Check Off: Testing shared lists

Shared lists are finally coming to the Check Off app!

What are shared lists?

A "shared list" can be used (and updated) on more than one device and even with other people.

Shared lists are multi-device

You can update a list on your Android phone, then see those changes on your Android tablet. Every device stays in sync.

Shared lists are multi-user

You can invite other Android users to share your list. Once they join, you can see their changes and they can see yours. Everyone stays in sync.

Shared lists can be used online or offline

If you make changes to a shared list while not connected to the Internet, no worries - it will "catch up" the next time you open the list while online.

Keen to help test?

Shared lists are almost ready to go. But this is a big update to Check Off, so it will need a lot of testing first. You can help.

If you're keen to test shared lists, you can get early access. Here's how it will work:

• You sign up to my tester email list. This is how you can send feedback and I can send announcements about bugs, fixes, etc. (Your email will only be used for testing Check Off. I won't use it or share it for any other purpose.)
• You automatically get new "test" versions of Check Off as I release them. Normal users (not part of the testing) will not get these updates.
• You share your lists with your other Android devices and/or with friends and family.
• You email me your feedback - bug reports, questions, comments, etc.
• Occasionally I'll email all testers about known bugs, what's coming in the next release, etc.

Precautions you need to take

Because this is a major update, with data moving around between devices over the Internet, there will be bugs. And some bugs may be serious enough to mess up your lists. So if you don't feel comfortable taking the precautions detailed below, you should probably skip testing and wait for the public release.

If you're still keen to sign up for testing, I need you to take a few precautions to preserve your lists.

Keep up-to-date backups of your lists

Safeguarding your data is critical. I've tried to protect your data if things go wrong, but there may be cases where it still gets mangled beyond repair. If your lists or your entire Check Off app get hopelessly confused by some bug, you should be able to uninstall/reinstall Check Off and re-load your lists from your own copies. If you don't have copies, your lists may be gone for good, and that would make us both sad.

You can safeguard your lists by either:

• Using the built-in Backup/Restore feature (which backs up your lists to your Google Drive whenever you update them), or
• Using the Export feature to save a copy of each list to a safe place (Dropbox, SD card, etc.). Note that you'll need to keep exporting your lists as you make changes, so this method is a bit more cumbersome than using Backup/Restore.

Don't share sensitive lists (for now)

When you share a list, it's uploaded to a private Check Off server that only I have full access to (as the developer). You (and other members of a shared list) can see that list, but you can't see other lists that you haven't been invited to.

As the developer, I can see everyone's lists, although I generally don't look at their actual contents. Right now, the data is not encrypted, so in theory I could peek into the database and view everything. Eventually I hope to encrypt the data so I can't see it, making it viewable only to members of the list.

Until then, avoid sharing lists that contain sensitive data. (BTW, please don't use Check Off as a password manager because it doesn't provide the necessary security for that, and it never will.)

Signing up for testing

OK, enough preamble. If you'd like to test shared lists in Check Off, and you agree to take the precautions above, please both of the following:

1. Email me your email address (the one your Android device account uses - usually a "gmail.com" ending), and I'll put you on the tester-access list.
2. In the Play Store, go to the Check Off page and join the "beta test" programme.

Within a day or two (and sometimes it really does take that long), your Check Off app should get updated to the latest test version, and you can start sharing lists and sending me feedback.

Thanks for helping! 🙂