How to retain settings after update of a widget/app

Hi Developers,

can someone explain how to retain settings after an update of a widget? I have developed a widget and use the properties.xml to expose 2 booleans as settings.

<properties>
<property id="123" type="boolean">false</property>
<property id="ABC" type="boolean">false</property>
</properties>

I noticed that no matter what the user sets in the CIQ smartphone app, it is reset to the default when the widget is updated to a new version.
This is very annoying esp. when a user has adjusted lots of settings and then upgrades to a new version. As of now, everything is reset and the user needs to go back into settings and do it again.

I couldn't find anything in the SDK documentation regarding this.

Thanks for any hints!

jim_m_58 over 8 years ago

By "updating", do you mean uninstall/reinstall? I ask, because on GCM/Android, that's how you "update" an app. (With GE, you can turn on app updates so it actually does just update the app when you plug in to sync, and with GCM/iOS, I think there is an update option, but I use Android)

Uninstall/reinstall will reset everything, but with GE doing an actual update, my settings are always retained.

laufschnauff over 8 years ago

By "updating", do you mean uninstall/reinstall? I ask, because on GCM/Android, that's how you "update" an app. (With GE, you can turn on app updates so it actually does just update the app when you plug in to sync, and with GCM/iOS, I think there is an update option, but I use Android)

Uninstall/reinstall will reset everything, but with GE doing an actual update, my settings are always retained.

In the iOS version of GCM you get an update option if I upload a new version (don't know the Android GCM). If I then say "update" in GCM, all settings done within the widget are reset. This is not what I would expect for an update, if I delete and re-install resetting the settings would be ok, but not in the update case.

Are you coding something to retain the settings?

jim_m_58 over 8 years ago

I don't use iOS. To me it sounds like GCM/iOs may have an issue. (maybe GCM/iOS is just doing an Uninstall/reinstall with a single action called "update"?)

Again, when I want to update an app on a device I use Garmin Express and not GCM.

laufschnauff over 8 years ago

Thanks.

I saw you have a couple of apps out. Do you have a widget with settings you plan to update soon? I could check on iOS if this issue is there.

jim_m_58 over 8 years ago

I've just finished updating many of my apps (to add 935 support). I've got a few more to do, but they are were I don't support all devices. (2.x only, and maybe only those with SensorHistory) What device (watch) do you have? I have a watchface left that's one of the more "universal" when it comes to targets ("Not So Simple"), you can install. App settings between different app types really makes no difference. Change it's colors now, and wait for an update in GCM/iOS for it.

laufschnauff over 8 years ago

I could verify the issue with "NoFrills". It's a problem with iOS GCM. There was an update pending and I updated on 2 FR735XT watches, one using GCM (iOS) and on the other using Garmin Express.

The update through iOS lost all settings, the update with GE retained them. I think I need to address this issue to GCM iOS team. Must be a very anoying issue esp for NoFrills, as it has tons of settings. Is it a known issue ??

I have installed your "Not so simple" watchface and changed some settings. When you release an update, this will be my second test.

jim_m_58 over 8 years ago

I could verify the issue with "NoFrills". It's a problem with iOS GCM. There was an update pending and I updated on 2 FR735XT watches, one using GCM (iOS) and on the other using Garmin Express.

The update through iOS lost all settings, the update with GE retained them. I think I need to address this issue to GCM iOS team. Must be a very anoying issue esp for NoFrills, as it has tons of settings. Is it a known issue ??

I have installed your "Not so simple" watchface and changed some settings. When you release an update, this will be my second test.

You may have already installed what I updated for for Not So Simple (I wanted to get a fix out for the new Fenix 5 FW)

HermoT (the developer of NoFrills) is around here a lot, and he's also an iOS user, so he'd have some insight.

HermoT over 8 years ago

To me it sounds like GCM/iOs may have an issue. (maybe GCM/iOS is just doing an Uninstall/reinstall with a single action called "update"?)

Jim is 100% correct here.
This is something that has changed in iOS Connect app recently, and a couple of users have asked me about this.
If a watch face is actively displaying on your device at the same time that you try to update it, you get an error, similar to when you try to uninstall the watch face.
This is because on update, it tries to uninstall it first before installing the new version.
There is nothing you can do programmatically, and you have to hook it up to your computer and back up your SET and STR files.