One of my hobbies during a new iOS release (iPad too), is seeing which third party app developers have implemented new features quickly, and which ones are dragging their feet.
I realize it’s not easy updating apps at a quick pace, but if I pay you $30, $40, $50 a year so you can continue to innovate and thrive, then you’d best be making with the iOS updates. Yesterday, Fantastical and Carrot were updated with Apple Watch rewrites and some new features, ready to go on iOS 17.
Similarly, Todoist has been quiet with no interactive widget while their competitors seem to be rolling out updates. I’m not going to make any rash decisions, but I like to go through new iOS introductions with a keen eye on which devs are on the ball and eager to update, vs those that go dark and lurk in the shadows on new features. EDIT: Seems they have released it and it will be out shortly – but you get my point.
To me, if a dev says “we hope to have it coming in the next few months” then I have to wonder – didn’t you know this was coming? You don’t seem to be in a huge rush. It’s even worse if they don’t even seem to realize a new feature has been released until after the iOS is pushed out.
I know some dev teams are small and that’s fine, but these companies that harp on subscriptions so much – don’t be mad if I leave for one of your competitors who’s faster with updates and more on the pulse of iOS.
When apps require recurring payment then they need to provide recurring improvements otherwise cancelling is quite easy on Apple Platforms.
When Apple releases new OS, I always reconsider first party apps. Every year the third party app has to justify its position over the first party app.
Side note : Podcast app is slowly getting better.
It feels great when an app is ready on OS release day. Even better when a developer writes or tweets something after WWDC to let you know they’re paying attention, like Omni’s newsletter. My understanding is it’s good business, too, mainly from being featured more often in the app stores.
If could be that the dev was caught napping, or that Apple has changed something that will require a major rewrite. One reason a lot of companies are moving to web based programs is to avoid problems when an OS changes.
It’s hard to know who to blame when something breaks.
I regularly triage the apps on my phone by a very simple means. I long ago turned off auto-updating of apps.
So periodically, I see the badge on the App Store icon and I go in (and refresh it to see an even bigger number) and review all the apps. In this update view, you can swipe left on an app to delete it right away. This is how many apps leave my phone.
Having this manual process also gives me the opportunity to refuse to hit “Update” on "X so I still have the proper Twitter icon on my home screen.
I do the same. Automatic updates are off. I want to see what’s coming before it automatically installs. I do it more so I can see what new features are coming and less so to avoid changes.
Sitting on a certain app version will work for a while, but sooner or later stuff is going to break. I find if there’s a major shift I don’t like, it’s easier to just leave than to hang on and see how long the old version lasts without breaking. Sooner or later, you’ll be let down.