Critical update 3.0.3, forthcoming 3.0.4

A critical Simplenote update has been released for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. It contains the following fixes: 

  • fixed a problem that could result in data loss if you updated but had not yet created an account
  • fixed a problem that could result in data loss while working offline
  • fixed some problems with tags (although tag syncing is not yet perfect)
  • fixed problems with searching in portrait mode (iPad)
  • moved the Sign Out button
  • only display Sync Now information once

We wanted to push this update as quickly as possible. As a result, it doesn’t contain a large number of fixes. The next update, 3.0.4, is already nearing completion. It will have additional fixes for synchronization, tags, and a fix for Japanese keyboards.

Thanks for your patience as we iron out these issues.

We’d also like to take this opportunity to apologize to those people who had been using Simplenote as an offline-only application. Early this year we decided to make Simplenote an online-focused app. We didn’t realize some people were still enjoying it as an offline-only app, and as a result, the major update did not go as smoothly for these people as it did for others.

If you’re among these offline-only users and you’re unhappy with your experience, please contact us at support@simplenoteapp.com so we can help you.

 

Briefly: our big update

Our update went live several hours ago and we’re buried in feedback. Most of it is very positive, which is extremely rewarding for us. Thanks everyone for your kind words.

We’ll be going through it all in the coming days. This will take some time as we work through the backlog.

If you unsuccessfully tried sending an email to support@simplenoteapp.com, please use support@simperium.com instead until our domain transfer is complete.

We’re already working on another update to address some of the problems people have found. We appreciate your help.

A major new version is coming!

We’re proud to announce that a major new version of Simplenote is just around the corner. It should be available in a matter of days. In the meantime, we’re temporarily absent from the App Store. We apologize for that. We encountered some unfortunate problems with a new App Store release process.

But the update is coming, and soon! We’re not revealing all the details until it’s live, but we’d like to at least prepare you for what to expect.

Simplenote has been growing fast. Over the months, we’ve received all kinds of great feedback. We processed this feedback, pondered it, prioritized it, and came up with 3 areas of focus for this version: reliability, organization, and sharing.

Importantly, we’ve also put a lot of effort into preserving or improving Simplenote’s speed and elegance. Our number one piece of feedback is consistently this: please keep it fast and simple. So we did.

For those of you who use 3rd-party Simplenote clients, you’ll need to wait a little while before new features start showing up there. 3rd-party developers will need some time to work with the new version.

We’ll let you know when the update is available, and we look forward to sharing all the details!

Simplenote on Android, and the Holy Grail

Sometimes everything happens at once. That appears to be the case with Simplenote clients for Android this week. Suddenly, out of nowhere, there are now three separate notes apps for Android that work with Simplenote. Great! We’ve added them to our Extras page.

These are fairly basic offerings at the moment, but hopefully they’ll continue to evolve over time with your feedback. If you’re an Android user who has been waiting for Simplenote access, give these a try and let the authors know what you think!

mNote

AndroNoter

SolidNote

If you’re not already a Simplenote user and you need to create an account, you can use this makeshift signup form. It’s ugly, but it works. We’ll be improving that soon.

Also, did you hear that Adam Pash over at Lifehacker has declared Simplenote to be The Holy Grail of Ubiquitous Plain-Text Capture? Strong words, Mr. Pash. Love it.

Some scheduled maintenance

Today, Simplenote will be working in read-only mode for about an hour, which means syncing won’t work during that period. Then, over the next week, you might find that syncing isn’t quite as fast as usual. And lastly, exactly a week from today, there will be one more scheduled maintenance period.

This maintenance is the result of work that Google is doing inside their datacenters to make services like Simplenote even faster. This is good news. It allows us to keep growing without any problems.

We’re sorry for the inconvenience.

Support for Apple’s latest updates

Some people have been asking about whether or not we’ll support Apple’s latest operating system, iOS4, and the new, higher resolution iPhone 4. The short answer is yes!

Actually, Simplenote already works with both iOS4 and the iPhone 4. But there are some improvements we can make. In particular, we’ll improve the quality of some of the icons, and we’ll try to make multitasking work as seamlessly as possible.

If you have any other requests, please let us know in the comments, by tweet (@simplenoteapp) or by email at support@simplenoteapp.com.

Simplenote, full speed ahead!

We’ve decided to focus full time on Simplenote. Henceforth, we’re elevating Simplenote from its humble status as one of several side projects to the lofty position of core product and service.

This has several implications. Administratively, and less importantly, we founded a new company. Simplenote is now brought to you by Simperium (@simperium on Twitter). So when you see the name Simperium here and there, don’t worry: we’re the same people.

More interestingly, we can now give Simplenote our full attention. But we’ll be careful. It’s called Simplenote for a reason, right? We won’t add new features or user interface elements unless they survive a rigorous gauntlet of checks and balances.

On the other hand, we do believe there’s a lot of room for innovation in the realm of productivity apps, and we’re excited to start exploring that in earnest. Our goal is to push boundaries while preserving simplicity. Our greatest reward has been hearing all the ways Simplenote improves people’s lives. We want more of that.

A huge thanks to everyone who uses Simplenote. Your support and encouragement are inspiring.

Mike and Fred 

Maintenance update approved

Apple has recently approved a maintenance update for Simplenote that fixes several problems:

  • fixed auto-opened note not syncing on iPhone and iPod touch
  • fixed iPad not scrolling properly with physical keyboards
  • fixed incorrect list selection after editing a note from search results
  • fixed crash when tapping trash button with no notes
  • fixed corrupted ad display in landscape mode (iPhone)
  • updated to TextExpander 1.1.4
  • tidied up the startup images

Thanks to everyone who took the time to describe these problems to us. We appreciate it!

We’ve been very hard at work on some new stuff for Simplenote. We look forward to sharing more details in the coming weeks.