InGame Messaging disappeared

thelorax

In-game messaging has completely vanished from my game. I can no longer view or access my in-game messages and I was waiting to hear back from Glu about my lost K-Stars as I sent screenshots of my receipts to them over the in-game messaging feature.

kokokokonut

Hi Thelorax, I just happened to notice a move around in messaging in my ipad, and wonder, if this could be it? My message icon/or the Contact Us button was gone yesterday, but I found how to access it. Can you take a look at my revised posting about inGame Messaging http://ggnbb.glu.com/showthread.php?169931-How-to-use-InGame-Messaging and see if something like this happened? Yesterday, I found it had changed on one of my devices, and left the new instructions for messaging that might work for you.

I have no idea, under the new placement, where you will see there is a waiting message for you, but the options button will problably be glowing red like it has previously.

Check out your game Options, and see if Messaging moved the way I show in the How to use inGame Messaging thread. Let me know what happens.

thelorax

I looked at your thread Koko and followed the instructions (it's a little different on an iTouch but I still ended up in the right place) and had no luck. Once I got to the "Frequently Asked Questions" page after you press on the "Help" button, there's normally a "Contact Us" button in the right hand corner and at the end of the screen after scrolling through the questions but neither of them are there for me at the moment. I did take screenshots but am unsure of how to post them on here.

kokokokonut

wow, the contact us button disappeared on my ipad, then I found it at the bottom. It's gone from yours? I'll be back in a bit, I'll check mine, and in the search button, type in posting screenshots and see if anything pops up. If not, I'll be back with instructions for posting screenshots, if someone else doesn't post it first.

But for your ticket, https://glumobile.helpshift.com/a/kim-kardashian-hollywood/ go there, and I just checked, and the contact us button is still there, and a form pops up. Use that, include your Hollywood ID.

Hope that helps, and thanks for the infor about the missing button.

thelorax

I just submitted a message via that link with my Game ID, Koko. Here's hoping something comes from it. Although it was a slow and sometimes frustrating process, I was relieved when I was finally able to read my in-game messages and reply to them without them being erased afterwards although not many of my previous issues were actually solved. I'm hoping that they will be if I can access in-game messaging again.

kokokokonut

I think they delete after a while, not sure. Good luck. Enjoy the weekend.

thelorax

Thanks Koko. I hope you have a good weekend too.

thelorax

So, I have an update of sorts. Glu replied to my email yesterday essentially saying that it was normal for the "Contact Us" button to not be visible unless somebody couldn't find an answer to their question in the FAQ's and had to submit an in-game ticket. I am no longer able to access any of my previously send tickets and I'd really like to as I was in the middle of a discussion about my previous issues with the game (which are fairly well documented on this forum) and I didn't get any feedback or response to the screenshots of my receipts which were the last in-game messages that I sent. I managed to open a new ticket saying all that though and am waiting on a reply.

I also sent a reply to the email I got back from Glu. I don't know if they answer back or not but I attached screenshots of my help screen and receipts and also mentioned how I still have a couple of issues with the game that I still don't have a solution or explanation for like the updates refusing to download from the App Store and the fact that I have not been able to watch any videos at all in exchange for cash or K-Stars since the 20th of August when I first started my new game. Compared to my old game where I was able to a few times a week, I want to make sure that it's not a glitch.

Anyway. I hope that this goes somewhere.

kokokokonut

If you express yourself as you are here, they HAVE to see what you're asking. Heck..you sent screenshots. You know what you should do. Screenshot your messages as you send them or responses come in. Boom....message history. My fingers are crossed for you, Let us know how you make out.

thelorax

I received a reply on the 9th of September thanking me for submitting those screenshots and stating that my claim for the lost K-Stars would be processed within three business days providing that I had a strong internet connection available. Normally, I have my iTouch on airplane mode to conserve battery life even whilst I use the internet but I've turned that off for the time being and left my internet completely on at all times. I hope that's enough to get the claim processed since I wasn't given a specific time that it would be happening. I want my private jet back. :cool:

I confirmed with Glu that my inability to watch videos was not a bug and then I was also asked to provide more detail about my issues with the last two updates which I did. I'm still waiting on a reply to that question but I don't mind that right now. I don't imagine it's a very common issue. I won't be downloading this new update until I get an explanation and solution for the last two. I don't want to risk losing my game again.

I must admit, I didn't think about taking screenshots of my messages. That's a good idea, Koko. :cool:

kokokokonut

I hope it gets fixed soon. I knew that sometimes it takes a few reads to fully see what's going on, I find it here and I'm sure it's the same with Customer Care. It's natural to grab onto a thought of what the problem is, answer what you think it is, then realize, oh no....it was this not that. So, I'm confident you're in good hands with Glu now.

thelorax

I'm beginning to think/hope that this will be the start of a transition to more satisfactory customer service experiences between myself and Glu after all the drama that I've had with the game so far. I just got my lost K-Stars back and I'm very happy about it.

I'll post an update whenever I get some answers about issues I've had with the updates for this game as that's all I'm waiting on from Glu at the moment. :cool:

kokokokonut

Yes. This is awesome. Did I not tell you they were very understanding, and sympathetic about game woes? Happy Monday thelorax. Just think, if you hadn't had the problems, you never would have come here and found us. Now you're one of us, and you're expected here for each and every event, and the 30 minutes between Event threads. heh heh heh

thelorax

I suppose not. There does seem to be a lot of nice and interesting people on this forum though which has been good to see, especially when I've been anxious about my game acting out.

It might be a little difficult for me to participate in any forum events due to the time difference between the U.S (where I imagine a lot of posters are from) and my country of residence but I am going to try and participate in the forum a little more. :cool:

Naimonster

Hey thelorax, the forums are here 24/7 so no worries! I have time difference with the large majority too, but I have been able to participate. Though I'd have to admit, I'm a night owl. So, yes, welcome and hi!

thelorax

Hi and thank you, Naimonster!

thelorax

So, I just got some feedback from Glu about the issues I had whilst attempting to download the last two updates. I've been told that it sounds like a connectivity issue and that it's most likely due to a weak or intermittent WiFi signal which will cause game instability. I was also told that I could solve the issue by ensuring that I was connected to a strong WiFi signal beforehand and was given a link to a website that would measure it for me and also has an app for measuring on mobile devices.

I am grateful to finally get a response from Glu about this issue and it certainly sounds like a plausible explanation for my issues but I can't help feeling somewhat confused. This game has been updated plenty of times before now and I was able to download all of them without any issue except for these last two.

I was also able to access the internet and all of my other apps requiring the use of it during the time I was experiencing the issues with the updates for KKH. In addition, I only lost access to the game entirely with one of the updates. I was still able to play the game without the update for the other one and I'm not sure how or why my Wi-Fi signal could be too weak to download the update but strong enough to play the game.

I was told by Glu that the Wi-Fi signal had to have a minimum of 10mb/s download speed and 3 mb/s upload speed to be able to download an update and the signal that I measured on my desktop is below that although I'm not sure how accurate the test it as I wasn't able to complete the test under my particular internet provider whose business headquarters are on the opposite side of the country to me.

Does anyone on this forum have any thoughts? I have not downloaded the very latest update yet as I want to try and sort this issue out completely before I do.

kokokokonut

As a player, I understand your hesitance to download the latest update, but the response from CustomerCare sounds more explanatory than resolution. (makes sense?) So, I see two options. one is to write back, tell them that everything else is downloading, give them some stats about your connection if you can, and ask them what your next step is. However, the first thing they'll instruct you is to take the latest update, and see what that does. Did you ever have a blood test? They give you a list of instructions (don't eat, don't drink, stop medication) before the test or procedure. Same thing here. (Make sure your connection is good, update to the latest version). So, those seem like the alternatives. If you're more comfortable responding to Customer Care, and holding off on the update till they tell you to take it, I get that. I'm sorry you're going through this.

Decision time is never easy, but those seem like the only 2 choices to me.

thelorax

I am glad that Glu is finally acknowledging this issue and attempting to help me but I can see why you would say that so far, they're more focused on explaining the problem rather than solving it, Koko. I've written back to them about my concerns and I suppose I'll have to see where that goes.

I recall you asking me if I had my game backed up to iCloud in my previous thread. If I backed up my current game where I have my previously purchased K-Stars restored and so on, would I be able to then transfer it to a new game should I need to delete and reinstall the game again? I'm still concerned that attempting to download the latest update will prevent me from playing and force me to do that again.

kokokokonut

Well the days of backing up to the servers are over. Customer Care will restore purchases if you must restart your game due to tech issues. If you look around the forum you'll see that often the update has the repair. You don't want to chance it, but you want to take it if it works. No guarantees. I am afraid to download updates, reset anything, and of course, my heart skips a beat if the 'loading' stalls for a 2nd, or doesn't open right away. I hold my breath that my stuff is all there. So you're not alone in that. You're the only one who can decide if you are going to try the update. Good Luck,

thelorax

I can't see why backing up to an external server would be discouraged so that's rather disappointing, actually.

I think that I'll be holding off on the update for a while longer. At least until Glu replies to my latest email.

thelorax

I got a reply from Glu today. They suggested that I try to increase the upload and download speeds of my WiFi signal by unplugging and reinserting my modem. I did that and proceeded to check for any changes by conducting the test measuring the upload and download speeds on the website that they linked me to in a previous email. They had increased slightly but were still below the required figures that Glu gave me. I was told that I may have to contact my internet service provider if further assistance is required but I'm not sure how I'd have to approach that since I couldn't just ring up, ask for a faster WiFi signal and automatically receive it.

I mentioned in my previous email that I was still able to access the internet and all of my other apps while I was experiencing my issues with the previous two updates and was confused as to why this didn't extend to KKH but I was told that Glu couldn't comment on due to a lack of data regarding other apps. I understand that well enough but I will admit to still being curious as to why the internet allowed me to access everything whilst refusing to download the update and I don't know where to go to get an answer for that.

I also wasn't given any sort of explanation as to why I was able to download all of the previous updates for the game successfully but not these last two which was another thing I made a point of mentioning in my previous email. I haven't changed internet providers or done anything else that would affect my Wi-Fi signal in a few years now.

I also inquired as to what would happen if I attempted to download the newest update unsuccessfully and possibly lose access to the game, thus giving me no choice but to delete and reinstall the game and was told that I should never uninstall the game except as a last resort. I asked whether my previously purchased K-Stars would be restored to a new game should that be necessary and received no answer.

I haven't replied to their email or attempted to download the new update yet. I'm thinking about leaving my game as is and not downloading any new ones at all. I'm feeling a bit lost in regard to this game right now.

On an unrelated note - I installed the newest iOs update a day or so ago and established an iCloud account in the process. The first time I went into KKH afterwards, I saw a pop-up saying that I currently have a different game backed up to it and was given the option of keeping that one or saving my current one.

I opted to save my current one but given that I was told that backing up the game is no longer an option on this forum, I'm confused as to how legitimate that was and whether I could somehow continue to play my current game should any attempts to download this new update go wrong and I have to delete and reinstall the game. I know that I was told that I shouldn't do that but when you lose access to the game entirely and you're told that in order to receive any help at all, you should submit an in-game ticket, what else is there to do?

I'm really glad that I have this forum to vent to when need be. Everyone that I've spoken to on here has been kind and helpful and that's relieving.

Naimonster

I've heard the new iOS update is glitched by the way. Don't delete the game, don't want to risk it. Then again, it's weird you got the pop up message about the back up. That could also be a random coincidental thing, maybe? Or the backed up version of your game was months back when backing up to iCloud was still possible. But didn't you say you just created an iCloud account, which means that previously you did not have your game backed up to iCloud. Could be just a standard procedure after creating a iCloud account?

Another solution for you is to ask your friends/ relatives to check their home's internet speed and see if they match what Glu told you. And if they do, run to their house! And hopefully you can download the update. If not, then reply Glu and see what other solutions they have.

kokokokonut

I'm really sorry you're still dealing with this. If you are getting to the point where you are going to walk away from the game, then what have you got to lose, by trying the download you haven't tried to take?
As far as the 2 choices of Game Data, did you read the stats? Whenever I've seen that, Device B usually has my current game, and Device A has had significantly lower stats, like a brand new game ready to start.

It's like you're sitting in a room with a wrapped package. The package will either fix your game, or lose your game. You don't know till you open the package, but then it's open and you can't go back. Good luck, and we're all behind you. I'm sorry this is happening. Good luck with your decision.

thelorax

I do enjoy playing this game and I don't think I'll stop playing it altogether. I'm just contemplating the possibility of not updating my game again and playing it as is. I want to be sure that I make an informed decision in regard to attempting to update again and I don't feel ready to decide anything for certain right now so I'll be holding off on it for a while longer, I think.

I did just create the iCloud account for real. I'm new to mobile devices as I don't have a cell phone and I've been using either an iPod classic (wouldn't really recommend those, btw) or an iPod nano for the majority of my Apple product ownership in my life. This is my first every iTouch and I still don't know everything about it although I think I've come quite a long way over time. I might have to do some more investigating into why that pop-up appeared.

I really do appreciate all of the assistance that Glu has given me recently especially after all of the drama I experienced with in-game tickets being erased and not being able to read replies in the past and I don't mean to sound bitter or ungrateful but I'm just not entirely convinced that it's an issue with my WiFi connectivity. It sounds reasonable enough but if my WiFi has never been up to speed to begin with and the game hasn't changed its download requirements, why would I be able to download every single update successfully except for these last two?

I apologize for my ignorance (it's a bit late here and I may be a bit too tired to fully comprehend what you're saying) but I'm not sure what you mean by game data, Koko. I do appreciate you replying to my posts though.

kokokokonut

Oh, the box giving you the choice of 2 games, then lists Device A: (and not in this order) Game Level, Energy, Games Cash, Stars, (and I'm thinking one or 2 other categories).
Then it lists Device B: and the "Data" stored for that game profile. And that's what tells you which save you're loading.
You aren't sounding ignorant at all. To me, whenever I saw that choose sign, it came after a crash. ao I'd be nervous to pick the right one.

And I totally get that it's a big decision. I was playing a 1st gen ipad, and the OS only went up to 5, and the Game came out with the London (or Sydney? I'm thinking London) update that needed ios 6. I was happy to play the game, till it ran out of storyline. Without the update, I didn't get the clothes, the location, or any of the story line. Luckily, the update was early September, and my anniversary was the 23rd, So.....I got a new ipad to handle the update, so I could stop doing only side gigs.
Meanwhile, I had 2 Androids, and they were current, so I knew what the ipad game was missing.

So keep that in mind while you think about the choices. Can someone with a similar device in your household with the same connection try and dl it? My DH has the same phone, so I'd make him try. I forgot your device. If it's apple, can you go down to the Genius bar and see if they can help you out? (I know this sounds lame, but any port in a storm, right? *wink My brain is thinking Google was mentioned at some point so that would be Android, and they have no geniuses. At least not in a help bar.)

Oh, and my whole 'before you stop playing" things was literal. If it comes down to a point where you really are just going to walk away from the game, then it wouldn't hurt to try the download.

thelorax

I see. Thank you for explaining that. I don't think I've ever seen that on my game before though.

I play on a fifth generation iTouch and am fairly well acquainted with one of my local genius bars from all the times I went there due to problems with the iPod Classic that I used to have. That is another option I'm considering since I'm still questioning whether my inability to download updates is really a WiFi issue though I am happy that I finally got a response from Glu about it.

I'm not optimistic that anybody else in my household will be able to test out the games updates for me as I'm the only one with an Apple device and everybody else has very basic mobile phones that probably aren't up to the job but I'll try to investigate that avenue anyway.

I'm still making a decision as to whether to try this new update or not since I don't feel like I've come across a bona fide solution yet but if I ever reach a point where I don't care to play the game anymore, there's no harm in trying to download it like you said, just in case.

kokokokonut

Well, since you are no stranger to the Genius bar, mine's in a mall, so I make an afternoon of it, lol. I would go there, explain the thing, how you're worried about the update, because of all the issues, you don't want to lose the game, schmackle. I got a genius to save me the cost of a new iphone for my son, because he told me how a cotton swab and a tooth pick might *wink wink fix my problem. It did. More cash to spend on this game. So, go there, make sure they know you have to keep the game data, you just need to take the download. and where could the wifi connection be better than at the genius bar. Then sit back, smile nicely and let them do their magic.

thelorax

I've not been to a Genius bar yet so can't comment on any success I had with that avenue of inquiry or not as of yet but I did venture over to the official Apple forum to see if anybody over there had any ideas and I was told that my inability to download updates for KKH (updates for other apps are downloading successfully) sounded like glitches within the updates themselves. I'm not sure how accurate that is considering I haven't heard about anybody else having the same issue as me so far but it's all I have in regard to new information right now.

I'm also experiencing one of the issues I had with former games again - my husband doesn't have any speech bubbles when he's standing around in my properties again. Only when we reach a level up in our relationship.

thelorax

It's been a while since I've posted here and I don't know if anyone is still following this thread but I've got something happy to report. I was able to successfully download the latest update (with the Judith Leiber bags and So Chic London store) on my home WiFi signal that Glu claimed was too slow to download updates for the game without losing access to the game. So far, it's working fine.

I still have no idea what happened with the last two updates but I'm really hoping that this wasn't a fluke and that I can finally put this issue behind me. I'm still having an issue in regard to my husband not having speech bubbles on my current game but I've submitted screenshots to Glu (as they requested) and hopefully, I'll have a solution for that soon.

I've said it before but I really do appreciate everyone on this forum whose taken the time to reply to my posts with advice and empathy when I've asked for it. There seems to be a lot of great people here.

kokokokonut

I'm so happy the update worked. I feel so bad when someone's game is not working. so glad you've got the Lieber bags. I was in a buying frenzy, and I think I bought one for one of my games.

And I'm sure your husband issues will be resolved one way or another. You're in good hands with Customer Care.