[This Post has been edited since initial version]

Informant 5 is now in iTunes.   (Get it here)

We’ve created this blog post as a summary of the feedback that we’ve been getting regarding the new Informant 5 for iOS. You might find this post to be an alternate to reading through the hundreds Facebook threads, blog posts comments, and app store reviews. Although, if you like that kind of stuff, we encourage you to read it all. To make things easier on you ( Or in case you want to just scan to topics of interest), we created this like an FAQ with bold/highlighted questions and the answers that apply to each.

With the launch of Informant 5 you’ll see that we took some risks.  We made some pretty big changes and some of those changes are well received, and some have frustrated some people. Please know, we ARE listening and we are planning some adjustments. (See Chris’s blog post here for details about plans .)

Q1: Where is the documentation for Informant 5 for iOS?
Answer: Yes, we know. You want more documentation and we will get to it.  We thought that it would be a good idea to get the app in the hands of users and not wait any longer. We are planning to make some videos. If you have a specific topic you want to see featured first, please submit a request to the in-app help and we will prioritize the requests.
Here are a few things to hold you over:

Q2: Why did you change the Navigation menu?
Answer: In the old Informant tab-based system, often people didn’t recognize that you had to swipe the tab bar to get more options including settings. Furthermore, to get to any of the calendar views always required two taps to access. Finally, things like Search and Quick Entry were often hidden behind a second set of tabs or via an impossible to find gesture. With the new system (SmartBar) – all of that is hidden and the convoluted interface is gone. We now have a simple SmartBar that does require two taps to get to any view – but it balances out. As a shortcut, if you do a force touch on the Informant Home button, it will take you to the last tab you were in.  While we did have great reasons for making this change, this has been one of the changes that has gotten the most negative feedback.  A number of people have said “go back to the old navigation”.  While we are not quite ready to do that, we are considering a number of options that will make this new Navigation work better, even for people who were quite comfortable with the old one. Remember, Informant 5 is a complete re-write and not just a small tweak of the last version.

Q3: People with a feature suggestion or complaint about something that changed
Subtitle: Why don’t you ever listen to my great ideas?
Answer: We have relaunched our UserVoice forum so that users can share their feedback. If you have ideas or want to see what other users want to see done, check it out here.   This is where we will plan to pick the “next up” features for development. Our previous UserVoice had over 7 years worth of ideas that many didn’t apply anymore and it was difficult for us to identify real trends. The new forum is being managed in a more proactive way. The items that are getting the most feedback are the new Navigation menu, the new Date Picker, Watch App.

View all Requests here;  Or check out a few of the most popular request below

Q4: When will the watch app be available?
Answer: During Informant 5 development we realized we needed a ground-up redesign of our Watch app. We decided that trying to focus on too many things for one launch would not be appropriate or a good idea. Instead, we will be launching a newly designed Watch app with a complication for watchOS 3 that is designed specifically with over a year of personal WatchOS experience to maximize productivity on the watch. This launch will occur in 2017 once we’ve finished its development, testing, and beta feedback. P.S. because of the new subscription model if you buy Informant 5 now, you will get the watch upgrade for free.

Q5: BUGS!!  “Something is not working for me”
Answer: It is a new release and there have been a few bugs. We are fixing them as fast as we identify them.  We have already released 2 sets of fixes & are working on a 5.03.

Q6: Pricing: Do you have discounts for long time customers?
A: If you have subscribed to Informant Sync then you will get Informant 5 for free until your subscription renews. If you paid last month for Informant sync then you would get 11 months of Informant 5 for Free.  If you paid 11 months ago, you would get 1 month Free on Informant 5.  Unfortunately if you bought the app sometime in the past several years (without Informant Sync) we don’t have a scaleable way to offer you a discount (right now)- Apple doesn’t give us a simple mechanism to do that within the App Store(or we haven’t figured out how to make it scalable) . If you have been using Informant for many years on a single purchase, we hope we have added enough value for you to willingly pay the upgrade fee.

Q7: Can I get a free trial of Informant 5?
A: Yes, If you sign up for the Monthly Subscription, you will have a 7 day free trial. Simply make your decision to buy or not before the trial expires.  Also, we still offer a FREE version of our calendar. So if you have been a long time user of that, it is still free.

Q8: Why are you going with a subscription?
Subtitle: I hate subscriptions…Grrrr
First, we have been very happy to have so many people support us in the decision to go with the subscription pricing model.  We know that it wasn’t the most popular decision, (Ok, it was probably the least popular)… But many of you have said that you understand why we have gone this direction and have said that you will continue to support us. It really is encouraging to hear these comments of support.  We really did try to find a solution that can work for many different customer types (Including a One-time purchase Own it” Option.) We know that some of you are not pleased and we want to understand all of the reasons and factors.  We did create a Pricing Survey to gather more of your feedback about pricing and we have already made some small pricing adjustments in countries where we felt that the pricing complaints were over represented compared to purchases in that country. (See… we do listen a little bit…)

Answer:  For a long time we have offered a single purchase option for Informant, but in today’s App Economy it is not sustainable to provide continuous major upgrades for years on end. (Last time we charged for an upgrade was…. NEVER! The closest thing we had to an upgrade was when we merged the iPhone-only and Universal apps into one and iPhone-only users had to sidegrade) We decided to move to Subscription because it allows us to release major new features at any point instead of holding them back to the next major release and provides a more sustainable revenue for us to be able to plan our investments for the future. This gives you as the customer more confidence that by investing in Informant, it will be around for you. We created a survey about pricing if you want to give us your thoughts here.

 

So, if you made it this far and if you are thinking, “Does anyone like it?”… The answer is YES. There are quite a few people who like it… Here are some of their comments.

  • Kenneth Hansen, “ I like this new version! You have done a good job!”
  • Christophe Rousselot  “I love it..”
  • Gregory Pittman “Love the app. And this long time user (since we’re all so keen to say that) doesn’t mind the subscription model at all if it keeps my most-used app up to date…”
  • Ronald van Esch “I love the new look and feel. And navigation is intuitive.”
  • Sam Horowitz “I love the updated look, both themes, although I’m sticking with light theme for consistency with other apps. I beta tested 5, so I’ve gotten used to the new navigation, “home” screen, and date/time picker. All took getting used to but all are much appreciated now, especially the date picker…”
  • Scott Crossman I love the dark mode!
  • Gregory C. Cooke “I’ve been a fan of informant since the early days. I would have to say that this new version is an exceptional upgrade…”
  • David Peterson “Fabulous upgrade from 4.x Nice refinements and done really great new features.Triggers seem like a great step forward from templates…”
  • Scott Nelson “The subscription price to me is not that big of deal. An app that keeps my life together and is lot lighter than carrying around a Franklin Planner all the time is well worth $25 a year…

(These comments were taken from various Facebook posts, app store reviews, and blog comments. Some comments have been edited or trimmed for brevity)