IMPORTANT: HUGE update to AndroidForums.com

[jshaw42]

Since 2008, Android Forums has been home to every Android device in the world, with a separate, dedicated forum for each. This was brilliant for users of even the most obscure devices, but as time passed, it made navigating the site slow and confusing. It made moderating and maintaining the site nearly impossible for staff. Simply put: Android Forums became overwhelming.

Today, with our release of the brand new Forums for Android app, we've jumped lightyears ahead of the competition by providing the smartest, most streamlined forum experience for Android. When you download the app it will automatically detect your device, carrier, apps, and games, connecting you with a community of users in each.

In the coming days, we'll launch a completely revamped website that will match the polish and ambition of our app. We think you're going to absolutely LOVE it. Until that update is pushed live, you may find the forum a bit more confusing to navigate- our apologies, but we think the wait will be well worth it.

How YOU can support US!

We've spent a full year working on this overhaul and we're asking for YOUR help in making it a success. Here are 4 things you can do to help:
(1) If you LOVE the update, download the app and rate us 5 stars on the Google Play Store
(2) If you have HATE the app or have criticism/feedback, instead of rating us poorly, please reply to this thread or contact us directly, giving us the chance to win your support!
(3) Share the app/website with your friends on social media, ESPECIALLY when they're asking for phone help on Facebook!
(4) Participate!!!

THANK YOU!

Our members and community are what have made Android Forums successful for almost a full decade now. We're confident that with your help, we've got another - even MORE exciting - decade ahead of us. Thanks for all your help getting to this point and thank you for your continued support. It means the world to us!

It has been several weeks since the update and there are still myriad problems with the Galaxy S7 forum that have not been addressed. How can one praise bad performance?

 

[zuben el genub]

Please fix the login on the computer side. The typed text stays black and the entry field is black, so you can't see what you are typing.

Thanks

 

[Thom]

The Tasker sub-forum is now gone. The threads now appear in Android Apps & Games. Anyone with a link to it will get a Page Not Found error.

The new Tasker location is ...
http://androidforums.com/apps/tasker.704/

... Thom

 

[Thom]

Tasker is one of the three applications that SAVED Android.

The new Tasker location is ...
http://androidforums.com/apps/tasker.704/

... Thom

 

[Thom]

Continuing a conversation in a Tasker thread started before Wednesday is a challenge.

http://androidforums.com/devices/motorola-droid-turbo-2.1273/
previously took me to Motorola Droid Turbo 2
currently takes me to Motorola Droid Turbo 2

http://androidforums.com/forums/tasker.1930/
previously took me to Tasker
currently throws Error 404

http://androidforums.com/apps/tasker.704/
previously ?
currently takes me to Tasker

Is there going to be a revision that will map the old Tasker reference ...
http://androidforums.com/forums/tasker.1930/
... to the new Tasker location ...
http://androidforums.com/apps/tasker.704/

Will the footer in ...
http://androidforums.com/forums/android-apps-games.4/
... be revised to once again reference Tasker and have a link to ...
http://androidforums.com/apps/tasker.704/
... If the old to new mapping was installed then all that would be required is to display the link again.

How do I move a thread to the new Tasker area?

... Thom

 

[Rob]

I want to thank everyone for their patience and willingness to hang in there while we get the new web version sorted. It won't be long now- we're super close. There is also a new app version with a new feature that should address a lot of the complaints. I'm super excited.

The team will be talking today about the remaining/outstanding issues and hopefully will have enough whittled down to set a tentative launch date for the theme. I'm hoping the magic will happen next week.

Two important points I want to make:

(1) We made these changes to the app and website because we think it's 100% better for the future of our site, staff, members, and visitors. Things may have seemed fine on the surface, and I can understand why loyal members would want to keep things status quo, but (due to a number of reasons) it would be unsustainable to continue Android Forums under the given conditions. We made a bold and strategic move to innovate, not simply for the sake of change, but because we know we can do better and NEED to do better to thrive.

(2) Tapatalk. The truth is that Tapatalk is largely the reason we're forced to make these changes. They've siphoned users and revenue from forums big and small, making very underhanded and shady company decisions along the way that have benefitted their business and screwed their forum partners. They've grown to their current size by climbing on the backs of forum owners and it's gotten to the point where I've said enough is enough.

At some point soon, we will be completely disabling Tapatalk. I have been unconcerned with the AndroidForums.com experience when browsing through Tapatalk precisely because that company is the root of many of our problems. It may hurt us initially, but a complete separation from Tapatalk is the only way that Android Forums can reach its full potential (and perhaps survive). We'll be amputating an arm, and it seems terrible, until you put it into context and realize this difficult decision will prevent disease from spreading and ultimately save our life.

I realize this may be an unpopular decision, and for some people it may be the final straw that pushes them to a competitor, but it's a decision I'm confident in making. Sometimes leaders need to make unpopular decisions when they feel it's the right thing to do: this is one of those times. I'm confident that looking back, this will be an incredibly positive turning point in the history of Android Forums.

I want to thank everyone who has participated in this thread so far. I know you wouldn't be here and offering criticism if you didn't want the site to succeed, so I thank you for sticking with us. Keep bringing on the feedback, critiques, opinions, ideas, and whatever else you've got on your mind.

I CANNOT WAIT UNTIL WE FINALLY LAUNCH THIS THING!

It won't solve everything, and nothing ever will, but I'm pretty excited about what we've put together. And it will only get better with time!

 

[psionandy]

Thanks for the update... Its a transitional time for Android Forums, and I'm going to reserve all judgement until after the new things have been rolled out and we've had at least a couple of weeks to break old habits and try things out the new way.

 

[Rob]

JUST A GLIMPSE...

SOON

 

[codesplice]

JUST A GLIMPSE...
View attachment 116133
SOON

#NotSoonEnough

 

[Thom]

Thank you for the information. The old structure grew out of the period where was a war going on between the un-root-ed and root-ed communities. It resulted in a nightmarish structure that has been cumbersome to maintain for years. It had to change.

I have two recommendations for trivial tweaks that would help while the transition is still going on ...

On the main page while the transition is still going on change the (See All) link in the Android Tablet section to point to ...
http://androidforums.com/devices/list/
... that is the same as the Android Phone section link.

Add a redirect while the transition is still going on for Tasker from ...
http://androidforums.com/forums/tasker.1930/
... to the new Tasker location ...
http://androidforums.com/apps/tasker.704/
... so people could find the new area by entering the old address. With this tweak anyone accessing the page at the old address would be redirected automatically to the new area.

... Thom

 

[The_Chief]

Uh oh... I'd better start redesigning the T-shirts...

[vroam]

 

[Unforgiven]

Uh oh... I'd better start redesigning the T-shirts...

[vroam]

I'd love me an Android Channels t-shirt.

<----------------------runs

 

[Thom]

I have two recommendations for trivial tweaks that would help while the transition is still going on ...

Both are now present. Excellent. Thank you.

... Thom

 

[lunatic59]

Is there any way to know what content has been purged? I've run into a couple of threads with references to other, perhaps older, threads that drop a 404. I try to search for the older threads but with zero results. Granted, the latest was a lounge thread with probably no activity for a while, but some of them do contain relevant technical information.

 

[ZepTepi]

I haven't been here in quite awhile and maybe this feature was disabled some time ago but I can no longer figure out how to do it.

Mark in San Diego

 

[kate]

Thread title:
Did they disable the ability to search specific sub-forums?

Hi @ZepTepi I moved your post to the main thread about our site redesign.

We're in the middle of some changes, I'll tag @stevealbright and @Phases about being able to search individual subforums/device forums when everything is complete.

 

[ZepTepi]

Thank You Kate!

 

[Phases]

Yeah the ability is currently lost - but on it's way back soon!

 

[bcrichster]

Yeah the ability is currently lost - but on it's way back soon!

Deleted, seen msg

 

[dontpanicbobby]

Uh oh... I'd better start redesigning the T-shirts...

[vroam]

There's t-shirts? I'll buy a t-shirt. Got a link?

 

[kate]

Possible bug, the mini avatar that appears when you reply to a thread might not be showing up on threads created from the app.

Right now in the feedback forum I replied to someones question but it only shows the default green Bugdroid avatar attached to new app posts.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

That'll work for me. When you actually click on the thread you see whose there.

 

[The_Chief]

There's t-shirts? I'll buy a t-shirt. Got a link?

I would LOVE to provide you with a link!

Spoiler

However, I've been asking for two years for permission to sell AF t-shirts. AF would get the majority of the profits. I have never gotten permission. So, my design sits there...

 

[Unforgiven]

What happened to the yellow stars? When will i be able to get "my favorite" forums back?

I quoted your post over here. I think the post below addresses your question at this point.

The new theme will have a system of following "favorites" and the homepage of AF will be easily filterable so that you can default it to "New" in "Favorites" (or something else depending on your preferences). We think this will be a lot more convenient and flexible once it's up and running and should only take a minute for you to set up. It would have taken A LOT of time to preserve these forum-wide and felt it made more sense to ask users to rethink their favorites based on an entirely new web and app concept.

Pinned threads exist but are no longer pinned. They began to collect serious dust over time and became a burden rather than a benefit. I still LOVE the idea of having one single sticky for each topic that serves as a guide of sorts, but I want to spend some time coming up with the best solution possible. The "sticky" system in forums is useful, but with THOUSANDS of forums across the site, things get messy quick. I'd be curious to hear more about what you love/hate in regards to stickies.



We will improve the app to allow users to follow additional topics. We started with the auto-detection of device/carrier/apps because of how powerful we think it will be for the common person who wants help with their phone. That's the basic first building block of our Forums, and has been for AndroidForums.com, but we want to let people build their own experience by additing more layers. This will come in time, but we've had it on our radar awhile.

The apps you developed but never published may be listed as forums, but unless someone who has the app starts a thread in your app forum, it won't really matter. If you still view this as a problem, I'd be curious to know specifics, and hear what you think a reasonable solution would be.



This is EXACTLY why we've gone the direction we've gone. Any Android user can download the Forums for Android app and EASILY ask a question about a specific topic and get answers from other users who have an interest/experience with that specific topic. There is less guessing, more accurate categorization, and it really helps focus conversations and questions in a way previously not possible. We will let more advanced users have a deeper relationship with the communties on AF, but as a bottom line experience, this app update is hard to beat. The website relaunch will tie it all together.



We haven't published any apps on Amazon, and I'm not 100% it would function correctly, but we'll give it a try. Stay tuned.



Channels was launched separately as a BETA experiment. We think it's proven to be far superior compared to the alternatives, so have decided to fold it into the core experience. However, we'll continue developing Channels as a Beta experience and likely test new featuers and crazy random things there that you won't find in Forums for Android unless things "click". Kind of like a Forums Lab.



Mostly coming in a future update. Point regarding favoriting well taken. Thanks.



Thanks for your hard work on the pinned threads. People like you make AF what it is. I'm hoping to bring back this "top" content in a more organized, formatted, and strategic way.

Sometimes to build something bigger and better you've got to do some bulldozing. Demolition isn't ever pretty, but when you see what's built in it's place, and what monument is erected, your opinion changes.

We think this update will SOLIDIFY Android Forums as THE place to go for Android Questions because it helps streamline the process from having a problem to posting your question in the PERFECT spot.

Here is a link to the post if it is easier to read with the quoted posts it is responding too for context.
http://androidforums.com/threads/important-huge-update-to-androidforums-com.1112286/#post-7477532

 

[dontpanicbobby]

JUST A GLIMPSE...
View attachment 116133
SOON

wtf? Dude... t....
That doesn't gronk.