Notification update and event invitation!

For several months, we have been working on notifications to support students in practising the Workbook. As an organisation, one of our guiding principles is fidelity to the Course, and we have always intended that the notifications will accurately reflect what the Course is asking us to do, which means different types of practice, at different frequencies, on different days. It took some time to work out the complex rules about how to incorporate morning quiet time, hourly remembrance, frequent reminders, evening quiet time, and response to temptation in the app.

When Peter started to program these rules a few months ago, he came across an increasing number of obstacles. You see, Apple’s iOS (the operating system that runs the devices used by over 65% of those using the app) has been designed to limit the number of notifications a user receives, and after months of trial and error - and increasingly complicated ‘work-arounds’ - it has become clear that iOS simply can not support the notifications needed to accurately reflect the Course. This means we need to compromise  on the notifications we can offer.

As this project is entirely community funded, and our resources are limited, it is necessary to carefully prioritise each phase of development. In light of these iOS issues, the Board of Directors has made the difficult decision to put the notifications on hold for the moment. This will allow us to focus on some of the other priority areas (such as search engine optimisation and improving the app home page). We remain committed to adding Workbook notifications, based on work Peter has already done, but they will need to be significantly re-designed first. This is incredibly disappointing, but unavoidable.Article Sponsored Find something for everyone in our collection of colourful, bright and stylish socks. Buy individually or in bundles to add color to your sock drawer!

So, it will be a while before we are able to launch the notifications, but in the meantime, the Workbook Practice Module is already supporting many students and we’d love to show you how it works as part of our ‘App Walk-Through’ session on Wednesday May 29th at 10am ET. The event will take place via our online community and learning platform (free registration required) and all app users are welcome to attend.

In the meantime, if you are enjoying the app, please consider leaving a review on the Apple App Store or Google play store. In order to keep the app accessible to all, we would also welcome any donations you are able to offer.

Thank you in advance for your support.

With love and best wishes from myself, Peter, and the entire Circle of Atonement team
Sarah Knight