Deliveries App Loses Functionality as Shipping Companies Refuse to Participate

[MacRumors]

Package tracking app Deliveries is losing functionality because shipping companies are not willing to provide the shipping data that the app needs to work, according to developer Mike Piontek.

In a blog post penned earlier this week, Piontek said that Deliveries is no longer able to maintain the same service that it used to provide because it relies on shipping companies, and "without their help" the app is not able to work the way that customers expect.

In time, the Deliveries app will likely stop showing direct tracking information in the app for additional services. Delivery date, map route, and other details will not be available, nor will notifications about status changes. To see tracking information, customers will need to use the "View Online" button to see tracking information on the shipping company's website.

According to Piontek, Deliveries understands that the app will become less useful to users, but the Deliveries team will aim to keep making it as useful as possible for those who continue to use it.

At the current time, Deliveries seems to be able to show shipping information from major U.S. shipping companies like the United States Postal Service and UPS, but over the course of the last few months, Amazon deliveries have stopped working.

Deliveries used to be able to track Amazon shipments just from an order link, but that is no longer possible. Tracking either does not work, or it requires logging in to Amazon with a login and password, which is a hassle. The app also recently stopped working with FedEx tracking numbers, and there are also complaints about DHL shipments not being able to be tracked.

Prior to when these changes were made by shipping companies, Deliveries was a very useful package tracking app, but for many, it may no longer be worth the $4.99 per year subscription price.

Article Link: Deliveries App Loses Functionality as Shipping Companies Refuse to Participate

 

[ct2k7]

This is a shame, but delivery partners are beginning to push their own apps.

 

[antnythr]

Always a risk when something you do depends on building off the infrastructure of someone else

 

[assb10yr]

Time to pack up and leave.

 

[headlessmike]

That’s unfortunate. I’ve been a loyal user since using their widget in Tiger and bought their apps when they were onetime purchases back in the day.

 

[JtheLemur]

FedEx is problematic. Been using Deliveries since day 1. What I won’t use anymore, wherever possible, is FedEx.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

This is so bad. All these shipping companies want to get their $ cut now. Making it difficult to provide substancial data 🤦🏻‍♀️.

UPS, FedEx: Please work on your current stock apps to provide innovative features. We won’t have to rely on other deliveries app then.

 

[AppleHore]

Time to pack up and leave.

Yep. Shut it down. It was good while it lasted.

 

[d686546s]

I've used this for years, not sure how long but certainly feels like the early days of the iPhone.

It's annoying how generally we're moving to closed systems and exclusive solutions. I don't want 7 apps to track deliveries.

 

[JasterMereel]

This is bad for me. I've been using this app for years.

 

[iamdmann]

It sucks when you think you've got a good solution and then the provider changes things up on you. Kind of like what happened with this app when it went subscription. I used to be able to change the icon. Now I can't. Minor gripe, I agree, but I purchased the app very very early on and did not appreciate how the change was handled.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Wait. Please correct me if I missed it.

What happens to the $4.99 yearly subscription fee?

 

[wallaby]

As much as I want to like Deliveries, the Shop app is just easier. Hook it up to Gmail, and you automatically get your notifications. No copying and pasting.

 

[Think|Different]

Have been a user, across all devices, for years — this “view online” thing just happened this last week with a FedEx package I mailed and I was puzzled. This explains it but…sucks.

 

[H3LL5P4WN]

As much as I want to like Deliveries, the Shop app is just easier. Hook it up to Gmail, and you automatically get your notifications. No copying and pasting.

Just requires you having a gmail. No thanks.

 

[H3LL5P4WN]

This is a shame. There aren’t enough swear emojis on this board to cover this unfortunate news.

 

[MysticCow]

I've used this for years, not sure how long but certainly feels like the early days of the iPhone.

It's annoying how generally we're moving to closed systems and exclusive solutions. I don't want 7 apps to track deliveries.

What they're going for is to choose one provider (UPS, FedEx, Amazon, etc) exclusively for ALL NEEDS and screw the rest of them.

You can see the same thing happening with entertainment. There isn't a universal Netflix/Hulu anymore that has all of your needs. OH NO! You now have to sign up for Paramount+, HBO Max, Discovery+, Disney+, Netflix, Hulu, etc and pay each of them a fee. You know, because they want the money rather than see a "one stop shop" gain a commission on their property.

Companies haven't wanted to share since at least 1999. I can peg it right there because that's when the long-running soap opera Another World was cancelled...because NBC and Proctor & Gamble both screamed "MINE MINE MINE MINE" and ruined it all with their little war over who really owns it (P&G outright owned it then and now btw).

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

Parcel is a better (and cheaper) app, anyway.

 

[bigtar]

This is a shame, but delivery partners are beginning to push their own ap

I've used this for years, not sure how long but certainly feels like the early days of the iPhone.

It's annoying how generally we're moving to closed systems and exclusive solutions. I don't want 7 apps to track deliveries.

Exactly. I've got enough things to worry about without having to look at 7 different apps to see where my stuff is.

 

[Rob__Mac]

Parcel is a better (and cheaper) app, anyway.

+1 on this. I found Deliveries was getting less and less useful a few years ago. Parcel seems to still be working just fine.

 

[cdarlington1]

Sounds similar to what developers will start saying once they get their own payment method, still have to pay apple, and the nightmare of running it all without a great backend system like Apple already has.

 

[TheOldChevy]

That's the difficulty when you try to make money based on data provided for free by someone else...

These apps are convenient but the business model is not robust.

 

[Juuro]

The strange thing for me with DHL is that on iOS most of the time the delivery date is displayed but in the Mac app I get for the same delivery the "view online" button. So the DHL API provides the data but not on iOS? Or does is it not allowed to show that information on desktop computers? Strange.

But in general very sad that these companies don't provide that data anymore. Here in Germany I get regularly delivery from many different deliveries, such as DHL, GLS, DPD, Hermes, UPS. So do I need at least five apps now to track my packages? And on the Mac? Should I have five bookmarks to the different websites. Not very customer friendly.

 

[revanmj]

This is a shame, but delivery partners are beginning to push their own apps.

I don't get it - they don't make much money directly from users (as most come from contracts with stores) and those apps most likely also won't make much money for them. Users also usually don't have a choice of a company which will deliver the package from the store and nobody likes having to install dozens of apps for the same thing, so this will only annoy people in the long term.

 

[macsplusmacs]

Parcel is a better (and cheaper) app, anyway.

Wouldn't Parcel run into the same issues eventually or do they have a different relationship with shippers?