Logos for iPhone not syncing daily reading plan

I am also having a problem with my daily reading plan on my iPad2. The system does not sync when I indicate checking off my daily reading, so that is one problem but another is that I get multiple copies of my reading schedule on my iPad2 and they do not sync with each other and I cannot delete the additional copies of the reading schedule.

Previously, I deleted the duplicate copies by going to my Mac and clicking on file where I saw the duplicated copies and deleted them there. However, they no longer are appearing on my Mac.

I now have 4 copies of a reading I have completed, I still have 4 copies on my iPad and my NEW reading schedule does not appear at all on the iPad.

How do I know when someone has responded to a posting I have made? Am I notified by email?

Peter Gardner

Here is the what I suspected regarding this issue and I later discovered I was correct. I made saved "favorites" to my iPhone LOGOS app and when I checked my iPod Touch LOGOS app it had the "favorites" I had saved on my iPhone LOGOS app. I also created a new reading plan on my iPhone app and I found whatever days I marked as read had then updated on my iPod Touch! Problem is officially understood.

The LOGOS server for the iPhone app is not being updated by the LOGOS server for the PCs. The issue is not with the iPhone app. The LOGOS technical guys responsible for the LOGOS servers have to make sure that the two servers (app server and PC server) are able to communicate with each other so the reading plan can update in real-time. This is why the iPhone LOGOS app is not getting the updates made by the LOGOS software installed on our PCs. There is a break in real-time communication between the app server and PC server.

If you have an iPod Touch and a iPhone you WILL be able to confirm this too. If you make any changes on your iPhone LOGOS app (i.e. create favorites and/or mark certain days in reading plan as read on your iPhone), it will immediately show up on your iPod Touch LOGOS app.

-Moises Rivera

I know for a fact that the syncing between the desktop app and the iPhone app used to work.  I have an old reading plan that I made on the desktop app that was synced to my iPhone.  Now when I made a new reading plan today, I discovered that it's not syncing to my iPhone.

It used to work.  Now it doesn't.  Is Logos really going to make us wait for a new version of the desktop app to have syncing again?  Why don't they just fix the syncing now?  Why don't they restore what has been broken, and then work on new stuff? 

This is another example of what's wrong with software development nowadays.  Whatever happened to standing on the shoulders of giants, of building upon previous successes, of constantly making things better?  Nowadays it's two steps forward and one or more steps backwards, over and over again.  The wheel is constantly being reinvented and one can't depend on anything that currently works to keep working.  It's almost enough to drive one back to using nothing but dead trees.

alabama24 said:

How long did you use the reading plan?

I used it for several months.  How is that relevant?

alabama24 said:

They are fixing it now. They are fixing it by creating an entire new sync infrastructure which will allow for highlighting and notes. What you are asking for is like rearranging the chairs on the Titanic. The ship is sinking, let it go.

No offense, friend, but that's a silly analogy.  Here's a better one: They're fixing the wheel's broken spoke by making an entirely new wheel.  Making a new wheel takes a lot longer than fixing the broken spoke on the wheel that's already in place.

It's a symptom of a larger problem.  What happens when a problem crops up in the new infrastructure someday, and we're left with broken functionality, functionality that we used to depend on?  I suppose they'll make an entirely new infrastructure again, tied to a new major release of the desktop app, and we'll be left waiting, and waiting, and waiting, again.

Development priorities should be arranged like this:

1. Fix security bugs.
2. Fix regressions.
3. Fix new bugs.
4. Refine existing features.
5. Add new features.
6. Rewrite existing features.

Since syncing used to work, it's logical to conclude that something was changed that broke it.  It's also logical to conclude that whatever was changed can be fixed more quickly than an entirely new infrastructure can be created.  We're not talking about rocket science, here--we're talking about syncing some text or XML.  Synchronization of data like this is a Solved Problem in computer programming.  There's a plethora of existing software that does it that Just Works (e.g. rsync, unison, Dropbox, and even lesser-known software like Anki--all of which Just Work and Just Keep Working).

It's a common temptation among programmers to rewrite software rather than refine or fix software, because it's a lot more fun and intellectually challenging to make something from scratch.  But it's a temptation that should almost always be resisted, especially when paying customers are waiting for a solution!

alabama24 said:

If you think you can do a better job, by all means, apply for a job at Logos. It's pretty easy to be a back seat driver.

I had a feeling I was about to get slapped with the old, "If you're so smart, fix it yourself" comeback.  But in this case it really makes no sense, because this isn't an open-source project.  You're suggesting I make a career change just because Logos isn't setting their priorities well?

Hey, if I see that the bus driver is driving into oncoming traffic because he's asleep at the wheel, the solution is not to apply for a bus-driving job at Greyhound--the solution is to wake up the driver!

alabama24 said:

I for one don't care one bit about getting the old sync infrastructure up and running. I want notes and Highlighting. Only then will reading plans be of any use to me.

I emphasized the relevant pronouns there.

I for one just want syncing to work like it used to.  I want my new reading plan to show up on my iPhone so I can actually use it on my iPhone, like I used to.

And, yes, it used to work correctly: When I marked a day's reading as read on my phone, it showed up that same day on the desktop app, and vice versa.  I'm only talking about syncing a list of passages, not the actual text of the passages.  I don't know what you're referring to.

I am a programmer myself and understand the importance of spending your resources moving forward instead of always going back and fixing the old stuff.  Three comments.

• I hope that Logos does understand that for many of us the reading plan on iOS was a major selling point and that the level of frustration with it can get fairly high.  
• This is our interface to God's word daily and as such Logos bears a greater responsibility than other companies do.
• My specific problem is that I have my plan set up to read through proverbs in a year and there have been certain days where the reading is one verse.  In that case there is no badge under the reading saying 'Mark Read' which means I have no way to mark that day as complete unless I mark it complete on my Mac and it syncs over to my iPhone.  So the end result is that I have to keep scrolling forward to my actual daily reading from the last time it has not synced on a day like that.  Currently Oct 12.  This makes me daily frustrated with your software which is bad for business.

Also, I am sure you understand that less than 1% of users will actually complain about this sort of thing.  Many just stop using the product.

May I assume that this upcoming 4.5 version will be a free upgrade?

All,

Any news on this?  I just called tech support and they said this was a know issue and to check the forums. 

They said it would sync but it might take a week or so. Is that true? If it's a communication issue how will time solve this?

I don't see how to delete the current plan on the iPad unfortunately...

Thanks for your help.

Andrew

Graham Criddle said:

To delete a Reading plan from the iPad app, sweep right on the plan on the home page and press the delete button that appears.

Don't do that!! It won't show up again. You won't see your reading plan anymore. Better a non syncing one than no reading plan at all.

Hi my ipad and iphone wont sync with the reading plan I have set up with my two pc's is this a common fault it certainly seems to be how can I over come it as I dont want to take my lap top everywhere with me ... [:D]

His KIngdom come

alasdair