No Agenda Things

Public beta for version 3.1.0 is now available. There are three major changes in this version.

• New “Related” pages. Two related podcasts “Moe Factz” and “DH Unplugged” are now available to stream in the No Agenda Karma app.
• Select clips available on the Apple Watch for playback through bluetooth speakers or the watch internal speakers.
• Clip sharing. Yeah I know other podcast apps already do this and users can even just make a screen recording and share it, but I wanted to do better. With NA Karma clips you can support the show in two new ways. NA Karma clips have both a visual and audio call to action to donate. There will be a post detailing how to share audio clips soon.

You can participate in the public beta at this link.

https://testflight.apple.com/join/ukZtPVXt

So, I have been working on the next version of the No Agenda Karma, Clips, & More app for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch and one of the new features I am headed towards is a new “Related” page where app users are able to stream episodes of other podcasts Adam and John host or strongly support. Right now I have Moe Factz with Adam Curry and DH Unplugged. Other Suggestions are welcome, leave a comment below. A public beta with more new features will be available soon.

Get your copy Here

#lessthanacupofcoffee

No Agenda Karma, Clips & More app for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch has a new for version 3.0 feature of live streaming from the Apple Watch. It is important to know that not all versions of the Apple Watch support the live stream capability. These are the older watches. Series 3 and later are all supported. Watches that do not support streaming will not show a button at all, others will display a button that says “Live Stream” during  showtimes and “Stream” at all other times. Pressing the button will start live streaming via Apple’s HTTP Live Streaming(HLS) technology. The content is the same as what you can access on your computer at http://listen.noagendastream.com/noagenda”.

Once the live stream is kicked off you will be taken to the streaming view. When the watch makes a successful connection the view will look like the image above on the right. If your watch is not connected to a bluetooth speaker a notification will pop up to choose a recently paired speaker for connection. Live stream audio will not play from the watch’s speaker. If a valid connection to the streaming service is not made the “No Agenda Live Stream” banner and pause button will not be displayed but when you see the screen like the picture above all you need is some patience. At a minimum it takes a few seconds for the audio to start, depending on the quality of the connection, the wait may be longer than you will like. When the connection is too weak or there is excessive buffering, after 30 seconds a notification will be presented and the streaming attempt will time out. At that point you should hit the End Play button and try again. When audio has started play you are able to navigate to other pages or close the app and the stream will continue. The pause button in the center of the stream playing view is just that. It will pause the audio but the stream connection will remain intact for a period of time and audio may be quickly restored. When you are finished streaming it is recommended to use the “End Play” button. End Play will kill off the stream and all the associated objects that use valuable resources. Your Apple Watch battery will appreciate it!

In a nutshell here is what you need to stream the No Agenda Show right from the Apple Watch.

• Apple Watch Series 3 or later.
• Internet connection via WiFi or Cellular.
• Paired and connected Bluetooth 4 or later speakers, earbuds, headphones etc.

On a personal note, I do use the streaming feature regularly and have found the No Agenda stream to be very robust and filled with content all the time. I do not use a cellular watch but have found the WiFi connection is maintained to the extents of my WiFi signal. This includes doing yard work outside the home and long distances from the paired phone. I also do a lot of testing of other streams during which I encounter a lot of dead servers or just plain old dead air. Streaming failures are often not the fault of the device or internet connection.

Get your copy of No Agenda Karma, Clips & More here and start streaming today.

OK, so there has been some confusion in earlier versions as to how notifications and the live stream button work in the No Agenda Karma, Clips, & More app.

First of all, be sure to allow notifications when downloading the app for the first time. If you disallowed notifications at first start you can always go to your main settings app and in the notifications section allow notifications for the app. Once the app is loaded the No Agenda App settings will be available in the main settings app. It will look like the image above. Here users can adjust the style of notifications they will receive, allow background refreshing of data, and allow streaming or downloads with cellular data. Below that are more specific selections.

• Download New Shows – Along with the Background App Refresh this selection will download new show audio when it becomes available. It is important to know here that the frequency of when the operating system searches for new data in the background is directly related to the amount of time you spend using the app.
• Showtime Reminder – This ON by default and when notifications are allowed the app sends a notification to users on show days five minutes before shows are scheduled to start.
• Listen When Live – This setting simply starts the live stream automatically when the app is opened during a showtime. So for example if you open the app at 10:00 am PST on Sunday morning it will start live streaming the show when it becomes active.
• Live Button(always) – In the default OFF position the live streaming button only appears during live No Agenda shows on Sunday and Thursday 9:00am PST to 12:00pm PST. For those wanting to listen to other content on the stream, turn this on  and the live streaming will be available at anytime.

I hope these changes and features are easy to understand and make the app more useful. If not, leave me a comment and I will do my best to make it happen.

For those of you who don’t already have your own copy of NO Agenda Karma, Clips, & More for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Get it Here.