Why is the allowed app name (name for app icon etc) so limited (12 characters, latin characters only)?

[vbSuperfan]

Why is the allowed app name (app icon name) for the mobile app so limited (12 characters, latin characters only)?

This is not a limitation imposed by Google Play Store (many other apps have both longer names and nonm-latin character), so this is very limiting for your customers, both in general with the 12 character short name, but especially for us customers who have other characters in our alphabet than the normal latin ones?

Is there any way to bypass this limitation directly in the downloaded APK from you?

I have unpacked the APK into separate files, and found that the string I provide for the app name is present in two different files ("resources.arsc" and "/assets/crashlytics-build.properties"), will it work to just manually patch it in these files you think?

I will try and see what happens, but I'm still interested in your reasoning behind these seemingly very unnecessary limits in your app builder?

[Wayne Luke]

Not sure about the length limit but vBulletin 3.X and 4.X don't support UTF-8.

[vbSuperfan]

Could you possibly ask someone in the mobile app team? Perhaps this is an old limit that can be removed for vBulletin 5? This would be very beneficial for your customers like me!

Also, it would be very interesting to know how to bypass it directly in the APK, as I mention above!

[LockedOnLaw]

Could you possibly ask someone in the mobile app team? Perhaps this is an old limit that can be removed for vBulletin 5? This would be very beneficial for your customers like me!

Also, it would be very interesting to know how to bypass it directly in the APK, as I mention above!

The limit is 50 characters. That's what it has been since they bumped it up from 30 characters two years ago. You set the name in the app itself. Where are you seeing a 12 character limit?

[Wayne Luke]

Also, it would be very interesting to know how to bypass it directly in the APK, as I mention above!

We can't advocating editing the APK beyond anything mentioned in the downloaded instructions.

[vbSuperfan]

The limit is 50 characters. That's what it has been since they bumped it up from 30 characters two years ago. You set the name in the app itself. Where are you seeing a 12 character limit?

Here you go, directly from the vBulletin online Android app editor:




A counter-question: Where do you see the 50 character limit?

Is there any other way I can config/build my apps than the online editor?

[vbSuperfan]

We can't advocating editing the APK beyond anything mentioned in the downloaded instructions.

Believe me, I wouldn't like to either, but when such heavily restricting limitations are put in place, I really don't have any choice.

Could you please remove this limitation, if it is as unnecessary as it seems to be?

[Wayne Luke]

You can make a feature request in your Issue Tracker in the Mobile App project. If you make the request it will have more importance than if I make it.

[vbSuperfan]

Sure, I will, I just want to hear from In Omnibus how he could have his mentioned 50 character limit before I do...

[LockedOnLaw]

Here you go, directly from the vBulletin online Android app editor:




A counter-question: Where do you see the 50 character limit?

Is there any other way I can config/build my apps than the online editor?

I built my apps directly through Google Play a while back. That's where the 50 character limit exists. I had not seen the 2-12 character limit on vBulletin.

I think the best course of action would be to follow Wayne Luke's advice and create a feature request because it may no longer work the way it did previously and I don't have the ability to test it myself from my non-Android device.

[Wayne Luke]

Just as a point of interest, iOS only allows a 30 character app name length. So any change would probably be restricted to that limit.

[vbSuperfan]

Ok, thanks Wayne and In Omnibus.

Isn't there anyone with actual insight into the mobile app development team that can answer here though (that would be kinda useful in a support forum for the mobile apps I think), so that all communication won't need to go through blind feature requests before it's even established to be a real issue and/or something that actually can be changed to begin with?

[vbSuperfan]

No one from the actual Mobile Suite dev team is actually reading and/or answering questions here?

[Mark.B]

The development teams do not work in the forums. They work in the bug tracker. As Wayne mentioned, you should raise a feature request in there. It's linked in the navbar.

[Wayne Luke]

Isn't there anyone with actual insight into the mobile app development team that can answer here though (that would be kinda useful in a support forum for the mobile apps I think), so that all communication won't need to go through blind feature requests before it's even established to be a real issue and/or something that actually can be changed to begin with?

The person who made the original 12 character decision is no longer with the company. No one working here at this time knows why it was made. The most likely reason is that it was the limit when the Mobile Apps were originally created. This length has not changed since the Apps were launched in 2011. You're the first person to actually complain about the limit that I know of.

We cannot provide support on changing this after the App is compiled and distributed. Even if it could be changed, we cannot tell you how to do so. The way to get a longer allowable title is to create an improvement request and state your reasons. The Mobile Project Manager will make a determination on if and when such a change will be made. He will then instruct the Mobile Developers to make the changes necessary.