I imagine that's a property of the app store rather than the app, so I don't think it's suspicious. This does raise interesting questions about whether everybody who did pay the fiver would be entitled to a refund if they disabled the APIs. One-time purchases for apps have turned out to be a nightmare for app developers in cases like this, for example all the Twitter apps which got refunded when Twitter closed the API.
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National Rail App
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flitwickbeds
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Exactly. So with an upgrade via the same app store, there's no reason the ad-free functionality could have carried over automatically.
Suspicious as NRE developers not only didn't do this automatically, so that you see adverts until you re-activate and therefore they get paid for views and clicks, but also the option is hidden away in the menu.
WelshBluebird
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Even though it's using the same app store listing, it's likely in reality a totally different app. Think of it like knocking a house down and rebuilding it - same address but nothing else in common. Whilst I don't do mobile app development (only web), so maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree, it may not be possible to access in app purchase data from a different app automatically without user action, even if using the same app store listing, or if you can it may take extra steps and hoops to through through. Basically knowing how complicated some of this stuff is I wouldn't automatically assume it's suspicious.
(Also developers aren't the ones that make business decisions anyway).
AverageJoe
On Moderation
I can’t even open the app now. Just get an error page. I had the paid version too.
king_walnut
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Dunno if it's mentioned but you can find the old version online and just install the .apk .. is what I did
sikejsudjek
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I've installed the old version. If they disable that I want my £5 back!
On the old version of the app you could go to live departures and then click “earlier” to see services that had departed from that station earlier that day. Now you can only click “later”? Is there any way on this new version of the app to see services that have already departed or will I need to switch to something else?
If the train hasn't reached it's destination yet you can probably find it by searching for arrivals, but that's far from ideal!
Dstock7080
Established Member
Last edited:
I think it will depend on the T&Cs and what the £5 was for. For your lifetime, the lifetime of the app in general, or a specific version of the app. There are usually many clauses and exceptions in contracts that means nothing is for life.
I strongly suspect there will be a cut off date announced when the old app will stop working as it no longer gets access to the necessary APIs etc, and will just give errors. There's no way they'll support the old app forever.
If there is still an ability to launch an "app" from an app-store-installed icon and that experience is ad-free then I don't think there will be any basis for refunds.
Royston Vasey
Established Member
I think that might be new functionality, or rather, newly restored functionality, as I don't remember that being possible on the version I had foisted on me a couple of weeks ago by an auto update.
Now it's web based they can keep tweaking it in real-time from now on, and not need to worry about resubmitting the app to the relevant stores (a long and arduous process). I am not sure that's a very professional way of doing things, as it runs the risk of confusing a lot of people.
WelshBluebird
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I'd suggest people are more than used to using websites so the idea that it is "unprofessional" to make incremental changes in that way is utterly bonkers.
Hi, long-time lurker, first-time poster. I'm Jon, the creator of Railboard. Those screenshots are actually of the Railboard iOS app, not the National Rail app.
It uses the same data feeds and is very similar to the old National Rail (here's just how similar: https://www.railboard.com/articles/national-rail-vs-railboard). So, at first glance, it might seem like they've reintroduced the 'Earlier trains' button, but alas not.
And apologies in advance that Railboard isn't available on Android yet! I'm an iOS developer, which is why I made it for iPhone first, but making the Android version is very much the next big priority!
Royston Vasey
Established Member
Mystery solved!
Imagine me thinking the NRE app developers would listen and respond so quickly to feedback! Silly me!
Great app Jon, looking forward to it coming to Android!
Thanks, I'm looking forward to it eventually coming to Android too!
Welcome to the forum, from another Android hopeful!
fairlie
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Thank you very much for this! Working well for me.
Interesting that the Play store turned on auto-update and updated all my apps last night. I don't have the National Rail app installed, but several other apps I was trying to keep pinned back have been destroyed.
Just another irritation for anybody who does and didn't want the new version I guess.
Just another irritation for anybody who does and didn't want the new version I guess.
Thanks for this. Unfortunately I find both of the versions on APK Mirror have the bug that don't let you alter the departure/arrival time on the journey planner. So people should be aware that this alternative is good for live departures, but useless for planning journeys at other times.
Great news re Android.
I will certainly get it when it comes out.
What was the last version prior to the new one?
Hi Jon, please expedite an Android version, I'd be tearing my hair out over the execrable new NR crapp if I had any! I'll gladly pay for similar functionality (not bothered about buying tickets on this app). Thanks, Paul
I've now been able to compare as the app on my work phone has updated, but my personal phone has not.
Hi Paul, the Railboard Android version will be done as fast as possible, as being iOS only is very much holding it back at the moment! But I should probably manage expectations, as even being done as quickly as possible, it won't be done quickly (it's a colossal amount of work).
So I'm afraid you'll have to put up with the National Rail app a fair bit longer, sorry!
175001
On Moderation
I've been using Rail Checker for Android for 2 weeks now.
An excellent app which is just like the old NRE app, especially with the "via" function which I was desperate to keep.
An excellent app which is just like the old NRE app, especially with the "via" function which I was desperate to keep.
So I checked out the review for the Network Rail App on Android. The average rating is 1.1.
There are some 5 star reviews following the latest release. Some are clearly negative but the person forgot to adjust the star rating but others are actually positive.
I did try showing latest release reviews only but Google in their infinite wisdom use that to search for reviews containing the words latest release, rather than searching for reviews where the latest release has been installed.
That was never going to end well.
But to the general overview, a lot of 1 star reviews.
The app wasn't highly rated before but I think it's rating has dropped. Just not sure by how much
There are some 5 star reviews following the latest release. Some are clearly negative but the person forgot to adjust the star rating but others are actually positive.
I did try showing latest release reviews only but Google in their infinite wisdom use that to search for reviews containing the words latest release, rather than searching for reviews where the latest release has been installed.
That was never going to end well.
But to the general overview, a lot of 1 star reviews.
The app wasn't highly rated before but I think it's rating has dropped. Just not sure by how much