Traeger forces app update

[J Mike]

JPSBBQ. I’m not going to agree with you.
Let’s say that you bought a new Tesla and had you house wired with whatever charging system THEY RECOMMENDED as working for that car.
Everything is good for a year and then somebody decides that you would be better served with a new style of charging system and reprogram your car remotely without your permission to no longer work with the home plug that you have. You can still charge down at the Walmart if you want but not at home. You still have the same car and the same charger but a better one is out now
You can upgrade at your cost or you loose the feature of charging at home.
They did this for your better good.
Your Tesla is still under warranty but they changed how it operates and left you behind. There’s nothing wrong with your home charger but it no longer works with your car and you are left with the bill to upgrade your charger.
Would you say that’s fair to you who just purchased your car and outfitted your infrastructure to service it AFTER they suggested what to install in the beginning?
Would you say that your charging issue is self inflicted?
My grill, which is still under warranty, no longer works with my still working infrastructure because somebody decided that it be so.
I have no problem with technology moving forward. What I have a problem with is technology moving forward without regard to what issues it may cause.
Am I really out of line to think that a bbq that I purchased would not continue to work as it did when purchased?
Sure, create an upgraded operating system, I have no problem with that.
Just honor your agreement to continue to support your existing equipment.
I didn’t buy the latest and greatest technical device. I purchased a bbq not a security system that needs constantly upgraded to combat new threats.

I've already decided my first one will be my last one. Nothing wrong with the cooker, but their electronics are wacky!

 

[JPSBBQ]

I've already decided my first one will be my last one. Nothing wrong with the cooker, but their electronics are wacky!

Their electronics are best in class. Their app and interface are best in class. Something is definitely wacky. I have another pellet cooker I like better than my Traeger but it isn’t due to electronics. Not even close. That said, the 575 is their most basic model as far as WiFi functions. Still, it does what it’s supposed to do. These sorta comments are simply baffling.

 

[GaryC]

I only had a hand full of units out there there still in operation so the cost was not great on my part.
The cost to upgrade so the bbq works is not the issue it’s that I need to pay anything out of pocket to maintain the features I paid for while the unit is still in its warranty period.
I think perhaps I didn’t make the point earlier with my car charger analogy, I’m sorry.
At what should I as a consumer not have the confidence that a product that I purchased in good faith will not change into something that I didn’t buy or want?
I wanted and purchased a grill that would work with my phone.
I was led to believe that it would, it was tried and it did until it didn’t. I was not consulted or compensated for the reduction in features.
You say that it’s complicated, how complicated is it to NOT change an existing product that is already sold into the customers ownership and meets their requirements? Sure I’ll admit that the app did not directly cost me anything but it was one of the features advertised in the grill features.
I’m not being argumentative and understand that this is MY problem to fix. I’m just pointing out that in today’s society we are subject to issues and pressures that we do not control and I’m not sure we should accept it without question. When we do question these things we are labeled a Luddite or a dinosaur.
I guess I’m a proud dinosaur.

Their electronics are best in class. Their app and interface are best in class. Something is definitely wacky. I have another pellet cooker I like better than my Traeger but it isn’t due to electronics. Not even close. That said, the 575 is their most basic model as far as WiFi functions. Still, it does what it’s supposed to do. These sorta comments are simply baffling.

I have to agree, I like the control and the app is great to use.
I see nothing “wonky” about the electronics

 

[J Mike]

Their electronics are best in class. Their app and interface are best in class. Something is definitely wacky. I have another pellet cooker I like better than my Traeger but it isn’t due to electronics. Not even close. That said, the 575 is their most basic model as far as WiFi functions. Still, it does what it’s supposed to do. These sorta comments are simply baffling.

I've got all kinds of wifi stuff in my house. Never had any problem connecting to any of them. Nothing but problems with this grill....with two different boards. Had to call them both times. Now if they've changed something again and it won't hookup the next time I go to smoke, I'm not going to be a happy owner! That is ridiculous!

 

[Shedd]

I’m not ant an experienced with technology and I completely agree with you. Could it be possible that it’s something else and the Traeger CS misunderstood you for some reason. I’ve searched on the internet and haven’t found anything that appears to be what you was told so makes me wonder because I’m sure you’re not the only one using an old phone. Hopefully you’ll get it figured out.

 

[JPSBBQ]

I assume everyone knows you have to transmit in 2.4 in lieu of 5.0 which is common now because it’s better for video. 2.4 is superior in this application so you need a dual band router and need to be sure you have 2.4. Otherwise they won’t connect. This is the overwhelmingly most common issue. Many houses have 5.0 now for streaming.

 

[Biffdotorg]

Apple hasn’t allowed you to update your 6s to their current operating system in over a year now.

Excactly, it's not the phone, it's the OS. And software developers have to make software for supported OS's. That's part of their agreement for being allowed to have their apps in the app store. If it is not up to date with the currently supported OS, then apple will not allow it to be in the marketplace.

Thus, your beef is not with Traeger, as they want it in the most hands as possible. But Apple requires it to be on supported OS's. Now before you go hating on Apple, they have the marketplace setup this way for security purposes. They cannot, and will not support OS's forever. Google and Microsoft are no different. At some point in time, windows XP lost support etc. So they have to limit it.

But apple is telling you, your hardware will not run the latest os, and they only support the latest x-number of revisions. Then they lose support, thus you lose your app. It is what it is. Time to look at a refurbished iPhone 8 for $50

"EDIT" I was researching another issue, and noticed the system requirements. The Traeger apps requires IOS 14 or newer to operate. All apps were forced to this due to security concerns. Sad to say, Traeger had to follow suit. I don't believe IOS 14 is approved for your device. Otherwise, the app is not device specific. Apple makes that call.

Best of luck!

 

[Biffdotorg]

I did note one other thing. The app update may not have been forced, and if so, Traeger does allow you to use old versions if your phone is not supported on the latest. Since old versions are not in the app store, you may have to call support to do a manual install.

They did note that notifications may be one of the things that gets updated most, due to so many changes in hardware and security.

From the manual on the support page:

Push Notifications not Working​

For optimal use of the Traeger App, the app must be updated to the latest version. Users on older version will no longer receive push notifications in the app. To solve this problem, update the app in the app store.

Some devices may be too old to update to the new app. Users are free to continue to use the old app or connect to the grill on another device.

 

[caper11]

Nothing wrong with the App. Your phone is way outdated, they are like computers. Its only a matter of time before other apps on your phone stop working because of a outdated operating system.