Reporting potholes to the city with your smartphone will require new app

GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- The city of Grand Rapids will be replacing a smartphone app that allows users to report potholes and other issues with a newer version. 

That means current users of the 311 mobile app will need to delete it off of their phones or tablets and download a new one. 

The old app is called "Grand Rapids 311" and was made by the City of Grand Rapids. The old app is no longer transmitting data to the city and is no longer available for download.

A total of 1,019 users had downloaded the old app, and the city notified all of them with an email that they would need to download the new app.

The new app can be found in the Apple Store or in the Google Play Store by searching "grcity 311." It was made by PublicStuff LLC and Accela Inc. 

With the new app, the city is expanding the types of issues that can be reported. 

Under the old version, users could report potholes, graffiti, street lights and then had to enter anything else in a category marked "other." 

The new grcity 311 app will allow users to report the following issues:

Abandoned vehicle on the street

Dead animal in the street

Graffiti on a street sign or public property

Missing or damaged street sign

Broken playground equipment in a City park

Maintenance in a City park

Full trash bin or litter in a City park

Pothole repair

Blinking or out streetlight

Trash in the street or an alley

Also new to the system is the ability for users to directly report those issues through an online portal without using an app. 

Access the grcity 311 online portal here 

By this fall, the new app will also allow users to report code compliance issues. The app is named after the city's customer service line, 311. By dialing 311 within the city limits, callers can directly reach operators at a call center in city hall that is staffed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.

Find the grcity 311 app in the Apple Store 

Find the grcity 311 app in the Google Play Store

Source: Reporting potholes to the city with your smartphone will require new app