Navionics Boating: Expiring Charts

[laika]

Did everyone but me realise that the in-app chart purchases for Navionics Boating had time-limited updates? Admittedly I was an early adopter (bought it soon after it came out) but there definitely wasn't any statement about that when I bought my western europe chart. However I note that it's now telling me that I have 69 days of "annual subscription" left. I note that their web site now mentions this. And it's all a bit strange because that would mean that my "annual subscription" will have lasted about 22 months...

Did I miss something or did they just change the description of the product I had already bought?

 

[vyv_cox]

Same for me. I am fairly certain that I was never advised that my subscription would expire. Mine has now done so but the charts are still visible, I suppose it is only the updates that will not be received. Not a problem in Greece, where navigation marks almost never change and are few and far between.

 

[Neil]

I bought UK and Holland at the very beginning, very cheap, and that doesn't have an expiry date. However, this year I bought 'Europe' and this has an annual subscription; you keep what you have, but there will be no updates. Also, I note that the latter only downloads the detail charts for those areas that you zoom into, so if I want to go to a new cruising area next year, I'll have to renew. Of course, I could zoom in and download the lot, but my phone's not big enough . I did think about getting an iPad to do it, but the renewal charge isn't that expensive.

UK and Holland takes ages to redraw, Europe is much much quicker (but maybe not if I have lots of detail charts)

 

[laika]

Had a chat at the boat show with a chap on the Navionics stand. In the past I've found that the folks on the stand are random people who don't seem to know much more than how to sell you the product but this guy was Italian, far more familiar with their stuff, so I presume from "head office". English was not his first language so I may not have perfectly conveyed the question or understood the answer but he *seemed* to say that they changed the policy to time limited subscriptions in July (which completely doesn't tally with the number of days I apparently have left) and that they changed the policy because the UKHO only licence a single installation for a year's worth of updates at a time and they had been having a go at Navionics for providing ongoing updates. That doesn't explain why that applies to the non-UK bits of my western europe chart or how changing the rules on a product you've already sold isn't rather dodgy of course...

 

[bedouin]

When I bought UK and Holland years ago it was for life - and still works on the device it was bought for. However now it mysteriously fails to load on the replacement smartphone so I guess that is Navionics way of making the lifetime licence expire

Can't really complain as it was excellent value for money but a bit underhand none the less

 

[mjcoon]

When I bought UK and Holland years ago it was for life - and still works on the device it was bought for. However now it mysteriously fails to load on the replacement smartphone so I guess that is Navionics way of making the lifetime licence expire

Can't really complain as it was excellent value for money but a bit underhand none the less

Do you mean that Navionics does not run on the new phone even though it has been installed? In which case of course you will not be able to see "Restore Purchases" under the "Charts and Upgrades" menu item (as I can).

Mike.

 

[Neil]

When I bought UK and Holland years ago it was for life - and still works on the device it was bought for. However now it mysteriously fails to load on the replacement smartphone so I guess that is Navionics way of making the lifetime licence expire

Can't really complain as it was excellent value for money but a bit underhand none the less

I managed to migrate UK & Holland from the iPhone4 to 5c and then 6...no problems so far

 

[laika]

Do you mean that Navionics does not run on the new phone even though it has been installed?

My original UK & Holland stopped working after an update from Android 4.3 to 4.4. Thread about it here:
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?381406-Navionics-and-Android-updates
Navionics said that that was an old product which they no longer supported or provided updates for and they'd replaced it with a "new" product called something almost identical which covered exactly the same area (this was prior to "Boating") and also allegedly had unlimited updates. I would have to buy the "new" UK & Holland to work with 4.4.

 

[bedouin]

Do you mean that Navionics does not run on the new phone even though it has been installed? In which case of course you will not be able to see "Restore Purchases" under the "Charts and Upgrades" menu item (as I can).

Mike.

When I try to start the app it says it is trying to download the charts but that fails saying I don't have an internet connection (which of course I do) and there is no way of getting any further into the application.

Pretty sure it is a deliberate ploy on the part of Navionics to get more money out of me in spite of the fact that I have already paid for life.

 

[mjcoon]

When I try to start the app it says it is trying to download the charts but that fails saying I don't have an internet connection (which of course I do) and there is no way of getting any further into the application.

Pretty sure it is a deliberate ploy on the part of Navionics to get more money out of me in spite of the fact that I have already paid for life.

I think it is perfectly reasonable for Navionics to prevent you from loading purchased charts on a succession of devices. You could otherwise set up an undercutting service to distribute charts cheaply. You may have to convince them that the original device no longer has the charts.

The menu item I mentioned includes the description: "Reinstalls all your purchased features when you get a new device". Sounds appropriate, to me...

Mike.

 

[bedouin]

I think it is perfectly reasonable for Navionics to prevent you from loading purchased charts on a succession of devices. You could otherwise set up an undercutting service to distribute charts cheaply. You may have to convince them that the original device no longer has the charts.

The menu item I mentioned includes the description: "Reinstalls all your purchased features when you get a new device". Sounds appropriate, to me...

Mike.

No it is not. The original purchase was for life and included the right to download to new devices.

As I said if you can't run the application (as I can't) you can't get the menu you mention.

Note it does not say that I am not allowed - it pretends to try and then generates a spurious error message

 

[laika]

No it is not. The original purchase was for life and included the right to download to new devices.

I misunderstood: You mean you're trying to use it on the new phone while still using it on the old one? I thought you meant changing it from one to another after upgrading your phone. Whilst I do remember the literature saying lifetime updates, I don't ever remember seeing anywhere that it includes use on unlimited devices simultaneously.

I overheard the same guy I was talking to at Southampton explain to another customer why you can only use your chart on one device: UKHO licence only permits that. Of course that could just be his stock answer to everything but it sounds plausible.

 

[RichardS]

When I try to start the app it says it is trying to download the charts but that fails saying I don't have an internet connection (which of course I do) and there is no way of getting any further into the application.

Pretty sure it is a deliberate ploy on the part of Navionics to get more money out of me in spite of the fact that I have already paid for life.

I had that "No internet connection" problem for months and emailed Navionics about it. I had the lastest version installed from GooglePlay but after a few days I got a reply from Navionics to say that there was another new version being released that day (this was about a month ago) and I should uninstall mine and install the new one. I did that and the problem was fixed.

Richard

 

[bedouin]

I misunderstood: You mean you're trying to use it on the new phone while still using it on the old one? I thought you meant changing it from one to another after upgrading your phone. Whilst I do remember the literature saying lifetime updates, I don't ever remember seeing anywhere that it includes use on unlimited devices simultaneously.

I overheard the same guy I was talking to at Southampton explain to another customer why you can only use your chart on one device: UKHO licence only permits that. Of course that could just be his stock answer to everything but it sounds plausible.

Yes - this is a phone upgrade, but AFAIK there is no need to uninstall from the old first (as I am sure Navionics would not be notified of that).

 

[mjcoon]

Yes - this is a phone upgrade, but AFAIK there is no need to uninstall from the old first (as I am sure Navionics would not be notified of that).

This whole conversation has inspired me to have another go at installing Navionics-HD on my new phone. (The old phone was not capable; I have been using it on a Hudl tablet.)

Rather to my astonishment I have been able to start downloading portions of the Med map that I originally bought (and am still using) for the tablet. But the process was very clunky. In particular in order to "restore purchases" on the phone I had to log in. This appeared to fail repeatedly in that the only result was an invitation to register or reset password. But when I ignored that and went to the download maps screen I could choose the area to be downloaded. It showed the new Palma de Majorca pontoon extension where I left the yacht on Monday, too new to be shown on the yacht's Raymarine plotter.

The screen shows that my Navionics+ subscription has expired, just as the tablet does. But no doubt the maps I download are up to date; I don't believe Navionics would keep old ones for those who do not renew!

Mike.

 

[bedouin]

The screen shows that my Navionics+ subscription has expired, just as the tablet does. But no doubt the maps I download are up to date; I don't believe Navionics would keep old ones for those who do not renew!

Mike.

But you don't need to renew a lifetime licence!

 

[iainbluk]

my uk charts have just 'expired' and without realising I downloaded an update which reduced the detail on my charts, specifically the depths close inshore below 5m. Now the app is useless for pilotage, whereas before we managed to use it as a backup for the onboard chartplotter. Anybody else had this?