Can we have an Android App

thats also my opinion, no news are bad news. people can candle with longer timelines or something but this looks the community arent importend.

I know they’re working on it. I understand the frustration. But since I don’t work for them I don’t know if they have anything like a firm timeline, yet. I hope for the sake of all current Android users that it’s coming sooner than later.

In July 2020 you said the Android app was currently in beta testing.
In September 2020 you said the app would probably be released in February.
Since then you have said it’s on it’s way and it is all going to be very exciting.
It’s now March 2021 and there is no Android app and no timeline for one.

If you can’t do it, that’s one thing. That’s a development problem, and I understand. But when you promise us it’s coming, and then you fail to deliver with no explanation, that’s a different problem. That’s a credibility problem.

Just be honest. Is it really coming soon, or is it still a ways away? If it is really coming soon, roughly how soon? I don’t think that’s asking too much.

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Hi. Just checked the note in this thread (though there may be others and if so, apols). There is something there about if things go very smoothly rather than a Feb promise

Maybe worth asking the team directly - maybe contact the minions if this is something needing a direct answer?
Theminions@thesufferfest.com

Right, so the responsible thing to do, when February comes and goes, is to come back and provide some meaningful information on where things stand.

I don’t have any Apple devices, so I am either going to wait for SF to release their Android app, or I am going to commit to another platform. If they want to have any chance of me and people like me becoming paying customers, they need to tell us where things are at.

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Hi guys. Very sorry that I didn’t get back here to provide an update on where we are with Android. No excuses other than I took my eye off the ball here, so let me apologize again – I know it’s frustrating to wait for an update – and I’ll get into what’s going on.

Well, February has come and gone and no Android app has been released the way that I (and the entire team)(and you all) hoped. That’s the bad news. The good news is that we have an Android app that is in beta and currently being used by a couple hundred people in our beta testing group. It’s remarkably stable and we’re really happy with it.

So why isn’t it out yet? Partly because these things always take (way) longer than we think they will (although I am now getting much better at listening to my team when they tell me how long things will really take and, overall, we’re getting far, far better in our planning and execution). But also mainly because the app we are building isn’t just a Sufferfest update, but an entirely new platform. You see, the technology that the current SUF app is built on is starting to creak and just couldn’t go where we wanted it to go. We couldn’t ‘update’ that app or build an Android app off to the side of it. We had to start from scratch again – and that’s something we hadn’t really expected to have to do earlier last year. And that means the development and the testing for that app – which also includes things like a far better calendar - are taking a long time.

When will we release this entire new platform including Android? Man, I wish I could say. If anything, though, I’ve learned not to say because I always get it wrong. :slight_smile: But what I can say is that we really, really, really, really want to get it out as soon as we can. We’re super excited about what we will release when we do release it – but we’re also as frustrated as you that we haven’t got it out yet. So, if you can, please hang tight with us. It’ll be a big step once we do release.

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Thank you for that information. That is very helpful.

Thank’s for the update. Sorry to be so blunt, but I’m not entirely convinced this isn’t just marketing hype though. Your support team claimed last month (Feb 4th) that “…we are working hard to develop an Android app. We are in the beginning stages of testing that app now but I don’t have a date right now for the release.”. This suggests to me that you’re still a very long way off and it’s increasingly looking like vapourware. Do you have plans for an open beta or even a video demo of how far you’ve got? I really am sorry to sound so negative, I know you’ve had a lot going on with the acquisition and it sounds like you’d outgrown your infrastructure, but the Android App has been “just around the corner” for literally years now (since 2015? when you pulled the original video player and promised it would be back with iOS feature parity - Unfortunately I can no longer find your press release/forum post/email about that).

I’d dearly love to be proven wrong, but it appears that for anyone who really wants/needs to use Android (eg OP who’s been borrowing his sons iPad, or me who no longer has an “i device”), committing to a renewal really doesn’t make a lot of sense if this key feature just isn’t there. The competition’s really come on in leaps and bounds over the last 12 months, so please don’t give us extra incentive to switch.

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Gotta agree with Wozzie here.
David’s post is just your average corporate talk.

I for one jumped ship to Zwift. Who knows if I’ll be back.

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I agree - its great to have an update, but this doesn’t really tell us anything - and if anything makes me less confident that an Android app will be released any time soon.

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The android app was supposedly in beta testing in July of 2020. So to say that it is now in beta testing with a couple hundred people is a step backwards, in my mind.

And when I hear companies talk about “we couldn’t do x without creating a whole new platform”, to me that’s like a restaurant being “closed for renovations”.

My takeaway from this message is that the android app is a long, long way off. I’ll be renewing my Zwift subscription for another year.

Still having to borrow sons ipad which when he is staying at his Grandpa’s is not a possibility so I desperately want this new platform or to be added to the beta test team to kick start my training for 2021 which is badly stalled due to. Covid etc.

Please please can we have a date or the beta app.

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I hope I’m not speaking out of turn here, but I’m one of the people testing the beta Android app, and can confirm it does exist!
I was testing the original one last year, and am testing the new one now - it’s much better but just isn’t ready yet. When it is, I’m pretty sure it will be realeased with huge fanfare, so please hang on - it’s coming, for sure!

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Thank you. That’s good to hear.

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As a software professional, this is what I expected, but did not want to say.
You probably had, and still have, an enormous amount of technical debt from a platform that is years old that never had a proper partitioning between parts of the application.

Since you also had a third party API/services plan, getting this fixed would be important for that as well.

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Bonus points for using “technical debt” in a bicycle training forum!

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I can’t wait. It is taking too long but luckily cycling outdoors is starting now

Haha I enjoyed that reference too!

Dare I ask how this is progressing?

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It’s losing subscribers. I prevaricated, but TrainerRoad for me.