MobiLinc HD for iPad (fast app switching)

[ahwman]

I'm not sure if this issue is simply an IOS bug or something related to MobiLinc. That being said, after launching MobiLinc for the first time (after reboot of iPad) and configuring it the way I like, most of the time when relaunching the app it will utilize the fast app switching feature of IOS and retain my customizations/views without having to reload the program in it's entirety. However after a period of time whether it be overnight or a few hours later when I relaunch the app it will completely reload the app - splash screen and all and force me to again customize my views. As often as I use this program it becomes annoying. I was thinking that perhaps this is a bug in IOS 5.01 however after upgrading to 5.1 the behavior still exists.

Also, any idea when IP camera support will be included into MobiLinc HD?

Thanks so much!

[AdminWes]

Hi ahwman,

There are a number a reasons why the iOS device would dump MobiLinc while in background mode. The most common reason is if the iOS device needed RAM for an active app. In this case it may dump MobiLinc to reclaim it's RAM for the active application.

Your comment about losing the views is troubling. It shouldn't do that as all data is stored in the database on your iOS device and is persistent across warm and cold starts of MobiLinc.

If the database is corrupt then my recommendation would be to delete MobiLinc off your iPad and reinstall it.

You can delete MobiLinc by pressing and holding the icon till it shakes and then tap the "x" to delete it.

To re-install you can go to the App Store on the device->Updates->Purchases to re-download MobiLinc.

Wes

[ahwman]

Wes,

Before I reinstall MobiLinc on my iPad I want to be clear what I mean by losing my views. Under "My Favorites" I like to use the "Devices" view and under "Devices" I like to use the filter "All On". Are you suggesting that MoniLinc should remember these settings after a cold reboot of the app?

[AdminWes]

Thanks for the clarification, no, MobiLinc will not remember these if MobiLinc is starting cold. MobiLinc will preserve state information like this coming in and out of background mode but not starting up cold. A re-install won't likely change the sometimes cold start issue.

Approx how many devices, scenes, and programs do you have?

If you have a large setup that does take more RAM to cache everything, but unless you are running large apps like games or other apps that would take up large amounts of RAM, I can't think of a reason why the iOS would be dumping MobiLinc.

With the upgrade to iOS 5.1 that does cause a reboot of the device, so one would think everything would be cleared out. Can you think of any other use pattern that would explain high RAM usage?

I forgot to answer your other question, we are still working on IP cameras and hope to have a release ready by the end of the month that will offer IP cameras as a plug-in for MobiLinc.

Wes

[ahwman]

Wes,

I have 41 devices, 32 scenes and 13 programs. Interestingly enough, it seems to happen most often when my iPad has been idle for a long period, ie overnight or a few hours of non use

[AdminWes]

Thanks. Yes, that is a fairly normal setup and wouldn't be causing large amounts of RAM being consumed.

When starting up cold after one of these periods it will show the splash screen, but you should only see the caching indicator (spinning wheel) on the splash screen very briefly. When MobiLinc starts up cold for you about how long do you see the spinning indicator? If this takes a long time (15-30 seconds would be long for a setup your size) then there is something wrong with the database and I would recommend creating a new profile or deleting MobiLinc and re-installing it.

Other than that, I'll watch one of my iPads here with MobiLinc running in the background over the weekend and see if I can see the same thing of a period of inactivity dumping MobiLinc out.

Just to confirm, check to make sure you are running the latest version of MobiLinc. MobiLinc should report 3.06.00 under My Settings->About MobiLinc if you have the latest version.

[ahwman]

Hi Wes,

I don't even notice the spinning wheel when loading MobiLinc as it loads very quickly so I don't suspect there's any corruption with my database. That being said, I am also running the latest version of MobiLinc as well.

I appreciate all of your help in this matter. Have a great weekend!

[AdminWes]

Hi ahwman,

I kept MobiLinc HD running on my OS5.1 iPad2 over the weekend in background mode. Each day I'd launch MobiLinc to see if it was still running. Each time it successfully came out of background mode. I can't say I've seen the same cold start that you were reporting.

Anything new to report from your end? Is MobiLinc HD still going through a cold start for you occasionally?

Wes

[ahwman]

Yes Wes, still happening... If you have the new iPhoto or iMove installed on your iPad, try launching it and working with some photos or videos since these apps consume a large amount of resources and close them and relaunch MobiLinc. This seems to trigger a cold start of MobiLinc for me...

Thanks again!

[AdminWes]

Hi ahwman,

Ah, ok. Yes, this makes sense to me. The iPad has limited RAM and using iPhoto or iMovie will eat up large chunks of it. In these cases the iPad will dump apps out of background mode to reclaim their RAM for the active app running.

There's not really anything we can do to prevent the iPad from reclaiming the RAM...and I don't think you'd want us to even if we could!

The rumor is with the new iPad the RAM has been bumped up so cases where background apps are dumped out should occur less frequently. Although with iMovie, I suspect it will still be a common occurrence as video consumes very large amounts of RAM.

Wes