Why I'm ditching Logos for Android...

Derek
Derek Member Posts: 83
edited November 21 in English Forum

I'm constantly losing my "recent verses" list on Logos.  

Several times, the Logos Beta started giving me problems, so I had to uninstall Logos, and reinstall.  When I reinstalled, my Recent list was gone, each of the several times this happened.  Another time my device went for repair, and I won't send in a device with all my personal information on it so I did a factory reset.  Another time, AT&T's Lollipop update didn't upgrade correctly and ATT Asked me to factory reset.. 

In each of these incidents I lost my "recent" verses list, I use this list to remember where I was reading devotions with my kids, where I left off with my discipleship group, and where I was reading the bible personally in my devotion time...

I've posted the request for the recent verses list to be sync'd many times here, over the years.  Each time I'm told why that just wont happen.  I see how the request is mentioned in 4 different requests on the "new ideas" list - if you add up all those requests, it adds up to a lot of requests.  One says to sync "bookmarks" - but the description is the same reasoning for syncing recent verses.  Another says to sync mobile device history, and another Sync to furthest read, and another sync recently read locations...

I do strongly suggest Logos implement this feature.  But Today, after upgrading to a new phone and realizing once again, that my recent verses list has completely disappeared, I'm done.  This is the 4th or 5th time in the last 12 months.  

I'm either going back to a paper bible, with bookmarks, or I'm installing another app. But regardless, for now, I'm done with Logos mobile.

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Comments

  • Dan Francis
    Dan Francis Member Posts: 5,335 ✭✭✭

    You might look into Olivetree download a few free resources to see how you like it. I am not 100% sure when Accordance will release their android app, but it too is coming. But hopefully sooner than later Logos mobile will become stable enough to serve your needs.

    -Dan

  • Kevin Byford (Faithlife)
    Kevin Byford (Faithlife) Member, Logos Employee Posts: 4,309

    I do strongly suggest Logos implement this feature.

    Derek, I've brought this up with the mobile team and we are discussing options.  Some recent code changes under the hood might now make this feasible on the mobile side.

  • Kevin Byford (Faithlife)
    Kevin Byford (Faithlife) Member, Logos Employee Posts: 4,309

    But hopefully sooner than later Logos mobile will become stable enough to serve your needs.

    This really isn't a stability issue but a design issue.

  • Derek
    Derek Member Posts: 83

    I'd be happy to beta test.  

    I have so much money invested in Logos.  I don't want to drop it, but this issue is annoying and I need something reliable that allows me to remember my place for each of my discipleship groups.  ;)  

  • Kevin Byford (Faithlife)
    Kevin Byford (Faithlife) Member, Logos Employee Posts: 4,309

    I don't want to drop it, but this issue is annoying and I need something reliable that allows me to remember my place for each of my discipleship groups.  ;)  

    Have you considered using Favorites (which is equivalent to Bookmarks)?  Favorites are synced across platforms and will reappear after a reinstall...

  • Derek
    Derek Member Posts: 83

    The thing is, Favorites is there for something else, and you end up cluttering up that list ,and having to remember to *delete* each favorite as you create it... There's no list of "Recent" favorites, so it becomes impossible to tell what is a recent favorite...

  • MJ. Smith
    MJ. Smith MVP Posts: 53,116

    I'm not on Android at the moment to check but isn't Favorites hierarchical? Just put temporary "where I left off" markers under a heading such as "where I left off". From training material, I've come to the conclusion that Favorites is for anything where you want to keep a location.

    What I'd suggest is that you ask how other users handle the issue. They can give the pros and cons of the method they use.

    Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."

  • Randy Murphy
    Randy Murphy Member Posts: 125 ✭✭

    I made a highlight book symbol and highlight where I stopped reading.

  • MJ. Smith
    MJ. Smith MVP Posts: 53,116

    Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."

  • Derek
    Derek Member Posts: 83

    Thanks for these suggestions, but this should be seamless.  I shouldn't have to add and delete favorites and highlights.  Recent verses history is there.  The information exists.  I refer to that page continually.  It's the only information logos has and I regular use, that doesn't sync.

  • Kevin Byford (Faithlife)
    Kevin Byford (Faithlife) Member, Logos Employee Posts: 4,309

    As I mentioned earlier, I've brought this up with the mobile team and are discussing options.  

    Thing is, if we add this feature some might not like their recent verses history syncing.  If it's on a per-app and per-account basis, some might complain that we're overwriting their history on one device with that of another.  Some might want to have a particular history on every device, but some others might want to have the history of each Faithlife app they use follow all of the other apps (and some might really hate that).  

    Some others might want their history to sync to/from Desktop (and others not).  Some might want it just to sync on a per-app and per-device basis (which I think might be enough for your situation).  And some might find all of this really confusing and ask why did we even add syncing of recent history.  What might first seem like a really simple thing can easily get complicated.

    So, whatever we might do will probably mean adding settings as way to turn recent history sync on/off (in all of the variations) and then also decide what the default settings should be, which (if we get it wrong) can cause many other complaints (as happened when we added the Smooth Scrolling feature and some thought we took away Paging mode).

    We're trying to take all of this into account but haven't made any decisions yet.  Meanwhile, hopefully your device doesn't soon need a factory reset and you can avoid the beta for a while (we're aware of some major issues that we're still working on).

  • Derek
    Derek Member Posts: 83

    Kevin,

    I very much appreciate the issues you mention.  Thanks for getting it in for consideration with the development team.

  • Derek
    Derek Member Posts: 83

    It has been about a year since this issue has been brought up with the development team...

    Kevin, is anything being done to sync history across devices?

    Now that we cannot "Send to Kindle" anymore, this feature is needed all the more.  I am using my Logos software much more like an e-reader for the books I'm reading.  It is difficult to pick up where I've left from another device.   I do know that reading location is sync'd between devices, but that often gets messed up, especially if I go to the end of a book to look at a footnote, or something else.  Sometimes "current location" is NOT where I want to pick up... As such, looking through a sync'd history can be EXTREMELY helpful.

    Sorry for being a broken record on this issue.  :)

  • I am using my Logos software much more like an e-reader for the books I'm reading.  It is difficult to pick up where I've left from another device.   I do know that reading location is sync'd between devices, but that often gets messed up, especially if I go to the end of a book to look at a footnote, or something else.  Sometimes "current location" is NOT where I want to pick up... As such, looking through a sync'd history can be EXTREMELY helpful.

    Awesome would be the ability to sync history per resource (or a collection of resources) across devices. Default is current configuration where history does not sync. Library information setting could specify which resource(s) to sync history: choose one or a collection.

    Counterpoint: using Logos 7.2 to check lots of links and pop-ups in My Lexham Discourse Glossary created lots of history so could not use history to open resources being read a few days ago. Logos 7.2 history lacks option to filter out history per resource(s) so can easily find other recent resource usage. Thankful for Library having "Last Accessed" column so was able to open recent resources to their "current" location.

    Now that we cannot "Send to Kindle" anymore, this feature is needed all the more.

    Logos wiki has => Send to Kindle for reading resources on your Kindle retired effective Mon 18 Apr 2016 that includes link to thread => Video Tutorial: How to Send to Kindle after the "Send to Kindle" service is switched off so Logos resources can still be sent to Kindle.

    Keep Smiling [:)]

  • Kevin Byford (Faithlife)
    Kevin Byford (Faithlife) Member, Logos Employee Posts: 4,309

    It has been about a year since this issue has been brought up with the development team...

    Kevin, is anything being done to sync history across devices?

    Now that we cannot "Send to Kindle" anymore, this feature is needed all the more.  I am using my Logos software much more like an e-reader for the books I'm reading.  It is difficult to pick up where I've left from another device.   I do know that reading location is sync'd between devices, but that often gets messed up, especially if I go to the end of a book to look at a footnote, or something else.  Sometimes "current location" is NOT where I want to pick up... As such, looking through a sync'd history can be EXTREMELY helpful.

    Sorry for being a broken record on this issue.  :)

    Hi Derek,

    The mobile development team has decided not to implement syncing recent verses across devices, for the above mentioned reasons. Sorry to disappoint you.