GeoFences (99 cents) is a novel concept that would be a must-have iPhone app if not for a number of issues that hold it back. I can’t think of a more useful app for my own personal scatterbrained lifestyle than an app that tells you when you’re near a point of interest that you need to stop at. Unfortunately, Geofences makes it so difficult just to set the point of interest that only those with extreme patience would follow through.
The layout to GeoFences is sparse, to say the least. You’re given the ability to type the name of your alert, the location for the alert, and activate it. You’ll have to know the exact address of the spot you’re trying to get to, however, because typing in “Jimmy Johns, Chicago, IL” doesn’t bring up a map of several Jimmy John’s locations to choose from, it simply puts a spot on a random point in Chicago.
An update that lets you search for the spot to place your alert would make GeoFences instantly more useful.
What’s more, even if you know the address of the place you’re trying to get to, there’s no option to select a notification radius. Unless you’re practically already at the location, you’re unlikely receive a notification. Even when I was sitting right on the location, I’ve missed a notication once or twice.
Again, this is one of the more useful app concepts I’ve seen. I love it in theory and would very much like for it to be more user-friendly, but it’s difficult to recommend it in its current state. At this point, GeoFences could only be recommended based on its potential. A few small updates could make this the killer app it yearns to be.
