Message Center can't be turned off [Improved in 5.4 update]
Please provide a means to turn the message center off. Thanks.
AgileBits Update:
We have made changes to the Message Center to address the concerns in this thread. See Jeff's post below to see the changes we've made in 5.4 based on your feedback. It has been submitted to Apple for review and will be available once approved.
Comments
-
Seriously, why in the world would there not be an option to turn this off? Please, let us turn this off. Completely.
0 -
Hey @thismarty,
Would you mind filling me in on why you'd want to turn it off?
In either case, we appreciate the suggestion. :)
Ben
0 -
Hi, I want to turn it off, or at least limit it to high importance messages, because I already get enough little red notification badges. I paid Agilebits nearly $50 for the app. I don't need to see a badge that leads to a message prompting me to sign up for your newsletter. I get too many of those too. The hands-off, just does its job well quality of 1password is what makes it so nice to use. Message Center is an immediate and unnecessary distraction to that.
0 -
PLEASE PLEASE remove this anoying spam NOT SO AMAZING feature!
I paid for an app without spam and publicity! what ever happened to you guys to think this was a good idea!?
1 star review on itunes until this is removed or atleast GIVE US AN OPTION TO TURN THIS ANOYING SPAM FEATURE OFF! thank you. still amazed that someone thought this would be ok with your users! and to add insult to injury. NO OPTION TO TURN IT OFF
Maybe we should invoice you guys for time lost trying to find the off button! Agilebits has really gone down in my opnions on this one!
0 -
Thanks for the feedback, folks. Simply opening the messages should mark them as 'read' and remove the badge. I'll be happy to pass your feedback along to our developers though.
0 -
Simply opening them still involves them showing up in the first place and us having to look at them. What's next, sponsored messages? Simply open the messages to get rid of the badge, simply put in any new content into the new and unnecessary line that has been added at the bottom of the new password form or you can't set up the new password. Agilebits seems to want to start adding new features that make its services harder to use, rather than easier, without any benefit to the user. I don't get it.
0 -
Hi @ianryan,
What's next, sponsored messages
No.
Simply opening them still involves them showing up in the first place and us having to look at them
I understand your point. We, of course, feel we're only putting valuable information there, but you may disagree. We have an improvement request filed to add a 'mark all as read' button to the message center so that you do not have to open the messages at all to clear the badge.
ref: OPI-2409
We also have a request filed to sync the read/unread status across devices, so that this will not have to be repeated on each device.
ref: OPI-2438
Agilebits seems to want to start adding new features that make its services harder to use, rather than easier, without any benefit to the user.
I'm not sure I understand how this makes anything more difficult to use. Because there is a badge until you've read the message?
The benefit is we can get important notifications out more easily.
Thanks.
Ben
0 -
I'd rather see the entire Message Center removed from the app. It serves no purpose at all compared to the already available resources (forum, knowledgebase, twitter, facebook, etc.) to get help and be informed about things. What it does do is suddenly connect an app that was first completely offline to the internet because that's the only way you can push the messages to the Message Center in the app. That means there suddenly is an attack vector that not used to be there at all. From a security point of view this app suddenly became unusable to those that do not wish the app to be connected to any cloud service.
The communication concerning what Message Center is, what it does and how this affects things like security is completely lacking. It would greatly help if AgileBits explained these things.
0 -
What it does do is suddenly connect an app that was first completely offline to the internet because that's the only way you can push the messages to the Message Center in the app
This would be an excellent point, if it were the case. But it isn't, actually. We have the messages bundled within the app. They are not retrieved from the internet. :)
Thanks!
Ben
0 -
That doesn't sound convincing at all. It would help greatly if you guys actually explained the mechanism. Or better put: how do you guys push out the messages to all the clients and how do those clients receive the messages?
0 -
@poof: No convincing intended; just a clarification. :+1:
I'm sorry that some of you find the new Message Center intrusive. While we have heard from a number of customers that they like this feature (after all, not everyone frequents forums!), we appreciate that not everyone feels the same way. So having an option to turn off the (in-app, rather than system-level) badge is something we may add. Thanks again for the feedback! :)
0 -
To add:
Or better put: how do you guys push out the messages to all the clients and how do those clients receive the messages?
We don't push out messages. The contents of the message are actually included within the app itself. They aren't pushed or pulled from/to anywhere. They are no different in that regard than any other interface element in the app. When you download the app from the iTunes App Store, it comes with the messages.
As such, it would be impossible for you to ever see any messages other than the ones you already see in v5.3. The only way to see different / additional messages would be for us to push out an updated version of 1Password that includes different / updated messages.
I hope that helps clarify.
0 -
I'd like a way to delete read messages as well. Also, I don't like having to see the same content on all my devices. If you can sync account data surely you can do the same for the messages?
0 -
I am a fan of your company and your product. I understand how a feature like this could be useful. For emergencies like Heartbleed, for example.
However, diverting my attention from my intended task with a badge - at least for the purposes of a message like "please sign up for our newsletter" undermines that trust significantly.
I should be able to determine what gets my attention - and your commercial interest in advertising to me is not at all on that list.
Please add me to the feature request for the ability to disable the badge. I will choose when and if I choose to read the messages you send.
0 -
I am a fan of your company and your product. I understand how a feature like this could be useful. For emergencies like Heartbleed, for example.
@DrDvorak: Absolutely! I agree, and we appreciate the feedback.
However, diverting my attention from my intended task with a badge - at least for the purposes of a message like "please sign up for our newsletter" undermines that trust significantly.
The intent isn't to be intrusive, and while not everyone perceives it that way I understand where you're coming from.
I should be able to determine what gets my attention - and your commercial interest in advertising to me is not at all on that list.
Agreed. To be clear, Message Center is not advertising or trying to sell you anything, but we're looking at all the feedback and evaluating ways to make it less intrusive without throwing it away entirely and giving up the benefits it can have for many of our customers. Thanks for your thoughtful (and fair) assessment. :+1:
0 -
How can we delete messages once they have been read? Please create a way to turn the Messaging center off.
0 -
if there will be added important messages ,tips ,user guide etc i have no problem at all . for those who don't like it an On/Off button can fix the problem.
0 -
Here is another vote for the removal of Message Center or the option to disable it via Advanced Settings. Focus please. Thank you.
0 -
For the latecomers, we are looking into adding a few options in the future, as is mentioned earlier in the thread. This includes cosmetic changes (the red badge), the ability to mark all as read or delete the messages, turn off Message Center, etc.
While I can't say if or when any particular change might be made, this is something we are discussing internally based on customer feedback and our own experiences. Thanks again for all the suggestions! :)
0 -
For about 8 years, AgileBits has been a company whose philosophy I have admired and whose products I have recommended to every computer user in my life. There have been hiccups along the way, but the company has never done anything I strongly disagreed with. Until today.
I came here to the forums because I was horrified to discover this spam delivery system which cannot be turned off - my instant reaction when I saw the distracting red badge and the trivial nature of the messages, was to go find the Off buton.
I figured I must be missing something obvious - there was no way, no way in Hell that an honorable company like AgileBits would pull a scummy, spammy move like that - and decided to come to forum, where there would surely be other users with the same problem.
I was shocked to discover this thread, in which every single user, even the polite ones, has expressed their dislike of the "feature", while both AgileBits employees present brushed off the complaints, expressing confusion about why anyone would have a problem with it and surprise at the idea of an option to turn it off.
What this tells me is that AgileBits have now moved beyond the user-centric company they used to be. This "feature" could never have emerged if there was still even one person in the company who had the ability to see things from the users' perspective. I have seen this happen to other companies, as success wears away the original ethos, and it is always a slippery slope. I am so disappointed to see this happen to AgileBits.
1Password has enjoyed massive success over the past few years, the financials clearly put you in a different category from the vast majority of your users, but if you care at all about what made your company special in the first place, please stand in front of a mirror and ask yourself whether you really want to keep putting yourself in the position of having to trot out completely ridiculous and obviously bogus justifications such as:
.. we have heard from a number of customers that they like this feature (after all, not everyone frequents forums!) ...
Yeah, sure. For some reason none of the users who love getting spammed made it to forums - pathetic, pathetic, pathetic.
0 -
I'd like to thank everyone for their thoughts and feedback. I'll be honest, it caught us a bit offguard that so many people were upset with the Message Center but clearly we have failed in a couple of ways.
The Message Center was, and still is, intended for educational messages that will help users more easily understand how to use 1Password and some of the advanced features. Herein lies our first failure, as it is hard to argue we will only use it for educational purposes when one of our first three messages is a newsletter signup. While our newsletter itself is designed to provide useful information to our customers, we do send updates on sales and other specials as well, so it's not just education.
Our second failure was not providing a way to opt out of the Message Center, or more specifically, not provide a way to turn off the badging so these messages could be ignored by power users such as yourselves.
We have always been proud of the fact that 1Password is an app that makes your lives more convenient as well as more secure. The addition of the Message Center, however well-intentioned we planned it to be, has meant that some of you now have more work to do to read the messages and de-badge the icon.
So... what are we going to do to?
1Password 5.4 will have two changes to the Message Center. First we will have a switch in the Message Center allowing you to turn on/off the Settings badges as new messages appear. Secondly we will add a Mark as Read button to the top of the messages list.
I believe that the Message Center is a valuable way to receive 1Password news, tips and tricks. I hope these additional changes will allow you to read these messages if and when you choose, without getting in your way or adding additional work.
We are going to submit 5.4 today to the App Store with these changes (along with some other awesomeness we're not allowed to talk about just yet:) and we hope Apple approves it quickly.
0 -
still no update in itunes yet?
0 -
Apple's approval process is entirely outside AgileBits' control. Once Apple has approved the update you will see it as available. It is, of course, Easter—so I'm guessing the process may take a little longer than usual.
Stephen
0 -
@bwoodruff: thanks that clarifies things some more but could you at least at that description to the release notes as well? Should prevent people getting the wrong idea about what Message Center is.
I still don't get Message Center. It only seems to be for people who don't visit the website and read the manual. Seems like a very small audience. What's the vision behind Message Center? Maybe @Jeff Shiner could elaborate on what makes him find Message Center useful ;)
@iphone6: when a developer submits an "emergency" fix it usually takes at least 3 days before it is published in the app store. Submitting an update overall takes at least a week. Add to this that this is weekend is Easter as well so I'm guessing it might be at the end of next week when we see the update. We'll have to be patient.
0 -
@iphone6: Seems that way. It was just submitted yesterday after we finished making changes to Message Center (among other things), and it generally takes at least 24 hours. :p
I don't know offhand if approvals happen on Sundays in general, but I know the App Store staff get pretty good-sized vacations for many holidays. App Store approval times have fluctuated greatly over the years, so one never knows.
@poof: We are always trying to come up with new ways to interact with our customers. Granted, not all are met with universal approval! In the case of Message Center, we have some specific uses in mind for it that we aren't quite ready to reveal yet, but rest assured that it doesn't involve asking for money or telling you to check out our other apps for 'coins' or a chance at prizes. ;)
But the main idea behind Message Center is that some customers want information like tips or updates without having to go to the blog or forums. I myself am comfortable around forums, but it isn't everyone's cup o' tea! For many, it is more agreeable to not have to seek out information, so we just have to strike the right balance with Message Center going forward to make sure it is useful but not intrusive. :)
0 -
Regarding how long it takes for Apple to approve updates, the Average App Store Review Time is currently standing at 8 days. Often it can take longer, and with it being the Easter long weekend, I suspect we won't be approved this week.
0
