[Announcement] Official OzBargain Mobile App Is Available on Google Play Store and Apple App Store

scotty on 29/04/2020 - 17:21
Last edited 29/10/2024 - 12:42

Update 2024

Unfortunately OzBargain app is no longer maintained. We are focusing on OzBargain on the browsers (Safari, Chrome, etc) to be the preferred way to use OzBargain on a mobile device.

I made a available for testing announcement earlier this month for the official OzBargain Mobile App. However that post was sharing the announcement with Dark Mode (which was also made available for all logged in users earlier today). So I think I should probably make a separate post for OzBargain Mobile App and related announcements.

The initial version was published on Google Play Store on 15 April, and it should be available for most Android phones. iPhone version is available on App Store on 7 July.

OzBargain on Google Play

OzBargain on the App Store

OzBargain on Google Play or App Store

Here's the simple description:

OzBargain is the most popular bargain hunting community in Australia where hundreds of deals are shared every single day. It is free for everyone to use, and everyone can sign up to share the bargains they found, discover & vote on new deals, and discuss the in's and out's of favourite deals.

With the official OzBargain app, you can

  • Browse the front page deals and new deals
  • Browse deals from different categories
  • Log into OzBargain for customised feed

The best way to use OzBargain on the mobile is still opening OzBargain website on a browser. However the app would be useful for those who insist using an app.

Change Logs

Android
  • 1.3.1: Fix app crash issue on starting up on Android 8. 20 May 2020
  • 1.3.0: Dark mode, open deal in browser, home page customisation 18 May 2020
  • 1.2.0: OzBargain notification support. 29 Apr 2020
  • 1.1.0: Competition listings. 19 Apr 2020
  • 1.0.0: Initial version, with deal listings, quick search, login, etc. 15 Apr 2020
iOS
  • 1.0: Initial version, which is built from the same source as 1.3 on Android. 7 July 2020
Site Discussion Android App

Comments

  • spackbace on 29/04/2020 - 17:23
    +3

    I never thought I'd see the day…!

    Cheers scotty I'll give it a go, but sounds like the mobile version of the site is still the best

    • scotty on 29/04/2020 - 17:25
      +2

      Right now the only advantage for the Android app is the notification, which is delivered via Firebase Cloud Messaging. All your OzB notifications will be delivered to your phone, whether your browser is opened to OzBargain or not. With a bit of delay though.

      However judging by the notification you'll be receiving it can get quite annoying.

      • spackbace on 29/04/2020 - 17:26
        -1

        Yeah I'll be glued to my phone, more-so than normal :P

      • sss333 on 29/04/2020 - 17:31

        With a bit of delay though.

        Didn't seem like much (any?) of a delay to me.

        • scotty on 29/04/2020 - 17:33
          +2

          I found if the app is cleared from the memory & the device's screen is off, it can sometimes take a few minutes.

      • [Deactivated] on 29/04/2020 - 18:37
        +1

        Right now the only advantage for the Android app is the notification,

        The main disadvantage is it is only about the deals:( Is there any plans to add the forum section later on?

        Edit: Looks like comp is in there too.

        • ashdays on 29/04/2020 - 18:57

          Ozbargain app with real time notifications. Yay! More time on Ozbargain

          Gotta chase them all bargains!

          Thanks Scotty

  • sss333 on 29/04/2020 - 17:24
    +1

    •1.2.0: OzBargain notification support. 29 Apr 2020

    This is enough reason to download it I guess.

  • WoodYouLikeSomeCash on 29/04/2020 - 17:34

    iOS version. It's pretty much done, however at the moment I'm not able to publish it, because (1) I need an iOS device

    You could upload it on TestFlight so we can test it for you?

    • scotty on 29/04/2020 - 17:52
      +3

      Can't even test the build let along giving the built ones to let the community testing it. Just the thought of paying Apple tax has already demotivated me, but I guess I just need to get over it.

  • MS Paint on 29/04/2020 - 17:38

    Browser in mobile is perfect but I'll give the app a crack.

    9.43mb, nice job.

  • CyberMurning on 29/04/2020 - 17:48

    "because (1) I need an iOS device,"
    oh sure you can afford one… or two :) no need the $2,500 one hahaha

  • Blue Cat on 29/04/2020 - 17:58
    +4

    at the moment I'm not able to publish it, because (1) I need an iOS device

    Based Scotty using budget Android phones like a real OzBargainer lol

  • Digitalco on 29/04/2020 - 18:10
    +2

    using the app right for the deals but where is the forums??

  • Colin2905 on 29/04/2020 - 18:25
    +7

    Does it notify you if you're within 1.5m of another OzBargain app user?

    • spackbace on 07/05/2020 - 11:20

      And swipe left or right? :P

  • PissLUR on 29/04/2020 - 18:29
    +1

    Thanks. Should have posted this as a deal.

    +

    • scotty on 29/04/2020 - 18:41
      +9

      Mods will move it to the forums saying that it's "always free".

      • ozhunter on 29/04/2020 - 19:20
        +1

        Pretty sure you could get them to make an exception. lol

  • donga100 on 29/04/2020 - 18:52
    +1

    Disappointed you just made it free from the beginning. Would have been better if you published it for an inflated RRP and then discounted it to free.

  • Clear on 29/04/2020 - 19:00
    +2

    Any secret easter eggs implemented? ;)

    • neo on 29/04/2020 - 19:05
      +7

      jv's comments don't appear on it

      • Clear on 29/04/2020 - 19:11
        +11

        That's a good selling point.

  • brendanm on 29/04/2020 - 19:57
    +1

    Dark mode is 👌 thanks Scotty.

  • WreckTangle on 29/04/2020 - 20:30

    Can’t wait to get my hands on the iOS app!

  • bhunter101 on 29/04/2020 - 20:51

    Can I get an apk please?

  • PissLUR on 29/04/2020 - 21:18

    I can't launch the app. Keeps crashing.

  • scotty on 18/05/2020 - 18:07
    +3

    Update 1.3.0 (18 May 2020)

    Published an update this afternoon with some new features:

    • Dark mode (change from Settings).
    • Customise home screen to be Hot deals or New deals. Requested here
    • Open deal in browser. When viewing an app, there should be an icon at top-right corner to open the same deal in the current browser (usually Chrome).

    There are also some bug fixes so replying to comments should work properly now.

    Currently there are ~800 installs, 6 have rated the app, 1x 5-star, 2x 4-star but 3x 1-star (all voted on 13 May from a Samsung Galaxy S9).

    Feel free to post up your reviews & feedbacks on either Google Play Store or here.

    • ashdays on 18/05/2020 - 18:17

      Thank you Scotty for the update. Much appreciated

    • PissLUR on 19/05/2020 - 20:30

      Still crashing. Unable to load the app at all. LG V20.

      • scotty on 19/05/2020 - 20:48

        Did you submit the crash report? I will take a look tomorrow.

        • PissLUR on 19/05/2020 - 20:53

          Sent.

      • scotty on 20/05/2020 - 17:22

        App has updated to 1.3.1 — please check whether this has fixed the issue.

        • PissLUR on 20/05/2020 - 17:26

          yes it works now. thanks for the update.

  • MS Paint on 21/05/2020 - 14:42

    What are the current usage stats versus browsers etc? What percentage of users do you think have transitioned to the app?

    • scotty on 21/05/2020 - 15:04
      +2

      Hardly anyone using the app. Less than 1,000 installs. Moreover I don't think it meant to be a transition — many people would be using both. The main benefit right now is the notification support — so for those who are on OzBargain a lot & want to rely on notifications should give it a try.

      • swanny246 on 30/07/2020 - 12:02

        I honestly only discovered there was an app as I was bored and scrolling through the forums, clicked on "Site Discussion" and scrolled down. It needs proper promoting! :)

  • MS Paint on 12/06/2020 - 14:13

    Does OzBargain have an app?

    No, our website is optimised for mobile use.

    You can add an OzBargain icon to your homescreen by loading up OzBargain in your browser on iOS or Chrome and then Add to Homescreen.

  • n1ck on 23/06/2020 - 18:06

    Any news on iOS release?

    • scotty on 23/06/2020 - 18:13

      Testing on it right now. Might try to publish it on App Store tomorrow, and then wait a week for Apple's approval…

      • n1ck on 23/06/2020 - 19:06

        Awesome, looking forward to it.

        • scotty on 01/07/2020 - 14:05
          +1

          Just an update. Apple has rejected the app for UI/UX reason. More things to be fixed before we submit for review again.

          Also I am taking out Google/Facebook signins for iOS app because we don't have Sign in with Apple.

  • Munnday on 01/07/2020 - 14:01
    +1

    Any chance of getting the forum added to the app? If I receive a forum notification it takes me to the post, but there isn't any direct access.

    If I action a notification though the browser, I still receive the delayed notification on the app. Can a check be made before the notification is sent to ensure it's still valid?

    • scotty on 01/07/2020 - 14:08
      +2

      The notification has already been sent (to Google Firebase) but somehow it takes a while sometimes to propagate to the device. Therefore it's not possible to cancel it.

  • sss333 on 05/07/2020 - 11:47

    On the app in new comps it still displays removed comps (duplicate, sockputting etc) but doesn't on the new deals page, not exactly a problem but not sure if that is intended.

    • scotty on 06/07/2020 - 10:05
      +1

      The listing came from the RSS feed, and looks like RSS includes nodes that have been unpublished. That's a bug on our end and should get fixed in the next rollout.

  • scotty on 07/07/2020 - 11:08
    +3

    Initial build has been approved by Apple. You can now down it on Apple's App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1519954248

    It should be similar to Android's version. However

    • A different notification library is used, which appears to have faster notifications. We'll be experimenting that on our Android build as well.
    • Log In does not open OzBargain in a web browser but inside a Safari webview.
    • Google / Facebook Sign in are disabled, as we are not able to provide Sign in with Apple.
    • forumninja on 14/07/2020 - 07:19
      +2

      Here's some feedback on the iOS app:

      • Inertial scrolling is different on the index page and on the deals page. It seems like the scrolling inertia on the index page matches Safari (and other native iOS apps inertia), but when you click into a deal on the Safari webview, the scrolling is quite clunky, resembling an Android device.
      • If you click on Accounts, then click on any links going out of the accounts page (e.g. recent activities), you can't get back to the accounts page unless you kill the app and restart.
      • Notifications coming directly to device is great! This will be the primary use of the app.

      Feature requests:

      • Forums!
      • Dark mode match iOS dark mode?
      • n1ck on 14/07/2020 - 10:04

        To enable notifications do I need to change my preferences to 'Web' rather than 'Email'?

        App is stable and working great. One piece of feedback from me is can we have the ability to share a page straight from the app without opening it in the browser?

      • swanny246 on 30/07/2020 - 12:01

        +1 for dark mode utilising the system setting, please!

    • jonno82 on 20/07/2020 - 19:16
      +2

      Another feedback on iOS app:
      - It would be good to have a "back" button from within a deal page to go back to where you were in the deals listing

      Loving the app so far

  • jace88 on 31/07/2020 - 09:48

    So is there any real benefit to using the app over the web version then?

    • scotty on 31/07/2020 - 09:50

      Other than notifications — nope.

      • jace88 on 31/07/2020 - 09:51

        Thanks for the clarification scotty!

    • brisdaz on 29/07/2021 - 10:16

      It may help discovery of the ozbargain community.

      Whether the cost to maintain it in time and resources outweigh the marketing benefits needs more time to evaluate.

      I don't have access to that information and it is probably commercial in confidence anyway.

      I have downloaded the app.

      • brisdaz on 20/07/2022 - 18:14

        By the way has anyone else found out they can't access Google Playstore app reviews on desktop without logging in? For other apps I can.

        And now even if you login you can't sort by other options such as most recent or relevant?

  • melbourne guy on 31/07/2020 - 19:48

    I’m using the iOS version.When I get a notification, I press it, it opens the app but takes me to the home page instead of the deal or comment some of the time. Could be a bug.

    • cazzamaphone on 11/07/2023 - 11:54

      I still have this problem too @scotty

  • ufoninja on 11/09/2020 - 14:46

    Can you please pull the price out of the deal and make at in the headline or above the image. You have to click on 2/3 of the deals just to see the price as it’s truncated in favour of the description. Or just don’t truncate the title.

    The mobile version of the website does not truncate to title so you see the price on every deal upfront.

    Thx (iPhone 7)

  • skido on 17/11/2020 - 11:26

    can we have the messaging (PM) feature implemented in the apps and the notification bell (like the one on the browser) that shows you the recent activity? I can see the app definitely be popular, but its missing some aspects of the browser version.

    There's also a bug when you click a notification, it doesnt take you to the deal page/comment. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. So for now, I'm mainly using the app purely for its notification popups (which works really well, thanks scotty) and the browser for all other things such as viewing deals and PM

  • forumninja on 29/11/2020 - 18:14

    I seem to have stopped getting iOS app notifications. I didn't notice when it broke, but I switched iOS devices recently.

    edit: I uninstalled and reinstalled the app, and it's back now.

  • YellowKnight on 11/01/2021 - 20:59
    -1

    On Android. How come I'm not getting any notifications.

    • Moderatorhamza23 on 11/01/2021 - 22:48

      My Account Menu > Settings > Subscriptions

      Direct link for your account

      Ensure you have turned on 'web' notification for all the notifications you want to receive via OzBargain and OzBargain App. Currently you only have email alerts on for most things.

  • Moderatorhamza23 on 15/03/2021 - 17:08

    15 March 2021- OzBargain App Notifications

    If anyone has stopped receiving notifications from the OzBargain iOS/Android app, likely within the past 6 days, clearing the user data or uninstalling and reinstalling the app will immediately fix the issue.

    As a general reminder, you will only receive notifications for sections you have selected 'web' for in the subscription tab of your settings.

  • Schumi5 on 01/09/2021 - 08:27

    Any updates as to whether the forums will be added to the app?

    • scotty on 01/09/2021 - 08:55

      At the moment there's no plan for the mobile app.

      You can however get a better OzBargain experience by running OzBargain inside your mobile browser. We are gradually adding PWA support so it would be more app-like (at least on Android).

      • Schumi5 on 01/09/2021 - 11:07
        +1

        Thanks Scotty.
        Has there been a recent issue or update maybe to Chrome or the site details?. When using Chrome on mobile up until today I was able to add the site to phones home screen. Today that option has gone and now displays ,"install app"

        https://ibb.co/dKG38XW

        • scotty on 01/09/2021 - 12:01

          "Install app" basically just opens OzBargain in a dedicated Chrome window. It is not using the OzBargain app from the Play Store.

          • Schumi5 on 01/09/2021 - 16:05
            +1

            @scotty: Is there a way to default it to New Deals rather than just the deals page.
            I'm on
            Ozbargain.com.au/deals
            Selecting install app.

            When I select the app icon it takes me to TODAY deals.

            • Qbagger on 01/09/2021 - 23:07

              @Schumi5: Having the same problem here. I want my chrome favourite link back so I can go straight to 'new deals'.

              Due to being forced to install the app, it now also adds an additional step when I browse the new deals section and want to open additional tabs in chrome for Android browser.

              • scotty on 02/09/2021 - 09:16

                @Qbagger: You can bookmark the New Deals page and access it via mobile browser's bookmark? The "Install app" was the result of adding some PWA features to OzBargain, and Chrome decided that OzBargain is now a web app (rather than just a web site).

                There are people who want a full functional app, and there are those who want website that you can bookmark any URL. We are moving towards PWA approach to allow this.

                • Qbagger on 02/09/2021 - 09:47

                  @scotty: Thanks for the quick reply.

                  As you say, the Chrome browser bookmark is unaffected, it's just that Android OS will no longer allow shortcuts to any specified ozbargain urls to your homescreen following this change yesterday.

                  Hence, my homescreen ozbargain shortcut now defaults to ozbargain.com.au and not ozbargain.com.au/deals (which would be my personal preference).

                  • Qbagger on 02/09/2021 - 09:49

                    @Qbagger: It also overrides my OS theme preference (Dark in my case) and forces a jarringly bright, thick orange header bar.

                    • scotty on 02/09/2021 - 11:34
                      +1

                      @Qbagger: In the next update we'll

                      • Only prompt to "Install app" on the OzBargain home page, and for other pages you should still be able to "Add to Home Screen" on Android.
                      • On installed PWA there will be short cuts to go to New Deals, Live, Comps or Forums

                      Probably sometime next week.

  • GeneralSkunk on 09/09/2021 - 07:50

    I just tried the iOS app, it looks pretty good, a bit more “modern”. I like dark mode but it seems like it needs some polishing as the images and text seem to be tuned for a white background.

    However the title of a lot of the deals are cut off and often misses the price or retailer. I find that not so good, can it be adjusted?

  • enjunuet on 09/09/2021 - 10:48

    Also just realised the app is available in Google Play. Well done Scotty and OzB Team. Have been waiting ages for it. So far looking great.
    Couple of suggestions/wishlist items:

    1. Main page - it would be great to also see the time stamp on the deals although I know it's pretty cramped.
    2. Main page - it would be great to be able to select number of rows of text for the description to either show more deals on the one page or less deals depending on what you prefer. My settings on the mobile web version shows 1.5 deals whilst the App version shows 3 and a bit deals. I would be happy to see more of the description and less deals, but others may be happhy with this.
    • enjunuet on 09/09/2021 - 18:35

      After using it a bit more, I think my comment above regarding the amount of Info being shown for each deal in the App is valid also for the title. Many deals have the price at the end and so they are not shown due to the limitation of 2 lines in the title. I think this may get a bit annoying after awhile if you constantly have to go into the deal to see the price. I have already gone back to the web browser version as minimising click through is more attractive to me than being able to see more deals on one page. My 2 cents worth.

  • bemybubble on 13/05/2022 - 08:03
    +2

    Found a bug in the app

    Now that you require email confirmation to login it means you cannot login to the app anymore

    • scotty on 13/05/2022 - 08:09
      +3

      Yes it's applicable to iOS only as Android uses the system default browser app for authorisation (rather than embedded browser).

      There are workarounds. You can login using Safari first, and then login again with username/password in the iOS app. As the new login would be from the same IP address, email confirmation wouldn't be needed. Attentively use 2FA token in your account so you aren't relying on emails.

      We don't be doing any more development on the app as it's just to restrictive. Use the website for best OzBargain experience.

      • bemybubble on 13/05/2022 - 08:13

        Thanks scotty. That worked a treat. Was more the push notifications I liked

      • itsfree on 17/05/2023 - 09:38

        We don't be doing any more development on the app

        Is this the same for the Android app? Because there's a bug with the Android app where tapping a notification opens the last viewed notification, rather than the actual notification tapped.

  • brisdaz on 19/07/2022 - 09:15

    What's the difference between browser push notification for the mobile web version and the Android push notification for app version? Is it more granular or faster?

    • scotty on 21/07/2022 - 09:23

      It's the same backend pushing to different front end. So both will get the same notification, however

      • OzBargain App uses Firebase Cloud Messaging and OzBargain pushes notifications to FCM. So you'll still receive notifications when app is not running in foreground. However lags from FCM can be indeterministic, and every now and then we also get "500 internal error" from sending requests to FCM, and we won't retry those so those notifications won't be sent.

      • Mobile web version is exactly the same as desktop web version, where notifications are received via a service worker script. The script disconnects from OzBargain a few seconds after the last tab is closed, so you won't receive notifications when your mobile browser is not running.

      • brisdaz on 21/07/2022 - 09:26

        Hahahah my mobile browser open tabs isn't as bad as desktop/laptop but I still have up to ten tabs always open on mobile browser. So I should be fine to always receive notifications?

        Thanks for the detail.

  • capslock janitor on 07/06/2023 - 16:27

    Can we customize push notfs? i.e. Pvt Messages; Replies etc.

  • Benzy on 08/06/2023 - 15:59

    When I click on the "get it on Google Play" link, i get a message on Google Play "This app isn't available on your device as it was made for older version of an Android"

    Currently have galaxy S23 ultra, running on One UI 5.1.

    Is there any fix?

  • damz on 02/07/2023 - 15:24

    hi @scotty

    Hi scotty. Great app and I have been using it for a while now on apple phone. Thanks for that.
    Off late I have been unable to use google mail auth to login into this app via the app. No problem via browser though.
    Do you think this can be fixed in an update?

  • internet-stranger on 23/07/2023 - 07:45
    +1

    I mainly use the app for notifications. Has anyone stopped getting notifications in the last few days?

    Edit: iOS version.

  • davidinho on 04/02/2024 - 16:49

    App doesn't work on pixel 8 at all

    • internet-stranger on 04/02/2024 - 16:55

      Just so you know, ozbargian has been DDoS the last few hours. Not even the site has been working.

      • davidinho on 06/02/2024 - 01:37

        yeah i know that, but the app has never worked on my p8

        • Utsav23 on 18/05/2024 - 13:01

          Yeah. I'm unable to find Ozbargain app on my Pixel 8a. It was working on Pixel 7 ;(

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