It seems that vital contact info like phone number and address are missing when using the website, but are readily available when using the app.
Is there any update on the availability of an iOS app?
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Update on iOS app? Vital contact info missing from website.
śr., 2022-11-30 17:10
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WS Member
Update on iOS app? Vital contact info missing from website.
adress still exist but for me I have to wait LOOOOOOONG time before seeing member on the map
no more the phone number for "security reason ??? " helpdesk answer "The numbers have been removed over concerns about data disclosure and users contacting each other outside of the Warmshowers platform messaging system. This creates issues when users have security issues or disputes, so we've removed direct contact details from being generally visible in user profiles. They will also soon be removed from profiles displayed in the Warmshowers app."
However I think WS dont realize the benefit of the phone number for CYCLIST
in some regions you have poor data or no data but you could send texto ,
host who write in their profil they prefer texto as they dont read mail , they dont even notice the phone number was cancel so they dont host or discover by chance request ( this summer in finland or france some hosts appologize 4 month !! later as they dont see request )
the most importnt thing in emergency case as mechanical problem , injury or big problem with weather or transportations (ferry train ) ,
those number saved my life a couple a time for the past 10 years .
I completely agree. I understand the option of keeping your number private but not giving the HOST a choice seems short sighted.
Perhaps it’s just a matter of education hosts to update their profile bio to contain their phone number but it seems like the wrong answer.
Bottom line, phone numbers connect people. Removing them with no option to opt in seems destructive to the goals of this platform.
I do understand the platform wanting an audit trail but then Warm Showers needs to text the host directly informing them of a hosting request. Otherwise it’s a crap shoot of checking your emails in time.
actually the problem on missing number is not just the one you see, since you may condition accepting on phone number exchange (so for guests the can just put their number in the profile).
It is not even the bare hiding of phone on profile, but the real problem, and not only for phone, is that on web version are displayed different information than on mobile app, and mobile apps display different things according the underlying OS, so if one does not know it, will put the information in a way visible to himself but not to people using a different os.
as I dont pay for the app I cant see if cell number is still there but if it is true it is quite unfear to force people buying the app 19 $ EVERY year just for cell phone ??
I used the app this summer for a cross country tour. Many a time a host did not respond quickly to a messaged stay request and a phone call as a follow up was often essential. Otherwise one ends up wasting loads of time looking for other hosts or accommodations.
Anyhow, I removed the app from my phone after paying monthly and now wanting to pay yearly BUT I get this message from the Apple Store “App Not Available- This app is currently not available in your country or region “. That region is the USA. What’s going on?
first you are lucky they dont take money every month as bug in the previous voluntary donation system :(
we receive a newletter in december and january with annoncement "We’re working away to bring you a fantastic glow-up to our website in the coming months. We can't wait to roll out the enhanced site to improve your Warmshowers experience and make it easier than ever to book, host, and share your stories and updates from the road. "
We’re so excited to announce that these new features will be available to you in 2023. With an updated website, a brand-new booking system, and a streamlined feedback feature, it will now be easier than ever to make new connections with traveling cyclists worldwide.
Real-Time Reservations
When the reservation calendar launches in early 2023, riders and hosts will still be able to message each other but will no longer need to rely solely on messaging to determine availability. Hosts can block out dates if they are unable to host, and riders will be able to view available hosts to book a stay simply. No more waiting around in your swampy bike shorts refreshing your email to see if you have a place to sleep!
5-Star Rating System
We’ll also introduce a new 5-star rating system. Just as in the past, riders and hosts will have the opportunity to write reviews but can also choose to rate their experiences as well.
hope it will be done before cycling season !! and without last year recurrents bugs all summer
by the way I dont think real time reservations is what we wish for : how hosts could manage month calendar of avaibility ? : as they even dont connect for month ; or even if they are reactive I for exemple dont even kown my next week schedule
, what is the default status : available or not ? what happen if guest "book" a night and there is no proper adress and cell phone on profil and the host dont answser or more fun you have the adress you are at the door and host is not aware and maybe not available ??
WS is not airbnb
( @philipphe and marie ) You edited youir post while i was writing my reply:
I do not see a problem of managing a calendar, but this calentar must be manageable also outside official apps.
If you look in my profile (from the web app) I have a calendar, that is fed by different sources , that i can export, but of course if one should open an alien app (such the WS one) to update will set as always available and that is all. They need to have open api so each one can simply update the calendar using their system.
So calendar could be just an hint to allow hosts to say "do not send request in these days"
Real time booking is something unbelievable: This is a hospitality exchange community, where you host people as friends in your house, not as paying customers.
For example I do not host two groups together if they do not have a language in common; hence I need to know the languages spoken and understood by each one in the group before accepting; We have dinner together, there is around someone with unusual dietary exigences, so I have to know it before accepting, and so on. It is not just as saying "send a request only if you may arrive between 1920 and 2020", since acceptability change with the combination of guests i have.
maintain and update a calendar is lot of job , Depend of your life but me I even dont know what I m doing next week and if i can host
when you see profil not connected for month how imagine they will manage precise calendar ?
one other question : is it instant reservation as on airbnb ? or the host must confirm ? ( so what is the difference with actual system ? ) and what happen if host dont anwser even if on calendar he is available ? ( as 80 % of request unfortunatly )
the problem is not the calendar , the problem is the people NEVER answser ( bugs with notifications dont help ) so you need to ask several hosts to have one chance and with this real time could we make several reservation ?? or the app says you have already one ?
so this idea is more complex / simple calendar
If Ws want to improve system maybe begin by RELIABLE app and web site ( with same information ) with reliable support , cell phone ( if people want of course ) , clean ghost hosts , educate members ++ ( not only making podcast of selfies ) : WS is not an hotel or airbnb , take advantage of the system : (free couch free diner ) without investing in return , give voices to members with appropriate survey to understand problem
This is the reason why i say that calendar must be manageable by an external app, using well documented https calls (using CURL or similar). My calendar is assempled in a semiautomatic way, i have on my phone a specific (and freely available) app that allow me to set or unset calendar, to export appointments in my agenda, so even calling the guest on arrival is just one click away, I can set rules so certain days are set automatically unavailable, and when accepting a request it generates and send via email an .ics file with all the informations to my guest and to me, so automatically is sent also in the agenda. Of course to do it the protocol must be open.
To avoid people forgetting to update the calendar they should have a three state status: available, unavailable and unknown. One can set available only up to two months in advance, so except for explicitly set unavailable days (that can be set also in far future) if people is not updating calendar will have a tag "unknown status".
What Randy says is true (but one can always put the phone number in their profile, if they want to be reached that way) but also guests should be less stingy: a lot of times i receive requests from people asking for a last minute place, and when , often within less than 5 minutes, to ask more informations, they do not reply to my calls, nor they are quick to reply to my reply. It if quite common that people, expecially cycling, send requests in a pause and then shut the phone off, not receiving neither calls nor email messages. And they reply possibly in the late afternoon; telling "sorry, we did shut off the phone after sending requests, so [answering my questions], can you host us" and getting usually "sorry, after I have started prepared dinner (including shopping) I do not accept new requests". Even if this is low season, in the last month I have had two times days with "waiting list" to be hosted. It is obvious that under these conditions who send all details earlier, and confirm, get one of the places.
So before complaining for the features, educate guests to use it!
One thing that WS can do to clarify their intentions with the app is to post status on the WS website. Just like to have insight into what is going on and hope WS is not chewing off too much in the way of change all at once and then nothing works well.