Gocycle app v9.1 incomplete

[Paul Wrighton]

I'm hoping this will help other gocycle owners.

If you follow the instructions to "upgrade" to the v9.1 of the app you are going to find you have lost the dashboard and will not be putting your phone on the bars anytime soon.

Somehow there is absolutely no mention I can find of it anywhere on the web, the gocycle support is notably silent.

I wasted more than an hour trying to resolve something that's actually just broken. Thanks gocycle, you could have warned us!

 

[jamesporritt]

You get what you pay for.

 

[Paul Wrighton]

Sort of my point, given gocycle is pretty much the most expensive ebike out there! I'd hoped for better with an app update

 

[jamesporritt]

What functionality has changed?

 

[Paul Wrighton]

The major change is that the complete absence of any heads up display. It used to show your speed, gear, power level, trip distance etc etc. but now there is no such display, so all you get is the odometer, power mode, lights far as I recollect that's it.

My dealership say they released it unfinished.

But they could at least have told us the score.

Anyone with the old app,I'd advise you against upgrading!

 

[EvAndyB]

As others have said the new app is really bad... do not install it.

The latest firmware upgrade that came with it is also giving us (two GoCycle G4i+, one on Google Pixel 6 Pro, the other on iPhone 14 pro) a huge pile of trouble.
Since the firmware upgrade we cannot turn the lights on/off from the gocycle grip any-more, only from the app. Twistgrip now just works the front driving light. Other lights (headlight and rear light) default to what claims to be auto but they just seem to be ON all the time. You can turn them off in the app (if you can connect) but they do not remember so they go back to the old default (auto-always-on) the next time you power-on.
Most of the time the new app fails to connect. Sometimes it claim to connect but des not... and then all the phone controls just do nothing. Other time you find the connect button is just completely unresponsive and you have to force-close the app and power-cycle the gocycle and then try again. And if you leave the gocycle and return then the still-open app does not work any more and you have to force-close it and try again and then just sometimes it will connect.
All very frustrating, especially since the lighting control in the new firmware forces you to use the app.

Rapidly losing patience with this. The previous app was really quite bad before but the new v9 is making the whole gocycle experience bad enough that if I had just bought it I would return the whole package :-(

Missing features from v9: no dashboard, no trip data, no longer able to see power delivery graphs for standard modes. Oh, and I swear that power-assistance calibration is now completely messed up... I now find motor-assist kicking in when I would not expect it. Even if I set a custom mode to not assist until 300W of pedal power the motor continually cuts in and out on minimum assist all the time where it used to remain off. I used to be able to ride miles without motor and only have it come on for the steep hills but lately the only way I can get the motor to remain off in normal riding is "demand" (ie. twistgrip only) mode.

It's been many weeks now and all the app reviews are terrible but no fixes and complete silence from Gocycle.

 

[guerney]

This is horrendous, also dangerous. Will Gocycle pay damages if after it gets dark, you can't switch on the headlight and rear light because your phone has run out of battery, and you get crushed by a lorry?

If the app works better with new Gocycles, perhaps it's a hint you haven't spent through the nose enough?

Reminds me of when Kobo killed my previously excellent eReader with a firmware update, and when Sonos killed their old speakers via firmware, becase they wanted users to buy new speakers. My Xiaomi security camera wouldn't start working until a firmware update, after which it became a brick. I regard any ebike which relies on an app to function, with absolute mistrust.

Bluetooth connections with devices from phones can be flaky. It's the same story with bluetooth printers even the expensive ones. It's best to close the app (not just send to background or minimise), turn bluetooth off, turn the phone off, turn the bike/device off... then turn on the bike/device, turn on the phone, turn on bluetooth, then load the app and attempt to connect.

 

[EvAndyB]

I know what you mean... the way the modern world "works". I see it all over with other cheap devices.
But this is a current (1 year old) latest (and highest spec, £6000 G4i+ ) Gocycle.

The hardware engineering is impressive. They just have no clue how to do software/firmware... or actually much more likely they have no clue how to quality-control software being done by others.
It is so common that hardware companies can't do software and vice-versa.
They need to bring it in-house but presumably have no clue how.

It would not be so bad if it did not depend so much on the app. Up until latest version you could at least set one semi-permanent assistance level and then just ignore the app. Now you have to use it every time.

 

[Nealh]

One good reason not to buy any app applied EAPC , digital connections and updates are unreliable .

 

[guerney]

I prefer old phones. I hate the new ones. Newer phones disable "Unnecessary" network functions of apps to save battery life, enable a thinner profile, lower weight and production cost etc... therefore unless an app is kept on top at all times (depending on the phone's chipset, even that might not work to keep data connection alive - it's best to keep it plugged into a charger via USB too, and the screen switched on at all times), the app waits for network connection after having been sent behind another app such as email or Friendface or Snapfart, and it may not resume proper functioning when back on top, because it requires data communication with a remote server, not just communication with the device via bluetooth. I'd never buy an ebike which relies on an app in order to function. I won't buy a DJI Osmo 3/4 action camera for the same reason - unless DJI's action cameras are irresistibly compelling because of marvellously epic low light performance for night cycle riding, I'll stick with my GoPro Hero 7 Black, which works as an action camera without requiring online activation. Once they disable the remote activation server, DJI Osmo action cameras are trash. Same as happened with my Kobo eReader. Haven't stabbed through it's battery to give it a Viking funeral yet.

I know what you mean... the way the modern world "works". I see it all over with other cheap devices.
But this is a current (1 year old) latest (and highest spec, £6000 G4i+ ) Gocycle.

Is it an app for future GoCycles? Perhaps release of the new version of the app is on time, and the G5j++²² it's designed for, is running behind schedule? A year is a long time in marketing. Keep your wallet handy.

 

[Paul Wrighton]

Today I initially had a lot of trouble pairing my phone. Then it prompted for a firmware update which I applied.

Afterwards when I went into the app and selected "rides" I was prompted to turn my phone sideways, lo and behold there's a heads up display.

It's clear enough, shows time, speed, battery, trip miles, gear, lights, and DRL. You have to go back to the bike screen to choose riding mode though.

/edit turns out although there is this display when you put your phone on the bars and ride nothing is updated, the heads up display is still broken.
What is more in the firmware update they have linked with your GPS and will no lo get permit the selection of USA speed limits, so its 15.5 mph whether you like it or not.

 

[Az.]

Can you repair your bike?

 

[saneagle]

Can you repair your bike?

I repaired one. I had to replace a faulty gear shift servo. Gocycle were really helpful with providing parts and instructions.

 

[Paul Wrighton]

Thiks is funny, at least to me.

I hacked my phone to Alabama, for the USA law to apply to my GoCycle (Ssshhhh dont tell them!)

Had a helluva time getting bike to connect, but that's not the point...

Yesterday I receive an amber warning for heat on my phone notification....

scratches head - its cloudy outside

Then I twig, its a heat warning for Birmingham, Alabama, USA!!!

Downside to the hack weather app is busted!

 

[guerney]

There's a chance I'm in a minority of one here... But I'm hoping another Gocycle owner will come across this post and come to my aid. BTW that needs to be owner of a G4(any flavour) and running the latest version of the Gocycle app (gocycle connect v9.4).

You can read all about the back story to this here if you're interested.

I have reached a point where the retailer I bought the bike from have referred me to Gocycle central for my issues. Gocycle central have basically told me to do all the things I have already done to fix my problem. I'm a firm believer Einstein was right when he said it's the definition of idiocy to repeat the same actions and expect different results.

So I am reluctant to follow their instructions, at least not right away.

What I'd like to find out is whether any other Gocycle owner is able to run the app on their bike, select "rides", place phone in landscape mode (displays the heads up dashboard) and then ride the bike and have the display work as intended, showing speed, gear, power, battery etc.?

Genuine request, I am going to ask the bike shop too, but they may be fed up with me and I wanted to ask fellow pedelec people first.

I'd wonder what would happen if I uninstalled the new GoCycle app, and sideloaded the previous version - would it refuse to function until it was updated? Or would the old version of the app work as before, possibly with nag screens? Bear in mind horrible things can happen to your phone, if the downloaded and sideloaded app contains malware.

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[Paul Wrighton]

HMMmmm..... I have wondered about this, but not gone down the path of trying to do it. I know I would be prompted for the firmware update and I suspect after a certain grace period the app would become unresponsive without updating firmware. This would leave me worse off than I am now, and this is why I haven't tried it.

Something I haven't said is that the new version of the app is a better, cleaner, design. The only trouble is a big slice of it is not working.

Over here is my latest try at finding out if I have any hope of getting this to work properly,

 

[guerney]

HMMmmm..... I have wondered about this, but not gone down the path of trying to do it. I know I would be prompted for the firmware update and I suspect after a certain grace period the app would become unresponsive without updating firmware. This would leave me worse off than I am now, and this is why I haven't tried it.

Is the app applying software updates to the app, or firmware updates to the bike, or both? If only the new GoCycle app has been "upgraded" with unfunctionality, and no bike firmware has been updated: if the old sideloaded version of the app does become unresponsive, perhaps you'd need to uninstall/reinstall the old version of the app whenever necessary? If bike firmware has been updated, here potentially be dragons as they say... on the other hand it would have been foolish of GoCycle to not test this scenario of old app being used with new bike firmware, if indeed bike firmware has definitely been updated. Perhaps GoCycle has been foolish, and you shouldn't try the old version of the app? You don't want your bike transformed into a bike shaped brick/StopCycle; does seem highly likely out of warranty GoCycle repair would be expensive. If bricked, perhaps GoCycle would declare it dead and leave it at that?

Sideloading the old app must have occurred to other GoCycle owners. If you wanted to try this, perhaps waiting for someone else to do it on their phone and bike, and reporting a positive result, is the best course of action.

I don't use Friendface, can't see the comments, but there do appear to exist at least two GoCycle groups:

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GoCycle have doubtless been assailed by apoplectic bike owners. Replacing missing features to the new app/bike combo must surely be in the offing.

 

[Paul Wrighton]

Hi there, yes it's app and firmware, so I'm on the alert for dragons.

I'm allergic to friendface.

My bikes relatively new and gocycle have already had it back to factory for an issue with the lights... They're actually very good around warranty, I've had many things fixed on my previous gocycle G3+ by the dealership at no charge.

I think they care a lot about their reputation....

I have a query in with the dealer if this works on their bikes.... Will keep the thread updated

 

[guerney]

Hi there, yes it's app and firmware, so I'm on the alert for dragons.

Many people own and operate electronic equipment using multiple phones and tablets, it'd be utterly stupid of GoCycle to not antinipate one of the owners of their ebikes to dust off an old phone running the old app to connect to new bike firmware. If the new firmware version isn't recognised by the old app because of inadequate futureproofing, I guess firmware response(s) to old app commands could spawn dragons bellowing magic brickmaking gusts.

I'm allergic to friendface.

If I was a genuine psychopath (instead of internet diagnosed by amateurs) and I owned a GoCycle, I'd join those groups to manipulate at least two other owners to sideload the old app - then proceed to do the same to mine if their bikes don't become bricked. Of course my conscience would rest easy owing to it's absence.

 

[neu]

Many people own and operate electronic equipment using multiple phones and tablets, it'd be utterly stupid of GoCycle to not antinipate one of the owners of their ebikes to dust off an old phone running the old app to connect to new bike firmware.

Thanks for your posts on this.

I'm a G4 owner who's being doing this until today when I foolishly updated the app following a service. I tried to connect to remove the service alert beeps but had trouble connecting to the bike, so I stupidly updated the app which is so bad. At first it saw the bike, but would not pair, now it won't even let me sign in. I've learned from this thread that even I'll be stuck in EU mode too which is a joke.

I found this method to reset the controller in EU or USA mode without the app. Does this method apply to the G4? sn4pnt1_green_resetting_controller (just noticed the date in the url ‍)

I think I'll get connected with/without gocycle's help and then sideload the apk as you suggest.

Is the app applying software updates to the app, or firmware updates to the bike, or both? If only the new GoCycle app has been "upgraded" with unfunctionality, and no bike firmware has been updated: if the old sideloaded version of the app does become unresponsive, perhaps you'd need to uninstall/reinstall the old version of the app whenever necessary? If bike firmware has been updated, here potentially be dragons as they say... on the other hand it would have been foolish of GoCycle to not test this scenario of old app being used with new bike firmware, if indeed bike firmware has definitely been updated.

The old app both applies updates to itself and prompts you to update the firmware to the bike seperately. I'm hoping that by reverting to an old app version I can continue to use the bike as I have done for 2 years without a 15mph limit.