New Ad

I'm trying to get my app noticed, and am going to use AdMob to do it. I've created a banner ad, and would like your feedback.

If you saw this ad, would it catch your attention? Would you be inclined to click on it?

Google Analytics

Yesterday I started playing around with Google Analytics, and figuring out how to build it into Auto Respond.

The versions that are out now do not include Google Analytics in any manner, but I am looking into possibly building it into future versions. That would mean that the paid app would once again need internet permission in order to send the data back to Google, but this would be the ONLY information sent and there would be no personal information transmitted.

For those who aren't aware, Google Analytics helps developers understand how users are interacting with their products. It will tell me how many times specific screens are viewed, how many active users I have, and potentially which buttons and other elements are interacted with most often.

This information can help me understand how you, as users, interact with my app. It can tell me which things you use often, which things you never really use, whether you tend to click buttons more than list views, and possibly even what settings are used most often.

I'm not sure of the exact information I can get, as I have just started playing with it, but rest assured that I will NOT be able to see that John Smith opened the app x times, or click this button, or has these settings set. I simply get a report for ALL of my users and cannot tell the difference between interactions from one user to the other. (I do not need, or care about, statistics on a per user basis in order to get useful information.)

I can then use this information to improve the parts of the app that are used most often. If people tend to use the scheduler a lot, I can spend some extra time with new features to give you more of what you want. Or if people use the preset messages a lot, maybe I can add more information to the list view, or create new sorting options, etc.

Or, on the other hand, if people tend to not click on my list views, I can make it more obvious to the user that clicking on the object will cause some action.

Overall I'm very excited to see what I can do with this tool! And once it's set up I think it can greatly help me improve interactions in my app. The ONLY downfall is that the paid version will require permission to access the internet, which I think is a small price to pay for an improved app.



Let me know your thoughts, and if you have any experience with Google Analytics, feel free to let me know how it worked out for you!


TL;DR - Google Analytics will potentially help me understand how my users use my app, and help me improve the user experience.

Auto Respond 1.2.4.3

I just released a new Auto Respond, this is only for paid users. The only difference is a new sorting option for schedules.

Unfortunately, I was in the middle of working on this when I released 1.2.4.2, and included the incomplete code in that version, so I decided to finish this ASAP as to minimize problems. There will be even more sorting options in the future.

If you are using the paid version of 1.2.4.2 DO NOT sort your schedules until you update to 1.2.4.3. If you do sort them prior to updating you'll likely end up with duplicate schedules, or missing schedules, and you'll end up needing to delete them all and recreate them.

The new version was just published, and should be publicly available in an hour or 2.

Auto Respond 1.2.4

I just pushed an update to Auto Respond.

Here's the changelog:


1.2.4.1:

(Paid)

• Fixed an issue with the "Preset Messages" button in scheduler

1.2.4:

• Changed how/when feedback window is displayed

(Free)

• Interstitial ad should be less delayed when undocking

I realized after releasing 1.2.4 that the issue with the "Preset Messages" button in the paid version was still not fixed. So I looked at it again, fixed it for real, and released another update.

So if you are using the paid version, you should be looking for 1.2.4.1

if you're using the free version, 1.2.4 is the latest.

These probably aren't yet through Google's servers yet, but they have been published and should be available shortly.

Auto Respond - Paid Features vs. Free Features

For those who are wondering how I'm distinguishing paid features from free features, I've come to the decision that anything that allows you to bypass seeing the ads will be a paid feature.

The whole point of a free version is to attempt to generate revenue from users clicking ads,  and to give the user a free "trial" of the app. But if you never see the ads, there is no chance of generating revenue. (I use "trial" for lack of a better word. But the free app is obviously fully functional, and without an expiration date. The paid app just has more features.)

This means that the following features will be paid only if/when they are completed:

• Widgets
• Timer
• 4.2+ lock screen widgets
• 4.2+ Quick Settings toggle (As stated before, not sure if this is even possible, but if it is, it will be paid only)
• Any other new features that I come up with that bypass opening the app's main screen

I will continue to improve the free version as well (as I have all along - I do have some improvement ideas that will apply to both) but the above features will not be available in the free app.

Although the ability to turn on Auto Respond via docking the phone DOES give the user the ability to bypass the ads, I'm going to leave it available for 2 reasons:

• I don't want to charge for a feature that once existed for free
• other developers have done that in apps that I've used in the past and it soured me as a user, so I don't want to do that to my users
• It can be seen as a safety feature, so I want that to be available to all of my users.
• Turning the app on when in a car dock can be seen as lessening distractions while driving, so I see it as a safety feature. I feel that everyone should have access to safety features for no extra charge.

To get the best of both worlds (allow users to use the dock feature, but also have them see an ad) I have added what is called an "interstitial" ad when you undock your phone. This will pop-up a full-page ad when you undock. It will only show up if Auto Respond is being turned off while undocking. This means that if you are not using the dock function, it will not randomly pop-up ads on you while removing your phone from a dock. (Of course, this ad only appears in the free app, not the paid app.)

This ad has been in the app for a couple versions now, so if you are using the dock feature, you should be seeing an ad when undocking.

I hope you agree with this decision, as it's the best solution I could find that satisfies you as a user and me as a developer. If you have comments or questions, don't be afraid to express them.

Auto Respond 1.2.3

I just pushed another update (lots of updates these last couple days!)

Change log is small, especially for free users:

• Fixed an issue with the toggle button displaying incorrectly (sorry, old code that never got changed)

(Paid Only)

• Added ability to start and stop schedules on demand

Here's the new schedule screen:

This functionality came to me yesterday. My Monday meeting was moved, because my boss was out of the office for the day, so the meeting was Tuesday instead. It would have been nice to be able to click that button to start and stop the schedule at abnormal times. I started working on this last night, when I got home from work, and finished it up early this morning.

This layout was a pain to figure out a good way to display all of the information as well as the buttons, but I think this is good way to do it. Each individual row is a bit taller because of the buttons, but I feel that it was a necessary side effect. (Plus it gave me a new way to organize the text more effectively.) 

As usual, if you have input on how it can be improved feel free to talk to me. I'm always open to feedback.

This update was just recently published, so it may be a while before it's live on Google's servers.

Auto Respond 1.2.2

I finished the new look, including the "Preset Messages" window. Version 1.2.1 included the new look, but had some issues with deleting/editing messages so I pushed 1.2.2 to fix those issues.

Here's that screen now:

1.2.2 should be live in the play store right now (I pushed it a while ago, and it appears to have gone through Google's servers at this point.)

The Play Store listing for the free version may not immediately include the new screenshot of this screen, I apparently forgot to add that to the Play Store entry for the free version on my original push. But that screenshot will be up-to-date in a couple hours, and the app itself is up-to-date now. 

So even if you've already updated a few times today, go check the Play Store to see if there is another update (I've pushed at least 3 different versions today.) If you haven't updated yet today, there's definitely a new look waiting for you.

Auto Respond 1.2

I just released a new update to Auto Respond with a HUGE overhaul to the look and feel of the app, especially for people using Android 4.0+.

Here's the change log:

• Made some initial changes to help support multiple languages (days, months, and times should all support multiple languages now)
• Lots of changes to look and feel of the app
• Fully implemented Holo theme for Android 4.0+
• Standardized windows throughout the app, as well as according to Android standards
• Location of "OK" and "Cancel" buttons now follow Android guidelines (If you're using Android 4.0+, that means they have switched sides, if you're using Android 2.x, they're the same as before)
• Added more information to the email sent when clicking "needs improvement" on the feedback screen

Paid Only - (wasn't an issue in free version)

• Fixed some small issues with time display, if using 24-hour clock (some times were still showing in 12-hour style)

I hope you guys LOVE this new look! I know I do! (And I spent a ton of time perfecting it last night!) Here's a preview - the main screen on Android 4.2:

The big differences here are that the "Preset Messages" button is now the width of the screen, and it is Holo themed. Plus, the former toggle checkbox is now also a Holo themed button, with a colored icon indicating its current state. When enabled this icon will be the green icon, or if you are using the purple icon it will be purple when enabled.

In android 2.x these will appear as gray buttons, but the icon is still present on the toggle button.

As usual, it will be a couple hours before this is live on Google's servers. And if you find any issues, let me know

EDIT: I am noticing that the "Preset Messages" window is the only one that seems to not follow the standards set by the rest of the app, so I'm going to work on that. That particular window will be a little hard than others, because of the way I currently have it working, but I should be able to get it done tonight.

I plan on putting "New Message" and "Sort" buttons at the top, taking the sort option out of the overflow menu like in the scheduler window, and putting a "Cancel" button at the bottom. This will ensure that navigation between screens is consistent throughout the app.

Auto Respond 1.1.2

Of course, after publishing this morning that there are no known bugs in my app I get 2 crash reports. (Not complaining about the crash reports... thanks for those... just noting my bad timing on that announcement.)

I'm not 100% sure if the crashes are fully fixed, as I can't seem to recreate it myself, but it should display an error message instead of crashing now. If you were experiencing crashes, you may see one of the following toast notifications:

"<app name> - Error getting contact info"
or
"<app name> - Error sending response"

Where <app name> will be either "Auto Respond" or "Auto Respond Free", depending on which version you are using. If you see either of these messages, it means that your response did not send correctly.

The changes to the Credits screen were included in this update, as well as the update to the non-repeating schedules for paid users.

I just posted 1.1.2 a little bit ago, so it may not be in the Play Store for another hour or so.

Next Version of Auto Respond - News and Poll

I've kinda taken a self-imposed break from programming for a while. I do this every once in a while, usually after I complete something big (in this case, the scheduler.)

I do this just as a small personal break. I'm not a programmer by trade, it's something I do in my free time, so occasionally I take a break from programming to do other things.

I do have a small update that I can put out. A small improvement on how non-repeating schedules work for paid users, and a small tweak to the Credits screen for everyone. (Don't get too excited!) Not sure when I'm going to put that out. I may wait until I have accomplished a bit more, or I may just release it as a small update. (It may be a small change, but for paid users it is a VERY useful change if you use non-repeating schedules.)

The version that is out now is VERY polished, and has no bugs that I'm aware of, so I may just let it be for a while. I know that as a user it can be very frustrating dealing with bugs, no matter how small they are.

Let me know what you think. Should I release the new version with the small changes, or should I wait until I have something more substantial?

Also, what should I work on next?

1. I worked on a widget for a while, and I think I know where I went wrong with it, so I may continue work on that. (This will be a paid only feature.)
2. A timer, which would be similar to the scheduler. It would pop-up when manually turning on Auto Respond, and ask if you want to set a timer for it to turn off. (Or if you have a better idea for how to trigger it, let me know.) (This will likely be a paid only feature)
3. More sorting options for the list of messages, schedules, and the do not respond list.
4. New ways to add contacts to the do no respond list, including a text list (list of names) and a phone-number list.
5. I know that not many people have 4.2 yet (I just installed it on my Galaxy Nexus a couple days ago) and I don't know if this is even possible, but I'd like to look into seeing if I can add a toggle to the new quick settings area in 4.2. If it IS possible, it may require root. But I'll look into if it's possible and, if so, how to go about it. (This would be a paid only feature if it's possible.)
6. Other - submit an idea of something you would like to see added, fixed, or otherwise changed. (As far as I know there are no bugs that need to be fixed, but if there is please let me know.)
1. This can include changes to the layout, the look and feel of the app, the interface, a new feature... anything that you think needs work. I welcome constructive criticism, so don't be afraid to speak up if something bothers you. It may be something I never thought about. (or something that I already want to improve, but I don't know the best way to go about it.)

I likely won't work on any of this until next week sometime (Or possibly a tiny bit this weekend) so don't expect any of this too soon. But I would like to know what you guys want to see in the next version.

UPDATE: I just got a crash report from a user, and think I've fixed the issue. It was a very rare case that would cause the bug, but it is now fixed. I will be pushing this update soon.