Finally! Trayn for Android and iOS platforms are facing each other as equals. You can get the shiny new Android version from Google Play (just in case, I’ll link to the iOS version too here). You might ask “What took you guys so long?!”, and I’ll try to answer as good as I can.
We wanted to have native mobile versions of Trayn as early as possible and Android was our first target platform. Development for Trayn on Android started a long time ago (I am afraid to elaborate on long, just think dinosaurs), so at the time we started development on the iOS version, we already had an internal version via staged rollouts in the hands of all our team members.
Although that version for Android was ok, we did not want to release it to the public yet. There were still a few minor issues and we did not really have time to fix them. Why no time? You have to understand: it just was not that important: Due to our go-to-market approach, our customer base was effectively US-only back then. Our reference customers kept asking us when they could start using their iPhones to access Trayn, and of course, we could not deny their requests. Hence, this drove our product decisions, and eventually, the amount of resources we could put into building the Android version.
So, there was this nearly ready version of Android sitting on Google Play’s alpha channel for a very long time, and watching her younger sister getting more and more attention. The number of customers using Trayn on iOS was growing and they steadily demanded more features.
Another aspect that in hindsight prevented us from going public was the thought that any customers who wanted to use the Android version could just ask, and we put them on the beta distribution channel (via Google Play staged rollouts). Actually going through that process proved us wrong and when the first customers asked to get access to the (beta) Android version, we found out that it’s just too difficult for a normal person to use the Beta channel.
This is the mail we sent out
Hi!
We have just added you to the closed beta for Trayn.
As long as you are in this group, you will receive the newest and shiniest version of Trayn. You may find some issues (we try to keep them to a minimum), but you will receive new features before other “normal” users.
Before downloading for the first time, you have to confirm with Google that you want to participate in our Beta program. While logged into your Google account, go to this website:
https://play.google.com/apps/testing/com.trayn.tacAfter confirming, you should be able to download Trayn from Google Play:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.trayn.tacHave fun using Trayn!!
When they do everything right, they should see something like this:
Note: our first testers on Android beta were from Uruguay and Germany. That’s why the image above is in Spanish.
We did not receive any feedback at all. One athlete responded directly (we usually go through the coaching staff and they communicate with their athletes) and although we tried to help with the signup, eventually the athlete did not respond anymore and we don’t know whether it finally worked out or not. In the end, the only thing that helped us measure our results was the number of users on the beta channel who used the app: 0 of about 20. And it stayed there for a few weeks.
We thought it should not be too difficult to improve that and now, besides having a public version of Trayn on Android, we are also open to give anyone access to the Android beta. What’s in for you?
- You will get most features some weeks before they are available to the public
- You know you do a good thing and it’s good for your karma.
Just send a mail to us with Android-beta in the subject. Please note that you can use Trayn only if you have an active subscription. You can’t sign up through the app, because we are currently marketing and selling Trayn to organizations and teams only. That’s also the case for the beta.
Anyways, if you already have an account and are using Trayn, we are very happy and hope you have a great experience.
You have come this far, and still don’t have Trayn on your phone? Please follow one of these links to improve your situation: Android, iOS.