TalkBass App To Be REMOVED/DELETED [security concerns]

Hello all. I'm writing with some bad news for TalkBass App users: the TalkBass app (rebranded Tapatalk) is going to be deleted from the app stores, and it will no longer work for anyone, because we are going to uninstall the Tapatalk Plugin from our forums on Dec 22nd.

I didn't take this lightly. Every day close to 2,000 TalkBass'ers log in with the app. This is going to hurt our bottom line, and create a huge customer service headache. However, the TalkBass community is our most valuable asset, and the security of your information is our TOP priority....

Ok, so.... WHY TAKE THE APP AWAY?

1. Security. This is the big one, that my decision is mostly based on. I have good reason to fear that the data of our users may be at high risk of compromise should we continue to run Tapatalk's plugin. Taptalk's own xenforo support forum was hacked last week, with all user data, passwords, and email stolen. The security "culture" at Tapatalk is quite despicable. Security fixes are slow, silent, and misleading. Security issues are ignored, sometimes files are silently fixed and version numbers are not updated, and we forum admins are left in the dark. Lately, multiple XSS vulnerabilities have been discovered in the xenforo tapatalk plugin, and Tapatalk is silently fixing on their site while leaving the xenforo community in the dark.
2. BUGS. Have been a constant battle. The last straw: The Tapatalk plugin for xenforo throws the software into a loop, sending out duplicate and triplicate alerts to forum watchers. So anyone posting to a highly watched forum (ie, Bass Guitar Classifieds) has to wait sometimes 20+ seconds for their thread to "go through". Result: duplicate threads posted 2x, 3x, even 14x as frustrated users mash the "submit new thread" button. This bug has gone unfixed for over a year.
3. User Interface Inconsistency. Tapatalk is built to work with stock XenForo. All of our customizations, from Classifieds thumbnails and prices, to Supporting Memberships, to the Media Gallery, to the upcoming Reviews section and Wiki, are all unsupported by the app.
4. XenForo is 100% responsive. Now with PushBullet push notifications to ALL or ANY of your devices. There's little need for an app whenwww.TalkBass.com automatically formats itself to your mobile device. Simply go to your user menu -> external accounts to turn on PushBullet push notifications (you just need the PushBullet free app, and a free PushBullet account)

I know this decision is going to hurt a lot of folks who love the app. And it will be a 'dealbreaker' for some I'm sure, who will quit TalkBass (please try talkbass in your mobile browser first - you may be surprised!). But I have to act in the best interest of the TalkBass community, and I have no doubt that this decision is doing just that.

Edit: We plan to pull the plug on the app/tapatalk late Dec 22nd.

 

We will take a look at ForumRunner, but the fact that it's been bought out by Internet Brands sends a chill down my spine (they're the ones who bought out vbulletin and sent it down the tubes).

Having a new dedicated app written for us is daunting and expensive, but there are other admins in the xenforo community who are exploring this idea, and at some future date we may be able to team up and crowdfund something.

 

I'm very sorry. Can I ask, what are some things you love about the app, vs using TalkBass in your mobile browser?

 

Thanks for the feedback. I'm going to do all I can to make this hurt less and value your input. So for alerts, we've already implemented PushBullet so hopefully still having push notifications will help. As for participated and watched in the same list, would a viable option be to adjust your settings so that you're automatically watching (with no email notification) all threads that you post in? That would remove the need for 'participated'...

 

Sorry I can't agree with you. Running an insecure site with a disclaimer that "your info might be stolen" is not something I want to do. Sorry! Plus I just don't want to give Tapatalk access to our database anymore.

 

Tapatalk needs access to all of our information in order to do its thing. Once they have it, it's out of our hands.