RumpelstiltskinRSS Frequently Asked Questions
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Frequently Asked Questions

Why isn't the iOS app available in the App Store?
Is there a free RumpelstiltskinRSS version?
How can I pay the fee for using RumpelstiltskinRSS?
What if the Android app stops refreshing its jobs page?
What if the Android system displays an error message the app isn't responding?
Why can't my browser connect to rmpl-free.nl (aka rmpl-2020-1.nl)?
Which RumpelstiltskinRSS flavour suits me best?
Why doesn't the sound alert work?
Which setting should I use in Firefox?
Can I choose a different sound?
How can I make the Android app alert only for jobs?
Which refresh interval should I use?
How can I delete my account?

Why isn't the iOS app available in the App Store?

Alas, Apple removed my app from the Store some time ago for technical reasons (I should have updated it to more recent system libraries) and I never found time to create and upload a new version.

I plan to work on it, but I find it hard to tell when the iOS app will be available again. Meanwhile, if you happen to own an Android device you might consider to download the Android app instead.

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Is there a free RumpelstiltskinRSS version?

After creating your first RumpelstiltskinRSS account (e.g., on rmpl-free.nl), the browser version is free during a 3 months trial period. After that, I ask a fee for continued usage. The fee I ask is USD 20 per year (or USD 5 per 3 months, etc.)

If you buy the Android app, you pay for the app itself, of course, but other than that no fee for app usage is required (unless and until I implement mandatory fees as in-app purchases at some point in the future).

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How can I pay the fee for using RumpelstiltskinRSS?

If you use the RumpelstiltskinRSS iOS or Android app but not the browser version, no fee is needed.

If you use the browser version, there's a message on the jobs page stating the date when you need to pay to keep using my tool (because the trial period has ended, or because the previous fee you paid has expired). By paying in time you prevent the service from being blocked.

The fee I ask is USD 20 per year, or USD 5 per 3 months, etc. You can make a one-time payment from time to time, or start a subscription.

The preferred way to pay is on the rmpl.nl Pay page, where you will be redirected to my payment service provider Mollie. Mollie payments have advantages both for you (more payment methods) and for me (simpler automated administration).

You can also pay using wire transfer. Just contact me for the details.

If you pay before the end date stated in the message on the jobs page in your browser, your payment counts for RumpelstiltskinRSS usage from that end date on. E.g., if your trial period ends on June 15, and you pay on June 5 a three months fee (USD 5), the fee covers the time from June 16 up to September 15. And if you pay another three months fee on September 10, you can keep using RumpelstiltskinRSS up to December 15.

After you paid, I need to do some manual processing before you will see it reflected in the message on your jobs page. I will try to do so within 24 hours after the payment. In the unfortunate event the service is blocked and it takes me longer than 24 hours to process your payment, your payment counts for RumpelstiltskinRSS usage from the moment the service is active again, so you don't pay for the time I keep you waiting.

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What if the Android app stops refreshing its jobs page?

The Android app is supposed to keep running in the background no matter what (until you log out again).

That said, some Android system flavors are very eager at minimizing battery usage and therefore kill processes that seemingly run for no reason, like the one in my app that contacts my server over and over again. There is no way for me to control this from within the app.

If you find that after waking up your device after, say, 15 minutes, the app no longer refreshes its jobs page, you should tell the system yourself not to kill the app. Most likely, you can do so by locking the app in the Apps switcher (the screen that shows recent apps) by tapping the Lock button on the upper right corner of the app.

If that doesn't help, visit dontkillmyapp.com for other suggestions. Even if your device is not listed there, when you browse through the information for other devices, you will see several suggestions over and over again. Just try some of them to see if they work for you. (I found the App locking suggestion on dontkillmyapp.com/oneplus.)

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What if the Android system displays an error message the app isn't responding?

Depending on the system version you are using, the Android app may trigger an error message like "RumpelstiltskinRSS isn't responding".

I never found the cause, but in my tests, the app actually keeps running and checking for jobs. (You can tell it is still working properly by checking "Insert dummy job ... (to trigger demo alert)" in your preferences. The app should notify you about the dummy job in the next cycle.)

So while the message sounds disturbing, as far as I can see you can simply ignore it.

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Why can't my browser connect to rmpl-free.nl (aka rmpl-2020-1.nl)?

If you (try to) use the browser version on rmpl-free.nl (or rmpl-2020-1.nl, which is the same server under a different name), it's possible you get an error message about a problem setting up a secure connection.

To solve this, use the address http://www.rmpl-free.nl. Make sure to use http://... as opposed to https://.... (ending in -s) so your browser does not try to set up a secure connection.

As a rule of thumb, it's always a good idea to use a secure connection (https//...), but since RumpelstiltskinRSS does not exchange privacy sensitive data with your computer, it's okay to use an insecure connection in this particular case. (And since this is about the free version, I am not going to solve this issue by replacing the apparently invalid certificate by a paid valid one.)

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Which RumpelstiltskinRSS flavour suits me best?

RumpelstiltskinRSS comes in three flavours: the browser version, and the iOS and Android apps. Each has its pros and cons.

(Note the iOS app version is currently not available from the App Store, see 'Why isn't the iOS app available in the App Store?'.)

The browser version:
😋 has a free 3 month trial period;
😋 runs on any device;
😈 may trigger an adrenaline rush because of its sound;
😡 may need a manual restart from time to time;
😡 requires your device to stay awake;
😡 may need some tinkering to get the alert options right.

The iOS app:
😋 is inexpensive;
😋 runs on any device with iOS 7.0 or later;
😋 gives you a lot of sounds to choose from;
😋 allows you to play the paid custom sound;
😋 doesn't have known instabilities;
😋 keeps running when the device is asleep.

The Android app:
😋 is inexpensive;
😋 runs on any device with Android 4.0 or later;
😋 gives you a lot of sounds to choose from;
😋 allows you to play the paid custom sound;
😋 doesn't have known instabilities;
😋 runs 'in the background'.

If you insist that the tool keeps running no matter what, you're best off with the Android app, since it 'runs in the background', or rather does a little trick that results in the same user experience. This means you can keep using your device for any other purpose without accidentally stopping RumpelstiltskinRSS from checking for jobs.

If you own an iPad or iPhone, the iOS app is the obvious alternative. However, due to limitations set by Apple, it can not run in the background. Whenever you use your device for something else, you have to manually activate RumpelstiltskinRSS again afterwards. But at least you can allow the device to go to sleep without interrupting the process. Thus, you can optimize your chances to grab a job by simply carrying your iOS device with you throughout the day.

If you are near your desktop most of the day, you may find the browser version meets your needs. Beware, though, that it has several limitations. For example, while the iOS and Android app recover automatically from error conditions, e.g. due to tight memory or an intermittent internet connection, the browser version may stop without notice.

You may also want to take the notification options into account, notably the sound alert. The browser version has just 1 sound option, which you may or may not like. The iOS and Android apps have many different sounds you can choose from. Most likely there is one that matches your taste.

Speaking of notification options, in the browser version it's possible that some combinations do not work, depending on the browser and OS versions you are using. For more information about this, see 'Why doesn't the sound alert work?'.

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Why doesn't the sound alert work?

If you use the browser version, you may experience problems with the sound alert. That's because there are so many browser and OS versions out there that it's virtually impossible to make all notification options work for all users. That's one reason why I created apps along with the browser version.

That said, you may have good reasons to stick to the browser version. If you are using Firefox, try the steps described under 'Which setting should I use in Firefox?'. If that doesn't help, or if you are using any other browser, here's how to systematically figure out how you can make the sound and/or other notifications work for you:

Step 1: On your preferences page, under 'Alerts for browser version', uncheck everything except 'Play sound to alert for new job(s)' and 'Insert dummy job (to trigger demo alert)'. Press the 'Start checking for jobs' button.

Step 2: After step 1, you should hear the sound within a minute. If not, go back to your preferences page and (under 'Alerts for browser version') also check 'To play the alert sound, use mechanism adapted to iOS 6 and later' (even if you are not using iOS). Press the 'Start checking for jobs' button.

Step 3: If you still don't hear the sound within a minute, use the 'Play sound' link (that has appeared near the top; it is only there when you use 'To play the alert sound, use mechanism adapted to iOS 6 and later'). Once you press that link, the sound should start playing instantly. Also, this action loads the sound into memory. From now on it should play without any problem, unless the system decides to erase the sound due to tight memory conditions. Therefore, with bad luck, you may have to use the 'Play sound' link every now and then to load the sound back into memory. (In fact, this 'mechanism adapted to iOS 6 and later' is quite fragile. If you rely on it, you may want to switch to the Android app instead.)

Step 4: Once you got the sound working, you may try checking the other options. Note that 'Show pop-up notification saying ... to alert for new job(s)' may disable the sound in some browsers, and 'When a new job is found, after .. seconds go to workbench and halt' may prevent the sound from playing if the interval is set too short (try 5-10 seconds at least).

Step 5: If the previous steps don't solve the issue for you, just contact me and I'll be happy to help you.

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Which setting should I use in Firefox?

Some browsers require the user's consent before playing sound or video. Firefox is one of them, so you may have to tweak some settings so RumpelstiltskinRSS is allowed to play the notification sound.

To do this, make sure under 'Preferences > Privacy & Security > Permissions' the option 'Block web sites from automatically playing sound' is not checked. As an alternative, you may leave this option checked but add RumpelstiltskinRSS to its Exceptions. In that case, add both rmpl.nl and www.rmpl.nl to the Exceptions just to avoid obscure problems if you added one URL to the Exceptions but access RumpelstiltskinRSS via the other.

Similar, under 'Preferences > Privacy & Security > Permissions', the option to prevent popups from playing audio should not be checked, or RumpelstiltskinRSS (both rmpl.nl and www.rmpl.nl) should be added to its Exceptions.

For more information on the relevant Firefox settings, check this and this Mozilla support page.

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Can I choose a different sound?

In the browser version, visit your preferences page, scroll to the 'Alerts for browser version' and just check 'Play sound to alert for new job(s)' to use the default sound. To use a different sound, check 'Play custom sound rather than default sound' along with 'Play sound to alert for new job(s)'. The first time you do this, you need to upload your custom sound using the 'custom sound' link, or you will still get the default sound. If you wish to use a different sound, use the same link to upload a new custom sound. If you wish to return to the default sound, simply uncheck the 'Play custom sound rather than default sound' option.

In the iOS or Android app, you can choose from a variety of sounds. To do so, go to your preferences page and scroll to the 'Alerts for iOS/Android app' box. Uncheck 'Play default sound', check 'Play system beep', and select one of the sounds in the popup menu. Note there are two different lines 'Play system beep', one for iOS and one for Android. Make sure you use the correct one. Finally, press the 'Start checking for jobs' button. (If there are currently no jobs, check 'Insert dummy job ... (to trigger demo alert)' to hear the sound anyway so you can decide if you like it.)

If you don't hear the system beep, you may have to adjust your system settings. Depending on the iOS/Android version you are using, look in the Settings app for a control to turn on the notification volume, the ring volume for incoming phone calls, or anything the like. This is true even if you do hear the default sound, because system beeps are played using a different mechanism involving different system preferences.

Also, some of the Android system 'beeps' are actually silent, depending on the Android flavour you are using. As far as I know, at least the topmost option (TONE_CDMA_ABBR_ALERT) should work fine on any Android device.

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How can I make the Android app alert only for jobs?

Under some Android flavours, the app notifies you (vibrates or produces a sound) every time it checks for jobs. This is a bug, and I plan to fix it in a future update. In the meanwhile, the best workaround is to look for a setting in your system's preferences to suppress notifications from RumpelstiltskinRSS. This will not affect the alert when jobs are available, because that is produced using a different mechanism. (You can test this by checking 'Insert dummy job ... (to trigger demo alert)' to get the alert anyway when there are no jobs.)

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Which refresh interval should I use?

According to Gengo's terms, you are allowed to check your RSS feed up to twice a minute. However, Gengo uses caching so your RSS feed is only refreshed once a minute. So in the end, refreshing every minute or every 30 seconds doesn't really make any difference. That's why RumpelstiltskinRSS' minimum refresh interval is 60 seconds.

I suggest you choose a refresh interval which is slightly longer than a minute to optimize your chances. With a too tight interval, Gengo's server could decide the cache is only 59.9 seconds old so you would have to wait one more cycle to see fresh info.

Which interval works best for you is hard to say. The actual refresh interval will fluctuate around the value you set, depending on unpredictable circumstances on the internet. To find the optimum value, you could set it to 60 seconds first, and observe the actual behaviour of the software. In my own situation, most often the page is refreshed between 59 and 61 seconds after the previous refresh, so I set the interval to 61 seconds and the page is actually refreshed each 60-62 seconds.

BTW If you run another RSS reader along with RumpelstiltskinRSS, e.g. if you haven't decided yet which suits you best, and set both to check once a minute, you will still comply with Gengo's terms.

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How can I delete my account?

If you don't want to use your RumpelstiltskinRSS account any longer, or forgot the name of it, don't worry. There is no harm in leaving an unused account around. You may have as many RumpelstiltskinRSS accounts as you like, and if you stop using an account, it will silently disappear after some time of inactivity.

However, if you don't want to wait for automatic deletion of your account, just contact me and I'll be happy to help you.

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