Like double and it would still be worth it if for nothing else but your excellent customer service and your dedication. Or you can include tip button via in-app purchase in the settings page so if someone wants to give you some more money they can.

I think it is dangerous to charge more up front, for new user uptake, even though it is worth it. But I have also wondered how to pay more, to support development, without turning into subscription which I loath. I would definitely tip, but other options would in app purchase. Maybe unlock specialized/advanced variants, because I fear it will get feature creep, to satisfy everyone, making the user interface cumbersome or confusing for simple users.

Thanks to you both for your suggestions. I considered a tip jar but it means an in-app-purchase, which would be mentioned on the App Store and can put people off. When users ask if they can tip (which is always great to hear!) then I usually ask if they can show their appreciation by spreading the word about the app.

At the moment the app pays the bills (which was a great milestone to reach) but not much more than that. However sales are slowly increasing so I am optimistic.

I must admit that a subscription is a possibility in the future, although I know that it would put a lot of people off. The problem is that I want to add extra features that would cost me money every time they are used and I cannot do that without having a subscription.

At the moment every time a user downloads a map then it costs me money. I can cover this with the current one-off payment model (although it doesn't help that the company supplying the data that I use to draw the maps is about to raise its prices by a factor of x2.5!). However I can't afford to add other features that would also cost money, such as topo maps, satellite maps, turn-by-turn navigation, weather reports etc.

So I am considering a subscription just for features like that. All the existing features would still come in the one-off price but features that cost money as they are used would require a subscription. It would probably be as cheap as possible though, because I wouldn't want to put people off too much.

However this is all a long way off because I am trying to increase the user base at the moment and subscriptions are very off-putting. It just means that some of the features that people want to see are also a long way off.
 
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