[iOS] Cache images locally (Pots, Profile, and merchant icons)

It is frustrating when poor mobile data speeds means that merchant icons, the profile pic, and pot images are slow to load - it looks glitchy.

Why can these pictures and icons not be locally cached? (For merchant icons obviously just recent ones and not locally cache your entire transaction list).

I understand the advantage of keeping a copy of your profile pic and pot images stored on Monzo’s servers for when you have to delete and reinstall the app, but keeping a local cache too would make the experience better.

Anyone got any other thoughts on this? Definitely think it would make the app feel a lot smoother/less glitchy when first loading up with less than full 4G/Wi-fi signal.

I was under the impression this was a bug.
Either way it would look better if it worked as you’ve outlined.

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Maybe it is a bug, I’m not sure.

I’ve tested it with Wi-fi/mobile data switched off just to make sure none of the images are cached locally, and it seems to confirm they aren’t as all images remain totally blank.

I agree with this and have highlighted previously, it isn’t great.

What I am also noticing now:

  1. The roundup pot custom image sometimes doesn’t even load against the transactions, it stays grey as if no image is present. You need to either force close or wait/refresh feed for it to display.
  2. The positioning on the pot image against each transaction in the feed sometimes changes if it does load eg. I currently have an arrow image for round ups, the arrow is positioned correctly within the circle frame. But when the app re-loads the image the arrow is no longer positioned correctly.
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Seem to be cached properly on Android 🤷

Not a problem for me on iOS. Bit slow on dodgy connection but not the other problems

So when you first load the app on iOS the icons/profile pic and pots aren’t briefly blank?
And if you switch off data (just for testing purposes) they don’t remain blank?
Is this the same if if the app is cleared from memory (force quit, or lots of other apps used in between)?

If the answer to all of the above is no, then maybe it is a bug. It’s been the same for me since I first joined. (App has been deleted and reinstalled multiple times since.).
iPhone X user here.

Hmm maybe this is an iOS version only issue then!

Here’s an example — seemed like a ‘first/fresh’ launch of the app on Wi-fi, merchant logos all download and displayed yet I’m left without roundup images until they eventually download. Admittedly, doesn’t happen all the time but it is something I’m noticing. Without going off the original topic too much, cache of recent images in general would make a much better user experience!

iPhone XS Max
iOS 12.2
Monzo 2.43.0 (520)

image

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For less than a second they are. I’ve never opened the app when I don’t have a data connection

I was referring to the round up pot custom image or pot image positioning

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Ah ok.

My round up images show on merchant icons the same time as when the main icon loads so haven’t had that exact problem noted by @jaisullivan.

The only reason I have opened the app with data switched off was just to confirm my suspicions as to why I have to wait for images to load when I open the app normally.

On a good data connection it is only 1-2 seconds, but IMO that’s enough to make the app look unpolished/glitchy, and be an annoying distraction. And on a worse data connection (even if it goes from 4G to 3G but on full signal, in cities and not a rural area), it can take much longer.

Nah it’s pretty solid on the latest Monzo Android Beta. Images don’t flash on startup with internet and it’s the same when airplane mode is enabled.

There were all sorts of previous issues in previous versions: blinking images, merchant images getting mixed up, failing to load in etc. I unfortunately can’t remember when I started noticing that it had been improved though.

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Seems like an iOS only issue then, unless any other Android users say otherwise!

Can definitely confirm it happens on iOS for me too (iPhone X, iOS 12.2)

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Just come back from a weekend away on roaming data and can confirm this is still an issue, also on iOS.

I’ve given this my vote. Monzo should aggressively cache assets and reload them only if necessary. Having blank icons when the UI loads is janky.

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I’ve got to say it is probably the thing that I find most disappointing about the app at the moment. It really impacts on the smoothness of scrolling etc in the app, and just ends up looking glitchy. The account tab performance is the worst (even though the acc tab performance was supposedly improved on last weeks app update). :slightly_frowning_face:

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Accidentally started a new thread, so come here instead to add my +1, this is really annoying. I mean, Monzo must be doing something deliberate to stop the caching? It’s pretty much standard practice at this point…?

Anyway, hopefully fixed as part of the new new nav. On 2.54 iOS FYI.