Mobile app's delayed response to input

ijac

The mobile app is extremely slow or unresponsive to any touch input I make.  I have to tap the hamburger menu multiple times for it to finally detect my input.  Many inputs require me to wait 4-5 seconds after tapping for it to finally respond.  

I like the foundation of Simplifi but the UX of the mobile app is terrible.  I don't want to use Simplifi because it's so bad.  If the app experience was better it would be a no brainer to use Simplifi.  My account data only goes back to April 2021.  If the amount of data it's handling is the cause then I can only imagine it will be far worse a year from now.

Coach Blake

Hi there @ijac! I am so sorry to hear this is your experience with our mobile app. I would like to get more details from you so I can look further into why it has a delayed response for you. 

Are you using the Android or iOS mobile app? What is the make and model of your device?

Thank you in advance!
Coach Blake

ijac

Android.  Pixel 3a.  Thanks

Coach Natalie

Hello @ijac,

Thanks for posting back!

We are aware of some issues regarding touch sensitivity on the Mobile App that we're currently working on, which may help clear up some of the issues that you're seeing. In the meantime, I would suggest fully uninstalling and reinstalling the Mobile App, while performing a device reboot in between, to see if that helps to clear up some of the latency that you're experiencing. 

Please let me know how it goes!

-Coach Natalie

ijac

I did as you instructed.  It made no difference.  Is there an ETA for when the touch sensitivity will be fixed?  I'm using the trial version and on the fence about whether to continue after it ends

Coach Natalie

Hello @ijac,

Thank you for attempting the steps and posting back, although I'm sorry to hear that the issue persists.

Sadly, I don't currently have an update to provide on the fix for the touch sensitivity issues, however, I did go ahead and reach out for an update and will be sure to let you know if there's any new information to provide. I'm sorry that I don't have a better answer at this time, but please rest assured that we are aware of these pain points with the Simplifi Mobile App, and are actively working to improve the user experience. 

Please let me know if you have any additional questions or concerns! 

-Coach Natalie

Coach Natalie

Hello @ijac,

After discussing this with my Team a bit further, I would actually like to go ahead and report some of the issues that you're seeing on the Simplifi Mobile App so that we can investigate. 

With that being said, I do see that you provided your phone model above, however, would you mind also providing me with the OS of your phone? Additionally, if you have a video that you can send to me showing some of the issues that you're experiencing, that would be great for my Team to be able to see and get a better idea of what's going on. 

Please let me know, thanks! 

-Coach Natalie

ijac

Great to hear.

Android 11.  Pixel 3a.  I might be moving to Android 12 soon.  I don't think I'll be recording a video since it will show all my financial information.  Not sure it's necessary either. 

Looks like what I am experiencing is very common.  Just check out the app's reviews on the Play Store.  There are reviews calling out these same issues from 5 months ago in May.  This doesn't give me confidence the issues will be fixed.  Please, take what I'm saying as sincere feedback.  I'm not trying to be difficult or snarky. 

These problems appear to be widespread and shouldn't be difficult for your team to find.  Does your team test the app on different devices?  I work in mobile game development.  We constantly test our games on many different devices to find performance issues.  I would suggest starting there.  Thanks for trying to find a fix.

I'm experiencing the same things as these reviews on the Play Store ...

"The idea is great, the app is just so dang laggy and slow. The swipes and taps are almost unusable."

"The web app is phenomenal on desktop. Sad to see the mobile app so sluggish, glitchy, and unresponsive. Categorizing a transaction from the transaction list takes about 20 seconds - swipe left to trigger categorize action, wait 7 seconds for UI to respond, find the main category you want and tap to expand it, wait again, then tap the subcategory, wait one more time, and you're done! And you've grown a beard by then. Really frustrating. "

"Lags to hell. Don't use the phone app. Use the desktop version"

"There appears to be a consistent lag"

"My two biggest complaints: (1) poor performance (GUI locks for many seconds at a time between presses, slow response times to input, can't quickly navigate through the app -- I'm on a Pixel 4a 5G). (2) I have to "fix" connections to my accounts at least once a day"

Coach Natalie

Hello @ijac,

Thanks for posting back and for providing some reviews that discuss these types of issues.

I'm not fully aware of what testing takes place and on what devices specifically, however, I do know that some of these issues have been reported in the past. What you're experiencing would be a great example to provide to the Team so they can attempt to replicate, as well as investigate what specific behavior you're seeing on the App.

With that being said, in lieu of a screen recording, if you'd like to provide me with some specific examples of what actions you're taking in the App that results in the latency, etc., I'd be happy to get everything reported to my Team. Please also provide me with the OS of your mobile device -- this should be available in the 'Device Info'/'About Phone' section. 

Thank you!

-Coach Natalie

ijac

Sure. 

The menu icon in the top left is the biggest offender.  It either doesn't respond to a tap (or sometimes multiple taps) or lags every single time it's tapped.  Both when opening or closing the menu

Once the menu opens ...
-Tap on Accounts.  Lag. 
-Or instead tap on All Transactions.  Lag. 
-Or instead tap on Watchlist. Lag. 
-Or instead tap on Spending Plan. Lag. 
-Or instead tap on Upcoming. Lag.

Go to All Transactions ... tapping on a transaction causes lag.

Go to the Dashboard ...
-swiping a notification at the very top either lags or doesn't recognize the swipe every single time
-swipe in the Banking block.  Lag

Go to Settings.  Tapping the Back button in upper left corner lags every time

Coach Natalie

Hello @ijac,

Thank you for providing some examples!

I have gone ahead and gotten this reported and will be sure to post back as soon as I receive an update.

-Coach Natalie

SIMPL-11019

helloianjones

This still seems to be a consistent issue with the app, I’ve been using it since May 2021 and the app has been slow across the board, especially when trying to to re-categorize transactions or switch between different functions (switching from dashboard to transactions, for example). I see lots of reports of slowness on this site and on the internet in general but no real updates coming from the company. Not particularly interested in renewing my membership if app improvements are this few and far between. FWIW I’m using it on iOS, fully updated. Tried logging out, reinstalling app, etc. 

Coach Natalie

Hello @helloianjones,

Thank you for reporting this, and I apologize for the frustration that the latency issues are causing.

I went ahead and added your information to the existing Ticket for this issue with a description of what you're experiencing. I'll let you know if our Product Team needs any further details from you, otherwise, I will post back here as soon as an update becomes available.

Hopefully we see some improvements with the Mobile App in the near future! 🤞

-Coach Natalie

Coach Natalie

Hello @ijac & @helloianjones,

To help our Team get to the bottom of these latency issues on the Mobile App, it would be great if you could both submit 'Feedback' through the Simplifi Web App by following these steps:

1. Log in to Simplifi Web App.

2. Click on the 'Profile' icon in the left-hand bar.

3. Hold down the Option key (Mac) or Alt key (Windows) on your keyboard and select "Send Feedback".

4. Leave everything checked and click "Send".

Please let me know once done!

-Coach Natalie

ijac

@Coach Natalie
Done.  Going through the Web App means the logs being sent are for my PC, I assume.  I have zero lag issues in the Web App.  The Mobile App is the problem.  Is there a way to "Send Feedback" through the Mobile App?

Coach Natalie

Thank you for submitting that @ijac!

Although the issue is only present on the Mobile App, we're able to view Mobile App delays via the logs and info that's submitted from the Web App. As far as I'm aware, there is not currently a way to submit Feedback from the Mobile App directly. 

I'll let you know when I receive an update or if we need any further info from you. Thanks again! 

-Coach Natalie

kwimmer

@Coach Natalie is there any update on this? I am running into the same issue on the android app, inputs are beyond slow and un-responsive. It really makes this un-usable for on the go needs. 

Coach Natalie

Hello @kwimmer,

Thanks for reaching out!

Sadly, there's not currently an ETA to provide on a resolution for the issues with the Mobile App, however, I do know that this is a primary focus of the Product Team and they are working hard to resolve the latency and touch response issues. 

I'll let you know if we end up needing further examples; otherwise, I will be sure to post back with any updates as they become available.

-Coach Natalie

MinB

Hello, is there any update on the lag issue others have noted between user input and app response on the mobile app? 

I am using an iPhone. I searched and did not see another thread for the iPhone app. 

I originally thought my finger was missing the item I attempted to tap, but this time I tapped (the 3-bar main menu) and counted while I waited to see if there’d be a response- after 10 seconds the menu finally opened. It happens with other things, not just the menu, and not every time, sometimes it’s immediately responsive. 

Thanks!

Coach Natalie

Hello @MinB,

Thanks for reaching out, although I apologize that you're also experiencing issues with the Simplifi Mobile App. 

Our Product Team is hard at work on fixing the latency and touch response issues on the Mobile App, however, we still don't have an ETA to provide on a resolution. Please be sure to follow this post for future updates, though. 

-Coach Natalie

spyderdan

Just to weigh in on this topic. On my PIxel 5a the mobile app is pretty much unusable as well for the first 5 minutes or so after i open it.

If i have not opened the app recently (e.g the last 15 minutes), then it goes through some kind of refresh/full sync process it appears and during this time it's utterly useless. Just laggy, buggy, non-responsive mostly. Once the initial sync is done it all seems fine to me however. Unfortunately it does this pretty much every time i launch the app so I have to get in the habit of launching it.. Then just setting my phone down for 5 minutes while i do whatever other errand/task i can fill my time with and then return to the use the app properly. 

mjn1979

Same here. My morning routine is: open the app, set down my phone, start some coffee, then three or four minutes later come back to the app, and it's usually okay by then.

Clark

Yes, mine is slower than Christmas.   I usually go do something else for a while and give it time to load up.  Very frustrating. 

RobWilk

I believe that period at initial startup is when it connects to each bank to update.  Like when you click one step update in quicken, which also takes time.  It doesn't update if you don't open it. 

Coach Natalie

Hello All,

Great news! Our Product Team is hard at work on fixing the latency and touch response issues on the Simplifi Mobile App. They are working on a 4.0 release that should clear up a lot of the issues. We can currently expect to see 4.0 released around the end of March, however, this may be extended if new issues arise during the process. But we can definitely expect to see improvement soon!

I'll be sure to keep everyone updated as I learn more. 😀

-Coach Natalie

Clark

That's great....I can't wait.

Flopbot

Great news! Thanks to the Simplifi team for the hard work and for keeping us informed…12 posts by Simplifi staff in this post alone.

Looking forward to seeing it 4.0.

RobWilk

I'm particularly looking forward to the ‘touch response’ fixes on the mobile app.

josh_shannon

That's excellent news. I can't wait to see if v4.0 helps make the mobile application more responsive!

josh_shannon

@Coach Natalie do you have an update on when version 4 is going to be released? It looks like I'm still running version 3.28.1 on my Pixel.

Coach Natalie

Hello @josh_shannon,

Thanks for reaching out!

We won't have a date to provide for upcoming releases. I'd suggest following our Updates From the Product Team category so you'll be notified of new releases and other product updates, as well as keeping an eye on your app store for app updates that may be available.

I hope this helps!

-Coach Natalie