Well all right, I don’t know too much about productivity software on iOS!
You’d be surprised. Many even bother to rewrite core stuff like alert dialogues. Our approach is a bit unorthodox, but it has served us well. Generally if you stick to stock UI then when the system updates you benefit without having to do much, if anything. When you start overriding everything, then you get into that grind of having to pump out updates every time Apple twitches.
We’ve had to go a little longer between updates this time around for various reasons, all good ones, and some unfortunate—but that we can do that is good reason to not rewrite basic widgets, even if sometimes you don’t look as trendy.
As for the clock, maybe it is a simple flag that we can build in. I don’t actually know about that. We can take a look at it, though if it does involve rewriting our own buttons and toolbars and split views—probably not!
I don’t post very often, but I’ve been using Scrivener on both the Mac and iOS for quite some years. I’ve just got a new 11’ iPad Pro and while it’s a lovely device, I must confess I’m absolutely hating the home bar/indicator at the moment, and particuarly in apps such as Scrivener where it’s distractingly obvious.
I know there’s a workaround with Guided Access, but this locks you into one app which isn’t practical when writing–at least for me. I too often have to pause to pull up Safari, or chase a reference elsewhere. I also dislike the black bar along the bottom where the home bar lives, but I’m less worried about that as I assume it will be rectified when (please make it ‘when’ and not ‘if’) Scrivener is updated to support the iPP 11’s aspect ratio.
As for the home bar itself, I wouldn’t mind it so much if the contrast was not so obnoxious in Scrivener (and Ulysses, for that matter). Art apps such as Procreate etc deal with the home bar by reducing the opacity so it’s still visible, but not intrusive. Other apps allow for it to be hidden altogether (Apple’s Books does so, for example, and so does Safari’s Reader Mode). It can still be invoked/opacified with a touch, but the overall experience becomes comparable to the traditional iPad experience–fullscreen, with no chrome distractions.
It would be amazing if this could be implemented, especially as the home bar (love it or hate it) seems here to stay.
It would be nice if we could get some sort of an update with a road map – even tentative. The long time between update cycles, and no real word on what is planned, is a concern I have with Scrivener on iOS.
Before the new iPads, Scrivener made full use of the iPad Pro screen. When you wrote in full screen mode, it blocked out the clock and other information for a “distraction free” environment. Presumably it still does this for the older generation models.
It should be fairly easy to maintain that when it gets the screen size update.
Personally, I think it’s a really nice feature when a writing app shows nothing but the “page” and this was something I liked about Scrivener on iOS before the new models.
Yeah, in double-checking that on my iPad Pro (an older model), it does hide the status bar at the top of the screen, when tapping the button to hide the binder. Hopefully that will be an easy thing to reinstate.
Frustrating, I was in touch with support back in April, and still nothing. How hard can it be to fix this? i avoid using the app now because of this! I really want to get back at it, but this soooo triggers my OCD, it drives me up the walls. By now, scrivener is the only app on my iPad that didn’t update for this.
As noted previously in the thread, it is more a matter of not having had time to look at it. I have no idea how hard it is to fix, but it’s probably not difficult given we just use the stock Apple kit.
I can’t see the problem myself, can someone post a screenshot? In my mind’s eye I’m just seeing the tiny little clock and battery strip along the top of the screen. Surely it’s more than just that if find yourself unable to use the software?
After sitting silently and watching the comment on this thread and a couple of others I finally feel compelled to comment.
On this thread.
Yes, in the current version of Scrivener iOS the top and bottom bars are displayed. So what?
it doesn’t impact functionality
In the supplied screenshot it is not actively using full screen - the bottom bar still exists, it’s just coloured the same as the screen. the text at the bottom of the screen appears to be above the point where the bar is on iOS Scrivener.
I’d rather the developer focus on active development of the Mac and iOS versions than taking time out to address a incredibly minor matter such as this. Yes, eventually I would like to see them disappear from view, but all in good time, it doesn’t impact functionality.
If you are prepared to walk away from Scriverner iOS solely on the basis of the top and bottom bars being displayed, short of a medical reason, it strikes me of the old adage cutting … nose… face.
iCloud Synching
Claiming that many users are potentially abandoning Scrivener because iCloud doesn’t play nicely with the Scrivener package format (note I say iCloud doesn’t play nicely, not the other way around) flies in the face of everything I see day to day. I’m sure the L&L team would know best in terms of sales, but members of every writing group I interact with swear by Scrivener and Dropbox synching across machines/platforms. To those who threaten to leave for an iCloud synching program, I would say - go for it. Perhaps go to Ulysses (an admittedly good program) where you will be charged almost the price of a new licence every 12 months. As for complaints about Dropbox, I (and apparently most others) have no issues with it working impressively day to day. Yes it’s a bit of a frustration having the new 3 device limit, but THEY ARE PROVIDING A FREE SERVICE FOR … SAKE… one that works exactly as claimed. Bit like a kid kicking up because granny gave them vanilla ice-cream when they really would have liked chocolate. And of course if you are dead against Dropbox use AirDrop or iTunes synch. If iCloud eventually becomes useable, great, but in the meantime PLEASE L&L do not gut the great program you’ve developed just because of a little noise from the sidelines.
Demands for iOS like version on Mac
Seems some people have a very wrong take on what Catalyst is all about. It allows in the short term for designing an app for both platforms, however it IS NOT a simple you get the iOS APP onto Mac at the click of a box. There is still significant work to be done to make use of Mac menus and add additional Mac specific functions. Catalyst appears for all the world to be a short term solution (and will be useful for games etc) while Swift UI is developed and becomes mainstream. Swift UI will assist development for both platforms however MacOS apps developed with it will remain full featured. For those interested in reading between lines, watch the Apple WWDC Keynote and think on what was actually said. In response to some posts, there is no evidence to suggest a significant group who simply want iOS apps translated with all their limitations onto MacOS.
Having got that load off my chest, I’ll go back to silently watching.
OCD is a significant disorder which can greatly reduce quality of life, no doubt to the point that a sufferer might avoid his preferred writing software until a trigger is fixed. Therefore this is a legitimate medical reason for requesting and/or inquiring about progress on an update. As I suffer from an “invisible” disability myself (ADHD), I empathise. (I can’t use Ulysses for anything longer than a blog post. It’s too bland and my attention slides off it. )
Quite so. I struggled with a severe case of OCD when I was quite a bit younger; cracked knuckles, three-hour morning rituals and all that. Apologies if I came across as dismissive in my request for a screenshot. It is something I’d be curious to see if you get a chance, though.
I don’t dismiss the impact of OCD, however accept the reality that a quick update to any app to address an individual’s situation is an unlikely event given what I expect is an already long update list.
That said, I was amazed when another app developer made a tweak within 48 hrs to some feedback I provided. In that case, it was a suggestion that would positively impact most users and was one of those, ‘gee I hadn’t thought of that’ moments.
Split screen, which also shrinks updated apps to make them not fit the screen:
It’s important to note that this is not just black bars appearing at the top and bottom. It is the app not fitting the screen. Which is entirely different. Text or app features can and should be displayed where these black bars are.
Example of iA Writer in full screen:
Here it is in split screen:
It is hugely frustrating to me for it not to be updated, and I don’t know why anyone would argue against it. When you pay £20 for a professional app, you expect it to be updated to match the new hardware.
Most apps (many smaller apps than Scrivener) were updated within weeks to match the new screen size.
I’m speaking with iOS devs, I’ve been told that’s all that’s required is to recompile in the latest version of Xcode. I’m not saying you should spend a ton of time, dropping other things to fix the home bar issue, but wouldn’t it be worth it to see if it’s really that simple? If it’s that easy of a fix, and you can give new iPad Pro users the same experience everyone else is getting, why not?
Because if you’re going to put out an update and wade through the Apple Store nonsense, you probably want to fix more than a single bug (that bug only affecting a portion of your users, and being purely cosmetic for all but a few of them), especially when that bug hasn’t been around nearly as long as some of the other bugs that people have reported and been patiently waiting for.
Yes, if I was not clear earlier in the thread, this is something that will be fixed along with several other things in the next update. We very rarely put out single issue fixes immediately—and when we do it is for major issues that cause Scrivener to fail to launch for a large majority of users, or some such.
Thanks for the screenshots all. It strikes me that if in another universe everyone was told this was how iOS was supposed to look, it would actually probably be considered a nice look, ha. It certainly doesn’t look broken, they clearly put effort into how it works, with bevelled corners and such. Like I say, I think it even looks nice. Just to be clear I am idly musing upon the psychology of fashion design here, not remarking on whether or not we’ll fix it.
Really? Because in my experience, paying any amount for an app, unless it’s a subscription, gives me no expectation that I am paying for anything other than app in the current state it is in.
And even if it is a subscription, I have no expectation that the devs will prioritize their bugfixes and feature updates in a way that is pleasing to me.
This has been my experience since back in the early days of computer BBSs, when you used to have to pay to get updated versions of software.
Our approach is a bit unorthodox, but it has served us well. Generally if you stick to stock UI then when the system updates you benefit without having to do much, if anything. When you start overriding everything, then you get into that grind of having to pump out updates every time Apple twitches.
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