This petition is to encourage GoPro to acknowledge that they have caused major disruption to their customers who rely on the tethering capabilities of the GoPro App, newly named Capture.

We want GoPro to remove the login requirement to use the tethering capabilities of the App that was promised to use when purchasing our goPro cameras. We bought into a "total solution" GoPro created a year ago.

What is a "Total Solution", read this quote from the CEO of GoPro, Nick Woodman.

"Our approach is to envision a "total solution" rather than think about each new GoPro as a "product". Products are standalone things. We want to build solutions that help solve problems for people. So, when deciding which features to included in a new GoPro, Karma, or any new software we think about the total solution and experience we're creating for our customers and not as much about the individual product itself." --Nick Woodman (Reddit)

I purchased the GoPro 4 Hero Black to replace my GoPro Hero 2 for for the "total solution" to be able to compose, capture, view, and edit with my smart phone. Less than a year later, this functionality was removed as the GoPro App was replaced with Capture. If I forget to login before my trip, or my trip expands beyond 30 days, my "total solution" is no longer viable.

This requirement to use the internet to use their product is so contrary to why I bought a GoPro. I expected to use their products everywhere. Why would they require a connection to the internet when they promote using the GoPro cameras in the far reaches of the world.

Why is this an issue for me?

I was out capturing the fall color in the Eastern Sierras of California a few weeks ago. I was planning on filming using my GoPro mounted on the hood of my vehicle. Before pulling into traffic I went to enable the camera and realized my GoPro App had disappeared. Thankfully I had internet, so I discovered the App changed names. The app came up in my search and when I opened the app, it looked all nice and new, but there was something new, a login. I wasn't sure what to enter but my general GoPro logged me in with no issues and I was good to go. I figured this was a one time login, but the the nightmare comes later...

I used the App for a couple days, returned home before heading out for the next leg of my fall color trip. Without my knowledge, the App updated again and logged me out. So 6 days later when I reached my second destination and prepared my GoPro to use my smart phone as a remote tether on my 28' photomast, I discovered the login screen returned. I spent the next hour troubleshooting and looking all through the settings, clicking on all the words in the app, everything I could think of to bypass the login. My shot was missed, I had to pack up with no footage. The next day I had to drive back towards civilization to find a cellular connection to login once again. For the remainder of the trip the GoPro worked fine.

I am not alone...

Feel free to browse through the hundreds of angry customer reviews on the App Store, Online camera reviews, Facebook (although complainers get banned), GoPro's Community Forums, even GoPro's phone support seemed annoyed by the frequent requests for the removal. There are two groups of people complaining, 1) the people who believe no login should be required, they don't like the big brother aspect of being followed. 2) Users like me who simply want to use our cameras and smart phone tethers on location without fear of being logged out.

What is the consensus from GoPro Support?

"GoPro made the decision to require the login as it will help us better gauge how our customers use our products, and allow us to identify pain points customers may have so we can improve our future products." (GoPro Support)

So, straight away, GoPro should be aware of a pain point they already created. We can't login without internet access.

So what do I want for this petition?

I want to use my camera everywhere. I bought this capability as a package like Nick said. I don't have to login to any of my other camera equipment to take pictures, why should the GoPro be different?