New PupPod Features - Q1/2021 Release

by Erick Eidus April 1, 2021

Announcing New PupPod Features - Q1/2021 Release

The PupPod community voted and we've shipped the first batch of customer-driven updates. Thank you for taking the time to help us make PupPod better. You can see future polls by joining the PupPod User Group on Facebook.

#1 Request - Stop Feeder When Empty

Tired of having to turn the game off when the feeder is empty? Or even more annoying, having to check to see if the feeder is empty. Turn this setting on and the game will stop automagically when the feeder is empty. Don't be alarmed if the feeder attempts a few "empty" dispenses. That's by design so we make sure the feeder is really empty.

Setting to stop PupPod Rocker game automatically when feeder is empty

Adjust Rocker Sensitivity

In an effort to increase the accuracy of touching the Rocker, we introduced a new feature to fine tune touch sensitivity based on floor type. You can choose between Carpet, Concrete, Rug, Tile, Vinyl, and Wood. You can also fine tune the sensitivity with the +/- adjustment.

PupPod Rocker floor type sensitivity adjustment

Change Device Sounds During a Game Session

Have you ever wanted to change the toy or feeder sound while a game was active? You had to stop the game, tap a few spots, change the sound and then start the game again. It was really annoying, so in addition to setting the sounds before you start the game, now you can also change the sounds while a game is in progress.

Setting to change sounds when game is active

Give Your Pup a Treat

We know many potential customers are trying to decide between Furbo and PupPod, so we added the main Furbo value proposition to take that issue off the table. Select "Watch and Treat" from the home screen to check in on your pup and manually dispense a reward. Why would anyone buy a Furbo?

Feature to watch your dog and manually provide treats

Improvement for Stopping a Game

Have you ever tried stopping a game and it didn't work as expected. That's because the link between the phone and server needed to reconnect. We added a wait cursor that pauses input until the end-to-end architecture is fully connected so you can successfully stop the game.

Improvement for Starting a Game

Have you ever tried starting a game but either the feeder or toy wasn't available. When this occurred you'd have to navigate away from the Play Now screen and then come back in, but we've made this screen smarter. Now if the hardware is unavailable, the button at the bottom of the screen changes to "Retry" so it's easier to get your game on.

Retry button on Play Now screen

A Few Other Changes

When the Rocker first starts, you'll now hear the sound of "PupPod". Want to hear this new sound, just pop a battery out and back in. The Rocker stays powered up for so long you might not hear the sound for months, but you'll smile when you have to swap batteries.

The Rocker now plays a confirmation sounds when changing settings such as a level, time interval, toy sound, or floor type. This provides better feedback to the user when a setting is applied.

These new features started shipping in the following builds:

On Android, PupPod App version 2.0.285
On iOS, PupPod App version 1.0.2 (182)
Toy firmware version 1.7.341 (To update the toy firmware, select the three dots in the upper right corner of the toy details screen.)

Please keep the suggestions flowing. Email us at support@puppod.com for your great idea to be included in the next customer vote and join our Facebook User Group to vote on the next round of feature suggestions.

More changes are in progress to improve WiFi setup, collect post-game user feedback and much more.