Open Letter to Linden Lab – Addressing Critical Failures in the Second Life Mobile Viewer
MartinRJ Fayray
The Mobile Client has some major flaws:
- Avatar Deformation – Unsupported Attachments and Outfit Limitations
Certain attachments (likely Animesh) are unsupported, causing avatars to appear as horrific, glitchy abominations. The problem is compounded by the fact that the Second Life Mobile Client
does not allow for the removal of individual attachments
– only entire outfits can be swapped. To fix this,
I am forced to log in via Lumiya
– a third-party app that hasn’t been updated in ten years – just to detach the offending attachments. The fact that a decade-old app is required to perform such a basic task is beyond unacceptable. - Severe Avatar Glitches (Furry Avatars in Particular)
Many avatars – especially furry avatars – are deformed, with protruding, bulging eyes. But it doesn’t stop there.
Standing poses are often deformed as well
, with noticeable issues in leg spacing – the legs appear too close together, as if the avatar’s hip width isn’t rendered correctly. This exact problem also exists in Lumiya, which is
ten years old
and uses an entirely different rendering engine. How is it possible that the brand-new Second Life Mobile Viewer struggles with avatar skeletons at the same level as Lumiya?
This suggests either a lack of engine optimization or poor avatar skeleton support. Linden Lab must address this immediately – there is no excuse for launching with such glaring issues. - No HUD Access – A Basic Feature Missing
HUD access is essential. The inability to disable my scripted AO via HUD forces me, once again, to switch to Lumiya just to perform basic interactions like sitting on furniture. HUDs are a cornerstone of Second Life’s user experience – omitting them in the mobile client effectively cripples the app’s functionality.
- Broken Sitting Poses
When attempting to sit, my avatar lands in random positions, often nowhere near the intended sit point. This makes social interaction and basic in-world engagement frustrating and impractical.
- Invisible Camera Button – UX Disaster
The camera button is invisible while in use, forcing users to blindly tap around the screen to find it. Why does the entire screen not act as a draggable interface for camera movement, as Lumiya allows? This is basic functionality, and its absence severely impacts usability.
- Frequent Logouts – The “Fix” Is a Joke
The app logs me out after just a few minutes in the background. Previously, I raised a bug report about being logged out after one minute, which was marked as
fixed
. Now it’s five minutes. This is not a solution – it’s moving the goalpost. Do you expect users to submit a new report every time the timeout shifts by a few minutes? This demonstrates a lack of commitment to solving the root problem. - Other Avatars Disappearing Completely
Another glaring issue – avatars frequently vanish entirely when they sit on objects. This includes their nametags, making them fully invisible to others. This issue occurs consistently, creating a deeply frustrating experience for group interactions and social events.
Sincerely,
MartinRJ Fayray
Log In
Monderas Bristol
From the app store description - "About this app
The Second Life app - now in Beta!" I've always been fully aware of the problems since the first time I used it, was aware of, expected, put up with problems , because...it's BETA software. I
don't
expect zero problems, I don't
expect full functionality. I expect the basics, chat, being able to see my surroundings and see other avatars (The full release notes for the mobile viewer explain the limitations with viewing the world and avatars)Lumiya, when first released, didn't have the ability to do everythiing you're asking for, it came over time. The Second Life mobile client has a roadmap too, at least we have something now. It's not meant to be a desktop replacement.
MartinRJ Fayray
Monderas Bristol As stated before, this is basic functionality. If the app
cannot stay connected online a mere five minutes, then don't release it, not even in Alpha.
This is not 2003 anymore. This is unforgivable.I can't sit, I can't stand with my avatar looking at least SOMEWHAT correctly. I can't click on another avatar, I can't see my HUD, I can't access my attached items to detach them. I cannot search.
This app lacks the most basic
core functionality
!It's a show-off that they can render avatars and implement chat. A demo at best.
But this should have never been released as a Second Life Mobile app, no matter the stage (Pre-Alpha or Alpha, Beta, ...).
This is merely a
Demo
and should not be marketed as anything else but exactly that.There are thousands of users who wanted to participate in the Alpha testing stage, but were kept out. There is zero need for making everyone a public test dummy.
And this has been in "Beta" for a full year!
MartinRJ Fayray
I want to emphasize that all of these issues happened during a
single session of less than an hour
. I was casually trying to spend some time with a friend on my sim, but it became impossible. I had to repeatedly relog using Lumiya just to access basic functionality – as a workaround for the Mobile Viewer’s shortcomings – only to be constantly logged out again, after I'd fixed those.I
need
a functional mobile client. I own multiple regions and manage rental properties, which means I often have to handle administrative tasks even when I'm not at my desktop – especially when my admins are offline. Alternatives like Lumiya are becoming less viable since they are no longer being developed.Please address these issues. A mobile viewer is essential for many landowners and active users, and the current state of the app makes it extremely difficult to stay engaged.
Gorgeous Aurelia
Everything is wrong with this app
MartinRJ Fayray
This is part of an open letter addressing critical issues with the Second Life Mobile Viewer. Due to the 5000-character limit here, I could only post the main list of issues. The full open letter can be found here:
The goal is not to see the mobile client abandoned, but to push Linden Lab to urgently fix these issues.
Silas Starforge
MartinRJ Fayray using language like ffs and wtf really works against you, because it's hard to take the letter seriously with that approach.
Do you honestly think LL isn't aware of these issues? I suspect they are making server changes to support the mobile viewer, but I don't have any proof of that.
I suggest you revisit the letter, and the hand written screenshots, to make it more professional, reflecting mutual respect.
MartinRJ Fayray
Silas Starforge Thank you for your valued feedback and suggestions, but since a “Please sir, would you kindly consider whether you might consider limiting your cooperation with the C-level executive in charge?” would not have the desired effect, I am afraid I must decline your suggestion.