For those interested; today I received a new Android version of my customized app. It also requires installing the latest api 1.6 package of AppCarvers. Unfortunately after de-install and install of the api package, the EasySocial api plugin does not work anymore and reports this error "easysocial.xml can not be found". So unfortunately I can not test this latest mobile app update to see if the bugs have been fixed. Will report back once I have been able to test.
I also updated to the latest EasySocial 1.4.4 and EasyBlog 5.0.30 versions. Let's hope the mobile app made a big step forward.

Well, I managed to fix the easysocial.xml error myself as it turns out the new install created an easysocial (copy).xml instead of overwriting the old version. Unfortunately, the push notifications in the new version do not work anymore.
Also, many bugs and missing translations I reported in my previous 2 buglists are still in there, so I am gonna take a deep breath and start writing buglist 3.

From now on you can find the latest Android build on the Google Play Store should you like to test and see any improvements:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nl.tenniscommunity.TennisCommunity

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FYI: later today I hope to receive the new build of my customized easybundle app in which approx. 50% of the bugs should be fixed. AppCarvers is going on holidays until the 17th of nov, and hopefully they will fix the remaining issues in the week of the 17th of november.

Once I get the new build, I will update it in the Google play store, so those of you who like to test, can test it and check improvements.

Once the Android version is near the way it should be, my aim is to steam ahead with the iOS version.

We are now 6 weeks underway with fixing bugs. Hopefully at the end of week 8 we will have a bugfree iOS and Android version. Will keep you posted.

Thanks for sharing this

An update for those interested. I started this mobile app adventure by paying USD427 to Appcarvers for a customized Easybundle (EasySocial + EasyBlog) on October 6th.

At this time, 7 weeks later, Appcarvers have delivered 5 versions of the Android app. Every new version was improved based on my extensive bugreports. Testing, reporting bugs, making screenshots with guidance regarding bugs, checking if bugs were fixed and re-reporting them, it has taken me a lot of time so far.

Currently there are still issues remaining, related to uploading and processing of images by the app, issues with creating a blog or an event through the app, birthdate processing and display, profile information display, sending out the registration email in the right language, and some more.

I have been and am asking to take some functionalities out of the mobile app, as they seemed to be causing problems, in example the elaborate config options when creating a new blog.

The good news; there is progress and I hope AppCarvers will fix the last issues today or tomorrow. Then the IOS version can also be build. I hope some day all my testing, reporting and adding of missing translations will help the community.

Will keep you posted as soon as I have a new and improved version.

thank you wes1, great job
i am looking to purchase the bundle but i prefere wait some time, looks not yet ready.

Thanks for sharing this wes1! Appreciate it very much.

Well, so far no updates version since my latest bugreport 5 days ago. They informed me they could not replicate the bugs and needed FTP and website-admin access. I am not very fond of providing credentials, but did so hoping it would lead to a new bugfree version of the app on short notice. However, still waiting on that. Another week has gone by

Thanks to all the contributors on the thread, I have decided to not to purchase the app even at 35% off. It seems that it is still in beta.

BTW Easyblog app UI is terrible. I could not see the demo of unified app since it is not on the appstore.

Update: no feedback from AppCarvers for 5 days now. Every 2 days I posted a question about the progress in their support ticket system, but silence so far.

Last week they did use the Admin backend and FTP for testing, and reported back they "checked" the issues, but the issues are still in there.

I did not get an updated Android version and I am still surprised they needed backend access, as all code is in the app and their api, and apparently the access to the backend did not help.

The Android app currently works for 80% on Android phones with versions higher than 4.1.1
Lower Android versions experience all sorts of errors.

Issues remaining are a.o. errors in image processing, errors in profile image processing, error when trying to post a blog, if you post an event it is posted in the past (date problem?), user profile display shows values not data and error in display of birthday, new blog settings too elaborate (and probably causing error, so I asked to remove these).

10 days ago I thought we were getting close to an acceptable version so I could also have the IOS version made, but at this time the progress is at a standstill unfortunately.

I spend money and a lot of time in bugs reporting during the last 9 weeks and the current standstill is very disappointing to say the least. Hopefully AppCarvers will pick it up today.

Will keep you posted.

I got this message from AppCarvers today, december 2nd:

"Hi WES,
I Apologies for the delay in reply. We're close to a new stable release of EasySocial App and looking forward to do it in a day or two. We're expecting that your issue will be solved in it, will also be giving you a new package for the same."

Thanks for sharing this with us wes1!

Thank you Wes1 for keeping us updated on your experience with the AppCarvers mobile app.

I just updated my weekly build to v5.3 and it seems to be running a little faster than before. Might be Siteground's recent update to its shared servers. Not sure. I have not been able to test everything out yet, but I am happy to see that AppCarvers is posting on all the bug fixes with the app. I hope they stay focused before releasing any new features.

I wish they would spend some time on the EasyBlog app. They need to do a better job on presenting the latest blog posts in the app. It is just ugly. They should take a look at the Wordpress app. The blog posts are presented very clean and easy to read. Nothing fancy.

The other disappointment is that they have not updated the iOS version since August. I would say 80% of our users will be using iOS. I am hoping this is on their roadmap.

Thanks for sharing this Aaron!

A setback today as I got this message from AppCarvers;

"We have some medium and minor bugs to fix in junite, we are trying to fix it soon once we done, i will let you know till that can you please look forward to junite weekly version 5.3.0".

I will certainly not start testing unite. I will wait for my updated custom version. I am beginning to regret all the time and money I invested in this ES, EB and Mobile app adventure.

Hey wes,

To be honest with you, I am actually at world's end as I have no idea how to assist you with your existing app. As much as we want to help, we are also bound to our own development and support. I wish we have enough time to build our own app but unfortunately, right now the quickest possible way to get an app is from App carvers since they already have a ready made app.

How hard can making an app be? I think they do not have qualified team members. Hope stackideas will buy them out and instead of reinventing the wheel, start from where they left.

Hey,

There's just so many things on our plate right now. Even if we can buy them over, I am not sure if we have the time to manage them

Let's see what we'll have for 2016

Hello, i am trying to set up a webview mobile app, we will use it temporary until a a "real" app will be published.
i am not sure appcarvers will be able to get the app which people here are looking for ..

For Android there are two very comfortable and easy ways to get a webview app without ANY knowledge.

http://web2apk.com/create.aspx : Completely free

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.apkcreator.fwd : 3,99 but more beautiful

If someone knows a way like this for iOS I would be very interested.

Maybe something else worth looking into: http://www.joomgap.com/

Hm, I think I do not really understand what this Joomgap is...

Thank you all for listing alternatives. Unfortunately, at this time, 10 weeks after I bought the appcarvers customised app, I have to conclude the current status quo is very disappointing. Yesterday they provided me with a "new" Android build. None of the 20+ bugs I have been reporting for over 4 weeks have been addressed. Today they informed me the bugs are "site-specific" eventhough I am using standard latest versions of EasySocial, EasyBlog and the API package and app build they provided themselves. Site-specific bugs are rather strange seen the fact I am using all standard software versions. They keep me running in circles.

Even translations I reported and which were fixed in the previous version, are now vanished again, forcing me to re-check the whole app and re-report the missing translations.

I think Keep Quiet hit the nail on the head by wondering if AppCarvers has the expertise and knowledge in building mobile apps. I know they use the PhoneGap facilities for building this app https://build.phonegap.com/ . You can create apps with this fast and easy, and I think that is what they did. If you are a programmer, it is probably very easy to come up with an app like this.

StackIdeas saying they do not have the time for creating a decent app, is totally wrong.
They should create the time and come up with an app asap.
It would even be much better if they temporarily stop development of ES and EB and devote themselves for a month in building a mobile app.

ES and EB are nice, but both are splendid with a great app.
Outsourcing the most important (future) part of your software business is plain stupid.
Businesswise StackIdeas need to build a great app themselves.
Being Joomla experts they should be able to come up with a better app in no-time,
i.e. if they use Joomgap or alike.
Just start from scratch yourselves and go for it, your customers deserve it.

Currently the AppCarvers app is damaging the image and reputation of EasySocial and EasyBlog,
and this has been going on for too long already.

Hey James,

I think Joomgap also rides on phoneGap which also poses performance issue since it is not a native app. I am actually checking out Xamarin as it is pretty interesting.

Hey Wes1,

I agree that we should build our own apps but I do hope that you will put yourself in our shoes. We have to maintain 4 different products and all 4 of them are not simple products. They are all sophisticated in it's own way.

The prices that we charge is pretty affordable and the market which we are putting ourselves in, does not give us a lot of "premium" to play with. I personally do hope that we are able to form a new mobile team ourselves but to be honest, we don't have the budget to do so currently.

Let's see how it goes early 2016 and I am really looking forward to 2016

Thanks Mark, we understand, you are already doing a great, really.

I suggest to use a webview mobile app for the moment, it cost around 20$ on codecanyon, we are using it right now, i think its a little start with a little budget to go into mobile world, and as we say wait and see for next developments around Appcarnvers.

@mark you can find perhaps a freelancers team or guys around you to build the app!

Hey Jan,

Getting a team of freelancers are never reliable. They may create the "initial" app but over time, I believe this will be problematic because maintaining an app / software is the most tedious process of them all

Let's see how it goes early 2016 and I am really looking forward to 2016

Sounds great! I am looking forward for 2016 as well.

When talking about going mobile, my opinion is that Mark and the team should focus first on creating a strong foundation for a mobile approach by creating a strong REST API for their line of products.

The quicker approach for this REST API is using a third-party addon and just develop modules for it. Check-out jBackend (https://www.selfget.com/products/jbackend.html) , this guy did a great job and also his solution is providing a push notification server for Android and iOS aswell

Mark, maybe you can get in touch with Luigi from SelfGEt so you guys can develop only the required modules (EasySocial,EasyBlog,EasyDiscuss,Komento) for his REST API component.

After we have a strong REST API in place, then we can move forward thinking about mobile apps, until then we are stuck

PS: Don't use PhoneGap, don't use any webview approach, invest the time and effort into a NATIVE app. It is always the best solution for long-term.

Thanks for the input on this! Yes, REST api seems the best way to go about retrieving each views and I think this is something already do-able. We are trying this with EasyDiscuss 4.0 and let's see how this helps

@wes1

According to AppCarvers, when you purchase their product you are given the source code for the app which is supposed to be Open Source. I know spending money with them should entitle a level of support and guarantee that they will resolve issues. Unfortunately that isn't always the case.

My suggestion, if you do have the source code you might want to find a freelancer who can work affordably to resolve your issues and get you to a point of stability.

Also, several members here have pledged to help sponsor a mobile app that would be developed jointly and funded jointly. This is still an open idea for me if it is for others as well. You might consider starting a project page to codebasehq.com to manage such a project and then post the link here in the forum so that you have a centralized project management portal. This would allow contribution of ideas and requirements from others and then you/we could use this to get bids on the project.

James

Thanks for sharing James

Any body use the new LinkedIn mobile app ? here's a screenshot.
i am wondering if a day we can have a similar app for our joomla-easysocial !!

I believe they are actually using some sort of Hybrid platform to deliver all the apps in different platforms. I know a developer from Linkedin and I will try to see if I can get some information from him

Thank you Mark,

i'd contacted Joomgap about mobiles apps for joomla and major extensions, here's their response :

Yes, we are looking forward to develop apps for each mayor extension and release them as starters. On January, we expect to define a roadmap and the upcoming releases.

We have already published several starters and examples. At this time, you can evaluate how it works and become familiar with the internals.

Thanks for sharing this Jan

Hi Wes and Jan,

Sorry for the delay in addressing your tickets and concerns. Our lead dev had to stay away from office due to some emergency, however things are back on track.

Additionally, we also found that we were unintentionally making custom changes in each of our client builds, which was making the build process slower. We have now decided to avoid this - which should not be an issue for most customers, since they have been expecting only the advertised branding, look/feel and text changes.

We're setting up a process that will help us make builds faster. Moving ahead you should see quicker builds without any loss of language changes.

Is this Parth or Ashwin? We have received numerous complaints about the app and I want to go through with you guys on a list of compatibility checklist.

By the way, would it be easier if we wrote all these JSON api rather than you writing the API yourself?

I just wanted to give my 2 cents here because I finally got enough of this behaviour of Appcarvers and I am seriously upset and feel like I need to warn anyone thinking about buying the app.

I spent hundreds of bucks for like nothing. Before buying the app you should consider these things:

1. You will only get the VERY basic registration. If your registration looks anything different to it, changes will be charged as customization and you have to pay additionally for this! I expected to get a registration like I got on my site. Built with the basic options of EasySocial. This does not count for the app. I had to point the register button to my registration site on my website. As a result I got no registration in the app...

2. The app does not offer any search. Well they say it does. The search is a search for usernames. Most senseless thing on a community site. Why should anyone search for a username? EasySocial offers location, age, gender and much more, but you can not search for anything except the username.

3. There is no send message button on a profile. The answer I got to this is that it could be made as a paid customization. How am I supposed to write a message if there is no 'send message' button?! But this is not the worst, because you will not even find a profile without any search...



These customizations can not be handled like here. I have no possibility to make customizations by myself like I can with EasySocial. So I do not accept this argument of having to pay for customizations. Especially not if I want something that is basic in EasySocial as long as the app is called "EasySocial app".

This is definitely NOT an EasySocial app. This can not be used for any community function without having options necessary to run a community.

Hey Sabih,

Thanks for the input on this. I just downloaded an iphone app from them and it seems like it is indeed missing these functionalities. Will check with them.

I believe the iPhone app is only version 4.0. The last time I talked with the guys over at AppCarvers they said that they are updating the app weekly which is a lot faster than Apple would approve the app for the store. They were going to wait for a more stable release before they submit it to the App Store. I would think that they would have done this by now because the Android app is on version 5.5 and there are a lot more features than what is currently on the iPhone version. You would think that they would want potential iPhone users to be able to test the latest version. There is also a post on their website about 5.5 with a list of known issues that they are still working on. http://appcarvers.com/blogs/entry/junite-weekly-5-5-is-here

Like I said before if your are purchasing this App you should know by now that AppCarvers is still developing functionality into the app. It is not a complete app and it does not have all the same features the component has. There are enough posts on Stackideas about this.

I am still waiting to see how the development progresses before I buy it and I know there are a lot of other people doing the same thing. I think AppCarvers has finally done the right thing by locking the features and not adding anything new. They are currently fixing all the bugs and as mentioned in previous posts some of them have not been addressed yet. This is not convenient for anybody that has purchased the app as they are having to deal with all the bugs and the constant updates. I hope AppCarvers does something for these clients that are having to deal with these long delays of trying to get a stable product for their users.

I am hoping within a few more months that this product will be stable enough to purchase and that they release a proper roadmap with features that they can deliver in a timely manner. They should focus on one feature at a time so the stable version are released quickly. Sometimes they take all the feedback from current and potential clients and they try to bake in too many new features that are not stable for a release.

It is not a complete app.

That reduces a time based subsciption to absurdity...

I hope AppCarvers does something for these clients that are having to deal with these long delays of trying to get a stable product for their users.

That's a good point. I paid for it, but for what at this moment? But I could not see anything related to a non-complete app during the payment process. Just to compare with Steam where I get notifications lots of times befoer buying something with Early Access and in spite of that I do not get a time-based subscription. That is no business like I am used to.

I have to admit, that I partly knew the process is still going. But the support told me that the registration is done so I bought it. That was the part when I said, okay, I take it. Only to see that I can not make a customization by myself, nor will they do, though the customizations is no customization since I used the common option off EasySocial, nothing self-made.

Strange thing is, I get offered to pay for that, which does not happen for all, though it is a missing part of the app? Why not integrate it for all who have paid instead of getting paid for making it for one? This is not how such a project has to work.

Imagine the same for EasySocial here. There would be only one possible registration i.e. and Stackideas would not implement any features to the registration but will do for extra payment?! Do not forget the part where you can not implement anything by yourself.
Would you not think that some options should be default for such a component? You see your subscription time running, no features are added but you know for extra cash will be.

That reduces a time based subsciption to absurdity...

Sorry, but I have to kindly disagree with you on this. When you are paying for a subscription, you are not only paying for the software, you are also getting the access to the support and ensuring that the product is well maintained. This is where many of you misunderstand the whole concept of an open source business model.

Hey Mark,

When you are paying for a subscription, you are not only paying for the software, you are also getting the access to the support and ensuring that the product is well maintained. This is where many of you misunderstand the whole concept of an open source business model.

Hm? Only thing I got so far were compiled and ready to install .apk files...

That's why I said that it can not be compared to EasySocial and that's the reason why I do not see the point of an support if there are no customizations made. If I just missed getting the source code I am sorry for me being upset and you are right about what you said.

Hey Sabih,

No worries, this is just a place where we share our thoughts Since we are on this topic, I just like to take some time to share my thoughts.

Let's take "customer A" for instance which purchases EasyBlog 5.x today. During this time, he posted over 20 questions on our forums and they all get attended and were all resolved. Then, he asks for a feature that is pretty extensive and it isn't supported out of the box.

If he is demanding that he paid us "x" amount of money for a product which we should be including that feature that he wanted, don't you think that it is unfair for us?

Nevertheless, I cannot speak for AppCarvers as I do not have any idea on how their support / pricing model works. I am just speaking based on my experience

Cheers buddy!

Nevertheless, I cannot speak for AppCarvers as I do not have any idea on how their support / pricing model works.

Me neither, and exactly that is the point. On a final product where the customer can not make any edits of changes, that depends on a fixed OS, what is the support for but customizations?

Let's take "customer A" for instance which purchases EasyBlog 5.x today. During this time, he posted over 20 questions on our forums and they all get attended and were all resolved. Then, he asks for a feature that is pretty extensive and it isn't supported out of the box.

I would never doubt your outstanding support, please do not get me wrong. But let's take another example. Customer B buys EasyBlog and due to an error at the program code, the software can not be installed on a new installed Joomla. Does he need paid support for this or should this be self-evident to make the software work?

You forget that Android can not be modified like Joomla and the EasySocial app is not open source like EasyBlog. As a customer I get a final product for a final OS. What I want to say is, I do not buy support, I only buy the software. And the problem is, the software is not done. This is very different to Stackideas products, I know.

Nevertheless, I cannot speak for AppCarvers as I do not have any idea on how their support / pricing model works.

My apologizes Mark, but I think you should. At least they use your name, logo and making advertising on your website.

My intention is not to get money back or reverse the purchase. I want that app and I need that app. I just want to make clear that the way of business like it is, is not right as it should be. I bought the app in october and I am still far from using it. And the things I mentioned that are still missing prevents me from using it even in future until these things are there. But at the same time, my subscription for whatever is running. I want to be understood that the subscription running ending before having a working app with all necessary options like EasySocial got, is not right, because the customer bought an app, brandmarked with "EasySocial".

Hey Sabih,

In a way, yeah it's probably because we are releasing our products as open source products as compared to AppCarvers.

Anyway, if the customer bought the product and cannot install it, then it is our job to ensure that it is installed This is our guarantee because you purchased the subscription. If we can't get it installed, we refund your money back.

If you did not pay for a subscription, we won't assist you Why should we spend time on users who don't pay our salaries Customers are like employers because without you, nobody get's paid.

Hi Mark..... I'd have to agree with Sabih wrote:

"My apologizes Mark, but I think you should. At least they use your name, logo and making advertising on your website. "

A company as good as StackIdeas should definitely care about the integrity of the name and logo of their product. You guys shouldn't let anyone or any other company compromise that, by being in conjunction with other companies that use your name and logo to sell their product and it's not up to the standard your consumers are use to it make you guys look bad. As a consumer we wonder what in the hell is StackIdeas doing letting them use the EasySocial name and logo to help sell their product that's not any good.

I was probably one of the first that inquired about a mobile app for EasySocial in 2013 or 14, so I've been around from the beginning when App Carvers or TechJoomla whatever you want to call them started working on the EasySocial mobile app. As bad as I want and need the App I refuse to spend my money on it. I waited for EasySocial to incorporate videos for over a year and continued to renew my subscription even though I didn't launch my site the whole time. Why? Because I believe in StackIdeas and was willing to wait but it's kind of disheartening to see this App being promoted and sold with the EasySocial name and logo and to be up to StackIdeas standards.

I think if you guys continue to allow this you should step in and help get that product up to StackIdeas standard, if not it'll continue to be a dark cloud over your company and you'll continue to have to deal with negative feedback about that product that bares your name and logo.

Hello all,

First of all I want to point out (as many other also do) is that StackIdeas delivery state of the art products and have a support team with response times were other companies just can be jealous for. I just love StackIdeas!

As the (upcoming) trend for social networking is "mobile" ...an App for my social network is absolutely a not ignorable extension to it. Just having a social networking website, just doesn't work (good enough). Therefore I also odered my App at AppCarvers......If I read here all the post, it is just like I was writing all those complaints (somebody was reading my mind all the time :-0 ). No matter how long your complaint is and what you are writing....AppCarvers always answers with 2 sentences: 1 "I am sorry ..." 2 "we will check or fix or update". Thats it. Nothing more, nothing less! In the meantime I announced my community that the Apps will be published end of December ....should be probably now December 2016. :-/ I really regret that (even if that i not that much) investment.

Just forget AppCarvers for the moment, is there any other company who can build this EasySocial App?

Cheers,
Robert

Anyway, if the customer bought the product and cannot install it, then it is our job to ensure that it is installed This is our guarantee because you purchased the subscription. If we can't get it installed, we refund your money back.

If you did not pay for a subscription, we won't assist you Why should we spend time on users who don't pay our salaries Customers are like employers because without you, nobody get's paid.

My apologize for being that persistent but you are wrong. You have to differ between your products and Appcarvers product and you do not do so.

The example I made is like buying a new car, getting the keys, trying to start the car the first time and it does not work. Your answer is like the car company will tell me they can not help me because I got no subscription.

I do not want to say that it does not have to be paid. But it is a BIG difference what I pay for. In case of Stackideas I pay for support and in case of Appcarvers I pay for the app. The problem is, the app is not done! That's why I try to explain that paying Appcarvers for support is absurd, because there is no support, because the only possible support would be customizations. Appcarvers can not say that the money spent by a customer is for support, this is wrong. As a result a subscription based on time is not possible until the app is done. The money is for the app, because there is no case that makes a paid support necessary. If there is, please Mark, give me a reasonable example what kind of paid support can come up. I do not see any problem that could occure, where I would need a paid support for a final software product that I can not edit.

I can give you another example. If I own a Playstation (Android smartphone) and buy a game (Appcarvers app) and the game is not running, do I need paid support? What did I pay for when buying the game? The game or support? I paid for the game. So I expect the game (Appcarvers app) to be done, no?

This is very important to understand because the whole problem is exactly this point!

Hey Guys,

I guess the business model is pretty different if compared to what we do and their app business model strategy. I actually just requested the source code access to App Carver's app and Ashwin is kind enough to allow this to happen.

I am just waiting for their authorization and I could take a look at what has been done / limitations that they are facing. I have to admit that we are lack of resources to really sit down to guide App Carvers and as much as I want to help you guys, I would also want to help them to build a state of the art app for EasySocial but there is only so much I can do

With regards to what Antonio pointed out above, I personally think that it's better to at least have something than nothing at all. Nevertheless, I get your point definitely. Someone who uses our brand should also be providing a more quality app or release it as free as an open initiative where everyone could share and collaborate.

Please understand that we are not getting paid any royalty at all for any apps that was purchased from App Carvers. We practically get nothing apart from complaints like this on our forums

I was also discussing with the guys over at App Carvers to see if we could really do a JV for the app so that I can form a team here which could help with all the aspects of UX / UI as well as the functionality of the app but this also means there are costs incurred to us as well and if we are going to contribute for free, it's going to be another major headache as I do not want to price EasySocial at $999 for a year

By the way, generally I am just wondering how much are you guys willing to fork out to get a really good and solid native mobile app for IOS (Just iOS for now) ? If so, are you guys comfortable with a subscription plan if there is such app?

Good morning Mark!

If the Apps from AppCarvers gets the expected quality as promised, support and change/requirement management like StackIdeas is offering and some new sexy lay-out..I see a long-term sustainable cooperation..... I will not hesitate the pay the price you mentioned above.

Thanks for sharing this Robert

I can say that 999$ just for the app the year would sound good for me the moment the app is for ios and android and offers EasyBlog and EasyDiscuss as well.
In case of EasyBlog I would be fine as long as the blog articles of the stream can be read inside the app. I would not need any more from EasyBlog like the composer and anything. Just to make sure users can open articles inside the app without having to open their browser beside the app.
In case of EasyDiscuss I would be fine with creating new threads and being able to answer to not have to leave the app for the forum.

I have no problem with buying software that is not yet done like the Appcarvers app. But I think having a temporary subscription that runs out before the app is done is bad.

Let's say you plan to have a finished 1.0 app on january 2017 and your app is like the app from Appcarvers at the moment. I would buy it now in case my subscription starts at 1.0, not now and not on january 2017 in case your plan does not work and maybe you will be done on july 2017.

On this way I could already use an app and you would not have to pay for your employees that much in advance, because you could get your first customers during the development. This presumes a list of features 1.0 will have to prevent false expectations by customers. Of course the support would be limited during this time to prevent spending too much time beside the development. During the development it is fine to have something like "take it or leave it" but I need something to look for in the future without having to pay a second time without getting something reasonable the first time.

But I think the term "support" needs to be defined on a new way for an app. In case of registration I think that having a registration like someone got on his website should be made by the support as long as he used the built in options of EasySocial. Customizations should be possible as long as they are basic settings inside EasySocial. No customizations of costumizations made at EasySocial. But this would be a 1-time work at all to fit the app to the customer.


That would make me to a satisfied customer of an app. For the components I already am a satisfied customer.

Hi Mark.....

Mark wrote:


By the way, generally I am just wondering how much are you guys willing to fork out to get a really good and solid native mobile app for IOS (Just iOS for now) ? If so, are you guys comfortable with a subscription plan if there is such app?

I think you should seriously look into it, I think you'd be pleasantly surprised at the market and revenue a really good solid native mobile app would bring in. I can speak for myself knowing I don't mind paying for a good product I need and in today's day and age a mobile app is almost a must if you're aiming to be really successful in social networking. I personally use my phone and apps 90% of the time and use my CPU the other 10%. Heck my laptop will be sitting right next to me and I'll still use my phone and the apps;)..... I feel confident in saying that I believe if you guys developed a good mobile app that supported EasySocial, EasyBlog and EasyDiscuss, (with customization begin extra) 95% of EasySocial subscribers would also subscribe to the App. I believe there's a lot of money being left on the table for your company;)

+1 for a full native appp (ES+EB+ED) Android & IOS

Thanks for the input on this guys, greatly appreciated

Just a small update.

Last message I got was from january 8th. I have complained lots of bugs before, no more answers for 11 days now. Seriously, what was that support you were talking about Mark?

I bought the app on octobre 7th... FAR from being ready to use at the moment. Not talking about missing options but working without bugs so far. I feel like my subscription time will run off for nothing.

Only 10 comments are shown on the stream. After that there is only white field with nothing inside. Texts are splitted at the end of each line, no matter is gramatically correct. It is like here is the end of the lin
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Just to talk about 2 small things... I could expand this list REALLY long.

There is just one thing that could make me satisfied with this. Having my subscription time reset the moment the app works. Everything else is fraud, but that is the situation I am currently in...

Wanted to edit my text, but it does not seem to work after some time. By the way I REALLY need this feature as well. Asked before for such a tool. I am hoping to see this in EasyDiscuss 4.

Nevertheless, I wanted to add that Push Notifiy is not working for me in combination with EasyDiscuss as I mentioned here:
http://stackideas.com/forums/posting-in-easydiscuss-gives-no-reaction-but-post-is-there-leads-to-multiple-posts-and-no-stream-entry-is-made

I reported this to Appcarvers on dec. 29th. Got no answer yet to this...

Hey Sabih,

Hm I can't speak for their support but I believe they are a little shorthanded right now. You should push them

FYI

The last "updated" and working apk I got, is dated december 14th. That update did not contain any updates or bug fixes, so I asked them what was new in this version. There was no answer.

On december 16th I re-submitted my buglist. From that day until today, I got 3 unusable apk, 2 were not zip-aligned, the other one was build as a version that already existed. This happened almost every time with the apk they provided. It is very strange a specialized app building company keeps delivering the wrong apk build.

In time between, they forwarded 3 new api packages to be installed in the Joomla backend. As many texts are hardcoded in the api, you have to translate every time again and again.

On January 5th I asked again about the updated apk they promised me since December 14th.
In return, on January 11th they provided me another wrong version apk...

On January 18th they sent me with a new language file to translate it again.
This file is totally different from the previous one, so I had to do all translations once again.
Today I sent them the language file.

So in short, I am waiting for almost 5 weeks for an updated version in which the bugs I have been reporting since October 2015 are REALLY fixed.

And this is only the Android version. We did not even start on the iOS version yet.

Just like Sabih, 3 months have passed, and I have demanded they set the startdate of the "subscription" to the date on which I receive a working app free of bugs. No confirmation there so far.

As said before, so far I unfortunately can not recommend anyone to buy this app, as it will only you bring you headaches for which you even have to pay a considerable amount of money.
On top of that I spent many hours of testing and bug reporting.

The situation is very simple. StackIdeas have nice software. But if you plan to go mobile with apps, you should look further because the mobile apps StackIdeas endorse, are insufficient by far. And this has been the situation for 1,5 year now, which is far too long.

Hm I can't speak for their support but I believe they are a little shorthanded right now. You should push them

Beside the fact of having sent 3 messages during these 11 days I do not see the point of being understandingly any longer. Especially when 3 months of subscription have passed and nothing happened yet compared to a finished app.

I think the time has come to help people like me or wes1. EVERY customer of Appcarvers is a customer of Stackideas. So I think it should be mandatory for you having Appcarvers to take responsibility for their action of betraying YOUR customers on this way.

Mark, what do you think? Let's say my subscription is over now and I have no working app. Are there any consequences from your side? I have to say I would have never trusted Appcarvers if there would not have been ads on your site. My thoughts were that I can not lose my money for nothing since you stay behind this allowing them to use your name and logo. I know that you can not take responsibility for their behaviour, but on the other side I am sure that many people gave trust because of the same facts.

And this is only the Android version. We did not even start on the iOS version yet.

This makes me sick for real. I thought the iOS version is identical to the android one once the android one is done. Hearing it is not is killing me.

On top of that I spent many hours of testing and bug reporting.

Yep, same here. I can say Appcarvers wants to get paid for any minute extra since they do not make customizations. This leads to a point where I do not see that money back is an option. I have spent extra time that I had to because of their BAD work, so I want this time to be paid extra as well. I spent a minimum of 10 hours for this, so money back would result in 300$ for product plus 10 hours of work spent, each hour is 80$, so we are at 1.100$ at the moment. Just to make this clear. Since this is their business model, it should be the same other way round. So the case is having a working app or money back with 1.100$.

So there has to be a working app within my subscription time, nothing to discuss about but what to do when they do not?


Thank you wes1 for sharing your experience. I was afraid that only I got such problems but now I know it is their common way of making business.

I will discuss with the guys at Appcarvers over these situations. If a refund is made viable for you guys that purchased the AppCarvers app, is that a possibility?

Tuesday, 12 January 2016 12:19 IST was the last time and since then - despite my many replies to AppCarvers - only radio silence. My Android App is now en empty shell. No news feed, no friends, no conversations, just nothing.....and my IOS App....never seen so far.

I just gave up and accepted I lost my money. I will never ever invest again in companies who do not understand requirement management, development, test, project management, and customer relationship. If you cannot do it, then don't do it and sell yourself as an expert. I will not even start the refund procedure. They can keep my money...really. This is absolutely absurd.

The worst thing is, is that I promised my community the IOS App. They all waiting for it.....what do I have to say them?

Now I need some beer...
cheers mate!

@StackIdeas, you have your own "App" page where you essentially are freely marketing other developers programs that work hand in hand with your products. It might be a wise choice to have a review and approval process built into your workflow similar to Apples own rigorous approvals. This would put your hands and eyes on the product, give you an understanding and make sure its developed using your standards. And THEN you should approve it to be on your "App" page.

Alternatively because we know your extremely busy is you could have (2) sections in your app store.

Section 1: Approved Apps (put a badge or label on them letting the users know that the apps have been tested and meet your standards)

Section 2: UnApproved Apps (apps that have not been tested or verified but are in que to be tested and verified.) (You have a dedicated group of StackIdeas members who would volunteer freely their time and efforts to test the apps.)

Just some thoughts to help with the dilemma here but obviously moving forward. I agree with the appcarvers customers. You can't be a customer of theirs without first being a customer of yours in many cases. And, as they mentioned they use your name and logo for advertising which is essentially hurting you more than it is boosting you.

Thanks,
James

Hey guys,

Thank you all for your feedback and I appreciate it very much. I just got off a call to the CEO of Appcarvers and we had quite a bit of discussion over these teething / annoying issues. Let me wrap this up:

1. Based on what I was informed, they have many tickets / issues related to language strings and the process to build an app is extremely tedious because you guys needed to contact them to get a new build ready.

Resolution:

They are working on a build interface for you guys so that in the future, you do not need to contact them to build an app. Apart from that, this build interface also would allow you to upload translation files so you could translate them. As to when this will be done, they did gave me an internal timeframe but I wouldn't quote it here because I think they need / should run more testings on the build interface. Expect it to be out soon as most of their team is focusing on right now

2. Ticket response time is slow.

Resolution:

They are improving on their support response time and he mentioned to me that many of the tickets were on hold because most of them are actually bugs / issues which they are already fixing internally. I did highlight to him that they should start responding to customers even if it is a known issue bug. They will try to be much more responsive moving forward.

3. Roadmap of what features are supported as of date

Resolution:

The biggest issue that I see with their app is that people thinks whatever that is in EasySocial is also available on the app but we all know that this is not a fact and they should clearly state what features are supported and what is not support till date in their app. They are working on a roadmap right now and it will be published shortly.

4. Expired subscriptions

Resolution:

On a case by case basis, they will review this. If you guys are having issues with the app, contact them to get replacement of your subscription. This should not include (features that should be there). Again, this is a reflection to #3 because without their roadmap and what the app supports, there is no way to justify if the app is working correctly or not.

For instance, if you purchase EasySocial today, and tell me what it should have "some features" and you want to reclaim an additional extension for your subscription, that is never going to happen. You made the purchase as is of what features are available in the extension currently.

I think this is fair to both parties provided that they list down the features that the app supports.


5. Buggy app!

Resolution:

They confirmed that there are some teething issues with the app and they are working on an entirely new framework. With this framework, it will be much more reliable and stable. They did not give me a time frame on this but he did mentioned that it will be pretty soon.


That's about it. I understand that some of you are feeling frustrated but let's try to make this work. As much as we want to help them and you guys, we need to focus on our extensions and support as well.


Thanks for understanding and I am looking forward for a new framework from them soon. If you have any other thoughts or complaints, please feel free to reach me on Skype, marklee_777.

P/S: My skype is always online but it does not mean that I am always available. If I do not reply you, please don't get it wrongly, give me some time and I will get back to you the soonest possible. I am a human being too and I need to communicate with people as well

That's about it. I understand that some of you are feeling frustrated but let's try to make this work. As much as we want to help them and you guys, we need to focus on our extensions and support as well.

I really appreciate that you helped us here Mark, with your time which is ultra short as we know. I agree with you saying let's make this work, since I need an app and that was the reason I bought it. I am pretty sure that most customers who bought the app think the same way.

Nobel Price for Mark here!

After your call, I got response from AppCarvers.......damn, how did you do that Mark......send us the phone number of AppCavers CEO....we might need that in the future!

I really appreciated what you are doing Mark. I told AppCarvers that it is OK to have delays...under one condition: I want a daily status update of the fixing and a estimation when they think the App will be finished. Nothing more, nothing less. Let's see!

Cheers,
Robert

Great, at least there are some progress right now and I do hope to see them progress quicker with their new framework and a build interface

Hi Mark... Is there any others options besides AppCarvers for a mobile App? I don't have any expertise at any of this, I just need a mobile app that works without me having to do much. I get great support from you guys and the community that's how I've been able to make the changes or fix issues with my site but I'm definitely not optimistic about getting that from AppCarvers, no matter what they tell you. Their track record has never been good even with TechJoomla. Can i contact a private app building company to handle this for me? I don't want to go that route as I know it could be very pricey but I have absolutely NO faith in AppCarvers and I believe it's absolutely vital for me to have a mobile app. I still haven't launched my site based on me launching it once when I used JomSocial software and me knowing what I need to be successful but at this point I'm getting desperate and need to get this mobile app problem situated. I feel you guys software gives me all the tools I need to be successful but I'm lacking a mobile app that could make or break me!!!

@Antonio - If you are looking for a high quality mobile app with all the features included, it is going to require an investment. Someone had already checked to see what it would cost to develop an app compatible with iOS and Android with all the EasySocial and EasyBlog features included. The estimate that came back was over $21k. They were using an Indian developer too.

To have all the features included in a mobile app that AppCarvers can provide is going to take time, development, and money.

They are the only ones that I know of that is pursuing the development of a mobile app that will work with EasySocial and EasyBlog.

There are other components out there, but their progress is in early development.

Antonio, as Aaron mentioned, building mobile apps aren't cheap and it will be an investment. This is where App Carvers come into the picture

If you are looking for something cheap and still want professional support as well as a good app, I would think it's close to impossible to fulfill your request. We are one in a thousand I guess?

I can say that 999$ just for the app the year would sound good for me the moment the app is for ios and android and offers EasyBlog and EasyDiscuss as well.

I fully agree and am sure to subscribe. Hope Mark can come up with a roadmap.

We dont mind how SI & AC collaborate, as long as the product os from SI with their on branding.

regards

Thanks for the input on this Sunny

For a full android/ios app including ES/ED/EB i am going to purchase it too, we need a real professionnal mobile app like facebook and linkedin.

For the moment we use a webview apps (android and ios) for our website but its not so performante, let say an alternative solution

Thanks for the input on this Jan

I guess it's time for us to purchase more ios books

you use to we are in LOVE with all the SI products,

hope you will define a strategy and establish a roadmap for future.

Thanks Jan, I am actually down with a very bad fever today and going through a very rough moment but will keep you guys posted very soon about our updates for EasySocial

Get better buddy, we need you!

@Mark hope you are feeling better as well. I know you've sent JReviews some information to help them integrate more tightly with ES Groups. FYI, Alejandro has a mobile app on their roadmap this year and if it made sense you could ping him to see what dev approach they're taking...

Thanks guys and Eileen! Yep, we'll see what we can do. I am also liaising with App Carvers very closely as well

If any of you guys have / experience any problems with App Carvers, please reach me on Skype. My skype id is marklee_777 . I will try to get your issues resolved if there are any.

P/S: My skype is 24/7 available but it does not mean that I am 24/7 around as sometimes people tend to get me into meetings and I have to step away

FYI

No updates by AppCarvers so far. The last working build with some changes compared to the previous build I got was on december 14th...

Meanwhile a new problem reported today by Google Play concerning the security of the AppCarvers app:

Hello Google Play Developer,

Your app(s) listed at the end of this email utilize a version of Apache Cordova, an open-source mobile development framework, that contains one or more security vulnerabilities. If you have more than 20 affected apps in your account, please check the Developer Console for a full list.

Please migrate your app(s) to Apache Cordova v.4.1.1 or higher as soon as possible and increment the version number of the upgraded APK. Beginning May 9, 2016, Google Play will block publishing of any new apps or updates that use pre-4.1.1 versions of Apache Cordova.

The vulnerabilities were addressed in Apache Cordova 4.1.1. If you’re using a 3rd party library that bundles Apache Cordova, you’ll need to upgrade it to a version that bundles Apache Cordova 4.1.1 or later.

To confirm you’ve upgraded correctly, submit the updated version to the Developer Console and check back after five hours. If the app hasn’t been correctly upgraded, we will display a warning.

For information about the vulnerabilities, please see this Google Help Center article. For other technical questions, you can post to Stack Overflow and use the tag “android-security.”

While these specific issues may not affect every app that uses Apache Cordova, it’s best to stay up to date on all security patches. Apps with vulnerabilities that expose users to risk of compromise may be considered Dangerous Products in violation of the Content Policy and section 4.4 of the Developer Distribution Agreement.

Apps must also comply with the Developer Distribution Agreement and Content Policy. If you feel we have sent this warning in error, contact our policy support team through the Google Play Developer Help Center.

Regards,

The Google Play Team

©2016 Google Inc. 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043

Email preferences: You have received this mandatory email service announcement to update you about important changes to your Google Play Developer account.

Affected App(s) and Version(s):

nl.tenniscommunity.TennisCommunity 6

Hm, did you get in touch with App Carvers about Cordova? It looks like phoneGap rebranded themselves as Apache Cordova and I believe App Carvers is actually riding on it.

Hi Wes,

We're working on getting the latest version of Cordova in all our customized builds, you will soon be getting a new build with an updated version.

All the builds which will be rolled out to our subscribers will be having an updated Cordova version.

Regards,
AppCarvers Team.

@AppCarvers, I am not a user of the apps "Yet" but its sad to see that your posting this information here before even posting on your own website. You have a blog which is rarely used and you have a support forum which is also rarely used. I am certain that you also have a newsletter extension that your simply not using as well.

You should consider making better use of the tools you have available to communicate to your customers where you stand and where they stand.

I think the problem expressed here at StackIdeas about AppCarvers is that there is almost no communication. When your taking someones money to sell them a product communication is key.

Just my two cents,
James

I am agree with James. AppCarvers does not communicate enough.
For example, in the blog of AppCarvers, we have no news since 25 December 2015 !

Hm, I guess the reason that they are posting here is actually because the initial reply was made here but yeah, they should release a blog post about this to ensure that their users are not left in the dark.

to whom it may concern;

the latest update I got from AC is more a "downdate". Push notifications not working anymore, extremely small fonts used in app and memory usage by the app extremely high. This new version did not bring improvements unfortunately. I also receieved a new API package and installed it, but no improvement. I have to wait for a new version that actually is an update.

My ES expires 3rd of march, my AC expires 3rd of april.
In 6 months time I was not provided with a good-working website <---> app combination.
That is pretty sad.
And this only the android app, did not see anything ios yet.

Hi Wes,

Thanks for the heads up on this one. Will forward your message to AC

Have a nice day!

We have lately been on a backfoot in communicating with you guys and completely agree with James about it.(won't happen again sorry!)

You guys can have a look at the latest development update that we have posted. I hope this will solve most of your questions. Any doubts please comment on the blog.

@Wes It seems that the login credentials you provided for your site are not working. Could you please refer to ticket #77 on appcarvers? We can fix this!

About iOS if you remember we had agreed upon that we will be providing you an iOS build only when all your issues with Android are solved. Let's get this push notification issue fixed then you can share the udid with us and we can deliver you your iOS build. And yeah, you had purchased a subscription with us when the Early Adopter offer was going on so we will be extending your subscription.

Any suggestions, requests,questions? Please comment on our blog.

Regards,
Team AppCarvers

Thanks AppCarvers team heading up on this.

Excellent news !
Ionic Framework is very promising

Thanks for sharing Pakitao

Hey Pakitao,

Thanks a ton! Lot more is lined up in future releases

Regards,
Team AppCarvers

Thanks AppCarvers team heading up on this.

Hi,

We’re compelled to narrate this extremely disappointing experience with AppCarvers and their ES mobile app. It appears they completely lack integrity and have the least respect for their customers. In today’s world where companies/brands bend over backwards to acquire customers [and in this case paying high price for the app], I can’t believe Appcarvers exists with that attitude. Needless to say it’s been our worst experience ever using an app and we’ll NEVER recommend anyone to even try Appcarvers mobile app.

We’ve lost count of # emails exchanged with their support to get to a stable build of the product, over 5 months since purchase. Lost time & patience in follow-ups. Every time we’d think we’re close to release build and something would mess up. Worst of all, as a result of several bugs we reported in their builds [via their support tickets] and extreme delays in bug-fix, we lost 3 of our most significant and promising customers and significant monetary loss. It ***** to have customers dump you on Dec 31 due to mobile app nightmare. Such a frustrating experience to find that while the ES web-app works almost flawlessly, there were so many bugs in the mobile app.

It surprises us that Appcarvers do not make even simplest of checks in the app on customizations we’ve made to our ES web app. As a result of their support team messing up our build, it became a SPAM community instead and customers became furious when they started to receive messages not intended for their groups etc. We had to ask them to stop all write/share functions and the app became a “dumb” read-only view. Not sure who else pays $399 for a read-only app. And unfortunately although they claim that the purchase comes with the code, they never bother to provide the code base unlike Stackideas. For our ES web app we have the code so if something goes out-of-line we’ve access to fix it. But with the mobile app, no such liberty. As a result, we’re at their mercy to fix issues. And of course that fix never happens in real-time or even within a reasonable time.

Given the losses we’ve suffered and the time wasted in trying to use an extremely buggy app we’re seeking a full-refund. We’ve probably blown away our chances with this post. Anyway they stopped responding to our support ticket the moment we claimed a refund.

Is there a way for all those who’ve had such terrible experience with Appcarvers to demand a refund? In a physical/retail world a product comes with a warranty and if the product doesn’t function as it’s supposed to, one can return & seek refund. Isn’t there an alternative for us helpless souls? There must be something.

We started using EasySocial as there seemed to be a promise of a mobile app. However, this negative experience with the Appcarvers mobile app has impacted us considerably, to the extent that we have decided to stop using EasySocial. It’s sad to go when we know we’ve had such good experience using Easysocial.

Juz

Thanks Juz, fortunately I have not invest the time/money as many others have so I can only speak for what I have seen here and also in their lack of communication.

This is NOT related to AppCarvers but instead the potential for a new Mobile App from another company. I know so many of us have the need for it so I wanted to put this out there and see if we can get several people to ping them in hopes they may develop something as well. http://www.opensourcetechnologies.com/ they have already built a mobile app for JReviews and I spoke to Manish Mittal about the development of an EasySocial app. He implied it was something they were looking into but I think if we can get enough people posting to them the need they might expedite that development effort.

Link to their JReviews App: http://www.opensourcetechnologies.com/product/product-category/jreviews-app

They also have some experience with EasySocial:
- http://stackideas.com/apps/item/3306-ost-social-share-button
- http://stackideas.com/apps/item/3308-fullcontact-for-easysocial
- http://stackideas.com/apps/item/3307-enjoy-i-welcome

I am not a customer of theirs, I have only spoken with Manish about my need for the JReviews App and also an EasySocial App. I am going to request that he review these posts as well and hopefully he can see the need and interest.

Again, if your interested we need to reach out to them on their website.

Thanks,
James

Thanks for sharing this James, appreciate it very much!

Again, if your interested we need to reach out to them on their website.

Maybe you should point them to these topics here like this one to make them see the interested in a working app and the potential of the moment.

Hi Juz,

There seems to be some misunderstanding. As per your ticket history as well as support that we provided over your skype chat with our developer Vishal, you had said the the issues were fixed and seemed to be working fine on your demo site. Also, we had made some api change specifically for your site (which is not in our policy but we made an exception) to make things work.

After this there was a long time where we were waiting for feedback from you related to your specific custom app. You will remember we had asked you to confirm if it was working for you around end of December for which we received a response back in March directly asking for a refund.

As for the refund, you have said we have not replied to your tickets since you asked for the refund. You can check yourself that your ticket has been replied to as well as there are further replies. If you can respond there, we can figure out the best way to solve this.

You have been one of our early customers under the Early Adopter policy and we also made sure we gave you a 6 month extension on the Subscription. Your refund request has come almost at the end of this renewed support period. If you are not happy, we can surely work something out.

Having said that in this specific use case, we have fixed issues where we were not communicating enough and are now blogging regularly to ensure all of you are updated on the happenings. In addition our build process time is also down which means we can give builds faster and we are very close to automating it all.

We're also, working on some new features, which reminds me that we have just released a Beta version. Please check it out. Make sure you're using the latest api with it. We will soon be releasing a stable app and the Roadmap for the next version. Stay tuned!

On another front, for those of you who want to manage their own builds and customization, the Source code is available on the site for all paying subscribers!

Regards,
Team AppCarvers

@Sabih, I have already sent them the links to this thread and the others as well.

They definitely know that there is a need and want. I will ping them today if they have put anymore thought into the development. It may be that they already have enough work and don't want to overextend themselves which we should all appreciate them not doing as it seems this may be the case for appcarvers.

James

Guys,

If you are having problems with the app, I suggest that you post this on their forums I believe they are not following this thread all the time but posting on their forums should get more attention from them.

If there needs to be a fix from our end, you can always post this on our forums. I will lock this thread for now.