Load Shedding NotifiervVARY

Released November 19, 2025Major

Android

The latest major update triggered a sharp decline in user sentiment, with the average rating dropping from 4.16 to 3.31 stars on Android. Technical regressions in notification reliability and the removal of core schedule visibility have rendered the service ineffective for its primary use case. The update is classified as strongly negative due to the loss of critical utility.

What changed

ContentUpdated Eskom and various municipal area schedules and data
New featureAdded offline indicator in app
UXFixed graph label colours in dark mode
New featureAdded 24-hour graphical outlook to dashboard areas
UXImplemented multiple UI improvements
UXImproved Tweet filtering
RetentionAdded power outage notifications
PerformanceGeneral performance enhancements

Reception

23/ 100 impact scoreStrongly Negative

What worked

New feature
No evidence of positive reception for the 24-hour graphical outlook or offline indicator.

What didn't

Retention
backfired
The addition of power outage notifications resulted in high-frequency user complaints regarding trigger failures.
Content
backfired
Users report the removal of load reduction schedule visibility from the dashboard, which directly conflicts with the update intent.

How it played out

Retrospective analysisAugust 20, 2026

The average rating declined by 0.85 stars following the update, driven by technical regressions in notification reliability and the removal of load reduction schedule visibility. Users report that the app fails to provide timely alerts for power outages, which directly undermines the core utility of the service. Momentum is weakening as users express frustration with both the accuracy of the data and the functionality of the update mechanism.

-0.85 ★

Sentiment shift

New complaints (3)

Notifications fail to trigger, leaving users without alerts for power outageshighversion-tied

Load reduction schedules are missing from the dashboard interfacemediumversion-tied

App update process fails, preventing users from accessing the latest buildmediumversion-tied

Marlvel takeaways

Restore load reduction schedule visibility to the dashboard to address the primary driver of negative sentiment.
Investigate the notification service architecture to resolve the trigger failures reported post-update.
Address the update mechanism instability to ensure users can successfully transition to a stable build.

Original release notes

6.0.5:
Updated Eskom areas.
Added offline indicator in app.
Fixed graph label colours in dark mode.

Other recent updates:
Added 24-hour graphical outlook to dashboard areas.
Updated Matlosana schedules and areas.
Updated JB Marks schedules and areas.
Updated Buffalo City schedules and areas.
Many UI improvements.
Updated Joburg City Power areas.
Updated Emfuleni schedules and areas.
Improved Tweet filtering.
Added power outage notifications.
Some performance enhancements.