Login prevents remote use
Twice now recently I have been at a trailhead or remote location and Gaia wants me to login and give my password. Of course this won't work as there is no internet connection. I used Gaia without such a problem for nearly a year. This is something and new and a serious problem. I can't be the only person facing this major issue. This makes the app useless and undependable until something is fixed. Everyone who is paying and now facing this should be speaking up and making known how serious this is. My major use case if for remote navigation, not desktop/urban fooling around.
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I just experienced a similar issue this week. I was already hiking using Gaia for navigation - in a region with no cell service on a downloaded map.
All of a sudden I get a prompt saying I had to login to my Outside+ account to continue using Gaia. No previous notification this was required - just Gaia stopped working and a login screen appeared.
I had NO cell signal for a while, then as I got closer to the summit - received spotty cell signal - which caused error messages with the Outside+ login screen. Finally - had enough cell to login to Outside+ and my Gaia session came back - but it didn't record the progress I had made - so lost accurate stats for the hike (minor) compared to loosing ability to use Gaia to navigate due to login requirements where there was NO cell signal.
One of the biggest benefits of Gaia was the ability to download maps/routes ahead of going into backcountry - being able to keep phone in airplane mode while hiking - so phone battery life is maximized and get reliable navigation to back up the compass/map. It is not unusual for me to be out of range of cell signal for days - if this app is going to require random logins to Outside+ for use - it is no longer reliable in the field.
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I submitted a bug request and got a reply from support. Apparently there is an option that they decided for call "Snooze" in a menu under "more options". If you find yourself in a remote location and locked out of Gaia GPS, you can click the Snooze button and bypass the password thing for up to 28 days. Indeed it works, and they claim you will get reminded after 24 hours to authenticate. Indeed 28 days will be adequate for my needs. I don't know how often Gaia will get into the mood to force re-authentication. The whole business underscores the need to carry paper maps (as I always do). I wish I could provoke it into letting me re-authenticate right now while I have a solid network connection. But I'll probably head out again in 30 days and find out I have used up my 28 day window. I have a deep understanding of Murphy;s Law.
Snooze? I didn't know this was an alarm clock. I would call this "bypass" or even put it under a label like "help".
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Where do I find the "snooze" button? I've looked in my Outside profile and my Gaia profile and can't find it :( This has been a problem for me for about 10 days now and I work almost exclusively out of cell zone.
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Yeah, this is really annoying. I have used Gaia for years because it works incredibly well offline. I'd say around 90% of my hikes have no cell service in most areas. I'll try the "snooze" button next time. I do understand why it needs to be re-authenticated occasionally, but it seems ridiculous to get that interruption while actively tracking.
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The snooze button is easy to find (though why they didn't just put it on the Login screen is a mystery). Just press on "more options" and it appears.
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For Heather -- you don't need to look on your profiles. Just try to launch Gaia, and when it brings up the screen insisting that you login, click on "more options" and the Snooze button appears.
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Yes, the "making your account more secure" thing is pretty disingenuous.
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I was off grid last week and when I launched the app at the beginning of a 55 mile backcountry trek the app told me I had to log in because of some new relationship with an Outside account (that I don't want).After multiple tries to access the app I drove 30 miles off route until I had a mobile connection. Of course, I didn't know my Gaia app login password off the top of my head so I had to initiate a password change request. This took even more time given the unstable mobile connection.I changed the password and logged in. But it logged into a useless Outside account. I closed out of that, relaunched the Gaia app and it finally opened.The next day I was again restricted from opening the app - well away from internet access. I set my device to airplane mode and fortunately the app opened without having to login.Since I've returned home I've opened the app numerous times without having to log in.Gaia CS replies to this issue lead my to believe this login requirement can happen at any time. If you hit the elusive SNOOZE button you get 28 days grace, but then have to log in again. (Dear user - better set a calendar reminder.)Gaia, if you're listening, this is complete nonsense for an app you claim doesn't require internet access to use. Drop this debilitating "feature" and fire whoever suggested it.6 -
You know, what would make this ugly situation just a little better would be to replace the hidden "snooze" button with a NOT hidden button that says "not right now" or something equally helpful, then explains the 28 day business.
Of course just getting rid of this need to login entirely would be better and more appropriate.
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I vote for the latter.
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Update from Gaia CS:
"I understand how this is confusing, and I appreciate your patience with this situation. You can snooze the login alert every day for 28 days, at which point you are required to log in after the 28-day snooze period.
Since you logged in with the new login flow, you are re-authed, and will not need to use the snooze option or login again unless you manually decide to log out, if you delete and reinstall the app, or use the app on a different device."This does not explain why I experienced another log in demand after already meeting these log in requirements.
Good luck.
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I've had the same problem as everybody else. Used gaia for years with no issue, then it suddenly tells me to log in to Outside and refuses to load my offline map, while I'm in the back country with no cell signal. This has happened multiple times in spite of logging in at home when I have a cell signal.
I hike every week where there is no cell signal of any kind. Hitting a temporary "snooze" button will not work. There needs to be a way to completely turn this off and stay logged in permanently. This is completely unaccetable as a long term paying customer - esp with the recent rate hike where they doubled the yearly fee. Back to paper maps for me.
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This happened to me in the middle of very difficult route finding. Super annoying and potentially a considerable legal liability for Outside and Gaia.
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This happened to me too while I was on an off-grid overland trip and my vehicle broke down. I thought WTF. Now, I see that I am not alone. I don't use Gaia enough that the "snooze feature" has any value to me. This is a ridiculous feature that I hope will change back to the way it was.
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We were just on a 10 day wilderness trip and my friend hit the login screen of death. There was NO snooze button. There was no “more options’. Time to bail on GAIA
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There was no snooze button for me either. I was forced to accept this frustrating feature I have no use for and that makes the Gaia app worse.
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I'm having the same issue as well. This is beyond annoying, and I feel bad for those folks already out on the trails and the app is unable to be used.
To make it worse, Outside won't let me use my Gaia username/password. And the account parameters I used for Outside aren't recognized for Gaia.
Please fix this ASAP
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Okay, problem solved. For some reason Outside+ wasn't accepting my changes to username/password.
After a few resets, Gaia is now working.
Thank you.
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The point of this nonsense is to force you to agree to a new terms of use and collect profile info about you.
I hate Outside because their management obviously does not spend time there.
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Outside being managed from the inside. There's the root cause.
I am glad to report that after my encounter with the debilitating issue it hasn't returned. So there may be merit to the one-and-done need to sign in as described by Gaia CS. It doesn't lessen the severity of the issue. Just reduces the angst of a reoccurrence.
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This just happened to me and it was at night. App logged out for no apparent reason. No cell coverage. Was planning on navigating back to my car in some confusing badlands. VERY BAD. VERY DANGEROUS.
Reading this thread today, I logged out, (on my local LAN) and tried logging back in. I SEE NO SNOOZE OPTION ON THE LOGIN SCREEN.
What gives?
GAIA are you looking for an injury or death? I no longer trust GAIA. Navigation is serious business and we pay (a lot) for reliable tools. You are opening yourself up to potentially very serious legal action.
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You won't get the Snooze button if you have no cell reception. This happened to me. The Outside Sign-In freezes and you're locked out of GaiaGPS. If you were counting on it to see you safely home, think again and bring paper maps.
All that because someone in marketing decided GaiaGPS needed Outside to expand their advertising space. They think they'll become the Facebook of the outdoors world. What is going to happen is anybody who is a serious outdoor person will tun away from GaiaGPS and their marketing schemes.
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I'm having a similar issue. Of I'm out of service the app won't load at all. I get the start screen with the Gaia logo, then it crashes. If I get any service at all it loads up fine, but this has been a major problem several times already. I really love Gaia, but this makes the app unusable.
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Will you just look at this thread, and yet no response from Gaia. I guess their user base is no longer important to them. I suppose it’s time to switch over to On X.
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They won't respond because it's an issue with Outside. They want people to sign-up regularly so they will look at the Outside platform and maybe get interested. They are not about to reverse and quit Outside. We are stuck with a terrific product that has bought into a mediocre platform.
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Probably nothing will happen until someone gets injured or killed and there is a lawsuit. It is almost like they are asking for a lawsuit.
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The same fricking problem with mine. I hate outside and I am starting to hate using Gaia because of this. I don't want join the Outside "facebook". I want to use Gaia and not worry about having to use the moss on trees to find my way out of the bush..
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+1 for experiencing the incredibly dangerous 'locked out with no cell service' in the Indian Himalaya. No option to snooze. This essentially renders Gaia completely useless to those who use it backcountry and rely on it (It's otherwise great and used it for years)
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I reached out to Gaia Customer Support and got this response:
Thanks for letting us know about this. We understand that needing an internet connection to log in through Outside can be a real problem, especially when you’re in remote areas. Safety is important, and we know this is inconvenient.
The team is aware of the issue, and they’re working on finding a solution. For now, we suggest making sure you’re logged in before heading out and downloading any maps you might need while you still have internet access.
We appreciate your patience, and we’ll share updates as soon as we have more info.
Let us know if you have any other questions!Ben | Gaia GPS Customer Success
Outside Inc. Team0 -
Great that Gaia recognizes this is "inconvenient".
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