"Install Trouble Free Pool" popup

[kul]

Oh, it’s me! If I post I’m always checking on repeat to see if anyone had an answer for me.

It'd be especially helpful for those with urgent issues. Helping many open/close, they are knee deep in it when they ask while doing, and it would benefit them too to know they got a response 3 mins later instead of checking back every 15 mins.

 

[proavia]

@proavia

Talked with both the developer of PoolMath and the people whom handle most of the actual development of TFP about this issue and we’re all stumped. None of us can recreate the issue on our Android devices. Can you let me know what device you’re using, what version of chrome you’re on, and what version of Android you are using so we can work to recreate this?

Samsung Tab A SM-T550
Android 7.1.1
Chrome 119.0.6045.193

It's an older tablet and can't update Andriod OS - but it still works.

Oddly, this evening the popup hasn't poppped up yet. Yesterday and earlier today, I couldn't get rid of it.
But now there is a down arrow in the Chrome address bar to the right of the "favorite" star.
Clicking it will download a 2.23MB file - "_Install Trouble Free Pool_popup_Page 2_Trouble Free Pool.mhtml"

In an case, my main issue is not notifying anyone of this new feature.
This whole thread wouldn't exist if you had channelled all the time you took to respond here and just let us know up front. It would have saved us all a lot of time, effort and frustration.

Still awaiting answers to other questions I posed in this thread as well.

 

[proavia]

Oddly, this evening the popup hasn't poppped up yet. Yesterday and earlier today, I couldn't get rid of it.

Well then.... now it's back.

 

[Leebo]

Samsung Tab A SM-T550
Android 7.1.1
Chrome 119.0.6045.193

It's an older tablet and can't update Andriod OS - but it still works.

Understanding that your device is about 10 years old and runs a version of Android that’s well past its end-of-life, is crucial in understanding this situation. This device was launched around the same time or even before the development of PWA’s, making its compatibility with newer web technologies like PWAs potentially limited.

When TFP recently adopted PWA technology to enhance the user experience by offering an app-like interface we set off some triggers on devices that prompt certain messages. It’s important to note however that our website only triggers the “Add to Home Screen” message; it is actually your device’s operating system and browser that control the display of this prompt. This is why not all users may encounter the same message. Each device and browser combination has its own way of interpreting and displaying such prompts, influenced by the device’s capabilities and the software’s current standards. I suspect if you’d go to Xenforo.com and use the same device you’ll receive the same user experience. Had TFP been the one in full control two items would be occurring, the message would be able to be dismissed and it would show on all devices. I simply wouldn’t target the smallest audience only with the message……I’d target everybody who could use the feature.

Given the age of your device and its outdated operating system, an updated Chrome browser may not completely solve this issue, but it’s still worth trying to update your browser if possible/needed or clear the cache and cookies. On older devices like yours, the prompt might reappear more frequently than on newer devices, even if it were able to be dismissed.

I assure you that this prompt is a standard feature of modern web applications and does not indicate any security risk or hacking attempt.

 

[proavia]

You can assure me all you want.
Where is the opt-out button? Or better yet, the opt-in button.

Why is it there sometimes and not there others?
Difficult to imagine it's my older taglet and OS.

Why is TFP the only site that has this persistent popup?
I am all over the internet daily. TFP is the only site that I have seen this.

I am still waiting for you to address the other questions I posed.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

@Leebo

The feature works great on my iPhone 14 running the latest iOS. I have the Trouble Free Pools PWA icon on my phone and it runs as its own “app” which is excellent because I get push notifications from my active posts. This way, I don’t need to have the TFP page opened in a browser app (Brave, Safari, Duck Duck Go, etc) where I would constantly have to switch to that browser app and check the TFP tab that is open. The PWA method is much more streamlined. If I get push notifications and I don’t want to answer them right away, they just collect into the Notification Center on iOS and I can review them later. I can control the notification alerts as-needed using iOS Focus feature so that if I’m in Driving mode or Do Not Disturb mode or Sleep mode, the notifications are silenced.

Works perfectly as intended and I for one fully appreciate the flexibility it offers. It gets TFP to as close as one can get to a stand-alone app without having to pay huge developer and support fees for a native app.

Kudos

 

[Dirk]

@Leebo

The feature works great on my iPhone 14 running the latest iOS. I have the Trouble Free Pools PWA icon on my phone and it runs as its own “app” which is excellent because I get push notifications from my active posts. This way, I don’t need to have the TFP page opened in a browser app (Brave, Safari, Duck Duck Go, etc) where I would constantly have to switch to that browser app and check the TFP tab that is open. The PWA method is much more streamlined. If I get push notifications and I don’t want to answer them right away, they just collect into the Notification Center on iOS and I can review them later. I can control the notification alerts as-needed using iOS Focus feature so that if I’m in Driving mode or Do Not Disturb mode or Sleep mode, the notifications are silenced.

Works perfectly as intended and I for one fully appreciate the flexibility it offers. It gets TFP to as close as one can get to a stand-alone app without having to pay huge developer and support fees for a native app.

Kudos

Thanks for that use-case explanation. Makes perfect sense. Matt and I want to interface with TFP in two drastically different ways! I can see the challenge of satisfying so many different use-cases, not to mention all the OSes and devices involved. Daunting. Yikes.

But I'm now on to you all. This is a massive effort just to get me to start posting on TFP using my smart phone, where you all know I can't type as well. All to make my posts shorter. Diabolical!

 

[Sarah and Nate]

You can assure me all you want.
Where is the opt-out button? Or better yet, the opt-in button.

Why is it there sometimes and not there others?
Difficult to imagine it's my older taglet and OS.

Why is TFP the only site that has this persistent popup?
I am all over the internet daily. TFP is the only site that I have seen this.

I am still waiting for you to address the other questions I posed.

It’s almost certainly your older tablet and OS. The prompt is not supposed to behave in the way you’re describing. In current iOS and Android devices the prompt asks the user whether they would like push notifications or not. If users clear their cookies it will prompt them again.

As for your other questions:
- A spell checker is generally handled by the device, not the application

- The PWA is not a browser extension, it is essentially a bookmark that can be treated as an app by iOS and Android. If you so desire TFP can send you push notifications via the app, the same way other apps notify you when an email arrives etc. To "install" it is a poor choice of words but again, it's seeming like it's just you that sees "install". It was not the intention to "force" you to use them. The experience of other users is they select whether they want to opt in or out and then it doesn't bother them anymore. The PWA can be deleted. It uses next to zero storage space.

- Yes, we have a test site that’s handled by the same provider as our regular site. More extensive testing wouldn't have helped as again, this seems like it's just you

Any other questions @proavia ?

 

[proavia]

It’s almost certainly your older tablet and OS. The prompt is not supposed to behave in the way you’re describing. In current iOS and Android devices the prompt asks the user whether they would like push notifications or not. If users clear their cookies it will prompt them again.

As for your other questions:
- A spell checker is generally handled by the device, not the application

- The PWA is not a browser extension, it is essentially a bookmark that can be treated as an app by iOS and Android. If you so desire TFP can send you push notifications via the app, the same way other apps notify you when an email arrives etc. To "install" it is a poor choice of words but again, it's seeming like it's just you that sees "install". It was not the intention to "force" you to use them. The experience of other users is they select whether they want to opt in or out and then it doesn't bother them anymore. The PWA can be deleted. It uses next to zero storage space.

- Yes, we have a test site that’s handled by the same provider as our regular site. More extensive testing wouldn't have helped as again, this seems like it's just you

Any other questions @proavia ?

I was messing around today and found another site that uses this. However, the popup isn't persistent - it disappeared about 10-15 seconds after initial popup and never returned (until I cleared cookies, as expected).

On my iPhone, I didn't see any popup - but there is an option to install the TFP app available in the hamburger menu near the bottom.
Can this be implemented on Android as well?
I'm guessing there will be a menu item available for desktop/laptop users as well.
EDIT - I finally got a notice at the bottom of the desktop browser screen as well. If you 'x' out of it, another box displays with 3 options, 1 of which is to not ask again.

 

[Sarah and Nate]

To my knowledge it works that way in Android as well, just not Android 7.1.1.