Identicode V1.4 on its way to Apple

Shockingly, I realised, the last update to this app was September 2015! Sorry about the wait.

I’ve sent V1.4 to Apple this afternoon and with luck it may be available in a day or two now that Apple has upped their game on review times. This assumes that they accept it, of course …

The main functional change has been to do with a much improved exchange of encoded messages between us ‘agents’. 😎 In V1.4 after encoding a message, when you copy or share the message the colour information now goes with it. The result of this is that when that text is pasted back into Identicode at the other end it automatically selects the correct colour and switches to Decode. Nice. I’ve uploaded a new App Preview which you’ll be able to see on the App Store which illustrates this.

There is also much enhanced VoiceOver support so that the text fields and button actions should be much easier to comprehend than before and they are now dynamic depending on the state of the other settings. Please let me know if there are other improvements I can make to this area.

The final notable change is that it now uses Apple’s Auto Layout so that it makes the best use of the screen from the 3.5″ screen up to the iPhone 7s Plus, and whatever comes after that!

Compatibility with iOS 11

I know, I know, we’re all still on iOS 10 (even us developers), but it’s very likely that Apple will drop support for 32-bit apps in the next release of iOS.

64 Bit Apps Only

I’m happy to say that all my apps have been 64-bit ready since around 2014 so rest assured that all your Black Tablet apps will carry on working with iOS 11 (as far as I’m aware!).

If you have only a 32-bit device then all your apps will continue working but you may not be able to update some of them any more and it’s very likely that you will not be able to update to iOS 11.

Time will tell.

Updates are on their way!

I’m putting the final touches to Identicode V1.4. Some of the enhancements are:

  • Those of you who are still on 3.5″ devices will get the link to my web site that the other users have enjoyed! 🙂
  • It makes full use of the new larger screens on the latest iPhones – sorry this is so overdue.
  • Has a handy way to copy the colour of your encoding across for those with whom you’re sharing your coded messages which will be interpreted on pasting it back into Identicode.

I don’t have a date yet, but I am back on the case at last.

Further iOS 10 updates

I’m currently updating and enhancing Identicode and will be working through Dicewords and Pink Plaques too to ensure full compatibility with iOS 10.

Watch this space for further updates.

Bargain V2.3 now available

Apple have approved Bargain for sale. 🙂

This has been tested for iOS 10 and boasts a clearer indication of the bargain when you find it by colouring the whole background of the fields rather than just the text! It also disallows a comparison if a quantity is 0 – previously it would display a price of infinity I think!

Enjoy finding those bargains.

Great post by Tim Cook about why OS security is crucial

padlock-vector-icon

Despite considerable pressure to open up the iPhone to external agencies, Apple have resisted and explained why, Let’s hope that other companies stand up to be counted as well. If this is forced through it would be the start of a very slippery slope.

Customer Letter

Be aware that in time that link may break (or link to a different letter, but for now …)

Dice words V1.3 now available for sale

Apple have now approved version 1.3 of Dicewords (and Dicewords-X) for sale. 🙂

PLEASE NOTE – Updating to V1.3 will lose any save game or puzzle in progress at the time the update was installed. This happens only once so hopefully it will be a very minor inconvenience.

The main change is that the Demo screen has been completely overhauled. We hope that this will be more straightforward and practical for new users to understand how a turn of Dicewords normally proceeds.

At present there is no VoiceOver support for the demo but that will be corrected in V1.4 which I hope will be available within the month.

I remain committed to supporting an enhancing all my apps as long as I reasonably can, though it’s possible that in future the support for older versions of iOS may be dropped.

Where else do people expect refunds?

I saw this review today on the App Store:

I like point and click games but this is painfully slow and not intuitively designed. The puzzle sections are not at all challenging and even that interesting. The graphics are pleasant but there is not that ‘wow’ factor. I really wish I could get a refund.

It was the last sentence that got me.

Why is is that you see people frequently wanting refunds on the App Store?

Didn’t like that “must see” new film at the cinema – ask for a refund.

Didn’t like that beer you just bought – ask for a refund.

Didn’t enjoy that magazine you just bought – ask for a refund.

Didn’t enjoy that album you just downloaded – ask for a refund.

And there’s plenty more I could think of. We don’t expect people to feel entitled to a refund in other situations, but over and over on the App Store this “I want a refund” attitude rears its ugly head.

If an app does not deliver promised functionality then you should be entitled to a refund, but not because you don’t like something.

50 years of Thunderbirds and more

The Tracy family and each of their Thunderbirds
Thunderbirds

Who would have believed it!?

Thunderbirds, one of my favourite TV programmes ever from my childhood (and I still love it today) is having another three episodes made – with puppets, the same voices, in the same building as the original series, and clearly with the same love and care. Wonderful – and I can’t wait for them to be shown!

Not only that, but I recently came across the Operation Megaventures web site devoted to the TV Century21 comics that I read as a kid and which inspired me to create my Identicode app. These comics aren’t only about Thunderbirds, but cover pretty much all of Gerry Anderson’s creations and are great fun to read and of course contain lots of red/blue coded messages for you to decode with Identicode. The comics are not that easy to find today though individual issues are certainly available on eBay.

DiceWords is still waiting …

I have sent the latest update of DiceWords to Apple but it seems to be stuck in an odd limbo-land! I will wait a few more days and if nothing changes I will have to make another update, send it to Apple for another try. I’ll keep you posted here and on Twitter (@blacktabletapps).