HM 7000 Android App availability

[Chris-351037]

app came out last week, around the 28th March, already downloaded and waiting for some hardware

now I have everythng delivered, yep I downloaded the wrong ap HMDC won't work, so having to wait for HMDCC version

 

 

[96RAF]

https://uk.hornby.com/community/forum/linking-hm7000-decoders-to-the-wrong-app-dont-do-it-348284?ccm_paging_p=1#end-of-replies

[Boakesy1707818633]

Anyone have any update on Android app release date?

[Barry-350851]

Anyone have any update on Android app release date?

 

 

From the Beyond the buffers video yesterday, I'd say "Not imminent."

 

 

It sounds like they are trying to resolve issues that have come up as a result of the launch on iOS for both apps and won't launch on Android until they've solved them (so they aren't launching an app with known issues). So that is likely to delay it a bit more, check back in a couple of weeks but don't have any expectation of it within the month.

[Moccasin]

I thought I heard George say on the podcast that the Android app was expected within the month? Maybe I misheard. I think he did say/imply that it might be released with some known issues, so long as those issues could be dealt with by the technical team dealing with support queries as they arose. The example of the DC app requiring support with detailed device level Bluetooth settings suggested that this might be an approach taken again if it didn't affect all users.

In the end, it will come down to a balance between getting the app fit for purpose and releasing it rather than trying for an unachievable perfection. I saw the podcast as being a little bit of expectation management.

[Boakesy1707818633]

That's disappointing...

[96RAF]

The vast number of Android devices out there and the diversity of their settings probably does mean a lot of post-release tweaking by users may be necessary to get them to work, especially with regard to permissions.

It is unlikely a broad brush solution will be found that works for all out of the box, but given a well written trouble-shooting guide then all may go well.

[Gareth-348819]

Hopefully someone will have an update on the Android situation, this is pretty poor. Not everyone as Apple or in my case even would support the Apple Company and being locked out of features paid for is a bit poor.

Yes I understand there are multiple handsets available on various screen sizes but surely this should have been done prior to the chips being released on sale

[LTSR_NSE]

@Gareth - unfortunately in most organisations the people involved with developing new products, are completely separate from those who make decisions over release dates.

In an ideal world, no product would ever be released until every possible bug, niggle, or undocumented feature had been identified and resolved. However in the real world, this is almost impossible and other factors (e.g. financial implications) are usually given priority.

[Rallymatt]

As an iOS user, I could argue ‘why do iOS users have to wait until an Android version is also available?’

I reality it’s not important, if the iOS version wasn’t available until August, December or whenever that’s not a problem. The decoders are DCC decoders so work perfectly in regular DCC operation so are perfectly useable without any app. The app is a free system that has free access to sound profiles and quite sophisticated CV editing. I could wait or pay £130 a pop for sound decoders and another few hundred £ for the cv editing tech…

[Barry-350851]

@Gareth - unfortunately in most organisations the people involved with developing new products, are completely separate from those who make decisions over release dates.

 

 

Hornby isn't that big.

The issue for me is not that the Android app was significantly behind the iOS app, but that Hornby knew the Android app would be well behind the iOS version and didn't put this info on the website. Had they done so, I would have left the £90 in my own bank account for the couple of months (decoder + power bank). Not all of us have the ability to use it as a normal DCC decoder as one of the upgrade paths was from DC. Not that I missed the £90 either, just the principal of someone taking the money for something that can't be used.

[Rallymatt]

But equally Hornby don’t know what control or phone system you use. Most people (me included) ordered the HM 7000 decoders in full knowledge the supporting app was not released. I genuinely expected the decoders to arrive well before they did and I would just have to wait for the App release. I do understand people are disappointed but I am offering an alternative view of how things are in the real world

[Carbone]

Over 70% of the market is Android so why were the minority users given priority. I don't get this talk about variety of screen sizes and makers. That is why you use an operating system like, err, Android running on ARM processors or iOS running on surprise ARM processors. It takes care of the mundane. It is an App not a software image.

[Rallymatt]

Not sure 70% of the HM DCC market use Android but that aside if you watch the podcast with the lead developer on HM DC & DCC it will give a more detailed insight into why Android Apps are more problematic than iOS ones.

[Carbone]

I did and thought It was more of an excuse that of any real technical basis. You either have access to developer ( nearly all recent devices ) or you don't and even without that you only have to "ok" the granting of permisions. Why would the app need access to cameras, microphones, audio and location anyway?

He was talking as if no Android user has ever downloaded an App and only used what was pre installed.

[Rallymatt]

Creating an App and using an App are quite different. It’s not my area of expertise but having employed those that are in this field, discussing Android apps usually results in a barrage of expletives and other comments that the forum would not allow.

[Carbone]

I don't understand your post. Why would anyone think creating an App and using an App aren't completly different. That is surely obvious. Why should a discussion result in a barrage of expletives? Please explain.

[LTSR_NSE]

…Hornby isn't that big…

 

 

@barry - I assure you that Hornby is big enough that the decision makers are NOT personally developing the app (& equally the developers are NOT making the decisions about release schedules).

[Rallymatt]

@Carbone, your post suggested that creating the Android App would be no more involved than using it as a customer.

In instances where projects have included Apps, it was always the Android versions that caused the most headaches and hence the expletives (from the team trying to get it out) and for exactly the reasons others have state. I have no reason to disbelieve them.

[96RAF]

@carbonne

. . . the app needs to use your camera and/or access your photos to load an image for each loco if desired. Likewise it needs to use your internet connection and Bluetooth to perform it’s designed tasks.

If every organisation in the world waited for all their ducks to line up before releasing things, we would never get anything. This is the real world.

Just because folk are miffed that they bought something despite the clear warnings on each associated product page to check the app worked with their device before ordering they blame Hornby, not the fact they ignored those instructions.

Did they not think to return those products for a refund on the basis the android app was lagging release rather than gripe on a forum about it.

[Carbone]

I didn't realise you had to photograph your own loco before you could use the app. I thought you would be able to use stock images.

Anyway that was not the point I was making. I was just wondering why the need for the user to "ok" such permissions, which is pretty standard when downloading apps that require such permissions, is being used as an excuse for the non-release of the Android App

[M. Matthews]

@Carbone,

You don’t need to photograph your locos. I use stock images. I think it looks a bit neater.

[Peter Stiles]

Anyway that was not the point I was making. I was just wondering why the need for the user to "ok" such permissions, which is pretty standard when downloading apps that require such permissions, is being used as an excuse for the non-release of the Android App

 

 

 

 

Well, I just had a productive weekend talking to an app developer whose app was failing to connect to bluetooth because the version of bluetooth stack installed on my android 12 phone appeared to have different android-permission requirements to the version of bluetooth stack installed on his android 12 device, so that my device needed an extra permission requested by the app. *Thats* that sort of issue you can get with Android and can't measure until you have a significant number of different devices to test against.

 

 

 

 

[Carbone]

Crikey! It's almost as if the new bluetooth stack hadn't been a documented option since Android 11! Happily it is the default in Android 13.

[96RAF]

The next cry once the app is out will be it doesn’t work with my v1 device despite all the published info about what will and what won’t work. Unfortunately regardless of the pace of development of technology, there will be a numpty ahead of the game.