iOS app v.5.3.2 is here!

Mesh 5.3.2

Updates from the last release: We’ve fixed a few bugs and made an update to improve location accuracy when the app is in the background. For the most accurate location, be sure to set the app’s location permission to ALWAYS in iOS Settings: Settings>goTenna>Location>Always. You will also be prompted to adjust this setting when first launching the app after download.

Bug Fixes:

  • Unable to send the SMS relay on a specific device
  • Trip recording always defaults to Imperial even though Metric is selected
  • GPS location not updating
  • Ping unavailable on the sender side
  • Private messages get a green tick on iPhone XS even if the receiver’s unit is turned off
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Is this both an app and firmware update?

It is an app update.

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Has the basic six hop functionality been nerfed/put behind a paywall with this release or is that still yet to come?

Umm, the basic functionality is 3 hops. As was recently explained, that change in the 6 hop functionality will come with a firmware update to 5.1, so no, there’s still free 3 bonus hops until 5.1 firmware arrives.

BTW, the app update went slick as a whistle.

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Nate, @MikeR @danielagotenna -

Last night I installed the v5.3.2 update on my iPhone 6S (running iOS v11.4.1) and I updated my location setting for goTenna to “always” as suggested to ensure improved, up to date location info.

I have noticed three things:

  1. No more obsolete location info on the standard maps - the location info is up to date and accurate.
  2. While the location setting for the goTenna app is set to “always”, my iPhone does not lose the Bluetooth pairing with my goTenna Mesh device when the goTenna app is put into the background to use another app in the foreground. My iPhone routinely loses the Bluetooth pairing with the goTenna Mesh device when the location setting for the goTenna app is set to “while using the app”. (For clarity, it did this with the prior goTenna app version too.)
  3. Despite the fact that my goTenna Mesh device has been standing by without sending or relaying messages today, its battery drain is noticeably higher due to the more frequent communication of gps coordinates - just as MikeR warned it would be in his post Here.

I understand that you can’t pass info between the phone and goTenna Mesh device more frequently without affecting the remaining charge on the goTenna Mesh’s battery - that’s the price of maintaining up-to-date location data.

For my purposes, I’m going to leave the iOS setting for the goTenna app where it was (“while using the app”) except when I feel I need higher location accuracy.

I really appreciate that you have updated the app so that I have a choice that is under my control.

All in all, you did a really nice job on this app update - thank you! :smile:

  • JT
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@MeshTheWorld thanks for the update–we’re happy to hear this!

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Thank you GoTenna for fixing this location issue!

I upgraded the app, and am at the Allow Access screen which just says the app would like access to location and contacts, but the Next button is not advancing me to the next screen on my iPhone 6+. The Next button blinks, but does not do anything.

I set location sharing in Preferences to Always.

EDIT: I am on iOS 12.1 (16B92) and am currently upgrading to 12.1.3

EDIT 2: Upgrading to iOS 12.1.3 did not resolve the issue. I then deleted the app and reinstalled it, still no luck.

EDIT 3 SOLUTION: I had my Preferences - Restrictions for Contacts set to No Changes Allowed. Once I allowed changes, the Next button worked.


I used 3 of my GTMs at a ski mountain today and they worked much better, especially the location patches. THANK YOU!!!

I was the main sender / receiver, and my iPhone 6+ only lost 25% battery, even while I also used it to capture a few photos and movies. My GTM drained 15% of its battery. I started the GTMs at approximately 10AM and turned them all off at approximately 7PM. Everyone left the GT app running in the background.


MOBILE APP FEATURE REQUESTS:

  1. When I deleted the app per EDIT 2 above, I lost my old randomly generated ID, and I guess encryption keys. When I reinstalled the app, it would not let me type in my old ID. So, now my family members’ GT apps all have two chat threads from me - an old one and a new one starting today.
    Proposed Solution: Save / backup ID (and relevant encryption keys), preferences, and chats ENCRYPTED to iCloud or Google Drive so it can be restored if the app is deleted and reinstalled.

  2. When you receive someone’s GPS location, then click on it to view its pin on the map, please add a time stamp provided by the phone (not the time the GPS data was sent by the GTM) for that location so we know how current it is.

  3. Please make the GTMs multi-user. Allow GTM units to service multiple phones, so if you have say 4 groups of 8 (arbitrary, could be 16, 32, etc.) people, one GTM would go with each group of 8 and any of them could pair with and send / receive from the same group GTM. Likewise, each phone should be able to pair with each of the 4 GTMs (and vice-versa) used for the entire event, should anyone move between groups. This would also help potential customers try out GTM with little fuss.

You may want to assign one phone as admin to each GTM so they can add / delete guest users and their data on their respective GTMs. The admin phone could pair with a friends’ phone via the GT app, exchange IDs, GTM ID, encryption keys, etc. and forwrad them to their GTM, and have their GTM sync that new guest user’s information to the other GTMs in the “family” via an administrative group chat / broadcast.

For my use case, family of four, we would still purchase one GTM for each family member, so I don’t think GT would necessarily sell fewer GTMs. This feature would greatly enhance each GTMs usefulness and usability. When we participate in activities with friends at say, scouting events, we could easily leverage our four GTMs to assist our friends, none of whom have GTMs - it’s a great way for griends to trial GTM - free marketing.

I have some upcoming camping trips coming up that would greatly benefit from multi-user. GoTenna would also benefit as well. You could have a section in the app for a guest user to purchase GTMs once they try their friends’ GTM. Their GT app would send you my GTM ID, so you could perhaps give me a small affiliate credit towards a future GoTenna purchase for each device sold.


GENERAL REQUESTS:

  1. Could GoTenna put together some tutorial web pages compiled from the best forum posts for things like MOAN, tethering to Raspberry Pis, 3-D printing GTM enclosures and mounts, etc. - kind of like a smaller version of the Adafruit Learning System at: learn.adafruit.com

You could reference forum posts in a bibliography for the tutorial to continue to encourage the great ideas I have found in the forums and provide the raw background for those interested in such.

  1. When you release the successor to GTM, would you please make it backward compatible, so migration to the new product is not so painful. I did not purchase the original GoTenna, but if I did, I would have been very disappointed that my investment in the original GoTennas was a complete loss when I add GTMs to my inventory. I’m not saying GTM Version 2 should be backwards compatible to the original GoTenna, but each product should at least be backwards compatible with at least its direct predecessor.

Thank you for everything, and keep up the good work!

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Thank you for the detailed and informative post! We greatly appreciate the feedback and will certainly be noting these feature requests.

-Nate

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