Good app but
Needs the Maidenhead Locator System
LEO experience
I was involved in a foot pursuit in an unfamiliar beat and needed to glance at my watch to broadcast the movements of the suspect and myself. I found that the location had not updated since I had activated it at the station.
It is incredibly difficult to run and navigate the app on my apple watch at the same time. I expect my location to update every five minutes at the bare MINIMUM I would much prefer every minute. The description says that should be the case but it isn’t.
I did everything to try and resolve this issue. I ensured my location for the application was set to always, made sure I had the “team” function active for the duration of my shift, and I even left the app running in the background. The app will notify me that my location is being tracked via the blue arrow on the top left of my screen but it will turn itself off after 5-10 minutes.
Additionally, the phone application doesn’t sync with my apple watch and makes it so I have to tap on both the Loc8 apps; one on my phone and one on my watch. It is unfortunate because this app wouldn’t have just been game/changing; but it could be life-saving if you introduce the features I mentioned above.
TLDR, App UI and features are solid. Actual tracking and location functionality is disappointing and holding this back from being great.
I have an Iphone 13 Work phone and an Apple Watch
Response from developer
Thank you for purchasing LOC8 and explaining what happened. As a fellow officer, I understand why an old location during a foot pursuit was frustrating. I’m sorry it let you down. If you were viewing LOC8 on your watch face, that is the complication, which is separate from the Watch app. It displays a snapshot and grays out when that information is stale. It is not a continuously running GPS display. Apple explains that a widget extension “is not continually active, even if the widget is onscreen.” Apple allows background refreshes, but watchOS controls their timing. I cannot guarantee a new location every minute or every five minutes on the watch face. To get a current reading in LOC8, tap the complication to open the Watch app and let it acquire a fresh location. The iPhone and Watch apps share the same core LOC8 logic, but they operate on different hardware and under different system restrictions. Depending on the Watch model and your surroundings, acquiring a fresh GPS fix can take longer. I can improve how LOC8 handles location information, but I cannot change the GPS hardware or override Apple’s background restrictions. Your reports of tracking stopping and needing to open both apps still deserve investigation. I don’t want to attribute those issues to hardware without checking. Please open LOC8 on your iPhone and submit a report using the bug report icon in the top left. Include your email, Watch model, and software versions so I can review the diagnostic information and try to address what is happening. I’m continually improving the Watch experience within the capabilities Apple provides. Your feedback helps me identify where it needs to.
Does not work on my watch
Response from developer
Speed matters, especially for first responders, and this behavior deserves an explanation. When the Watch screen lowers or LOC8 moves into the background, watchOS can suspend the active location session. When you raise your wrist and return to the app, the Watch may need to acquire a new GPS fix, which can take longer indoors or with a limited view of the sky. LOC8 could display the first location provided by the Watch much faster. I deliberately do not do that because the location may be old or inaccurate. In an emergency, displaying the wrong location can be worse than waiting for a reliable fix. My goal every day is to make LOC8 as fast and reliable as possible without sacrificing accuracy. I am constantly improving the app, which is reflected in the update history with new releases approximately every three days. The Apple Watch experience remains a work in progress within the capabilities Apple provides to third party developers.
Too slow to update
Response from developer
The iPhone app normally provides a usable location within a few seconds. LOC8 could display a result almost instantly, but the first location provided by the phone can be old or inaccurate. The app deliberately waits for the GPS reading to reach a usable accuracy before converting it into an address. This is the fastest and most accurate result I can responsibly provide without risking showing someone an address that is multiple blocks away. Even after the GPS location is confirmed, the final address is matched against available mapping data, which can occasionally select a nearby property. I work on LOC8 every day and release updates approximately every three days. Making this process faster without giving users a bad location remains one of my main priorities.
