Ionic WiFi weather app update

[FishnDan]

I have been using the Ionic weather app for 4 days.  It seems to update over its WiFi connection when I am home without syncing with the app.  I have added two other WiFi networks and 2 weather locations along with the standard "Current Location".  I now have the following questions.

1. Does the Ionic weather app use WiFi to update weather?  If not it would be easier to use an app on my phone than syncing the Ionic.

2. Does the Ionic use its GPS to update "Current Location" weather.

3. If the Ionic updates over WiFi and uses its GPS for "Current Location" can it automatically use an open WiFi connection instead of one entered into it?

4. If the Ionic can only use WiFi networks entered into it via the app does it check each one and connect to the available one?  Selecting the network through the app would be more effort the just using an app on the phone.

This would be a really great feature if the Ionic updates over WiFi, Selects available entered or open network and uses its GPS for "Current Location".  It has the hardware to do it.

[sfringer]

It's been discussed in other threads that the Ionic only uses Wi-Fi to install firmware updates and sync music. It is not used for any other app data updates. It will only connect to Wi-Fi networks to which it has been configured to connect; it cannot connect to open Wi-Fi if not configured (and if the open Wi-Fi uses a captive portal/authorization page that is not supported).

[FishnDan]

I have had the Ionic less than a week but it seems to update the weather
over the internet without a sync when I am at home. I do not have
continuous sync on so I will have to pay attention to when I do sync to
make sure it is doing this since it states the time since last weather
update like when I wake up it will say last update 29 minutes ago and
hasn't been synced all night.

I am familiar with what you have said but not sure that it applies to all
apps.

I did find something about a DIN watchface that connects to Dark Sky and is
a paid app but I haven't found how to install it on my Ionic.

Thanks for the reply.

[Rich_Laue]

@sfringer  o find that my apps do automatically update through wifi while the ionic and Versa are charging. But yes app data updates only happen through Bluetooth.

[FishnDan]

My Ionic weather app updated twice in the last 2 hours without syncing with
the app or being charged. I think the hardware could update on open wifi
if entered networks are not available and the software allowed it to.

[Rich_Laue]

I very much doubt that there was two updates to your weather app within the last 2 hours.

After you referring to updating the weather in your location? This does not have to happen during a sync of your data. The weather app itself will query the Fitbit app to get updates which will come through your phones internet connection.

[FishnDan]

You could be right about weather updates, it could update even more times.
All I know is it said last weather update was 56 min ago, I watched Return
of Mary Poppins, a 2 Hr 10 min movie and then it said last update was 32
min ago. Not watching it constanly it could have updated more times or
not. I haven't seen it ever say last update over an hour ago, but I may
just never checked at the right time for it. I am talking about the
weather data not the app itself and I do not have continuous sync on and I
just did a sync and it says weather updated 42 min ago so if it isn't
getting weather info over the internet on its own what is happening? I use
an iPad, my iPhone is too old.

[Rich_Laue]

Your ionic will only have a direct connection to the internet will charging, if a wifi access has been setup.

As I need above, the ionic will periodically ask through the Fitbit app on the phone for a weather update. This happens through the Bluetooth connection between the ionic and the phone.

[FishnDan]

So the Ionic can activate my the fitbit app on my iPad thru Bluetooth and
do a manual sync to update the weather app? I've only charged it a couple
times and the weather app info has updated more than that. I think only
the programmer of the app can really answer what it does.

[Rich_Laue]

No @FishnDan the weather app can not activate, iE start up the Fitbit app on your phone. The Fitbit App must be running, at least the Doobie notification services part of the app must be running and listening for the Tracker to ask for something. This request could be for weather, or a GPS lock. On Android it could be to send a response to notifications, something Apple will not allow third party to do.

The weather, inspite of the title, does not update the weather data through WiFi. This has been mentioned above.

The weather data strickly gets it's update through the Bluetooth and the Fitbit app on the phone. 

During a charge the wifi will be turned on, try and link up to your router, then look for updates to music and any apps on the ionic that have updates. Note this is not so data, but updates to the app process.

[FishnDan]

Yes I figured out that if I have the app running in the background even on
manual sync the weather app syncs data through it. I have to call up the
background apps. Swipe the fitbit app off and then the weather app no
longer updates its data. I had just believed that no syncing or data
exchanged when sync was set to manual mode so it must have been accessing
my router which is not happening. Probably doesn't do this as a battery
saving thing or malware prevention. Anyway mystery solved but I wonder how
much processing the app is doing in the background when continual sync is
off.

[Rich_Laue]

Processing, not much is any when the app is in the background.

The app however does listen for the tracker to ask for data. This data could be information for an app like weather, Uber, logging water, or your GPS location for tracking a run.