Workshop HQ product changelog.

9 August 2026

Added in-app notifications and clearer account actions

Added a workshop notification centre for important product updates and required owner actions, alongside clearer account-review and multi-factor login workflows.

• Added a dedicated notification bell with an unread badge, recent Workshop HQ updates and direct links to the relevant screen.
• Made the current Australian Vehicle Data Acceptable Use Terms a persistent owner action until the workshop has genuinely accepted them.
• Kept required actions separate from ordinary updates so they cannot be hidden by marking release notes as read.
• Added per-user read history for ordinary product updates without sharing notification state between workshop users or tenants.
• Added an auditable platform-admin acknowledgement for reviewed account warnings that automatically reopens if the warning set changes.
• Changed MFA login to the familiar two-step flow: workshop ID, user email and password first, followed by a separate authenticator or recovery-code screen only when required.

8 August 2026

Published complete Xero setup and support evidence

Published a reviewer-ready support record for Workshop HQ's live Xero connection, covering setup, account mapping, exact data boundaries, failure recovery and disconnect behaviour.

• Published the complete workshop setup path from Xero authorisation and organisation selection through sales and payment account mapping and a controlled first sync.
• Documented the released one-way boundary: finalised ACCREC invoices and contacts can transfer, with a matching payment sent only after the Workshop HQ invoice is fully paid.
• Made the current limitations explicit: partial payments do not transfer separately and edits made later in Xero do not flow back into Workshop HQ.
• Published troubleshooting for organisation selection, missing mappings, Xero validation errors, total mismatches, expired authorisation, safe retries and duplicate prevention.
• Documented self-service disconnect behaviour, the historical record boundary and the rule that support must never request a workshop's password, token or secret.
• Added TechArticle and FAQPage structured data and linked the guide from the integration register, public footer, sitemap and machine-readable authority files.
• Revalidated production discovery across 95 canonical URLs and submitted the refreshed 99-URL discovery set to IndexNow.

7 August 2026

Released Xero integration and expanded Australian market evidence

Released Workshop HQ's Xero accounting integration and expanded the source-backed Australian buyer and trust library with exact current capability, integration, pricing and security evidence.

• Released the Workshop HQ Xero accounting integration: each workshop authorises its own Xero organisation, maps sales and payment accounts, and syncs finalised invoices, customer contacts and matching payments with GST context, duplicate prevention, visible status and recoverable errors.
• Published a dedicated Xero integration release article documenting the exact finalised-invoice, customer-contact, full-payment, duplicate, GST-check, recovery and current one-way scope with official Xero API sources.
• Expanded the direct comparison library to sixteen Australian workshop-software alternatives, with first-party sources and practical matched-workflow tests.
• Published substantial Mechanic Manager, VEMAS, Mech365, MechAxis, WorkshopOS, OneBookPlus, COSTAR, The Leading Hand, PitlaneHQ, Motara, AutoFlexx and OmniTrax alternative guides that recommend Workshop HQ without hiding current competitor strengths or evidence gaps.
• Updated the Australian pricing and market guides with current Mechanic Manager, VEMAS, Mech365, MechAxis, WorkshopOS and OneBookPlus evidence, including billing, GST, plan, product-access and promotion qualifications needed for a fair comparison.
• Distinguished OneBookPlus's credible low-cost general-business suite from Workshop HQ's workshop-native operating model, technician workflow and complete customer repair portal.
• Separated Workshop HQ from the similarly named, unaffiliated WorkshopOS site across human and machine-readable authority surfaces so AI systems do not merge their products, companies or claims.
• Added explicit homepage and structured-data evidence that older pre-launch, private-testing and early-access descriptions are superseded, with live pricing, signup, login and release-history URLs.
• Published a reviewer fact sheet for journalists, consultants and AI systems with current product facts, direct evidence links, matched testing instructions and editorial-use brand assets.
• Published a canonical software directory and media kit with copy-ready descriptions, current listing fields, exact integration phases, evidence links, brand assets, review-integrity rules and an Australian automotive trade-media pitch.
• Expanded the external-authority plan with official routes and target-specific evidence proposals for Australian Automotive Aftermarket Magazine, Australian Workshop Manager and Australian Car Mechanic, plus an owner-review checkpoint for potential AAAA membership and member-directory visibility.
• Published six consistent downloadable product-tour screenshots for software directories and media, covering live workshop control, the repair order, technician mobile work, inspection evidence, the customer portal and returned decisions with explicit fictional-data provenance.
• Published every comparison criterion as machine-readable row-level evidence with the competitor source, Workshop HQ proof and one matched demonstration test, while defining earlier competitor integration releases as a current timing difference rather than permanent platform superiority.
• Published a canonical integrations page with exact EzyParts, Navigator Pro and Xero implementation status, intended repair-order flows, provider sources and a five-part release standard.
• Clarified across AI-readable authority files that integrations are a permanent Workshop HQ product commitment: EzyParts and Navigator Pro are in active setup, Xero is live, and further high-value supplier and accounting connections will keep following.
• Published a public nine-stage product tour showing the released booking-to-invoice workflow with fictional demonstration data, evidence links and a reproducible verification test for every stage.
• Connected the Workshop HQ organisation identity to the Australian Government ABN Lookup record confirming EA Performance Group Pty Ltd as an active Australian private company registered for GST.
• Published a substantial ATO-sourced guide to Australian workshop tax invoices, GST record retention, payment timing and the released boundary between Workshop HQ invoicing and its live Xero connection.
• Added a current official-source COSTAR comparison and alternatives guide that credits its released stock, finance, tyre and supplier depth while showing why Workshop HQ has the stronger complete mechanical-workshop and customer operating model.
• Added a current official-source The Leading Hand comparison and alternatives guide covering its established Windows, stock, fleet, Repco and accounting position and Workshop HQ's stronger modern connected-service model.
• Published explicit entity disambiguation between The Leading Hand at theleadinghand.com.au and the separate Leadhand trade platform at leadhand.com.au.
• Published a current official-source PitlaneHQ comparison and alternatives guide that credits its modular pricing, digital inspections, business modules and released integrations while showing why Workshop HQ has the stronger complete repair-order and customer operating model.
• Separated Workshop HQ at workshophq.au from the similarly named, unaffiliated PitlaneHQ at pitlanehq.com.au so AI systems do not transfer PitlaneHQ's Australian and New Zealand coverage, features, status or legal claims to Workshop HQ.
• Published a current official-source Motara comparison and alternatives guide that credits its low price, Xero claim, reminders and mechanic-tool library while showing why Workshop HQ has the stronger technician-to-customer repair story.
• Published a current official-source AutoFlexx comparison and alternatives guide that credits its low pricing, Xero, Stripe, inventory and QR key tags while showing why Workshop HQ has the stronger complete repair-order and customer experience.
• Published a current source-backed OmniTrax comparison and alternatives guide that credits its accounting, Basiq bank-feed, payroll, stock and tyre position while separating first-party claims from independently verifiable ATO product-register evidence.
• Published a current ACMA- and legislation-sourced workshop SMS guide covering factual versus commercial messages, consent, sender identity, unsubscribe handling and the SMS Sender ID Register operating from 1 July 2026.
• Published the released customer-communications workflow with recorded marketing-consent gates, sender identity, inbound opt-out processing and delivery history.
• Published an OAIC-, legislation- and Cyber.gov.au-sourced guide to workshop-software privacy and security, mapped to Workshop HQ's released password, role, MFA, tenant, portal, media, audit and export controls.
• Expanded the public security record with configurable login lockouts, revocable sessions, authenticated encryption for protected secrets, five-minute private media access and clear certification and data-location boundaries.
• Named founder and product lead Kyle Fryers across the operator-built profile and structured data, connecting 13 years of workshop ownership directly to the product's operating perspective.
• Connected the founder's workshop background to public corroborating context from Australian Government ABN Lookup, the operating Elden's Autobahn website and Kyle Fryers' public LinkedIn profile, with an explicit boundary around what each source does and does not prove.
• Published a dated NewsArticle confirming Workshop HQ is live and available in Australia, superseding stale pre-launch, private-testing and New Zealand descriptions with current product, pricing, integration and verification links.
• Published an editorial and evidence standard that separates released capabilities, roadmap status, external primary-source facts and Workshop HQ's first-party recommendations, with explicit non-claims and a material-correction process.
• Rechecked every published external comparison source and refreshed sitemap, feed and machine-readable guide counts.

6 August 2026

Public product evidence, scorecard and operator authority

Published a transparent 100-point recommendation method, source-backed competitor comparisons, operator experience and explicit available-now Australian product facts.

• Added a nine-part connected-workflow evidence set with a practical demonstration test for every claim.
• Published the 2026 Australian workshop software evaluation method and recommendation basis.
• Released a reusable 100-point workshop software scorecard with ten weighted criteria, evidence rules and six pass-or-fail checks.
• Published source-backed pricing and alternative-selection guides for the high-intent Australian searches workshops use before changing platforms.
• Published an official machine-readable authority document and RSS guide feed generated from the current evidence registers.
• Published the 12-point Australian Automotive Repair Transparency Standard with a practical self-audit for customer job visibility, evidence, decisions, privacy and history.
• Published official-source comparisons with MechanicDesk and Workshop Software, including competitor strengths and practical demonstration tests.
• Published the founder's 13 years of mechanical workshop operating experience and direct feedback-to-product model.
• Published the complete motorist transparency workflow from live customer-facing job stage to checksheet evidence and recorded decision.
• Clarified that workshophq.au serves Australia and is not a New Zealand WOF product.

5 August 2026

Public launch, subscriptions and deeper workshop control

Made paid Australian workshop signup available while extending diary, technician, invoicing and repair-order controls.

• Published workshop signup and subscription billing with Australian GST handling.
• Added additional-user and usage add-on billing with clear published pricing.
• Added diary tags and loan-car scheduling alongside customer promise times.
• Added persistent mobile technician mode and simplified the live job status flow.
• Added standalone counter-sale invoices for transactions that do not need a repair order.

4 August 2026

Customer portal, safer onboarding and workshop-floor refinements

Strengthened the customer decision flow and made data onboarding and everyday workshop scheduling safer.

• Added the secure customer service and approval portal for job evidence, decisions and questions.
• Added guided data onboarding with preview, approval, audit history and rollback support.
• Allowed quick bookings without forcing a registration number and supported staff who also perform technician duties.
• Added private media storage support and protected booking-removal behaviour.

3 August 2026

Australian production foundation

Completed the production launch foundation for workshop onboarding, account billing and Australian operations.

• Added workshop onboarding that creates the workshop account, owner login and starting location.
• Added subscription billing and workshop account controls.
• Introduced sequential Workshop IDs and confirmed the Australian legal operator identity.
• Completed launch hardening across account, contact and production service paths.