Night time mode restricted

A slideshow app for Google Photos and your Camera Roll
Phil0
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Night time mode restricted

Postby Phil0 » Fri Feb 05, 2021 2:35 pm

Hi,

The app seems to work well for the most part but I paid for the premium app in order to access the night time mode however on first use it seems to assume that nighttime must cross midnight.

Firstly, the description on the app says:
Nighttime mode can be turned on to automatically show a dim black screen during what you define as “nighttime”
But that's not exactly the case. From what I can see, it can only define start and end times that span midnight. If I define night time as 3am to 1pm then I can't do that. It's quite annoying too the way the time slips to only times that the app defines as night time. Not everyone works 9-5 so it's really annoying that this feature doesn't work as advertized.

It would be nice if the nighttime wasn't limited to just a single setting. Again, I would define night time at the weekend differently to the rest of the week but again the app doesn't permit this and you only find out when you get the premium.

It's a nice app but you should really correct this issue or update the description - it's very misleading.

Thanks.

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tim
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Re: Night time mode restricted

Postby tim » Fri Feb 05, 2021 3:05 pm

Thanks for the feedback. I was aware of this problem but forgot about it.
I will fix it in upcoming release.
Apologies for the inconvenience, there was no intention to mislead.
Please write a review for Wifibooth on the Apple App store! Indie developers like me really need people like you to review their apps. Instructions on how to write a review: http://goo.gl/w8NsDI.

Phil0
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Re: Night time mode restricted

Postby Phil0 » Fri Feb 05, 2021 4:04 pm

Thanks for the prompt reply. I accept that you weren't trying to mislead.

When you say 'fix' and 'upcoming release' could you please be more specific?

When do you plan on the next release?
And what do you mean by fix? Do you mean just allowing the start and end dates to be independent of each other or something more like a phone alarm on which would really allow the app user to specify what time constitutes night time.

Thanks again.

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tim
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Re: Night time mode restricted

Postby tim » Fri Feb 05, 2021 4:32 pm

Hi Phil,

Regarding 'upcoming release' I mean the next time I update the app. Things are really difficult right now and I cannot tell you when that might be.
When I said 'fix', I meant allow 'allowing the start and end dates to be independent of each other'.
I do not understand what you mean by 'like a phone alarm'. Can you tell me what settings (scenario) would be enabled by 'like a phone alarm' that would NOT be enabled by 'allowing the start and end dates to be independent of each other' ?

I am happy to revisit this feature and improve it, but I would like to first understand what you are doing & what you are asking for.
Please write a review for Wifibooth on the Apple App store! Indie developers like me really need people like you to review their apps. Instructions on how to write a review: http://goo.gl/w8NsDI.

Phil0
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Re: Night time mode restricted

Postby Phil0 » Fri Feb 05, 2021 5:02 pm

Not everyone goes to bed at the same time every day of the week so the ability to define what nighttime is varies from day to day. Some people work nights - some work weekends.

What I was trying to convey with the phone alarm analogy was that, unlike an old-style alarm clock, a smartphone alarm has the option to set a different alarm times for each day. And even multiples on the same day.

Something like this: http://i.imgur.com/clPxYl.jpg

Unlike the alarm clock though the app would need a wake and a sleep (day and) time. Or, alternatively a wake/sleep time and a duration - that way you don't need to worry about going over into the next day (or beyond).

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tim
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Re: Night time mode restricted

Postby tim » Fri Feb 05, 2021 5:15 pm

Thanks, now i've understood. I will definitely fix the fact that right now "night time" must include midnight (that was never the intention, it is a bug).
I am not sure if i'll build per-day settings as that's a fair amount more work. If I did go this route would weekdays-vs-weekends be sufficient? or is the issue there that some people's version of "weekend" is tuesdays + thursdays
Please write a review for Wifibooth on the Apple App store! Indie developers like me really need people like you to review their apps. Instructions on how to write a review: http://goo.gl/w8NsDI.

Phil0
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Re: Night time mode restricted

Postby Phil0 » Sat Feb 06, 2021 4:50 am

Thanks again for the quick reply. It's reassuring to know that you're very active on the forum.

Your point on weekend vs weekday can, as you suggest, be different for each person. What would be most useful is a way to schedule the sleep and wake times of the app. That way the user defines when the app is in or off on any day of the week. You already have the wake and sleep function- it would just need a day to be added and then the ability to create multiple such schedules. That would also allow it to come on and off multiple times in any one day if desired.

On a side note - as a feature request - it's nice to be able to show the time when it's not running the slideshow. But, it'd be nice if, when it's sleeping, the clock could be enlarged and centered. That way the iPad works as a picture frame for part of the day and a clock for the rest.

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tim
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Re: Night time mode restricted

Postby tim » Sun Feb 07, 2021 5:23 pm

OK for now what I had time to do was support start/end times being in any chronological order.
Can you please try out the beta at this link, try out the new night mode fix and tell me if it works for you?
https://testflight.apple.com/join/G0pVsb5U
Please write a review for Wifibooth on the Apple App store! Indie developers like me really need people like you to review their apps. Instructions on how to write a review: http://goo.gl/w8NsDI.

Phil0
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Re: Night time mode restricted

Postby Phil0 » Mon Feb 08, 2021 8:20 am

Thanks for getting back to me. At this point I don't have access to the iPad. I was setting it up for my mother so that the whole family (wherever they are in the world) could share photos with her and the images would automatically pop up in her living room. It works great - she loves it. But that's why I wanted to be able to just set it up and leave it with her. With current lockdown restrictions however it could be some time before I get to see her again and get to do a reinstall.

That said, I plan to do the same for my in-laws but I need to source another iPad for that first.

As a side note, I do have an Android tablet and I was considering using that. I understand that SoloSlides won't run on it so I installed Fotoo. I mention it because the scheduler implementation in that app is very similar to what I was suggesting. If you want, take a look at it. Just FYI that app detects the ratio of the image and the orientation of the tablet so it shows landscape photos when the tablet is oriented in landscape and portrait when the tablet is oriented in portrait. At the moment I have the SoloSlides set to point to 2 different folders (one for portrait and one for landscape) and I've directed those sharing the folders to put the appropriately oriented photos in the corresponding folder. In my opinion, this shows the phots at their best - rather than scaled to fit. There's 2 issues with that - 1 is that my mother has to physically change the folder when she changes the orientation of the iPad (or she gets cropping) and 2. it's surprising how many of my family can't figure out what goes in which folder :lol: - so I'm constantly moving their images from one folder to the other.

Thanks again for your feedback and assistance and I'll let you know when I've had a chance to test.

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tim
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Re: Night time mode restricted

Postby tim » Mon Feb 08, 2021 9:27 am

Ok. Interesting - so fotoo simply skips photos that aren’t in the same orientation as the ipad? Must get a lot of support requests like “it doesn’t show my photos!”
Please write a review for Wifibooth on the Apple App store! Indie developers like me really need people like you to review their apps. Instructions on how to write a review: http://goo.gl/w8NsDI.

Phil0
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Re: Night time mode restricted

Postby Phil0 » Mon Feb 08, 2021 12:04 pm

It has a "match orientation" option so it only does it when you turn that on. Not sure if on or off is the default.

Phil0
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Re: Night time mode restricted

Postby Phil0 » Wed Feb 10, 2021 8:49 am

So, I've sourced another iPad (running ios 9). However, I can't install the test flight app because it's not compatible and therefore I can't try out the beta.

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tim
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Re: Night time mode restricted

Postby tim » Wed Feb 10, 2021 9:24 am

Woah, I didn't know Testflight requires iOS 13! crazy...
I wish apple would let us use our own beta mechanisms...
Please write a review for Wifibooth on the Apple App store! Indie developers like me really need people like you to review their apps. Instructions on how to write a review: http://goo.gl/w8NsDI.

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tim
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Re: Night time mode restricted

Postby tim » Wed Feb 10, 2021 2:47 pm

... update: the update was just released (1.7.0), you should see it within 24 hours in the App Store. That'll run on iOS 9 too.
Please write a review for Wifibooth on the Apple App store! Indie developers like me really need people like you to review their apps. Instructions on how to write a review: http://goo.gl/w8NsDI.

Phil0
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Re: Night time mode restricted

Postby Phil0 » Mon Feb 15, 2021 8:01 am

Okay. So I went to install the updated version of the software on iOS 9 (because the fix can't be tested in the free version) and I got a bit of a shock. The price of the app has gone from €3.49 to €5.49, a more than 57% price increase.

I pointed out an issue that you said was a bug and when you fixed it you ramped up the price. I know that you've added extra features but I think this is exorbitant. If I'd purchased the app when I flagged the issue, then I could have had the app for 57% less. But because I waited and worked with you in identifying the issue, now you want to charge me more? You never flagged that this price change was even a possibility. Not impressed.

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tim
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Re: Night time mode restricted

Postby tim » Mon Feb 15, 2021 11:36 am

Hi phil
The price increase is not related to the bugfix, it had been planned for some time.
Impressed or not, Soloslides is still cheaper than its main competitor (liveframe), cheaper than a single beer where i live, and a one-time purchase with no ads for all devices, supporting family sharing.
Please write a review for Wifibooth on the Apple App store! Indie developers like me really need people like you to review their apps. Instructions on how to write a review: http://goo.gl/w8NsDI.

Phil0
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Re: Night time mode restricted

Postby Phil0 » Mon Feb 15, 2021 11:55 am

I agree with all your points but you could have flagged to me that the price increase was coming rather than doìng it straight after the bug fix that I flagged when I bought previously

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tim
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Re: Night time mode restricted

Postby tim » Mon Feb 15, 2021 12:17 pm

You said “ The app seems to work well for the most part but I paid for the premium app” - you said you already purchased it. How should I have known that apparently you did not?
We don’t announce price increases because that never works - people never see the announcements and then even if they did complain just as bitterly about the absolutely outrageous huge $2 they’ll never get back
Please write a review for Wifibooth on the Apple App store! Indie developers like me really need people like you to review their apps. Instructions on how to write a review: http://goo.gl/w8NsDI.

Phil0
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Joined: Fri Feb 05, 2021 2:09 pm

Re: Night time mode restricted

Postby Phil0 » Mon Feb 15, 2021 12:28 pm

If you check the thread I said that I had installed the app on one iPad that I didn't have access to that machine and that I would be sourcing another in order to do a second installation and that I couldn't validate your fix till I had done that. Then you posted a fix that I couldn't test because I couldn't install the in-flight app after which you released a new version. When i went to test that i noticed that you'd upped the price.
It would have been easy at some point during this conversation to flag to me that you planned to change the price.

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tim
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Re: Night time mode restricted

Postby tim » Mon Feb 15, 2021 12:44 pm

I am maintaining lots of different apps in lots of different places. I offered you free responsive support, including getting a fix & update out very quickly, and you expect me to somehow guess that you have multiple Apple IDs that are not on the same family plan so they cannot share your purchase? Your expectations are unreasonable to say the least
Please write a review for Wifibooth on the Apple App store! Indie developers like me really need people like you to review their apps. Instructions on how to write a review: http://goo.gl/w8NsDI.

Phil0
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Re: Night time mode restricted

Postby Phil0 » Mon Feb 15, 2021 1:05 pm

All I was trying to do was set up some tablets to use your app. This isn't something that I'm overly familiar with - I've installed only a handful of apps in my life so forgive my naivety. I also understand that I'm not the only client that you're dealing with but, even so, I find your attitude very abrasive.

And I don't know why I should be so thankful that you fixed a bug in your own code.


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