Accessing the Forum from abroad

[Cleoriff]

Hi guys...

Some of you will know I am in Spain at present and normally use a netbook to access internet etc.

Due to various problems getting topped up (till today) I have reluctantly used my S3 for the first time on the internet....

Please bear with me, all you folk who ALWAYS use mobile devices when abroad..

I found access to this forum very disappointing from my mobile. I expected the layout to be different but I did not expect so many features to be missing...

*There was NO access to smilies/emoticons

*I could never see who was online at that time

*Quick links were missing etc etc

I just wonder why that is on this forum? I am a member of 3 others and accessing them via mobile is exactly the same as when I do it via my computer

(As you can see from my insertion of smilies I am actually on my netbook at present):cat_smiley:

[MI5]

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@Toby wrote:
I know that the mobile view can be a little reduced at times guys. We're looking in improving that. Does anyone have an external example of a great mobile forum/site that they frequent regularly that you think is really effective? Fire away

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On Android I just switch to desktop view and everything works the same as on my laptop so no issues for me....

[Cleoriff]

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@Toby wrote:
Thanks for that MI5

I know that the mobile view can be a little reduced at times guys. We're looking in improving that. Does anyone have an external example of a great mobile forum/site that they frequent regularly that you think is really effective? Fire away

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@Toby  Do you really want us to name names of forums that work better than this one (for access on mobiles)...

If you do here goes. Help4mobiles is a brilliant site. If I go on via my mobile there are NO restrictions. Everything is exactly the same as if I had accessed via computer.

It isn't Lithium. Its phpBB.

To me as a user that matters not a jot. It is easily accessible and user friendly

[jonsie]

Virginmedia works great on both my tablet and and phones. No restrictions at all and the user experience is no different to PC.

Whilst we are on the subject of the O2 site, I find it quite slow in comparison to other sites, even when browing on the PC website. Anyone else find this? It's the same via Chrome or Firefox for me.

[MI5]

It's very slow for me through IE but not so bad on Chrome. The log in page seems to be the longest to load most of the time.

[Anonymous]

Hi jonsie

Seems fine for scrolling on iOS using safari or atomic browser.

Just no rich editor and the infernal habit of logging me out after a time of inactivity.

And when replying if you are logged out you have to log back in followed by another log in for security reasons.

[Cleoriff]

Whereas the other forum I mentioned....logs me on immediately. I stay logged in till I log out...

(None of this leaving O2 inactive for 20 minutes or so...only to find you have to log on all over again!)

I know I have been told this is for security reasons. Security for who? if it is only me that has access to my computer then this seems a trivial reason.

If it is because the O2 forum is linked to the whole O2 site including accounts etc. ...then surely there is a simple remedy? Make the O2 FORUM a seperate entity where it has no need to log me out....

[jonsie]

Security is the reason given but when I am logged into the Community and then go to My O2 it tells me that 'for security reasons' I have to log in again.

[Cleoriff]

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@jonsie wrote:

Security is the reason given but when I am logged into the Community and then go to My O2 it tells me that 'for security reasons' I have to log in again.

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There you go then....even more simple. It just proves that access to the O2 Forum has no need to be security conscious...nor to keep logging folk out.

If I am totally honest that is the one major issue I hate with 'a passion' about this forum...

I do have other things to do during the course of a day....so having to keep re-logging back on constantly makes me so mad....I sometimes don't bother...

[Anonymous]

Makes me thankful Apple have a keychain that remembers my login info which types it in automatically and I just press login.

Does Android have this type of feature.

[Toby]

Hi Cleo,

Each different forum software provider is run in a very different way. Some are more effective with certain aspects and less so with others. As I've said though, we're looking into improving the Official O2 Community's mobile interface.

The log out time is indeed related to the security locks that MyO2 uses. Again, we're looking into ways we can totally split them up. I have however increased the log-out time to 45 minutes on the forum to see how it works. I'll talk to the team about this in the week too.