Apps Departure Board - UK Train/Rail Watch App.

[DannyBres]

Hey,

I've made an app for iOS and Apple Watch. It is called Departure Board and allows you to instantly check the trains departing from your local station.

It also features a nice Today view widget.

Check it out: Departure Board

 

[DavidWildJnr]

Excellent. That was one application I was going to miss on the pebble.

 

[DannyBres]

Good to hear.

1.0.1 came out this morning with a free trial of all the premium features too.

 

[DannyBres]

Running great on real hardware!

 

[priscilla55]

This is a really excellent app and useful enough to me to earn its spot in Glances. One small point - any chance of changing the text colour on the watch's platform number? I've got the 38mm watch and the grey text is almost invisible.


Update - I've had contact with the developer who is going to brighten the grey text. That should make it perfect.

 

[appboy]

Hats off to you good sir. These are exactly the applications I am hoping to see more of on Apple Watch

 

[Mic2904]

This will be downloaded shortly. Thanks

 

[DannyBres]

This is a really excellent app and useful enough to me to earn its spot in Glances. One small point - any chance of changing the text colour on the watch's platform number? I've got the 38mm watch and the grey text is almost invisible.


Update - I've had contact with the developer who is going to brighten the grey text. That should make it perfect.

I found an issue yesterday. The glances doesn't always update correctly. I have submitted a fix to Apple yesterday.

 

[Paulando]

This is great, thanks! A perfect use for the watch. Any chance favourite destinations could be added, to save me scrolling through lots of departures I don't need?

 

[shandyman]

This is great, thanks! A perfect use for the watch. Any chance favourite destinations could be added, to save me scrolling through lots of departures I don't need?

Love the app, but this is something that would be brill

 

[forgot-username]

Hey,

I've made an app for iOS and Apple Watch. It is called Departure Board and allows you to instantly check the trains departing from your local station.

It also features a nice Today view widget.

Check it out: Departure Board

Just get this message

 

[iSimon]

I downloaded the app earlier and it mentions that the Premium features trial (which includes Apple Watch support) includes up to 30 uses, which I think meant up to 30 Apple Watch screen loads. After that you need to pony up for the Premium features, which as I recall were a very reasonable 79p - not sure if that was for lifetime? Looks like you have simply used the Apple Watch part of it 30 times and thus used up your Premium trial.

 

[forgot-username]

I downloaded the app earlier and it mentions that the Premium features trial (which includes Apple Watch support) includes up to 30 uses, which I think meant up to 30 Apple Watch screen loads. After that you need to pony up for the Premium features, which as I recall were a very reasonable 79p - not sure if that was for lifetime? Looks like you have simply used the Apple Watch part of it 30 times and thus used up your Premium trial.

Yeah once I'd actually read the message I twigged. But I haven't used it any times. Only just downloaded it.

 

[iSimon]

Hmm not sure then - I downloaded it and used the Watch glance just to check it worked and the iPhone app still shows me with 29 uses left. Just tried again to look at the glance but it is just sat there with the "loading" icon in the top right corner and not showing any updated info - guess this may be the bug that Danny was talking about. I previously checked when I was at work whereas now I am at home and it is still showing the nearest station as the one near work with the old train times.

 

[DannyBres]

Hey all,

Sorry I haven't replied sooner.

Any chance favourite destinations could be added, to save me scrolling through lots of departures I don't need?

Yes, I can do that, but seems a little unmanagable in general usage and may led to a lot of user confusion.

What if: you were going somewhere else one day and you couldn't use the watch app because where you are going is not a favourite destination?

Or: if one day the train isn't running the full route because the last station is out of service and your train is excluded from the board?

I would love to address this somehow, just not sure how right now (and the digital crown makes scrolling a breeze!)...

Just get this message

Sorry about that, you need to launch the app on your phone first to enable location services and allow the app to set up the databases needed. The watch app will then launch without that message.

...includes up to 30 uses

Yes, you get 30 uses of the premium features, a use is:
- Loading a single departure board from the Apple Watch.
- Loading a single train calling points from the Apple Watch.
- Loading a single departure board from the today widget.
- Loading a single departure board using the URL scheme.

Glances are free to use always!

BUT there is a bug in 1.0.1 that means that the glance doesnt always reload when you open it. This has been addressed in 1.0.2 and has been in review with Apple since Saturday.

...very reasonable 79p - not sure if that was for lifetime?

Yes 79p indeed and it is lifetime access to Departure Board and all its features (present and future)! This is a reduced price for launch, I plan to increase it to £2.49-ish eventually.

...iPhone app still shows me with 29 uses left....still showing the nearest station as the one near work with the old train times.

Yup, that is the glance bug that I have addressed in 1.0.2 and Glances are free using the watch app uses up the trial!

Any more questions and feedback; please post here, contact me @departboard or daniel@departureboard.co.

Thanks all! App Store reviews help so much too.

 

[DannyBres]

The update was approved overnight - it is now available in the App Store!

Thanks all! App Store reviews are essential for all small apps.

 

[Paulando]

Hey all,

Sorry I haven't replied sooner.



Yes, I can do that, but seems a little unmanagable in general usage and may led to a lot of user confusion.

What if: you were going somewhere else one day and you couldn't use the watch app because where you are going is not a favourite destination?

Or: if one day the train isn't running the full route because the last station is out of service and your train is excluded from the board?

All valid points!

How about a little toggle at the top for favourites/all? You could use a heart shape for the favourites so it won't take up much space.

Another benefit of having a favourite destination set is that I get various trains to the same destination every week, but their final destination can vary - and so looking down a list of final destinations isn't all that useful for me currently (there are many trains to Leeds, for example, but only a few stop where I live).

The way I do this is in the National Rail train times app, I have favourite journeys added and it shows a list of trains that all go to that destination, in chronological order. I can quickly see when the next train is to my destination. I'd rather have this on the watch though!

 

[iSimon]

Thanks for the feedback, and can confirm the update has indeed addressed and corrected the glances bug. Very impressed with the speed of the app too compared to some of the big name apps that have recently added watch support - will definitely be getting the premium upgrade!

 

[nwlondonlad]

I downloaded the app and as soon as I opened it for the first time it said your trial has expired.

Opened it on the phone which now tells me I have 30 requests left

 

[DannyBres]

That is correct.

The iOS app and glance are free.

You get 30 requests as part of the trial then you have to unlock the premium features to continue using the watch app etc.

 

[iSimon]

I downloaded the app and as soon as I opened it for the first time it said your trial has expired.

Opened it on the phone which now tells me I have 30 requests left

Did you see Danny's reply earlier stating that you need to open the main phone app first to enable location services in order to get the watch app to display properly without that message?

 

[Ergates-thi-Ant]

OK, I've downloaded this and will give it a try!

 

[Sevv]

Superb app! just what I wanted for my watch.

 

[DannyBres]

Thanks all!

As always, honest reviews in the App Store help a lot.

 

[HowieBerry]

As great as this is, sadly it isn't going to be much use for me at home because my nearest station is useless - it's not connected to other public transport, and only the slowest trains stop there - so I always go to the next nearest station. Could there be a way to set a Home station at all?

Edit - just seen you can pick from the nearest stations on the watch app itself, so that's cool