no text pics,can get them thru email and app

Comments

28 comments

  • Calvin Lowe

    Spartan ruined a good thing when they updated the app and weren’t able to make it work correctly. I am with you. Thousands spent on cameras before this and now they don’t work like a cell camera should. Spartan always points fingers at either the carrier or the phone manufacturer. JUST FIX THE ISSUES SPARTAN! What a joke!

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  • John Lockburner

    You don't need WiFi for the app to work, there's a setting in the app, make sure download only when on WiFi is turned off.

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  • John Lockburner

    Calvin I know you probably won't believe this but it is 100% a Verizon caused problem. That's why it's only Verizon cell phones that have the text issue. ATT has been doing it off and on over the last few years and now it's Verizon's turn. These cameras were never designed to send an email to text and that's been in the manual for a while.

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  • ronnie bradley

    i just literally hung phone up with verizon i have both cameras in hand they reset it on there side everything on verizon side is correct  they said the update u guys done earlier in the week is the problem  i counld give 2 squirts of piss whos fault it is,just fix the problem or i got a feeling spartan will have alot of returns and people wanting money back. IF THEY ANSWER THE PHONE

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  • ronnie bradley

    I NEVER SAID IT GOING FROM EMAIL TO TEXT  I SAID I CAN ONLY SEE PICS VIA EMAIL AND APP NO PICS IN A TEXT LIKE BEFORE

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  • ronnie bradley

    LAST PIC SENT THRU TEXT WAS AUGUST 19TH  835AM NOTHING SINCE

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  • John Lockburner

    Scott even though the pics are sent to your text messages they are sent as an email, that's why you have to enter the number followed by the @vzwpics.com. that's what I meant it my post and that's what Verizon is blocking/filtering

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  • John Lockburner

    Scontrol07 Spartan has been in contact with Verizon and there's nothing Spartan can do. It's called filtering and the cell carriers do it as a way of spam control. Nothing is being blocked on your account it's being blocked after it leaves the Spartan server and before it gets to you. I doubt very much that anyone who answers the phone at Verizon will have any idea about their spam control and auto filters.

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  • Elizabeth Swoope

    scontrol07, I’m running over 25 of these cameras on our property a little over 2.hours away. It’s only 20 acres, though. My cameras are working fine and have been through the maintenance las wee’ and this week. The server was down less than 15 minutes both times.

    The problem is ONLY with texts to Verizone phones. We’ve seen it with AT&T phones before.

    Verizon’s incoming message server is blocking the emails. No one you talk to at. Erizon would have access to that information.

    pictures via text have been a known problem for two years. There has been a warning in every manual stating with the ATTxb.

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  • Elizabeth Swoope

    Calvin,

    The only other cell cam company that I’m aware of that allows you to get pics via text is Covert and they charge $.03 per pic (in addition to your buying service from them). Most companies require you to purchase data through them. Spartan is the only company I'm aware of that has an agreement with Verizon that allows you to add a camera to your phone plan for $5/month. 

    I remember the days of texting cameras and the dreaded GoPhone text plans. I don’t ever want to do that again. 

    (Edited to change “Spartan isn’t” to “Spartan is”. That’s what happens when I try to text on an iPad Mini 5 while trying to exercise.)

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  • Elizabeth Swoope

    Scott,

    Posting in all caps isn’t going to change the situation.

    This has to do with pictures sent from the Spartan server to the Verizon messaging server being blocked by Verizon. The cameras are sending pictures to the Spartan server and the Spartan server is sending them to the app and email just fine. The problem is Verizon text messages. 

    The maintenance that was done last week and this week have nothing to do with the handling of the pictures. It didn’t break the system. Your statement is like saying that putting gas in your car made the tire go flat just because the tire went flat right after you filled your car with gas.

    BTW, the problem with texts to Verizon phones seemed to start Tuesday evening for a lot of people. The maintenance wasn’t until Wednesday at noon.

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  • Calvin Lowe

    Liz, you may be right with coverts txt plan. I’ve used other cells but always used their apps. No need to txt pics when the app works. In Spartans case, the app doesn’t work and you can’t txt pics which leaves you with email. My’s well use a cuddelink system if we have to check our email.

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  • Elizabeth Swoope

    Calvin, 

    You’re just going to have to find the system that works best for you. Thank goodness there are choices.

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  • Calvin Lowe

    Your right. Unfortunately spartan has robbed me of my trail cam budget for awhile so I’ll either have to wait it out or hope you will buy them since you have one of the few remaining working apps

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  • Elizabeth Swoope

    >> you have one of the few remaining working apps

    Exaggerate much? I help out in several places other than here and there are hardly any comments at all about the app. I’ve done almost no support help for the app. I did have one guy new to premium whose app wasn’t working but he just uninstalled and reinstalled and everything was hunky dory. 

    I have 30 cameras right now. I’m about at my limit, other than for additional test cameras that might be coming my way some time in the future. No, I’m not buying your cameras. 

    So Spartan held a gun to your head and forced you to buy cameras? Really? You were coerced into spending your money?

    The developers are working on the app. The app is far more functional now than it ever has been. I’ve been using it since the very first beta before it was released to the public. I remember the slower-than-molasses version last year or the year before. Thank goodness that’s not an issue any more!

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  • ronnie bradley

    To be honest I didn’t realize I was posting in caps lol. I was using a cell phone. I’m not throwing spartan under the bus by no means I think they the best camera out there,or I wouldn’t have 10 of them. And your right nobody at Verizon knows anything about these cameras all they could say it was the camera fault. But either way I just wished it was fixed. I’ll leave it at that I guess the texting of pic has spoiled us a little lol.

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  • Elizabeth Swoope

    It’s not the camera’s fault. The cameras are getting pics to the portal and that’s all they can do. Once the pics get to the portal, the camera server takes over getting the pics delivered to where ever. 

    I only have one camera sending by text and that was just to keep an eye on texts. No way would I run as many cameras as I have to text. 1500 or more text pics a night like one guy was getting would drive me bonkers. 

    I hope that the app continues to be improved so that it works the way the text-likers need it to work.

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  • ronnie bradley

    Ya I usually have to turn my phone off at night lol. But that’s why I love these cameras. Someone will get it lined out A man just has to treat it like a hostage situation. Just gotta wait it out lol.

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  • Calvin Lowe

    Neither you nor I know how many apps are having this problem. It’s safe to assume there are many more than you are assuming. Remember your number of users, tens of thousands. How many of them actually get on here and post? How many know what a working app actually is? Admit it, you don’t know so please stop arguing this to death. I get it. Yours works. I’m sure everyone that has a non working app is happy for you.

    I did not have any issues with last years app. Loved it and that’s why I loaded up on cameras—should have waited for the big price drop but who knew??

    You don’t need a gun to rob people. Come on Liz! That’s something you’d hear on CNN. We are talking about a company robbing from a consumer here. False advertising is one way. Continually charging for a app they know doesn’t work sure fits the bill.

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  • Elizabeth Swoope

    You are libeling Spartan Camera. “We’re talking about a company robbing from a consumer here.” You’d better believe that your statement will be screen capped, kept, and provided to people up the “food chain” at SC. 

    You claim that the app isn’t working. Do you really think there wouldn’t be tons of support calls, lots of posts in various places if the app were working as poorly as you claim? I am active in several trail camera facebook groups, including one specifically for Spartan cameras. I daresay I interact with many more Spartan Camera customers than you do. 

    So your app doesn’t work at all? You can’t change settings, request HD photos or videos (if your cameras are capable of that)? You aren’t getting status reports? That’s truly interesting if that is the case.

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  • Calvin Lowe

    Here we go again. How many times do I have to repeat myself to you liz? No my app isn’t working. I’ve called spartan numerous times because of it. I’ve been refunded credits because of it acknowledging it isn’t working. What else do you want me to say? That it’s not working again? What is the threat your making about screen capping what I say? It’s not a lie, it’s been documented and I’m a unhappy customer because of the lack of service fixing the issue. Your threats may land you in more trouble than you think. Push this further.
    Please answer this question, you are representing Spartan Camera, correct?

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  • Calvin Lowe

    I just want to ask you since you know everything. Are these photos supposed to load automatically to the app? I can’t seem to get them to load unless the app is open in the front of my phone. Sure doesn’t seem like any other cell cam I’ve had. Hell, even the cheap spypoints will load automatically and are even able to sort bucks from does, turkeys ect. What does spartan do you say?

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  • Elizabeth Swoope

    I am going to refrain from answering your questions as you chose to refrain from answering mine. 

    I would hope that you would respect the other people who come here for help by starting your own topic (or going back to the one you did start) where you and Johnny can discuss your problem instead of you hijacking everyone else’s topics, which are unrelated to your problem.

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  • John Lockburner

    Ranger I don't know if anywhere it says the pics will automatically download before you open the app but I also haven't looked so I'm not 100% sure of that. I do know it mentions notifications. I do know it's much nicer when the pics download all on their own. Just to be clear I'm not being defensive or argumentative, just stating what I think is the case. The difference with the Spartan app is that it puts the pictures on your phone so you can still view them even if you have no wifi or cellular data and once they are there they stay until purged and don't have to re load every time you open the app. I'm sorry but I don't remember what make and model is your cell phone? 

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  • Calvin Lowe

    I was referring to what I was told on the phone when speaking with Spartans office staff several times. They said the photos are supposed to automatically download like they did previously on their older version of the app. They are Z4gb cameras, my app is on a iPhone XS Max. The cameras and iPhone are running the latest update.
    Others that I’ve shared the cameras with were also on iPhones except for one android which I don’t know the model. It also would not auto download.

    I will drop the issue for now and give them a bit longer to hopefully get it figured out. Getting into this time of year just adds to the frustration of the cameras not working properly.
    Thanks

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  • Elizabeth Swoope

    Ranger,

    Most of the time, pictures are already downloaded for me before I open the app. That’s on Android and iOS, but it varies from device to device and sometimes varies on the same device. My Android phone restarts at 1 AM, but when I open the app in the morning, the pics are there.

    Make sure that in the app settings, Automatically download is set and you don’t have it limited to WiFi. Those are probably already set correctly.

    Then in your phone settings, under power management or battery (exactly what it’s called varies from device to device), make sure that the Spartan app has permission to run in the background AND that it is not allowed to go to sleep. I wish I could tell you exactly where those settings are, but I’ve dealt with three Android phone models, two Android tablet models, and three iPads, and I have to noodle around in the settings on each one to find those settings. 

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  • John Lockburner

    I can tell you that tech is working on it, they want everyones pictures to be downloaded when they open the app. The hard part is that Apple and Samsung devices prioritize things on their own and don't really give the users that ability to change that. Sometimes the exact same phone models will act differently based on the other apps installed on the devices and other background functions.

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  • freedomhunts

    I’m also having both of these issues. I tried getting my pics txt to me but have not had much luck so I opted to pay for the app and it’s doing what others have mentioned about the dl issue. It really would be nice to get this fixed because at this point I have no other option. Email is out of the question

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