Inspection report · AQC-2611-0142 · v1
Tidepool
QC-2 · MBuild 2.4 (311)iOSiPadOS
Devices: iPhone SE (3rd gen) · iOS 17.7 · iPhone 15 · iOS 18.6 · iPhone 16 Pro Max · iOS 18.6 · iPad Air 13″ · iPadOS 18.6
Inspector No. 042: Mira K.
Lead reviewer No. 007: Daan V.
Ship after fixes
Ship score
74/100
App Review risk
Medium
8
Stability
7
UX
8
Visual polish
5
Monetization
7
Store readiness
Executive summary
Tidepool is a well-made forecast app with a genuinely good first-run experience. The core forecast, spot saving and widgets held up across 4 devices and 2 iOS versions with no crashes. Two issues stand between this build and a confident submission: Restore Purchases doesn't unlock Pro after a reinstall, and Sign in with Apple loops back to the welcome screen when the user hides their email. Fix those two, and this is a strong release.
Findings (18)
| ID | Severity | Finding | Category | Device / OS | Reference | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F-001 | S2 | Restore Purchases doesn't unlock Pro after reinstall▣ | paywall | Open | ||
| F-002 | S2 | Sign in with Apple loops to welcome when ‘Hide My Email’ is chosen▣ | functional | Open | ||
| F-003 | S3 | Keyboard covers “Save spot” on iPhone SE▣ | layout | Open | ||
| F-004 | S3 | Tide times truncate at the largest Dynamic Type sizes | accessibility | Open | ||
| F-005 | S3 | Push permission requested before the first forecast | ux | Open | ||
| F-006 | S3 | Offline forecast shows an endless spinner | functional | Open | ||
| F-007 | S4 | Chevron misaligned in dark-mode Settings rows | visual | Open | ||
| F-008 | S4 | Widget corner radius differs from system widgets | visual | Open | ||
| F-009 | S4 | “Tommorow” typo on the 7-day view | copy | Open | ||
| F-010 | S4 | Haptic fires twice when saving a spot | ux | Open | ||
| F-011 | S4 | Map attribution overlaps the iPad sidebar | layout | Open | ||
| F-012 | S4 | Empty ‘Saved spots’ uses placeholder art | visual | Open | ||
| F-013 | S4 | Paywall close button has a 30pt tap target | accessibility | Open | ||
| F-014 | Idea | Move the paywall after the first saved spot | paywall | Open | ||
| F-015 | Idea | Default to the annual plan and show the monthly equivalent | paywall | Open | ||
| F-016 | Idea | Add a ‘why we ask’ line before location permission | ux | Open | ||
| F-017 | Idea | Offer a Live Activity for the next tide change | ux | Open | ||
| F-018 | Idea | Show trial end date on the paywall | paywall | Open |
Finding details
F-001 · S2 Major · Restore Purchases doesn't unlock Pro after reinstall
iPhone 15 · iOS 18.6 · 2.4 (311) · App Review 3.1.1
- Buy Pro (annual) in sandbox on iPhone 15
- Delete and reinstall the app
- Open Settings → Restore Purchases
Expected: Pro features unlock; paywall no longer shown.
Actual: Toast says “Restored”, but the paywall still appears on the 7-day forecast. Relaunch doesn't help.
Suggestion: After restore, refresh the entitlement from the transaction listener (Transaction.currentEntitlements) before dismissing; today the cached ‘free’ state wins.
F-002 · S2 Major · Sign in with Apple loops to welcome when ‘Hide My Email’ is chosen
iPhone 16 Pro Max · iOS 18.6 · 2.4 (311) · App Review 4.8
- Fresh install
- Tap Continue with Apple
- Choose Hide My Email, confirm with Face ID
Expected: Account is created and onboarding continues.
Actual: Brief spinner, then back to the welcome screen. No error shown.
Suggestion: The relay email arrives only on the first authorization; persist it then. Treat a missing email on later sign-ins as normal.
F-003 · S3 Minor · Keyboard covers “Save spot” on iPhone SE
iPhone SE (3rd gen) · iOS 17.7 · 2.4 (311) · HIG · Keyboards
- Map → long-press a beach
- Tap the name field
Expected: Save button stays visible above the keyboard.
Actual: Button is hidden; user has to dismiss the keyboard first.
Suggestion: Pin the button to the keyboard layout guide, or scroll the sheet content.
F-004 · S3 Minor · Tide times truncate at the largest Dynamic Type sizes
iPhone 15 · iOS 18.6 · 2.4 (311) · HIG · Typography
- Settings → Accessibility → Larger Text → max
- Open any spot
Expected: Times wrap or the row grows.
Actual: “High 14:…” and “Low 20:…” are truncated.
F-005 · S3 Minor · Push permission requested before the first forecast
iPhone 15 · iOS 18.6 · 2.4 (311) · HIG · Privacy
- Fresh install
- Finish onboarding
Expected: Ask after the user saves a spot (clear value).
Actual: System prompt appears on the first screen, before any context.
Suggestion: Ask after the first saved spot, with a one-line pre-prompt explaining swell alerts.
F-006 · S3 Minor · Offline forecast shows an endless spinner
iPhone 15 · iOS 18.6 · 2.4 (311)
- Enable Airplane Mode
- Open a saved spot
Expected: Cached forecast with an ‘offline’ note.
Actual: Spinner runs indefinitely; no retry.
F-007 · S4 Polish · Chevron misaligned in dark-mode Settings rows
iPhone 15 · iOS 18.6 · 2.4 (311)
- Dark mode on
- Open Settings
Actual: Chevrons sit 2pt lower than the row label baseline.
F-008 · S4 Polish · Widget corner radius differs from system widgets
iPhone 15 · iOS 18.6 · 2.4 (311)
- Add the small widget
Actual: Inner content radius is 12pt; system uses the container's.
F-009 · S4 Polish · “Tommorow” typo on the 7-day view
iPhone 15 · iOS 18.6 · 2.4 (311)
- Open any spot
- Scroll to the 7-day forecast
Actual: Header reads “Tommorow”.
F-010 · S4 Polish · Haptic fires twice when saving a spot
iPhone 15 · iOS 18.6 · 2.4 (311)
- Save a spot
Actual: Two success haptics ~200ms apart.
F-011 · S4 Polish · Map attribution overlaps the iPad sidebar
iPad Air 13″ · iPadOS 18.6 · 2.4 (311)
- Open Map on iPad with the sidebar shown
Actual: Attribution text sits under the sidebar edge.
F-012 · S4 Polish · Empty ‘Saved spots’ uses placeholder art
iPhone 15 · iOS 18.6 · 2.4 (311)
- Fresh account → Saved
Actual: Generic grey illustration, inconsistent with the rest of the app.
F-013 · S4 Polish · Paywall close button has a 30pt tap target
iPhone 15 · iOS 18.6 · 2.4 (311) · HIG · Buttons
- Open the paywall
Actual: Close ‘×’ hit area is ~30×30pt (44pt recommended).
F-014 · Suggestion · Move the paywall after the first saved spot
iPhone 15 · iOS 18.6 · 2.4 (311)
Suggestion: Users who save a spot convert better; today the paywall interrupts the first forecast.
F-015 · Suggestion · Default to the annual plan and show the monthly equivalent
iPhone 15 · iOS 18.6 · 2.4 (311)
Suggestion: Pre-select annual and show “€3.33/month, billed yearly” to anchor price.
F-016 · Suggestion · Add a ‘why we ask’ line before location permission
iPhone 15 · iOS 18.6 · 2.4 (311)
Suggestion: One sentence (“to show the closest spots”) improves allow rates.
F-017 · Suggestion · Offer a Live Activity for the next tide change
iPhone 15 · iOS 18.6 · 2.4 (311)
Suggestion: Strong fit for the product and a good store-feature candidate.
F-018 · Suggestion · Show trial end date on the paywall
iPhone 15 · iOS 18.6 · 2.4 (311) · App Review 3.1.2
Suggestion: “Free until 18 Nov, then €39.99/year” reads clearer than “7-day free trial”.
Severity legend: ⯃ S1 Blocker · ▲ S2 Major · ◆ S3 Minor · ● S4 Polish · ✦ Suggestion