All Orange iPhone users suffering long-term BT Openzone fault

NFH

Orange_Company_Representative wrote: »

Testing is still progressing on the new app and I hope to be able to advise of a release date very shortly.

Can we have an update please? We're approaching a year since I got my iPhone 4, and BT Openzone is still not working for Orange customers.

Orange_Company_Representative

Hi NFH

Sorry for the delay in replying, but I'm happy to confirm that the new Wifi App has launched today and is available to download from the App Store now!

This should show in the updates tab shortly, but if you want to download it as soon as possible, you can simply remove the old app and download the new one straight away.

I hope this helps!

^Darren_OrangeHelpers

NFH

Orange_Company_Representative wrote: »

Sorry for the delay in replying, but I'm happy to confirm that the new Wifi App has launched today and is available to download from the App Store now!

Darren, thanks very much for the update and the welcome announcement.

However, I've tested the new app today at a number of BT Openzone hotspots and can sadly report that it does not cure the problem for a number of reasons:

1. After launching the app (or switching to it if already open) it takes several seconds to authenticate, unlike the seamless experience that O2 users receive. On one occasion, it took so long for the Orange WiFi app to authenticate me that I switched to Safari and laboriously authenticated that way. I then switched back to the Orange WiFi app, and it was still trying.
2. BT Openzone's new login page for Orange users states "To connect automatically, you just need to download and launch the Orange WiFi app". However, the app doesn't connect automatically; you still have to authenticate manually before you get any connectivity.
3. My original comments in my first post of this thread still stand "Whenever a user moves within range of a BT Openzone hotspot while using an app that is already connected to the internet via GPRS or 3G data, the iPhone connects to BT Openzone which immediately cuts off the app's connection to the internet, because BT Openzone doesn't provide internet connectivity until the user manually switches to Safari and re-authenticates". The only change now is that, in addition to Safari, the user can manually switch to the Orange wi-fi app in order to authenticate. Let's not forget that, until late April 2011, BT Openzone allowed Safari to remember the Orange number and password anyway, so in this respect the app gives no improvement over the status at the beginning of April.
4. If you walk into an area where there is BT Openzone coverage, your iPhone will be immediately blocked from receiving e-mails and you are not alerted to this. For example, you could walk into a pub with BT Openzone coverage and spend an hour there expecting an important e-mail, but would not receive any e-mails because BT Openzone blocks your iPhone's internet connectivity until you manually launch the Orange wi-fi app.
5. According to the help and support section of Orange's web site, "the next time you are in range of a BT Openzone hotspot your iPhone will connect automatically without asking you for your phone number or password". However, this is still not the case, even with the new app.

Orange, this is a shambles. I hope we're not going to have to wait yet another year for a further fix. I'm amazed that Orange did not properly test this app before launching it. Why didn't Orange use the simple MAC address authentication method that O2 uses?

cardiff_blue

Orange, this is a shambles. I hope we're not going to have to wait yet another year for a further fix. I'm amazed that Orange did not properly test this app before launching it. Why didn't Orange use the simple MAC address authentication method that O2 uses?

couldnt agree more. my wife has 02 iphone and the ease in which she connects to btopenzone compared to myself with orange is a joke.

according to orange you can change your password simply by logging into your account. I cannot finhow you do this on the website.



am i right in thinking in that all this new wifi app does is store your username and password so you dont have to type it in on the safari page?

Orange_Company_Representative

Hi NFH and cardiff blue

Sorry that your first impressions weren't favourable. I've fed back your comments to the developers and I'll let you know their response.

Thanks

^Darren_OrangeHelpers

NFH

cardiff_blue wrote: »

according to orange you can change your password simply by logging into your account. I cannot finhow you do this on the website.

It used to be in a more obvious place, but it's now hidden away. Log in at http://www.orange.co.uk/youraccount/ and then click on "help and support". You should see a link labelled "view wi-fi password".

cardiff_blue wrote: »

am i right in thinking in that all this new wifi app does is store your username and password so you dont have to type it in on the safari page?

Yes, you're absolutely right. It doesn't provide any degree of automation at all. Safari used to be able to remember your username and password until BT Openzone changed the login page for Orange users in April, which prevented Safari from storing the form entries. I'm not sure if BT Openzone prevented this deliberately though.

allan673

It really is crap, orange are not interested in a fix!!! That's why I left them.

Wildblanket

Orange still advertise this feature which has never worked, and charge us for it (although they claim it is free, it is part of the contract). It looks like this is fraud. I think I am going to write to my local trading standards about it. If a small company advertised something which they couldn't provide they would be in court, but Orange seem to think they are above the law. If they had not offered this feature many people (including me) would not have got a iphone from Orange.
At the very least I would expect them to offer some compensation for their inability to provide the advertised service (say £5 per month)

cardiff_blue

NFH wrote: »

It used to be in a more obvious place, but it's now hidden away. Log in at .orange.k/youraccount/ and then click on "help and support". You should see a link labelled "view wi-fi password".

ah the old hidden away deep ion the depths of the help and support trick eh? thanks for that, although was hoping to change my passowrd to something more memorable than random jumbled up letters and numbers.

Yes, you're absolutely right. It doesn't provide any degree of automation at all. Safari used to be able to remember your username and password until BT Openzone changed the login page for Orange users in April, which prevented Safari from storing the form entries. I'm not sure if BT Openzone prevented this deliberately though.

oh well, only a year to go on my contract and ill be out of this orange hell.

Orange_Company_Representative

Hi NFH

Our developers advise that the bug you mentioned where the app takes a long time to authenticate may be temporarily resolved by fully closing the app and restarting it again. This is only a temporary fix until a further update to the app is released in a few weeks time.

They are discussing the comments you have made regarding the authentication methods chosen by Orange compared to those of other providers. I'll let you know when I receive any update on this matter.

Thanks

^Darren_OrangeHelpers