diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/service/MeshService.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/service/MeshService.kt
index bde6821f..72e6ef6f 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/service/MeshService.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/service/MeshService.kt
@@ -892,7 +892,7 @@ class MeshService : Service(), Logging {
             // Do our startup init
             try {
                 connectTimeMsec = System.currentTimeMillis()
-                SoftwareUpdateService.sendProgress(this, ProgressNotStarted) // Kinda crufty way of reiniting software update
+                SoftwareUpdateService.sendProgress(this, ProgressNotStarted, true) // Kinda crufty way of reiniting software update
                 startConfig()
 
             } catch (ex: InvalidProtocolBufferException) {
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/service/SoftwareUpdateService.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/service/SoftwareUpdateService.kt
index 84bcfbc1..6504601b 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/service/SoftwareUpdateService.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/geeksville/mesh/service/SoftwareUpdateService.kt
@@ -194,8 +194,16 @@ class SoftwareUpdateService : JobIntentService(), Logging {
         }
 
 
-        fun sendProgress(context: Context, p: Int) {
-            if(progress != p) {
+        /**
+         * Update our progress indication for GUIs
+         *
+         * @param isAppload if false, we don't report failure indications (because we consider spiffs non critical for now).  But do report to analytics
+         */
+        fun sendProgress(context: Context, p: Int, isAppload: Boolean) {
+            if(!isAppload && progress < 0)
+                reportError("Error while writing spiffs $progress") // See if this is happening in the wild
+
+            if(progress != p && (progress >= 0 || isAppload)) {
                 progress = p
 
                 val intent = Intent(ACTION_UPDATE_PROGRESS).putExtra(
@@ -280,7 +288,7 @@ class SoftwareUpdateService : JobIntentService(), Logging {
                 errormsg("Ignoring failure to update spiffs on old appload")
             }
             assets.appLoad?.let { doUpdate(context, sync, it, FLASH_REGION_APPLOAD) }
-            sendProgress(context, ProgressSuccess)
+            sendProgress(context, ProgressSuccess, true)
         }
 
         // writable region codes in the ESP32 update code
@@ -292,6 +300,8 @@ class SoftwareUpdateService : JobIntentService(), Logging {
          * you can use it for the software update.
          */
         private fun doUpdate(context: Context, sync: SafeBluetooth, assetName: String, flashRegion: Int = FLASH_REGION_APPLOAD) {
+            val isAppload = flashRegion == FLASH_REGION_APPLOAD
+            
             try {
                 val g = sync.gatt!!
                 val service = g.services.find { it.uuid == SW_UPDATE_UUID }
@@ -306,7 +316,7 @@ class SoftwareUpdateService : JobIntentService(), Logging {
 
                 info("Starting firmware update for $assetName, flash region $flashRegion")
 
-                sendProgress(context,0)
+                sendProgress(context,0, isAppload)
                 val totalSizeDesc = getCharacteristic(SW_UPDATE_TOTALSIZE_CHARACTER)
                 val dataDesc = getCharacteristic(SW_UPDATE_DATA_CHARACTER)
                 val crc32Desc = getCharacteristic(SW_UPDATE_CRC32_CHARACTER)
@@ -354,7 +364,7 @@ class SoftwareUpdateService : JobIntentService(), Logging {
                         // yet
                         val maxProgress = if(flashRegion != FLASH_REGION_APPLOAD)
                             50 else 100
-                        sendProgress(context, firmwareNumSent * maxProgress / firmwareSize)
+                        sendProgress(context, firmwareNumSent * maxProgress / firmwareSize, isAppload)
                         debug("sending block ${progress}%")
                         var blockSize = 512 - 3 // Max size MTU excluding framing
 
@@ -384,7 +394,7 @@ class SoftwareUpdateService : JobIntentService(), Logging {
                             sync.readCharacteristic(updateResultDesc)
                                 .getIntValue(BluetoothGattCharacteristic.FORMAT_UINT8, 0)
                         if (updateResult != 0) {
-                            sendProgress(context, ProgressUpdateFailed)
+                            sendProgress(context, ProgressUpdateFailed, isAppload)
                             throw Exception("Device update failed, reason=$updateResult")
                         }
 
@@ -395,7 +405,7 @@ class SoftwareUpdateService : JobIntentService(), Logging {
                     }
                 }
             } catch (ex: BLEException) {
-                sendProgress(context, ProgressBleException)
+                sendProgress(context, ProgressBleException, isAppload)
                 throw ex // Unexpected BLE exception
             }
         }