Android App Gaia On The Go feedback thread

[Lanzer]

If you've experienced any problems with the android app, please let us know!

We'll be fixing bugs as quickly as we can, and we're also planning on adding more games and fun ways to earn gold and prizes in future versions. If there's something you'd like to see, please leave us your feedback also.

When reporting problems, please include the model of smartphone you're using. Thank you!

[Alias Facade]

I've only played with the app a little thus far (of course, it's only been available 10 minutes...) but already I'd like to mention that the login windows are not sized properly to accommodate the default font, so only half the text is displayed when entering my username/password.

I also noticed that when trying to dress my avatar, items that have poses open a new layer for selecting the pose, but the app will frequently register the layer behind this one (so my pants come off rather than having my hand-held item swap).

It is also inconvenient not to have the screen rotate to landscape, as my 'droid features a keyboard but to use it I have read the app sideways.

Finally, I would really like to have access to guilds as well as forums, as I do frequent the guilds more often.

On a more positive note, I REALLY like the bits of animation and interactivity that you've incorporated (Having the avatar run into place, the scratch-off for daily chance, etc.) and would really like to see more of this!

EDIT

I am using an HTC EVO 4G

Upon playing around with it a little more, I have discovered that an auto-rotate feature DOES come up in certain areas, but it does not re-size to fit the landscape view and instead leaves a black bar on one side, as well as making me wait to reload the screen even though it doesn't change the content. And it's upside down. (No matter which way I rotate the phone, it always turns the same direction, which is opposite my keyboard.)

I have also frequently gotten a "Website not available" error as a transparent overlay on top of the home screen when I try to return to it.

After reading through the comments, it does seem to me that this is largely a direct port of the iOS version of the app, which leads me to reiterate - Why are guilds not already supported? Has this somehow not been addressed in all the time that app has been out? This is not a "feature," it's an integral part of the Gaia community!

I do note as well that the app auto-saved to my SD card, for which I am quite thankful! Having taken advantage of that functionality already, it should be easy to add more content and I look forward to seeing it!

[ii anita_blake ii]

When I first got the app it was working fine then when I tried to open it again. It gave me a black screen with the android guy upside down in the top left corner and a url. That was all.

[JaeDivinity]

I find myself loging in over and over again on my android, just to have a little fun on gaia! Of course, most of my problems with it right now though are not gaia related (rather my connetion XD; ) I do find that sometimes the daily carts will not give me permission to play them appropriately. Any other problems I encountered are solveable by downloading flash.

[Maewolf]

Rotating the phone causes mine to go upside down and get a blue screen...hard to type when I can't rotate the phone.

[Rena Ragdoll]

I've had a feedback thread on this since I found the app a few weeks ago, and here are a few points I've made in that thread, which I hope are taken seriously here.

1. The application itself is a direct port of the iOS app. The entire layout still looks like an iOS app, which is a huge mistake. Anyone following the companies involved knows that Apple and Android are like mortal enemies. That would be like designing a blue t-shirt for a member of the Blood gang. A suggestion for what would be more Android-like can be found in my thread: http://www.gaiaonline.com/forum/site-feedback/android-gaia-app-now-with-suggestions/t.82285281_1/
This is just a suggestion. I also think it would be beneficial to allow users to change the color scheme on the Android app, as the Android OS is very customizable.

2. The auto-complete/correct bar on the default Android on-screen keyboard (I haven't tried Swype yet, but it's probably the same) covers the text you're typing in the forums if your post has reached a certain length. This makes it very difficult to accurately type. Applications on an Android device should take the auto-complete/correct bar into consideration in all text input areas.

3. The cursor frequently misrepresents its location. I was trying to backspace a post the other day, and it was deleting from the wrong area entirely, and the cursor zoom-in on my phone was showing a completely different area.

4. The app itself is called "GaiaOnline", which could easily be changed to Gaia Online (or even Gaia on the Go), since the Android Market does allow spaces in the name of an application.

5. The icon still feels very iOS-like, and simplistic. Android allows icons to be in any shape you want. You could very easily make the icon the Gaia "wing" logo. This would certainly look better. Also, the "NEW!" text on the icon is really redundant. We know it's new.

6. Some posts in the forums don't have bubbles around them, and just appear as text in a big white space. This is probably an issue with the mobile site, and not the application, but it could be fixed...

7. The application does not support auto-rotate, which is very unfortunate for people who rotate their phone to type with the larger, full screen keyboard.

8. Pressing the phone/device's "back" button causes the application to have an overlay of "page not found" text and information. At least on my device. (Evo Design 4G)

PS @ Alias Facade: The application actually became available a few weeks ago, they only just recently got around to posting about it.

[The Amazing Arya]

I have trouble closing the app once I am done with it.... Once I logout there doesn't seem to be a way to get back to my phones main menu (it just sits on the login screen) meaning I have to restart my phone every time (which is frustrating)

[Rena Ragdoll]

If you like, I would be willing to beta test any future patches to give feedback and advice on it, as I have quite a bit of experience programming for Android.

[Rena Ragdoll]

The Amazing Arya

I have trouble closing the app once I am done with it.... Once I logout there doesn't seem to be a way to get back to my phones main menu (it just sits on the login screen) meaning I have to restart my phone every time (which is frustrating)

Your phone doesn't have a "Home" button? If it does, you can press that, then open your task manager (or running applications in settings>applications>running applications). But I do find the fact that you have to do that every time rather frustrating as well.

9. From the login page, the back button should close out of the application. It doesn't.

[Rena Ragdoll]

Suggestions!

S1. Games. Most of the newer Android powered devices (Anything with FroYo or higher I think) support Flash 10+. It would probably be easy to program some of your games (Fishing, slots, cards) into the Android app. I can see myself doing some fishing on the Gaia app.

S2. Daily Chance... I like it, but if it's going to be a scratch card setup, why not actually show the icon of what you're going to get behind the scratch field? All we see now is a "?". It's like we're scratching off a mystery to get another mystery, which then tells us what we're getting. I feel it could be more direct.

S3. Guilds, clans, etc. Should be easy to add.

S4. Android exclusive rewards/daily chances. I recall iOS app users getting tons of new, iOS exclusive items when the iOS app came out. The Android app didn't even get recognition until the second week of its release or so. Just feels like there's been a lot of preferential treatment to iOS users over Android. Not really a good stand to take, especially with iOS going to s**t. (See everything on the internet)

[Helaku Hai]

I really wish auto rotate would work. Even when trying to go back to portrait mode, the app displays nothing.

also, when typing, the fact that the key board covers up the text area is a bit frustrating, and by that, I mean a lot. The

login screen inputs are not of a proper size for the default text and therefore cuts off the content entered.

[Nilla]

I just got so I haven't played around too much with it. But the layout is small. and doesn't fit on the screen. I have a Samsung tablet with Android 4+ Also it kinda lags switching. And no auto rotate. sad But it's a given being new. I have yet to try it on my Galaxy S 3 but I will when I get back. I'll play around with it a bit more and give more feedback. I just gave the cosmetics looks on it for the time being. But thank you for bringing this out on Android. I am very happy.

[aram osiris]

It was nice seeing the updates and stuff, but when you log out and click on the back button to close the app, it does not close and exit the app. But all in all it was pretty nice... smile hoping for future improvements.

Edit:

Thanks for this app.

[jellykans]

Interesting dichotomy - your Bug Reports weekly thread has been consistently clear that no 'other electronic device' applications (netbooks, ipads, phones) nor o/x's (opera and linux), are supported, and you ask for feedback on the Android app in Site Feedback.

Far as i can see, only 3 o/s's are supported - Firefox, Chrome, Explorer. And only glitches that are consistent.

The fact that the Reporting Bugs weekly threads are the only ones where an answer is given within the original post in red print (so no poster is notified there is an answer) and that many questions go unanswered effectively convinces most first-time posters that nothing is done....seems to be by design. Thread authors have spoken clearly to those who are persistent - if the poster does not post again, the assumption is that the problem was resolved.

Also, we were told time after time that temp files erased within a max. of 10 minutes. After many months, Pan changed that to 30 minutes. Perhaps that is true if you have a computer from the last couple years.

And so it isn't strange that gaians tend to believe the site is unresponsive to problems. With reason.

[jellykans]

Interesting dichotomy - your Bug Reports weekly thread has been consistently clear that no 'other electronic device' applications (netbooks, ipads, phones) nor o/s's (opera and linux), are supported, and you ask for feedback on the Android app in Site Feedback.

Far as i can see, only 3 o/s's are supported - Firefox, Chrome, Explorer. And only glitches that are consistent.

The fact that the Reporting Bugs weekly threads are the only ones where an answer is given within the original post in red print (so no poster is notified there is an answer) and that many questions go unanswered effectively convinces most first-time posters that nothing is done....seems to be by design. Thread authors have spoken clearly to those who are persistent - if the poster does not post again, the assumption is that the problem was resolved.

Also, we were told time after time that temp files erased within a max. of 10 minutes. After many months, Pan changed that to 30 minutes. Perhaps that is true if you have a computer from the last couple years.

And so it isn't strange that gaians tend to believe the site is unresponsive to problems. With reason.

EDIT: fyi - I have stopp[ed filing glitch reports, only do so on the rare occasion - while I have become something of an expert on lag glitches, since my old laptop gets most of them, even with improved memory. You see - lag glitches aren't consistently reproducible and NEVER show up on current generation computers (which I assume your staff members use).

Btw - I heard you had 3 servers upfor zOMG. Thank you. Now, if you could set up a regular schedule for cycling those servers, that would be most welcome.