New iPhone Compatible TAGS - Feedback Wanted!

Posted over 5 years ago by Cindy Wren

Cindy Wren Admin

A few weeks ago we announced our NEW Golf Pad TAGS. Any Golf Pad TAGS purchased after November 1, 2018 are now compatible with iPhone 7 / iOS 12 or later as well as Android. iPhone users rejoice!

Tracking your shots automatically means you can focus on your game and keep your phone in your pocket. Hundreds of you have already purchased your new set.

We focus on user feedback to continue to deliver the best experience and features. We want to hear from you!

1. Are you an Android or iPhone user?
2. What were your thoughts about the set up process of the new tags?
3. Have you had time to use them on the course? What did you like most about using them?

Any other thoughts you'd like to share with the team?

Ready, set, GO...

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44 Comments

Dale Rupe posted over 5 years ago

Is there a timeline for Fitbit users?

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Dale Rupe posted over 5 years ago

Just switched from android to iPhone. In doing so my Samsung fit s2 no longer works. It is compatible with iPhone but not 3rd party apps. Won’t even show apps. So with this. I will not pay 400 dollars for an iwatch. My only hope is you folks make Fitbit compatible.

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Cindy Wren posted over 5 years ago Admin

Hi Dale! Thank you for your feedback. At this time, the iPhone/Samsung watch configuration isn't possible. We are working on FitBit compatibility. I'll get back to you with more details about the timeline. Are you using TAGS with your iPhone or just the Premium app?

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Dale Rupe posted over 5 years ago

Thank you for responding. I am using tags, and link. I’m in the snow state so time is not of the essence. Thank you for keeping me posted Dale Rupe

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Cindy Wren posted over 5 years ago Admin

Dale - I heard from our team was was informed that FitBit compatibility is on our roadmap for 2019. Sorry I don't have more specifics for you, but perhaps by the time the snow melts we'll have more news!

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Mike Elmalem posted about 5 years ago

Just started using the iPhone with tags. I switched from the reader as soon as they became available . It’s a definite drain on the battery of your cell phone. It’s practically impossible to finish around and have any charge left on your phone. That’s even with putting the phone in low battery mode. I have a brand new iPhone X with a very good battery like yet this app just kills it. It would be nice if your team worked on the power management supposed not such a drain on the phone

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Cindy Wren posted about 5 years ago Admin

Hi Mike - We appreciate the feedback! The majority of the users can complete a full 18-hole round, some users report they can play two rounds on a full charge. Ultimately, this depends on the model of the phone. Some newer phones have different features (possibly running in the background) that may be consuming additional battery. There are several things you can do to improve battery life: disable Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and online sync in system settings. Tune down the brightness of the screen as long as you can still read it outdoors. Avoid using other phone features such as browsing or email.

We'll continue to do additional testing on these new iPhone models to ensure the app and phone work as efficiently as possible together. Let us know if these tips help when you play your next round.

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Chris Carson posted almost 5 years ago

I used the Tags with my iPhone 8 for the first time yesterday. The registration went very smoothly and it was working well on the course for the first 11 holes, but the battery was drained at that point. I was using the SmartLock feature. I probably started the round at 85% but it was the only app running. I did receive a couple of text messages during the round, but that was it. Bluetooth was off but WiFi receiver was on. I'll try some of your tips next weekend, and I'll take my charger just in case.

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Cindy Wren posted almost 5 years ago Admin

HI Chris - thanks for chiming in with your feedback. Please report back after trying some of those tips to help with battery life.

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Frank posted over 4 years ago

I use the tags with a iPhone Xs and apple watch. I find I can easily play 18 holes, but I will need to charge the phone later in the day. I do find it awkward to get the tags to register though on occasions ie stroking the edge of the phone over the tags for a while until something happens :-).

In the future it would be much better to be able to use the apple watch to do this. Currently I have stopped using the iphone now that I can do a standalone with the apple watch. This keeps my pockets phone free, which is much nicer.

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Cindy Wren posted over 4 years ago Admin

Frank - thanks so much for the feedback. I'm glad you've found the standalone option with the watch useful. The tip with the iPhone is the NFC reader is in the top of the phone, rather than the back like most others. You know Apple, gotta break the mold!

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Brett McKinney posted over 4 years ago

I played a round with the tags today on my iPhone, and my phone kept unlocking from the smart lock in my pocket. Was a bit frustrating when I found my phone randomly playing music because the screen became unlocked. I definitely followed the instructions correctly. Any idea why this happens?

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Frank posted over 4 years ago

I haven’t had this happen, but my case has a screen cover. This would decrease any potential issue as I can’t touch the screen in my pocket

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Chris Carson posted over 4 years ago

I completed my second round with the tags. I turned of WiFi and email push and the battery seemed to last much longer, almost 20% left with 4-5 holes left. I went ahead and plugged in my portable charger though. I have had the screen unlock a few times with the phone in my pocket. I assume it is from touching my leg. I’m going to try with the screen facing away from the leg. I have also had problems while editing the scorecard after playing with the screen lock coming on when I try to zoom in on the course map. I have to turn the tag reader off during editing. I also had problems with, the phone reader not picking up the tag. In those occasions, I had to take the phone out of my pocket and read it directly. It could be the angle between the club shaft and the end of the phone since the phone moves around in my pocket and/or the otter box case. I’ll keep experimenting to see what works best.

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Brett McKinney posted over 4 years ago

Regarding the screen unlocking, I think I know what is happening. If you got the cancel button on the scan prompt during smart lock, it exposes the bottom bar.. Due to movement, I'm guessing both the cancel button is pressed by my leg, and the bottom bar is being pulled; this unlocking the phone. Would it be possible to replace the cancel button with a gesture instead?

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Cindy Wren posted over 4 years ago Admin

Hi Chris - thanks for the update. I'm glad to hear your battery issue is improved. Regarding the issue when editing the scorecard and the random "unlock" of the smart lock, will you kindly submit a support ticket. We'll look into why this is happening and get it resolved.

Remember the NFC reader is located at the top of the iPhone. That should help you position the tag in the right area to get a reliable scan.

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Brett McKinney posted over 4 years ago

Frank - what case are you using? Can you provide me a link? I played another round last night, and continued to have the same issues with the screen unlocking in my pocket while on Smart Lock

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Frank posted over 4 years ago

I use a tech21 (EVO Wallet) make of cover. It covers the whole phone as a protection. But in golfing terms it stops you touching the screen in your pocket and activating music !

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Cindy Wren posted over 4 years ago Admin

HI Brett - please send a support ticket so we can look into this issue of the Smart Lock allowing other inputs while you are playing. We can help figure out if it's a local issue with your phone or something else. Thanks!

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Brett McKinney posted over 4 years ago

Hi Cindy. I already did, but was told there was nothing that could be done :(

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Cindy Wren posted over 4 years ago Admin

HI Brett - thanks for letting me know. I found the correspondence. For other's reference, I'll include the reply here:

"Unfortunately the NFC Scanning dialog and Cancel button are shown by iOS system, we don't have control over its appearance. Your idea regarding bottom bar being pulled accidentally makes sense. We'll make an adjustment to reduce the chance of it happening and will include it in the upcoming update. In the meantime please try flipping the phone screen when putting it in your pocket. Often times this makes a big difference."

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Richard Thomas Beitel posted over 4 years ago

I just purchased the Golftags through Amazon and am unable to synch the tags to my iphone 7s. Do I have old tags? It is stuck on the Use LINK reader setting. :-( Help!

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Cindy Wren posted over 4 years ago Admin

Hi Richard - thanks for letting us know. It would be surprising for Amazon to have shipped the previous version of TAGS since we stopped offering it 9 months ago... but not impossible considering the size of their shipping facility. The best way to check would be to see if the box has the "made for iPhone" designation on the front. Regardless, we have solutions for you. Just need you to send a new support ticket so we can get it resolved quickly for you. https://support.golfpadgps.com/a/tickets/new

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Chris Carson posted over 4 years ago

Sixth time I’ve used the app on an iPhone 8. For best battery performance, I did the following: 1. Turned off cellular data on mail. 2. Turned off WiFi 3. Turned screen brightness down to less than 25% 4. Turned screen away from leg in my pants pocket. I had more than 40% battery left over after a four hour round. One suggestion though. If I have to unlock the smart lock to look at the course map and pinch to zoom in the map, sometimes it registers the gesture as a smart lock gesture. Can you turn off the smart lock when in map mode?

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