My daughter is getting me a cell phone. I wanted an i phone, but she got me an Android based one.

I couldn't find the earlier discussions. Can some people give me names of apps to download on an
Android phone, to use for mystery shopping?

Thanks.

cease

I know Gigwalk has an android app. You may want to check Mobee, Easy Shift, Field Agent, and Rewardable.

I have an iPhone so I have used all of the above apps. Not sure which of the others have android apps but you could check.

Are you looking for those quasi-mystery shopping apps or apps you can use for traditional mystery shopping?

LisaSTL Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Are you looking for those quasi-mystery shopping
> apps or apps you can use for traditional mystery
> shopping?


The MSs I work for have their own "mobile apps", so I GUESS I'm looking for the quasi-mystery ones?

"I have an iPhone so I have used all of the above apps. Not sure which of the others have android apps but you could check."

Oh, gosh, I don't know HOW to check. I've never used a cell phone before! But I thought if I had the names of the apps with me, the guy at the store would put them on the phone for me and
show me how to use them?

I would also like an app to see what prices something is going for on Amazon or e-bay to comparison shop (and scout for stuff to resell).

Also, if they aren't free, do you just pay one time, when you put it on the phone? Or are most of them free?

I'm a techni-dinosaur; my ignorance is so vast, I'm not even sure what questions I should be asking!
I know it's a phone that can get on the web, but I don't have a clue how that works. Do you have to be somewhere there's wi-fi or something?

Thanks for all the help!

cease

Amazon has an app that will give you their prices, all you have to do is scan the barcode.

So, I would go to Amazon's site and find their mobile app there?

cease

No, you would go into the Play store. All apps are there. It's pretty easy after they show you how to load an app.

Oh, goodness -- I do hope they WILL show me how!

cease

anyone in the uk know f these type of apps that work for us

Some apps are free and some have a one time cost (usually less than $4). there are a small number of apps that only work with some other thing that you pay for monthly. those are very clear in the description before you buy themand i rarely see onelike that.

Ask the sales person to walk you through getting an app from the google play store! They will do it if they are even a little good at their job. But really the process comes down to this:
1. tap your apps drawer symbol to see all your apps
2. tap Google Play (it looks like a shopping bag) (The very first time you may need to enter your gmail account details to get it set up. the salesperson will help with that)
3. type in the search (a magnifying glass at the top) the name or type of app you want. this will pull up all the apps like that there are, when you tap one of them it will tell the details, what that app does, how much it costs (if anything), and reviews from others who downloaded it. I always read at least some of those.
4. tap install (or buy if not free) if you want that one. it will show you the apps permissions and make you agree to them to continue and then install it.

some apps:
geoverify - this checks your location and gives a code to put in your shop paperwork. It verifies if you were at the right address.
MSI - this one is for a specific MSC Im not sure aboutother specific ones, would love to know them cause I like entering reports on my phone.

You can also search for types of apps, like stopwatches, voice recorders etc.

Not all apps will work on all android phones, most of the time if it cant work on your phone it wont show up in the search. that is why sometimes you see someone reccommend an app, but then cant find it on your phone.

tips for a techni-dinosaur
- use the pad of your finger to tap, not your fingernail.
- tells you before you have charges, so dont be afraid to check everything out.
- There is an app for that. lol Most iphone apps you hear of have an android version, and the ones that dont usually have another brand of the same thing in android, so search for all of them that sound good.

Thank you Sarin for taking the time and making the effort for such a detailed response.

I do not have a gmail account. And I don't WANT one. I don't know what Google Play is.

I have rheumatoid arthritis which makes tapping or anything else on a cell phone virtually impossible. I thought I would buy a stylus, and use it like a pen?

I don't know from "apps drawer".

Here's a really, really general question -- if I don't like it, can I just stop paying for the service, or what? Guess I'll have to ask that at the phone store; there's probably too many different answers,
and I need the one that fits the service she's gonna sign me up with.

Not a happy camper here. Taking on another bill when it's hard enough to pay the ones I already
have...scares me!



cease

You can do what I did and tell the folks at the store that they will now be your new best friends. I can tell you that as you use your phone, you will come up with more questions. When I first started I would ask my Grandson to show me as he's got a lot of patience and is always willing to help me. Other than that you just drop by the store and ask them - hence they are your new best friends.

ceasesmith - I have MS which makes it difficult to tap my android phone sometimes also. But the "tapping" part is actually heat sensitive, not touch, which is why fingernails do not work. Try using your knuckle. Sometimes the heat from your knuckle works too if you can use it.

I like the Mystery Shopping Aid for Android (I was a big fan of the Shop-It app on iPhone). The first thing you should do after downloading it though is change the color scheme. The default background color is bright red and yellow which is like a magnet for someone to check out your phone! I changed mine to a light turquise (almost a gray) that seems to blend in much better.

Also there is a "Killer voice recorder" that is good for shops as well. You can start it before you go into a store and let it run in th e background. The salesperson can look at your phone screen and never see it running. One thing though is create a folder on your screen called coupons or something that doesn't say anything about mystery or secret shopping and hide your MS apps in there as if they look at your screen and see a "mystery shopping aid" or similar, it will be a tip-off.

IBW, I hope somebody at the store can change the color scheme for me!

How do I find "killer voice recorder" -- is that in "the app store", too? And for how LONG will it record? Just the couple minutes you're in line at the Arches, or an hour in the big home improvement store?

I don't have a clue about "create a folder" -- I can't even do that on my home computer.

And no, cannot use "knuckles" on the phone -- cannot control fingers that well, and they no longer actually "bend" like normal fingers. And it's unbelievably painful to try.

PLM, the store isn't within "dropping by" distance -- the nearest one is almost 200 miles from my home. That's partly why I'm trying to get my ducks in a row before I leave!!!

CUREMS, so very sorry to hear of your MS. I really, truly hate having RA (oh, yes, there's a treatment for it -- costs $19,000 every six months! Even with insurance-- which I do NOT have -- that's $4,000 a year out of pocket...and my "disposable" income, the money I can spend however I wish, like on a pair of new shoes, is about $40 a MONTH, LOL!!!!), but I'd rather have RA any
day of the week.

Thanks, all, for taking the time to answer my ignorant questions! (And yes, I am ignorant -- not stupid, just haven't learned it yet!) I have written all the answers down (pen and paper!) and will take them to the phone place with me!

cease

cease, plmcut has a great plan. To get great FREE help on your phone, pick a store that handles the telephone company that your plan is with. Mine is with Sprint. Pick a store that is somewhat "out of the way," maybe suburban, and go at a time when they are not busy. (The suburban stores seem to be crazy busy on Saturday/Sunday and evenings and maybe lunchtime but not mid-morning or mid-afternoon). If you walk in and 2 or 3 salespeople are standing there and they swarm you, you've found the right place. Pick an eager and trendy-looking salesperson. Get out your phone and tell them what plan you have and ask if they can show you how to do something (anything, most will jump in to a lot more without even being prompted. As long as they are not busy and another customer does not come in and have to wait, most will spend time with you and show you anything.

The sales person will tell you which one is the apps drawerbutton. It's location is slightly differnt on different phones.

Im pretty sure you need a gmail account to use the google play store and get apps. You dont, however have to give out that email address to anyone or use it as your email, just use it to login to google play to get apps. Apple does the same thing with iphones, they make you get an account so you can use the itunes store. Same thing differnt brand, thats all.

What is plmcut?

I haven't any idea there's a phone store that "handles" my telephone company.

Do you mean, if I sign up on Verizon, go to a Verizon store? I don't have any "plan" yet, but my
daughter's on Verizon.

Again, there's only one store anywhere within driving distance.

And if I ask them to put the apps on for me...well, I can't MS them anymore!!!!!

LOL!!!!

cease

Sorry, I misspelled: plmccut. plmccut is the poster who suggested you go to a cell phone store. Yes - I mean once you get your phone, your plan will be with one of the telephone companies. That's who will bill you every month. Mine is Sprint. There are Sprint stores all over the place. If it's Verizon, go to a Verizon store. Is there a mall within driving distance? Or a Sam's or CostCo? They usually have cell phone kiosks, sometimes Radio Shack and sometimes just independent - they typically sell Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, etc., and they are usually pretty phone-operation-savvy.

I would not ask them to put those particular apps on the phone for me. I would ask them to show me how to download an app onto my phone. Ask them for Red Lazar, explaining you want to be able to compare prices when you are shopping. Ask for Key Ring, so you can digitally store your loyalty cards and not have to carry them anymore. Ask for Call Control, explaining you want to be able to block bad callers like telemarketers. Once they have shown you how to download an app onto your phone, maybe three apps, you should be able to download apps by yourself. Don't just ask them to DO it for you, ask them to SHOW you how - and watch so you will learn.

Hey AustinMom, how are you doing with Sprint? I am ending a very long battle to cancel service with them. 11 calls, 11 excuses why I don't have reception, 11 claims that they would do something and then didn't. I can use a Trac phone in northern WI. where I can't get a signal with my Samsung Galaxy 3. I pay for unlimited everything to the tune of $93.27 per month.
It just happened again last week in Park Falls," Looking for mobile service" " No service available" For over 150 miles I had no service. I whipped out the 7 year old Trac phone that I use as an emergency phone, and contacted the customer. When I contacted Sprint about this latest no service situation of 6 in the last 3 weeks, I was told my phone wasn't there! I was amazed by that one, I can prove where I was, have gas receipts, signatures, etc. They claimed they didn't show me even roaming that day. April 3rd is my Independence day from these people. To the tune of $265.00. Rural areas are not for Sprint users. I may look at Verizon, they seem to have service in more rural type areas. If Trac phone had a true android smart phone for this area I would go with them. I'm not a heavy user, just a few short calls a day.

Wow! I've been with Sprint about 6 years now (AT&T before that) and haven't had any problems at all. I'll keep my fingers crossed that my luck with Sprint holds out......

Verizon has the best coverage, hands down, but is generally not the least expensive option. They have unadvertised discounts on their products (for example, they used to have a senior discount), do a google search on it. But, other than Verizon I have to say I was and still am a huge TracFone fan because they use ALL the cell phone towers. Never had a problem with either Verizon or TracFone, and travel extensively in rural areas.

Ceasesmith, you will be happy with your Android phone after the learning curve. If you have a Samsung phone you can go in to Best Buy and many (all?) of them have a Samsung specific department where they show you exactly how to use your phone. I would check it online first, though.

There are MANY helpful videos online if you type in your specific product as far as a 'how to'.

Good luck!!

Thanks to everyone who took the time to answer.

I learned a lot.

No Sam's club with 4 hours drive.

No Best Buy, or box stores.

Verizon has good coverage out here.

I do not know what kind of phone it is.

I will ask for the senior discount!

Many, many thanks.

cease

For me it was all about the customer service with Sprint we had a nightmare issue with my son who was in the Navy who was currently boots on the ground in IRaq. He had canceled his plan however they continued to charge him. He wasn't paying because he had canceled his plan because he was going overseas. They kept telling us that the only way it could be cleared up was if he went in person to the store he had been dealing with. The store was in San Diego, so not quite accessible. He tried calling a couple of times, but no one would give us anything other than the 800 number to go and you would have to work your way up the ladder of people until they finally accidently disconnected you on a transfer, so you could start all over again.

Even though he had signed over power of attorney to me, they would not talk to us about the account or tell us how much he owed. We didn't have a sprint store near us. I think by the time all was said and done I had spent 60 hours on the phone with Sprint and we paid about $400, while he was reported to the credit bureau multiple times for non-payment.

On one of the more threatening contacts, they explained how much trouble they could cause with his life if he did not pay. They stated I had two hours to get him to call back. When I explained that he was in a war zone and I did not have a phone number. They said that was too bad, but if they did not get this cleared up, it might cause difficulty for his credit for years.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/24/2014 05:07AM by Shelly.

Shelly, that's horrible.

Hope he's home already, safe and sound.

cease

Hey Shelly, maybe Clark Howard's people can help. He is very sensitive to military people getting messed with. He is a consumer advocate on TV and Radio if you haven't heard of him. I should have contacted his action center before I started my personal war with Sprint.


Need Advice? We're here to help.


Clark's Consumer Action Center is a FREE call-in help line available to you every weekday. We're here to empower you with consumer advice, education and problem resolution.

Call Team Clark Howard at 404-892-8227
Monday-Friday from 10am-7pm ET.

This was about 5 years ago. He has been out for two years. Thankfully he made it home safely. He now has a wife and kid and a big black mark on his credit rating.

It was a pain because this was one on the first contracts he did as an adult and really the last thing I wanted to talk about on the rare occasions I was able to speak to him. We ended up paying it off for him because we felt so bad about the whole situation. What was irritating is the mail took so long to get to him because of speed when sending to an APO. They would not give a balance over the phone to me, so I would pay off the bill with a letter requesting service be canceled, but in reality he had already been charged for the next month.

Well, I'm back.

And I'll share a new one with you guys that has already helped me; my friend put "shopwatch" on the phone!

It's a stopwatch function but takes unlimited timings just hit the "marker" button, and it gives the precise seconds.

Way, way cool!



cease

Congrats, Cease.

Be sure to keep track of your cell phone bills because you should be able to deduct a certain portion from your taxes next year as business-related expenses.

For tech help, maybe check with your local library. My library offers weekly tech drop-in sessions where we encourage patrons to bring in their phones, tablets, e-readers and questions. It's been a huge hit over the last few months.

Good luck.

cindy55 Wrote:
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> >> >>>>> If Trac phone had a true
> android smart phone for this area I would go with
> them. I'm not a heavy user, just a few short calls
> a day.<<<<<<<<<


Tracfone does have a android smartphone. Are you saying that it is only good in certain area? I don't live in WI, but I definitely would want my CP to work there. I have a tracfone android smartphone, just want to be sure.

CEASE------>good luck. I too am not tech savvy and I am learning new things every day about my CP. I think some android phone require you to have a gmail account (Google) to download some apps.(like SARIN posted) I used the gmail account for apps and MS clients that I don't want to contact me.