EskomSePush, the app used by millions to track load-shedding, is getting several new features including water outage tracking and fire reporting. The popular load-shedding app will be given much more capability over the next several months and years, according to developers Hermann Maritz and Dan Southwood-Wells.
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EskomSePush has now been downloaded and installed more than 6 million times across the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. In February 2021 that number was only around 2.2 million, according to the developers. As a result of the record breaking amount of load-shedding in recent years, the app has therefore been downloaded more in the last 18 months than in the 6 years prior.
While it used to be a side-project for the developers, its major success in recent times have convinced them to make it a full-time business. They believe it has long-term potential, and want it to be used for other public services other than when we can expect the electricity tap to be turned off. The increased user numbers and activity improve the potential for more revenue from advertisers, while ESP also offers a paid-for subscription for those who want to remove ads.
Some of the new features you can expect include water outage tracking and fire reports, which are nearing completion. The beta version is already in testing, with a sneak peek being published on Twitter.
Sneak peak of new EskomSePush version (version 3.12.0 now in Beta) 🎉
+ New Simpler UI for Homepage
+ Add Upcoming Loadshedding to Calendar
+ Distance indicators in AskMyStreet
and more… pic.twitter.com/bI6Xacr1RL— Herman Maritz (@hermux) October 4, 2022
The app will also allow users to add load-shedding schedules their calendars to assist in planning their days. Eskom’s quick switching between load-shedding stages during 2022 also saw ESP receive a new “Upcoming load-shedding” box.
The surge in frequency in load-shedding has seen the app reach new records in daily active users, shared by Maritz.
