Won’t connect
As other reviews have mentioned, this app doesn’t work any more. I was able to get my iPhone to connect to the device in Bluetooth settings (with some trouble), but the app still can’t find the device.
I HOPE the SOS button on the side of the device will still work, but I’m a little apprehensive about relying on it since the app doesn’t. Sure happy I renewed the yearly contract for $200 🙄
I HOPE the SOS button on the side of the device will still work, but I’m a little apprehensive about relying on it since the app doesn’t. Sure happy I renewed the yearly contract for $200 🙄
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Cannot Connect since IOS 9
It's always been tricky to make connect now fails completely. Also firmware update for device is not working.
Useless as an emergency tool
Been a SPOT user since gen 1 and a SPOT connect since its release. App & unit unusable after iOS 9, if I get it to connect it then goes to "sleep" after a few minutes and will not reconnect the it's Bluetooth connection for days. I've rebooted the phone, changed expensive lithium batteries in the unit and tried every tip hey give but the device just cannot be counted upon to work in an emergency any more. SPOT discontinued the item but still gladly takes my money for a messaging account. I'm going to look into Delorme's offering :/
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Bluetooth issues
Having difficulty establishing Bluetooth connection on an iPhone 6 with iOS 9.2 and the 1.6 version of the app... Even with new batteries installed, hope this gets resolved soon.
Lame
Dangerous doesn't work
Not good
The interface is terrible.
Needs fixing
The app once worked very well logging all crumbs in the 10 minute increments. Over the past two months the app may take log three crumbs within a 4 hour time period. The app will not show a GPS yet, the Connect I use logs everything as it should. The developers need to invest into fixing these issues. This latest issue causes me to question the viability as a safety device.
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Bluetooth troublesome
I've had the Spot Connect for two years now. It works, but is a hassle to connect to Bluetooth each home the unit is turned on. The iPhone shows the connection, but the app doesn't see it. Cycling Bluetooth on the phone usually fixes it, but still a hassle, especially when attention is needed elsewhere and not fiddling with the phone. Unforgivable that this is not fixed yet. I'll buy DeLorme next time.
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Not as promised and seems to have some "shady" reviews
The reviews that state it worked with no cell service and instructed you how to pair it with Bluetooth are very suspicious ...this app isn't worth the money and the staff in support are clueless ad rude. I know now where AOL sends its retiring customer service reps to continue the fight against the human race. This app is nothing what it promises and is the worst of worst ad where did all the negative reviews go?cant give it less than one star or it would be a negative two. Steer clear!!
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Unreliable still
Threw mine in the trash where it belongs.
Works just like it's supposed to! Love it!!!
After reading all of the negative reviews I was very aprehensive about my husband using this with his new iPad and the ios7. He used it last year with his older one with no problems but I was afraid this time we would have issues. Not so. After a bit of trouble connecting with the bluetooth it worked perfectly. He was hunting with our sons for over a week, no cell service, and we got a message every day from them. He said he never had any trouble with it losing it's connection to the device. We knew where they were at and that they were safe every single day. It's worth every penny! I'm not sure why other folks are having so many problems. One thing I did was connect through the bluetooth on the iPad before starting the app. It took a few times before I got it right.
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Can't trust it
It is so fickle with blue tooth pairing and then runs through the lithium batteries like crazy. How are we supposed to trust this device when our lives may depend on it?
Poor
The Iphone control panel reported that it had a connection to the Spot Messenger device but the (Updated to latest!) app consistently denied it, even pushing the power button briefly. Thankfully, we had a smartphone with us that worked fine. This is a poor app and makes me think about switching off IPhone to Smartphone.
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Such unrealized promise
Use your smartphone to send messages and activate satellite tracking when out of cell range? Sounds awesome! The tracking does work, eventually, and is great for adventuring off the beaten path, but there is LOTS of room for improvement.
The app is never updated, interface is non iPhone 5 aspect ratio which has been out for a year now. The bluetooth link is very unreliable, requiring to manually reconnect to the device on startup or if the app is closed for extended periods of time. The interface is slow, and the methodology for creating contacts and contact groups doesn't appear to have gone through any kind of user interface testing.
The app is never updated, interface is non iPhone 5 aspect ratio which has been out for a year now. The bluetooth link is very unreliable, requiring to manually reconnect to the device on startup or if the app is closed for extended periods of time. The interface is slow, and the methodology for creating contacts and contact groups doesn't appear to have gone through any kind of user interface testing.
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Terrible.
In iPhone Settings, paired successfully. Then the app refused to recognize the Spot device after logging in. So, I guess that's it. Great job. UPDATE: I wrote this review a year ago but didn't submit, went on 2 more climbs and app would not sync up, so still worthless. I hope this keeps anyone from buying the actual Spot, unless you need it for the SOS. Submitting review now and getting ready to start class action suit if I don't get a refund on this worthless device.
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Could use some more work
This app does as advertised, but there are a few things that could really improve it's usability.
1. Work when not connected to spot so that you can do things like sync and edit messages without having to connect first.
2. Display GPS coordinates on screen. It would be nice to be able to actually see where I am, particularly since this device is generally used outside of cell service, so you cannot load any maps.
3. Offline maps. This could be a real boon when outside of cell service. It could be a paid add-on, and personally, it would be worth my while to purchase.
Overall, everything does work and I have not been disappointed in my 6 months of using this device so far.
Update June 2013.
Still no iphone 5 support?
And bluetooth issues on occasion. App doesn't always connect even when phone says it's connected.
1. Work when not connected to spot so that you can do things like sync and edit messages without having to connect first.
2. Display GPS coordinates on screen. It would be nice to be able to actually see where I am, particularly since this device is generally used outside of cell service, so you cannot load any maps.
3. Offline maps. This could be a real boon when outside of cell service. It could be a paid add-on, and personally, it would be worth my while to purchase.
Overall, everything does work and I have not been disappointed in my 6 months of using this device so far.
Update June 2013.
Still no iphone 5 support?
And bluetooth issues on occasion. App doesn't always connect even when phone says it's connected.
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Still sucking!
If you have an iPhone save your money because spot seems to ignore the fact that the connect has issues with iPhone (blue tooth won't re- connect on its own ... Like even my $20 Chinese knock off crap will! Your lucky if even half you check in go through (some take over a half hour to actually go through) wont post check ins to FB or Twitter anymore..... Save your money and just get the reg old spot if you have an iPhone otherwise your like me and throwing most of your $130 a year away!!! ( I only keep it because of the SOS otherwise they could have shoved it a year ago!!) and don't think they care. They don't! These are the same complaint they people have made for over a year now!!!
And now I live how most of the reviews seemed to have...... Disappeared! IT's LIKE MAGIC! Don't be fooled by so few reviews..... There used to be like 50 all bad
Oh and looky.... I signed up for $130 worth of service and my bill now shows $179......
And now I live how most of the reviews seemed to have...... Disappeared! IT's LIKE MAGIC! Don't be fooled by so few reviews..... There used to be like 50 all bad
Oh and looky.... I signed up for $130 worth of service and my bill now shows $179......
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After all these years, SPOT still is a problem
Firstly, let me say that I've tried to give SPOT the benefit of doubt over an extended period. From rude support staff, to staff who have no clue about the products or services they are supporting; they single handedly must seek out the worst they can find. The site promises all sorts of functionality; yet when the cards are down, the messaging is hit-and-miss. Some get through, some don't. Emails get billed as SMS's. Offline maps are promised, yet missing from the app. Bluetooth connection to the iPhone is sometime a problem. They have had years to correct these bugs; but haven't. Updates are few and far between and firmware for the devices rarely changes to address problems. All in all - I'd look for another device if your life depends on it.
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Good concept, but unreliable and quirky
I purchased SPOT connect as a part of required equipment for an expedition to Kilimanjaro. I thoroughly tested the reporting functions before I left and although the app is quirky, unstable, and cumbersome to use, at least I confirmed it was working. I set it up to report to Facebook and text message to my wife and it worked before I left the US. When I got on the mountain where it counts, I reported my location once a day for 7 days and received confirmations each time within the app that the check-ins went through to both Facebook and text. When I got off the mountain and checked Facebook, only one out of 7 check ins went through. My wife confirmed she only received one out of 7 of the text notifications I sent, and she had three sleepless nights because I promised I would check in and she received nothing for the first 6 days. Perhaps this is because Kilimanjaro is on the edge of their satellite coverage, but it is very concerning that I would receive in-app confirmations that all my messages went through when they really didn't. I contacted customer service and they were very helpful and gave me a full subscription refund. I can't recommend this product until they fix the bugs.
Also, we discovered that a peculiarity of being a US customer is that you can't set up the text messaging function unless you specify the carrier of the number you want to use. If your number happens to be an overseas number and the carrier is not on their short list of options, there is no way to set it up to send text messages. In that case you can only use email, Facebook, and the "shared page" option. If your support crew only has a cell phone but no Internet access, you're sunk.
Also, we discovered that a peculiarity of being a US customer is that you can't set up the text messaging function unless you specify the carrier of the number you want to use. If your number happens to be an overseas number and the carrier is not on their short list of options, there is no way to set it up to send text messages. In that case you can only use email, Facebook, and the "shared page" option. If your support crew only has a cell phone but no Internet access, you're sunk.
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Good App - Could Be Better
I bought the Spot Connect device and a service plan and began testing while on a hike. Pairing my iPhone 5 with the device worked reasonably well, but sometimes I had to turn the device off and on to get the "connected" message. I tested the "Checkin/Ok" feature several times using predefined messages. Since my wife had an iPhone also, we could see when the messages was received on her phone.
It takes awhile so be patient for the message to go out. My wish here is that the developers improve the clarity of the sending process. If I'm severely injured on a mountain side, i want it crystal clear what's going on with the device. Once you tap "send," you eventually get the word "sending" in a tiny font. It's easy to think it didn't work and tap "send" again which cancels the transmission. Eventually, a tiny blue progress bar appears which indicates it is now sending (the envelope on the screen also flashes green). Somewhat confusingly, it the indicates the next message will be sent in 500 seconds and begins a countdown. The device sends 3 messages to the satellite to make sure at least one gets through. What I think would help is this: Once the user taps on "send" and new screen should appear with big green progress bars and large font size for each transmission along with an explanation of what's going on. Just make it more user friendly. Don't assume a high level of geekiness with every user. If there ever was an app that needs to be clear, this is it. To be fair, most of the app is very clear so the developers do understand it's importance.
It takes awhile so be patient for the message to go out. My wish here is that the developers improve the clarity of the sending process. If I'm severely injured on a mountain side, i want it crystal clear what's going on with the device. Once you tap "send," you eventually get the word "sending" in a tiny font. It's easy to think it didn't work and tap "send" again which cancels the transmission. Eventually, a tiny blue progress bar appears which indicates it is now sending (the envelope on the screen also flashes green). Somewhat confusingly, it the indicates the next message will be sent in 500 seconds and begins a countdown. The device sends 3 messages to the satellite to make sure at least one gets through. What I think would help is this: Once the user taps on "send" and new screen should appear with big green progress bars and large font size for each transmission along with an explanation of what's going on. Just make it more user friendly. Don't assume a high level of geekiness with every user. If there ever was an app that needs to be clear, this is it. To be fair, most of the app is very clear so the developers do understand it's importance.
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