Whostheref watch app

[chbg]

I have to admit, though, that my pencil and paper solution doesn't cope all that well in heavy rain either :-(

Use rite-in-the-rain paper: https://www.riteintherain.com/

 

[WombleRef]

I love the WTR watch app - think it's brilliant and dare I say during a tournament setting - I probably would be brave enough to just use the watch now rather than a score card.

Only thing I find annoying is when I'm tracking my distance - I've had to spend ages optimising my Apple Watch settings to get it to work 'correctly' - previously the watch would default to the run when I want it to stay with the WTR app. It is doable but a pain to make work.

 

[Flish]

Use rite-in-the-rain paper: https://www.riteintherain.com/

Had no idea they did that as printer paper, hmm, something to try, thanks

 

[Stu10]

I love the WTR watch app - think it's brilliant and dare I say during a tournament setting - I probably would be brave enough to just use the watch now rather than a score card.

Only thing I find annoying is when I'm tracking my distance - I've had to spend ages optimising my Apple Watch settings to get it to work 'correctly' - previously the watch would default to the run when I want it to stay with the WTR app. It is doable but a pain to make work.

I don't know about Apple, but my Samsung watch did this... two options, manually turn on the running tracking to capture that info independently, or turn off the "auto-detect running" option.

 

[Dave Elliott]

dont forget that a great android version already exists, ive highlighted it before. Very cheap, just need an android watch to run it. I think its excellent and has all the features you need. https://sportsofficialsolutions.com/referee-watch/

 

[Stu10]

I've seen posts that an Android WearOS version is complete and ready to be launched, but I don't think it is out yet.

However, I've been using this app on my Samsung watch since March:

Rugby Referee Watch - Apps on Google Play

Time, score, card keeping for Rugby Referees

play.google.com

Honestly, I can't find a fault in it. It was buggy earlier this year, but after providing feedback to the developer, I've since tested several builds and provided input, and I think it now offers 99% of what you want/need.

It keeps track of clocks, scores, penalties, including player number for each event, handles extra time, several defaults formats (10 a side, beach, etc) and custom for kids game, for example. At the end of the game it saves a match report on the watch and syncs it to your phone. You can also setup your match info on the phone (easier with bigger screen) and then sync it with the watch app.

dont forget that a great android version already exists, ive highlighted it before. Very cheap, just need an android watch to run it. I think its excellent and has all the features you need. https://sportsofficialsolutions.com/referee-watch/

The app I linked to is also an excellent app, runs on an android watch, and is free from the Play Store.

 

[whostheref]

Hello all, I run the company that develops the WhosTheRef watch app so happy to respond to questions raised above.:

No ability for extra time. This could become an issue towards the end of the season when it is Cup season
- This feature is currently being developed. It won’t be in the next release as right now we are focusing on adding other sports (League, football and hockey), but will be in the one after the next. We are also adding a “half time timer” – so you’ll get a reminder vibrate just before half-time is up. All of these setting are configurable pre-match.

An indication on the main page that I have a yellow card in play
- Good point. We’ll see if we can get this onto the screen. However we’re being careful not to clutter up the main screen, it seems that everyone loves the simplicity of the app.

A reminder vibration 1 min before a half is about to end so I just get a nudge that we are coming to the end of a half
- We are adding a feature for various alerts like this one for “near end of half”. Also adding optional affirmations which will display at preset times in the game.

Vibration alerts could be stronger. They are quite weak at the moment and can be missed. Critical for say YC or end of half
- these are usually configured in the watch settings, but will see what we can add to the app

Log my stats into my fitness and tracking apps so I can at least prove that I have moved that day
- this will be in a future release. Data will go to your watch’s own fitness app, but we are also launching a subscription service that will record your various stats for analysis. Also match data such as the result will be uploaded automatcially to WTR/WTU.

Count up in second half
- This is being added in next version but one

Android version
This is complete but Google take an age to approve the first version of apps. We keep chasing them, hopefully it will be any day now.

Garmin version
This is now available in Garmin Connect.

Other ideas – don’t hesitate to get in touch with ideas for improvement! The Facebook page is a good place to suggest ideas (facebook.com/whostheref) but we also now have a website dedicated to the watch (watchapp.whostheref.com)

I will also commit to keeping a closer eye on feedback via this forum!

Mark.

 

[DocP]

Cheers Mark.
That is great feedback. I honestly believe, with a couple of tweaks, that your app would be the complete solution for an on the field 4th official on your wrist.

Not far off now but with the bits added above I can't think of much else that you'd want it to do. A half time break timer maybe so you know when the rest period is up and to restart the second half.

But I think the key is actually not to get it to do too much otherwise it becomes unwieldy to use. The app I used before asked for the players number after every score. Just became annoying as at my level as most don't even have the correct numbers on. This then became a chore.

Great work mate, keep it up

 

[whostheref]

We are doing the "half time timer" gives an alert just before the five mins is up. Also, alerts at pre-set times prior to kick off - for things like "do warm up" etc (ha ha). The user can configure these with the time. These should be available by end of first quarter so unfortunately not till next season for NH.

Your feedback is great and spot-on - we want to make it fully-featured, but, keeping it simple to use. So we're adding lots of new features, but, if a user wants to stick to just the basic features they can.

I would love to take credit for the interface design, but, that credit must go to Ben Pomeroy from Somerset, he wrote the first version of this app. WTR saw the potential and reached a commercial agreement to buy it from Ben as we have the resources to properly take it to market.

We are working on an assessor app too which is nearly ready, you can imagine the power this will add when we start linking the data from the watch with the assessor timeline......... This will really move things forward.

 

[Dave Elliott]

still think the original one is far more user friendly and do everything you need from sports official solutions. The downside is its not been developed for the Apple watch yet, just android

 

[Locke]

@whostheref, are there plans for a phone version of the iOS app? Or another way to access my game history outside the watch? Thank you. Great app so far!

 

[Ciaran Trainor]

I'd love to use a watch app but I need reading glasses so can't read the things!

 

[whostheref]

I'd love to use a watch app but I need reading glasses so can't read the things!

This in indeed a serious point. We will take a proper look at whether we can do a version that has reduced information on the screen, but, increases the size of everything.

 

[crossref]

This in indeed a serious point. We will take a proper look at whether we can do a version that has reduced information on the screen, but, increases the size of everything.

for almost all of the game, all that I need to have on the screen is the time remaining. Every other piece of information could be a swipe or two away (eg, totally happy to swipe to get the score - as I don't really need to check the score very often, normall only if a player asks)

Add that a symbol showing time left on a YC - for instance ... etc , much easier to see than numbers) and I would be away.

 

[DocP]

for almost all of the game, all that I need to have on the screen is the time remaining. Every other piece of information could be a swipe or two away (eg, totally happy to swipe to get the score - as I don't really need to check the score very often, normall only if a player asks)

Add that a symbol showing time left on a YC - for instance ... etc , much easier to see than numbers) and I would be away.

I like the YC symbol, actually had this on the last app I used, but the issue was when the captain asks how long on the card. I'd have to give a complete guess. Ideally both time and a count down symbol would be great

 

[crossref]

I like the YC symbol, actually had this on the last app I used, but the issue was when the captain asks how long on the card. I'd have to give a complete guess. Ideally both time and a count down symbol would be great

I would be happy to judge that from my symbol ("about 5 mins") and to swipe if I needed the exact number

Am I just really keen on a bare minimum home screen that I can read without glasses on

 

[whostheref]

I would be happy to judge that from my symbol ("about 5 mins") and to swipe if I needed the exact number

Am I just really keen on a bare minimum home screen that I can read without glasses on

This is great input, thanks.
We could retain all the same functionality, but, have a "minimalist" view, this would inevitable mean the user having to swipe more, but we'd give the user the choice of more info / less swipes; less info / more swipes.
Look out for this in a future release

 

[DocP]

I would be happy to judge that from my symbol ("about 5 mins") and to swipe if I needed the exact number

Am I just really keen on a bare minimum home screen that I can read without glasses on

That was what I was requesting in my requests post at the start of this thread. Just a glance indicator on the home screen with the exact time left where it is at the moment

 

[crossref]

This is great input, thanks.
We could retain all the same functionality, but, have a "minimalist" view, this would inevitable mean the user having to swipe more, but we'd give the user the choice of more info / less swipes; less info / more swipes.
Look out for this in a future release

for me the minimalist view is all about time.
right now the ONLY thing I have on my wrist is time. Everything else is in my pocket, on my scorecard, and that presents no problem at all. I only need to get it out occasionally, to enter data or to consult it, and always when the ball is dead.

It would be useful to have a visual representation of time left on the YC (at the moment I have to keep in my head the time that the YC player can come on, and make a quick calculation). But a symbol would be much better than cramming the screen with tiny numbers - when players ask I will alway say 'about 2 minutes' , rather than 1 minute 48 s..

 

[whostheref]

crossref and DocP, I guess you're volunteering to be testers when we release this "minimalist" version ??