Linking battery to octopus for IOF tariff, GivEnergy cloud app problem

Sadly, we now live in a time where mobile phone apps are the only option that octopus/Givenergy use to manage linking your battery up. And sadly, mobile phone apps are the worst, least user friendly and most buggy software to rely on.
When trying to link the battery through the octopus app, it passes me over to the GE app to sign in, which then presents the authorisation page to link the battery. And none of the buttons do anything when pressed.
Why do companies rely on mobile apps, or not at least present you with regular browser alternatives that can be done on a normal computer? It must be maddening for people who are older or have accessibility requirements, I'm in my 40s and am sick with mobile phone apps.
I've got in touch with both parties to complain about it, and have gotten the usual formulaic and entirely tangential reply from octopus, but in this case I think the fault lies with GE.

Odd, I did this last year, joining in May and then leaving in October, and had no trouble at all.

IOF is usually only really a profitable tariff during sunny months.

norse I wonder if the problem is with the new SSO security on the givenergy app?

Are you using the old security login or the new SSO?

I feel your pain, I tried unsuccessfully to enroll to IOF for the summer, I got a bit further than you, I got through the signon an creating an Octopus API token, but then it failed every time.
Turns out Octopus didn’t like me having two inverters on my GivEnergy account. Despite what it said in the FAQ’s at the time (that they could control one inverter), the enrolment wouldn’t work with my setup.

I think it didn’t use the GivEnergy app to sign in, I got a normal website login. Maybe uninstall the GivEnergy app and try the Octopus process again.

Other idea, is it possible to install the Octopus app on a different device? Maybe iOS vs Android or vice versa. Even if only temporary. And I don’t think you need the givenergy app.

As wrighar says though IOF is really only a good tariff to be on in the summer when you are generating more than you are using in the home. The rule of thumb that Tim and Kat’s youtube video suggested is 1.4x
In the winter other tariffs such as Economy 7, Go, Cosy or Flux are usually better

geoffreycoan

I tried reinstalling the app, and still the same problem, Kraken Energy passes over to givenergy and then the authorise buttons are just unresponsive when I try to authorise. I guess that with the fresh install of the app the the new SSO security is being used, bt I have had no indication of this.

I just hate the fact that smartphones are taking more of an emphasis than standard devices for managing these things, not only are they really crap to use and fiddly, but they are also yet another device to plug my personal details into that I would otherwise not. I just can't see any good reason why they wouldn't give this as an option. Mobile apps are always far more limited and I'd never use my mobile to browse the internet of manage my online accounts if I wasn't forced to. It's really poor.

And my comings and goings vary through the year, and sometimes the IOF tariff suits my potential for earnings depending on my whereabouts.

And, just for your info, I noticed that the GE app was hiding another window behind it on my mobile screen which then prompted me to sign in with SSO...this then allowed me to authorise the change. This must have changed with my removal and reinstallation of the GE app.

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.