Firmware checks

Since releasing my watchface last week I have had two 1* reviews stating that it causes their vivoactive to shutdown/reboot. I own and test with a vivoactive so know that the watchface works well and can only assume that they are attempting to run it on watches with outdated firmware. Since they have not posted on the thread associated with my app I have no method to follow up on this.

Since end users may skip over the full descriptions, I propose that the manifest allows a developer to specify which SDK the app was built with, or to indicate the minimum version of firmware for each watch that it is compatible with. For example:

<iq:product id="vivoactive" firmware="2.70" />

The connect app on the phone could query the watch for firmware and gps version when it syncs. Then when browsing the store via the connect app it can check the minimum firmware permitted for a given app and indicate to the user that their firmware must be updated to use that particular app, preventing them from installing it until they have.

teadriven over 10 years ago

In this case, I have tried it on a real device since I own a vivoactive and I have used my watch face since before releasing it without issue. My problem at the moment is that I don't know what firmware these other users are running and seem to have no way to find out and no way to reply to them, and even if I did know which firmware they were using how would I test it on my watch since it is fully up to date (not sure I want to attempt downgrading the firmware).

Brandon.ConnectIQ over 10 years ago

I think it's worth us making a concerted effort to address simulator bugs, but I'd prefer to take a strategic approach. For example, I'd like to focus on one device at a time and catch as much of the low-hanging fruit as possible before moving onto the next. I have a plan in mind, but out of curiosity, which device would you developers prioritize as the one that needs attention first?

@teadriven: I think the best thing you can do right now is add notes in your app description to encourage users to update to the latest firmware. I have already asked the app store team to add features to allow developers to collect bug reports from users, and we do have an ongoing project to provide a way to specify minimum firmware versions for apps. We're aware that this is a pain point for developers right now, and we want to provide a solution. It just may not happen overnight. :)

Former Member over 10 years ago

....which device would you developers prioritize as the one that needs attention first?....

For me, the simulator. If the simulator matches the device then we can at least work around any other problems.

jim_m_58 over 10 years ago

I'm going to shoot for the moon here, but in the simulator, it would be great to not only simulate a device, but also the firmware version (maybe use the ACTUAL VM for that firmware in the simulator?)

That way if for example you have a vivofit, but it's on 2.80, and someone reports a problem on 2.40, it would be easy to go back and debug in that specific version.

Former Member over 10 years ago

I had come to the same conclusion after posting my response. Only way to ensure the simulator stays current with new (& old) firmware releases. Run the simulator from the firmware file.

Failing that I think I would systematically go through each function and ensure it produces the right result in the simulator for each device. While targeting a particular (cough vivo) device would be nice, I don't see any point in having to revisit a function when you target the next device, you risk breaking previous work.

teadriven over 10 years ago

I think the best thing you can do right now is add notes in your app description to encourage users to update to the latest firmware. I have already asked the app store team to add features to allow developers to collect bug reports from users, and we do have an ongoing project to provide a way to specify minimum firmware versions for apps. We're aware that this is a pain point for developers right now, and we want to provide a solution. It just may not happen overnight. :)

Thank you for the response. I look forward to seeing what solutions are provided in the future.
I agree with jim_m_58 that being able to simulate specific firmware versions would be extremely helpful in this situation.

Brandon.ConnectIQ over 10 years ago

I'll take the firmware suggestion to the team and see whether that's feasible given the way the simulator works and the resources we have available.