ReachView v2.8.0 - native Android app, iOS coming soon

News
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Hello everyone!

It’s been about 1.5 month since the last major update, and we are back to show you what we’ve been working on this summer. Apart from the LEDs, RINEX logging and various RTKLIB improvements, all of which found their way onto your receivers during these three months, there was another little project in development.

One of the things that concerned us most with Reach user experience is the part where you need to find the devices in your local network. While there are several ways through this step, none of them are perfect. So, we decided to focus on solving that particular issue. The outcome is our first native mobile app, simply called ReachView. This is how it looks:

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With this, you can easily access receivers without the need for fing and the like, without the need to switch to your browser and type up the addresses. The app is pretty straightforward and it should become the default way we interact with both Reach and Reach RS in the nearest future.

The app is available now on Google play as an open beta for phones and tablets. It is also coming for iOS and should be available by the next month, as putting an app on the App Store requires some more hassle.

To use the app you need to update your Reach to the latest v2.8.0, which is a really small update by our standards. Here are the details nonetheless:

Features

  • Add a service to advertise the receivers, so that they are recognizable by the native app

Bug fixes

  • RCH-745 - Surveying projects data isn’t synced to disk, which sometimes results in data loss
  • RCH-749 - Antenna height resolution in point collection is limited to two decimals instead of three

As usual, a big thanks to our engineers and beta-testers, especially @TB_RTK. I hope you like the new app and use it extensively. Feel free to provide feedback here or via the Google Play review system.

Best regards,
Emlid team

TL;DR

We now have a native app for Android, use it.

11 Likes
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Great News, great support!! Going to test …and report.

Q: Is it possible to change/convert WGS84 to other reference systems in future ReachView update?
Can you guide me to test it by myself?

1 Like
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I’ve installed the app on my android tablet. I also have iPhone/iPad when you need test flight testers.

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First feedback.
when I run in chrome I can look at the tab name to see which unit I am attached to; The app just says Reach RS in the top left corner, not RS-Rover or RS-Base, or Reach-Flyer which I can currently see in the web page. This is a stopper for me as I might be accessing three devices from one tablet. In fact II cannot switch between them with the ease that I can in chrome. so back to chrome for me.
Foundd out how to get there using back, but each time I swap devices it reloads, so definitely will stick wwith the 3 incognito tabs in chrome.

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This is great news. Finding the receiver on the local network was a bit painful (see Connectivity issues - #7 by savvy0816). Eager to try this out!

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Thanks!

We will be working on stability and small improvements rather than new features in the nearest future, but support for other reference systems is definitely in the roadmap.

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We will probably release it right away, unless we find something really serious in the iOS builds, which is unlikely at this point. Thank you for the proposition, though.

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The interface definitely needs to be adapted to the app. For now, you can see the name inside the burger menu and in the device list.

2 Likes
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Hi,

great news!

Since I’m still using my iPhone 4 (in remembrance of the guy jumping off the building after assembling it) it would be very great if the app would support the use of this device.

The browser of the device does not work together with Reach.

But I guess I’m the only one left using an iPhone 4, so sad.
Tobias

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Other app issues:

  1. Cannot change correction input state, can only view it.
  2. Survey screen was blank
  3. base mode does not pick up activity currently underway. and replaces a nice slider for time with a text input box with no units

One nice feature is the detection of all reach units on the network without having to remember IP’s

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Well, this is THE feature of the app :slight_smile:

Will check on all of this.

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Thanks for the update and app. I have now updated my reach’s and tried the app.It is a nice way to find the IP’s. On some networks I wasable to find them with fing but couldn’t connect. I’ll try that with the app now, but I suppose it is a router/firewall issue.

I used a reach RS a base in hotspot mode and connected a second reach module as base and it worked nicely, but feels a bit slower that before to load everything.

Anyway: When I use my Android Cellphone as hotshpot and connect the reach receivers to it as client. I can’t use the App. When I search for devices it stays blank as the app can’t discover the receivers. Maybe this is an Android issue as it won’t recognice the Hotspot as active WiFi connection and therefore doesn’t scan it…

Edit: I am running a Sony Xperia Z Ultra on Android 5.1.1
However, I think it may be a Problem that while using my Phone as a hotspot, I am not registered in a Wifi network by android. So that may be a problem as the app is thinking it is offline… just a guess from my side.

1 Like
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@Simon_Allen, @sebastian_achilles Thanks for your feedback.
Could you please provide your phone model and Android version so we could investigate these issues?

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Many modern android phone has “auto switch” feature that changes connection automatically between mobile and WiFi depending on internet connection quality.When trying to connect to REACH WiFi hotspot phone will automatically disconnect from WiFi when it founds out there is no internet connection available and then starts to use mobile connection So could it be possible to make a check that if phone uses mobile connection instead of WiFi and notify user about that or disable that feature momentarily?

Also when using WiFi, could it show nearby REACH WiFi hotspots on that list and automatically connect to that device?

This would make app usage a even simpler. Thank you! :grinning:

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Happy to annouce - the app is out on the App Store as well!

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Have you thought of making a Augmented Reality feature to this app or for the Reachview in general?, Would be a cool feature.

2 Likes