Please upgrade to version 512. This version has a fix for the hours issue that some Android users were experiencing. It also fixes radar issues that affected older iOS devices (iOS 12.4).
We are looking forward to rolling out some exciting new features in the coming weeks.
Good morning! So much to talk about! :)
COMPLETED:
- We have finalized changes to our radar loading process to ensure there are no missing or mixing of tiles. Smooth sailing here on in if you have version 1.0.507!
- Coming up in the next version, we've successfully added Apple Maps, on both iOS and Android, as an alternative to Google Maps. This should help users on Android who find the Google Map to be glitchy or on a couple devices, won't load at all.
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TO-DO:
- We continue to develop the widget for Apple and Android users and we're so excited to finish an MVP, test it on as many devices as possible, and eventually send it out to all users when it's ready to rock! It will take some time to make all of this happen but we're so very excited to get it launched!
- We're working on adding more notification types to the app. Eg. Rain, S***, Lightning, Winds, etc. Please let us know if there's anything you'd personally want to see as far as notifications are concerned. Customization perhaps? "Only notify me for [3cm] or more [snow] expected between [6 AM] and [9 AM]". :D
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UPCOMING ANDROID FIXES (Apple below):
- We're getting much closer to launching a fix for the "Hours" loading bug that some Android users are experiencing since the new app version. For those having this issue, our apologies and please use the "Minutes" product in the meantime until the next update. "Minutes" goes out 6.5 hours or so and has all the same data that "Hours" has except with even more detail (15-min), and a rain/snow animation for intensity.
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UPCOMING APPLE FIXES:
- Apple users with older devices running iOS version 12.4 or older are having problems with our radar not loading with version 1.0.507. The map seems to work fine but the loading wheel just spins. Our apologies for this! When Apple upgrades to a new iOS version, they support older devices less and less (as you likely know). This is quite frustrating as we'd like to continue supporting as many older devices as we can. Nevertheless, we'll work hard to support them as long as possible and get this radar issue fixed!
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WEBSITE:
Now that we've added Apple Maps, launching the website version shouldn't take much time at all! The website will work in Canada, the US, and worldwide! US alerts will be unavailable until we're finished upgrading our US alert system to be instantaneous. We can't, in our right minds, launch a weather app called Instant Weather in the US with alerts that are delayed. Once that's finished, we'll also launch the app in the US for Apple and Android!
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We're so thankful for this wonderful community and thank you for all your support, feedback, and weather reports! <3
Adam
Hi! We had an unprecedented amount of new app users last night which caused our servers to be overwhelmed. This issue has been addressed and will not happen moving forward. We're also planning on upgrading our app server today and this will definitely improve notification speed, loading speed, etc! Thank you so much and our apologies for the downtime.
NEW SUBSCRIBERS: If you have subscribed to Upgrade Radar and Remove Ads but you're still seeing the free version of the app, please follow these steps:
1. Open the "Remove Ads" page in the menu (top left of the app)
2. Click the green "Restore Purchases" button down the page
3. Restart the app and/or restart your device
If this still does not work, please try tapping the "Restore Purchases" button several times. Also, please ensure you have upgraded to the latest iOS version 13.5.1 or the latest Android software for your device.
Additionally, if the top of this "IMPORTANT NOTE" alert bar is white and not green, please update your Instant Weather app to version 1.0.480 by visiting InstantWeatherApp.com and choosing your device type. Then click "Update".
Thank you and if you still have questions, please email help@InstantWeather.ca
Thank you so much!
- Adam & the IW team
I can't wait to release the next version! (Coming soon!)
We'll be introducing and testing our new InstantUpdates™ feature for personalized severe weather updates.
Additionally, no more missing radar images! That was a tricky one to fix but I'm currently using 476 and have yet to see one missing.
There will also be a few important tweaks and bug fixes. Woohoo! :)
We have a bit still to finish with InstantUpdates™ and with the current approval process, it is possible that it could take upwards of a week. Nevertheless, very exciting!!
Adam
Happy to announce we’ve solved the blank radar issue! The next version we release will have that fixed and then no more loading the app to a blank radar when it’s clearly raining!! More details ASAP! 🙂 Woohoo!
Adam
UPDATE: the servers are back up and running and the app should be functioning normally. Thank you for your patience.
Our sincerest apologies to Hamilton. This Tornado Warning was an error. A US county called Hamilton County caused an error in our system. We are working hard on a fix for it.
IMPORTANT: I’ve shut down our app servers until tomorrow morning (potentially as late as 10:00 AM ET) so the app will not load until then. My sincerest apologies for the unexpected downtime. I could start them up now as we have disabled the US system which will stop any US Tornado Warnings being sent to Hamilton app users. However, there could be remaining alerts waiting to be sent when I turn it back on and it’s currently 12:42am. I’d rather not risk sending any further alerts to Hamilton until we fix this bug. Thank you for your patience and my apologies for the error.
Adam
I just received an email from one of our data providers that said they found corrupt raw data that was skewing the temperature result and are working on putting in front-line fixes to mitigate this from happening again in the future. Thank you to all those in Hamilton who let us know about this issue and were patient as we got it addressed. We really appreciate it!
Adam
Good morning! We’ll be internally testing some ipad/tablet fixes for those in landscape and some server side improvements today.
Next is notification speed improvements and after that, we’ll return to developing the widget, dark mode, and current conditions improvements.
Adam
Noticing some app alert delays when sending to large regions like all of a province at the same time for example or larger cities where we have thousands of notifications to send now.
Our Text Message Alerts subscriptions seem unaffected by this and are arriving earlier than any other option so this seems to be something between us and our service provider for push notifications.
Looking into it and we may be migrating our notifications to a different provider that promises faster speeds but costs more. Working to get this addressed ASAP!
We can't be "Instant" weather if we're not sending alerts instantly. :)
- Adam
Something I’d like to clarify for those who may not know; every weather app (make that, every app) on the market from big to small has a % of their users that experience bugs.
Our % is actually extremely low for a relatively new app and with this many new users in such a short period of time. The difference is, we like to put it all out in the open.
I’ve personally suffered in silence with software and app bugs since the late 80’s and I’ve decided the only way to run IW is with development transparency and open communication for everyone using the app.
A big reason for that approach is that this community has entirely funded this project. No investors, no board of directors, just our generous, extraordinary community members that have believed in us from the beginning and have stuck by our side through thick and thin.
We answer only to this community and we will stop at nothing to get this right. This is your app as much as it’s ours and we will continue to carefully listen to your candid feedback, aggressively go after bugs, and work with you one by one until everyone in our community is receiving the best possible forecasting and alerting services available.
Thank you for joining us on this wild adventure and I can honestly say it’s inspiring to wake up every day to this amazing community knowing that with every tweak and every small improvement, this app will continue to become something truly special and useful for all of us. ❤
Adam
