Formula 1 Management’s new version of the official F1 App has provoked complaints from fans over changes to the live timing screens.
A new “major release” of the app, version 11, was made available on Wednesday. According to FOM it features a “redesigned live timing experience with smarter telemetry data and easier-to-use driver tracker”.However some fans who have downloaded it have complained they are no longer able to see all 20 drivers at once on the live timing page.
A series of one-star reviews of the app on Google Play included complaints the app has been “dumbed down”. The official F1 help channel on Twitter has fielded complaints from angry users demanding refunds.
“We’ve done some changes to the App Live timing section,” it confirmed in one Tweet. “It was changed to showing only seven drivers at a time.”
The new version of the app appears to show up to 10 drivers at once depending on the device being used:
The previous version of the app allowed all 20 drivers to be viewed at once:
According to FOM the latest version of the app also features a new race hub, new video hub, expanded driver and team biographies and improved push notifications.
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Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
7th September 2018, 11:03
Goes to show that whoever is in charge isn’t a Motorsport fan.
Surely there must be a way, as it was better before…
altitude2k
7th September 2018, 11:13
I can see how the previous timing screen may be overwhelming for the casual or new fan, but for anyone else it’s exactly the information you want.
So why not have both options?
Pär
14th September 2018, 16:36
Yes! Exactly!!!
Tom Brindley
15th September 2018, 14:44
Totally agree. Bring back my wall.
vjanik (@vjanik)
7th September 2018, 11:31
Again, Liberty messing around with things that work. All we’ve seen from them so far is spending money on useless marketing exercises like new theme music, redesigning the website and apps, adding useless sounds to the broadcast. What a waste of money that could have been used as part of the prize fund for teams, or make tickets cheaper, etc.
I predict that the next thing that they will do is change the qualifying format (the one thing that is working and does not need changing). And that we will still have DRS, the same engines, no budget cap, and Pirelli in 2021.
Jere (@jerejj)
7th September 2018, 11:37
@vjanik I agree with you in principle although some of the things you brought up are the responsibility of the governing body FIA rather than the commercial rights holders (technical regulations including engines, DRS, etc.)
Dieter Rencken (@dieterrencken)
7th September 2018, 12:51
@Jere: the FIA and Liberty each have the same input into the regulatory process – six votes each in the Strategy Group and one each on the F1 Commission. The FIA World Motorsport Council only has the power to accept or reject regulations changes, not amend them.
On the tyre ended front, the FIA qualifies the bidders, and Liberty makes the final decision on commercial criteria.
All this was covered in my previous columns.
maiagus
7th September 2018, 13:12
F1 new motto: if it isn’t broke, break it and don’t fix it.
skylab (@skylab)
7th September 2018, 13:15
@moctecus
Perfectly put. They’ve also screwed up the detailed map & driver tracker to something simple & now not fit for purpose.
moctecus (@moctecus)
7th September 2018, 11:38
With this update I get the feeling the people behind it didn’t understand how and why people use a live timing app.
A live timing app allows to get a deeper insight into what’s happening on track at a glance to supplement the TV broadcast.
To achieve that it needs to have a high information density, split up data logically and neatly into different pages, and have a non-distracting and eye-friendly design.
The updated app achieves non of that.
To create a sleeker look information density and the amount of information in general was reduced considerably and the white and bright red elements are anything but non-distracting and eye-friendly. There’s a reason the old timing app and the timing applications used by the teams look and are laid out the way they are. And it has nothing to do with aesthetics.
It appears FOM just tried to tie the timing application into their new design language with no consideration given to functionality. It’s yet another example of FOM prioritising style over substance in areas where it’s highly inappropriate. The timing app is a product for hardcore F1 fans who want more data and information than could reasonably be displayed in a TV broadcast. This dumbed down version is absolutely unacceptable and not what I paid for. If the app isn’t fixed very soon I guess I’ll have to cancel my subscription after 5 years of paying for F1 Live Timing.
(This is a copy-and-paste from what I wrote in their F1 Fan Voice feedback forum.)
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
7th September 2018, 11:49
I agree totally – and I cancelled mine last June. Now that it looks like they are messing up the features I liked it for so I kind of feel vindicated … still miss some of the data during the races though :(
Phylyp (@phylyp)
7th September 2018, 12:20
+1 moctecus
Take any motorsport fan, get him drunk, then beat him on the head, and even in that state he’d say this – the need for quick access to timing screens, sector breakdowns, etc. Data, data, data.
I cannot understand how FOGs focus groups get this wrong – fine, dumb down the broadcast overlays based on your target audience and ignore our moaning and complaints, but I’ll be shocked if that same target audience are going to go to the app as well.
In fact, I’d go so far as to say that FOG should keep the current app in its current state for the motorsport nerds, but create a separate app to target the wider audience they’d like to cater to (or do that in the F1 TV app). And there they can go for form over function, pretty graphics and fonts, etc.
Peter
8th September 2018, 6:00
Not even sure how you paid for the live timing app for 5 years straight, it was a rip-off and typical Bernie. Not to mention it was always buggy.
I remember when live timing was free on formula1.com, with all live timing for all drivers per sector before Bernie went and monetized it.
It’s moves like what Bernie did and now this that drives fans away. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
Wayne
7th September 2018, 12:03
I used that app the old version, only problem was i started watching d sector times on the app more than the action on the tv lol. Sadly i stopped using…
Phylyp (@phylyp)
7th September 2018, 12:12
You motorsport fan, you… :-)
bosyber (@bosyber)
7th September 2018, 12:48
That’s the reason I put my phone down usually – only in moments when I can tear my eyes off the screen will I be watching the live timing. Still, with this new app I probably won’t be watching it as much @phylyp, @wayne; the f1tv app works well on my phone (used it for quali last weekend while in fitness centre), glad last weekend I didn’t have an updated F1 timing app!
Phylyp (@phylyp)
7th September 2018, 12:16
Seven drivers are all that matter. Hamilton, Vettel, Alonso, Ricciardo, Verstappen, that boyish Sauber driver (who can drive), and one token placeholder for the viewer’s country of choice. All the others are just there making up the numbers, so I don’t get what the complaints are all about.
Also, yes, the app looks more streamlined with lesser data on it, but look, we now use the same font that is used for trackside signage and TV broadcast overlays. Isn’t that worth giving up some meaningless clutter of letters and digits?
Honestly, are we trying to convey information or make things look pretty?
/s <- a big fat /s, in case the lines above weren't dripping with it.
skinner
7th September 2018, 12:28
This Update / Redesign wasn’t done by professionals.
– catering to the customer >> clear ignorance of requirements by the users
– no testing for basic device compatibility
– possibly usage of crossdevice / repackaged webapp frameworks >> sluggish, bad UX
– no code review >> i still have staging-links in there. srsly?
I REALLY want to know which agency did this :-D
Phylyp (@phylyp)
7th September 2018, 12:35
Welcome to the software development principles of this decade – where we run perpetual beta code in live environments! Get with the programme ;-)
skinner
7th September 2018, 14:04
Nope. Can’t do that. Getting ulcers from it :-D
Phylyp (@phylyp)
7th September 2018, 14:15
That’s yet another undocumented feature!
Phylyp (@phylyp)
7th September 2018, 14:19
Not the comment for a motorsport forum… but this grinds my gears (oh hey, there’s an automotive reference) – instead of writing 1000 lines of functionality, let’s just chuck in a great big honking framework like Atom or Electron. Who cares if we just use a fraction of the functionality offered, as long as it makes my job easier. If anything, the creators of those frameworks ought to be shot for using the names of such lightweight particles for such clunky frameworks.
BobF1
7th September 2018, 15:26
Probably developed by TCS as their tech partner!
Given my experiences with them they charged £1m and hired a cheap grad on work experience to build it.
spoutnik (@spoutnik)
7th September 2018, 18:45
… and have 6 months of delay at least, most probably a full year (or two), then paying fees for failing its SLA and collapse. I can relate.
Chaitanya
7th September 2018, 12:58
I havent used the F1 app for android in ages, much prefer to use their live timing on website.
W-K (@w-k)
7th September 2018, 21:36
Same for me.
Tristan (@skipgamer)
7th September 2018, 14:10
Let’s be honest, if you’re using the official live timing as you watch a race you’re doing it wrong. It doesn’t take much googling to find a reliable live timing source that has been running for years that gives a live map view, live timing which lets you compare two chosen drivers lap times and gains over a number of laps and comparisons of sectors, all tyre and stint length information, track weather, telemetry, and all for free.
They can do whatever they want with the official app for as long as this site remains available for all I care…
liongalahad
7th September 2018, 15:40
Can you give a hint of where I can find such website please? And can we delay it to sync with live streaming?
I am currently subscribed to the official service but I will rather use another better service than this new dumbed down version of the app
Anne Ticehurst
10th September 2018, 18:09
Please tell me where I can find one. I’ve just seen the new live timing (after sorting out the mess they made of my login and subscription details) and I’m absolutely heartbroken. I’d more or less resigned myself to watching all the races on Sky next year, which is bad enough, but if I have to rely on ‘Crofty’ for insight into what’s going on on track, rather than looking at the data myself, I don’t see the point. It just ends up looking like a load of cars going round and round in circles, rather than an intelligent strategy-rich sport.
drmouse (@drmouse)
7th September 2018, 14:25
Face, meet palm.
There is a trend too make things prettier and more accessible to the “average person”. While this is fine for many things, you must look at your target audience.
I am the only person I know (apart from internet friends) who uses love timing for the races. The rest, including pretty big fans, are happy with the information presented in the broadcast. Live timing will never have mass market appeal: it’s there for the F1 “geeks” who absolutely must have sector-by-sector updates and precise timing information available at all times. These are the target audience for the live timing, and no amount of simplification or prettiness will attract others to it.
However, these are exactly the sort of people who are likely to be furious about a reduction in the amount of data available and/or visible. They (we) want to be able to see as much as possible at once, just like the teams can.
In trying to make this part of the app more appealing to a wider audience, they have alienated the only people who will ever be interested in this data. They will end up with a hole in their foot, smoke verifying gently from the barrel of the firearm in their own hands…
Phylyp (@phylyp)
7th September 2018, 14:41
@drmouse – yeah, I don’t think most of us are into that kinky stuff, for many of us it takes as long (or as little) as it takes.
drmouse (@drmouse)
7th September 2018, 14:47
LMAO, Autocorrect fail!
Although there are apps out there if you wish to objectively quantify aspects of your intimate encounters… LOL.
Tristan (@skipgamer)
7th September 2018, 16:52
Wait, there are? Hahahaha, today I learnt…
MarcusAurelius (@marcusaurelius)
7th September 2018, 15:54
Thanx! I was able to block the automatic update and keep version 10
Don’t know how long the app keeps working without updates. But it is worth a try.
chris (@)
7th September 2018, 17:37
Live timing data should be free, we pay a fortune to watch live so the least they can do is bundle in the timings to make it more compelling, or maybe the tv station should provide live timing via a liberty provided app skinned to the broadcaster as value add, no subscription no live timing.
Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
7th September 2018, 18:02
I’m guessing the beta version 11.1 won’t be available before the Singapore GP.
Neil (@neilosjames)
7th September 2018, 18:08
It was obvious that ‘dumbing down’ (or ‘reducing clutter’, as they probably call it) was the aim, right from the first practice session of 2018. Seeing the live lap time counter shown to one decimal place made me cry a little inside… and still does, as does the similar one decimal place thing on the tower on the left of the screen. Doubly so because the graphic seems incapable of rounding up, so +1.498 becomes +1.4…
But I thought they were doing it to push people who wanted more detail onto the app, to make themselves some money. Now they’ve dumbed that down too, I was obviously wide of the mark.
Krommenaas (@krommenaas)
7th September 2018, 20:38
This also drives me nuts with Gmail, where each new version has more empty space and less useful data on screen than the previous one.
Jimmi Cynic (@jimmi-cynic)
7th September 2018, 23:13
This is a great move by FOG. Simplify this overly-complex sport – who needs to see all the data from all the drivers all the time? It’s just more mind-clutter. How does that make you a better consumer? It doesn’t.
Who wants to watch all that overly-complex machinery running around a track for as many as 60-70 laps when Liberty could give us a 5 lap synopsis every race, on a simple to use app that only costs a few hundred per season.
In fact, it would be an even bigger timesaver, if they just released an update once a year with the series results. And Liberty could dispense with the annoying squabbles amongst the teams, by dispensing with the teams entirely. A co-branding deal with Disney would be cheaper – Cars: F1 Edition.
Thank you Liberty for taking this far too technical pinnacle of motorsports and pushing forward your toddler-vision, open-wheel-racing-for-dummies approach. That’s the sort of dumbed-down courage that only an American media company can provide.
/sarcasm
Thecollaroyboys (@thecollaroyboys)
8th September 2018, 1:01
I usually only use the app when I’m at the track but in general I’d always want an option to simplify an app view rather than be forced into it.
Nacho Nachev (@nnachev)
8th September 2018, 8:19
I agree that the upgrade is actually a downgrade wrt standings screen. However, I’d like to note that this app has never been anything I liked.
F1 audience is quite technically inclined. Therefore, this app will look much more relevant if it provides significantly richer set of graphics, charts and huge amount of customizability. Making a desktop version that supports multiple parallel views would also make sense. I would also encourage opening the app/data market so multiple vendors could chime in. Even teams like Williams might want to sell some less competitive but educational telemetry insights at premium.
The Leggacy
9th September 2018, 1:51
It’s also harder to find the TV times. Now I have to wade through ch4’s schedule to find out when the free to air races are on.
Roger
15th September 2018, 11:23
Better looks but no use anymore in the current set up.
The current Liberty approach of pleasing potential future new casual viewers at the cost of the installed base of F1 enthousiast is more and more becoming an annoyance to me. Not happy and starting to loose my F1 appetite…
John
16th September 2018, 1:41
Is it possible to get the previous version of F1 App back. I honing to trash this one.
Plextor
15th September 2018, 14:38
hate the new app!
Vegggen (@vegggen)
16th September 2018, 0:52
Old version 10.084 for android available on apkmirror.
Just downgraded and seems to be working OK except it keeps reminding me there is a new version available.
Vegggen (@vegggen)
16th September 2018, 0:55
Sorry, meant apkpure…