The Iconfactory today announced it has released a significant update to its popular third-party Twitter client Twitterrific for iPhone and iPad. The latest version of the app contains over 50 new features, improvements, and bug fixes.
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Key features of Twitterrific 6:
- Auto-playing media in the timeline: Videos and GIFs silently auto-play directly in the timeline. If there is audio, it does not play unless the speaker button is tapped. This feature can be disabled if desired.
- Full images in the timeline: Tweets or direct messages with a single photo, video, or GIF will now display the media attachment at full size, aka its native aspect ratio. Tweets with more than one photo still show the attachments in a grid to help preserve screen space, but with an improved layout and face detection.
- GIPHY integration: There is a new button to easily add GIFs from GIPHY when composing a tweet or direct message.
- Quoted tweets with media: When quoting another tweet, users can now attach photos, a video, or a GIF, a feature introduced by Twitter last month. The timeline displays both the quoted tweet and the media attached.
- Improved attachment previewing: Users can now tap the small thumbnail of attached media for a larger view, and more easily add accessibility descriptions to all images, videos, and GIFs.
Twitterrific has also gained a fresh redesign, a new SF Rounded font, five new themes, three new app icon choices, a dozen new iMessage stickers, accessibility improvements like a new high contrast text option, and much more.
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Twitterrific 6 is a new product with a new business model. The app is free to download, and fully functional without any purchase, but with banner ads and periodic reminders to purchase the app. Banner ads can be eliminated for either $0.99 per month, $9.99 per year, or a one-time fee of $30 via in-app purchases.
The Iconfactory says users who purchased any feature unlocks or bundles introduced in Twitterrific 5.7 or later will not see banner ads in Twitterrific 6, but they will still receive reminders to sign up for a subscription from time to time.
The ad-free, fully-featured version of Twitterrific 5 was available for a one-time fee of $4.99, so the ad-free version of Twitterrific 6 is considerably more expensive, but Twitter has enforced several limitations on third-party Twitter clients over the past few years that have made it harder for them to operate.
Twitterrific 6 is available on the App Store for iPhone and iPad.
Top Rated Comments
Switch a paid app to free with a huge subscription charge while reverting the paid version to free and introducing ads. Either the new version should include a tier that matches exactly what was previously paid for or the old paid version should be there as a separate download.
There are two ways to remove ads, $30 one-time IAP or $10/year subscription. While these prices are on the high side, I don't think it's fair to expect Iconfactory to keep offering updates for free. I am rather underwhelmed by the list of new features, however.
Twitterrific 5 is not available anymore. Version 6 isn’t a new SKU. They „updated“ my paid app to this crap. As much as i liked their previous app (and linea), they deserve the heat from the customers. This is some of the worst behaviors a developer can do and another reason why App Stores should be more regulated.And Twittterific 5 is still available and usable (although whether it will be maintained is a different matter).
There are two ways to remove ads, $30 one-time IAP or $10/year subscription. While these prices are on the high side, I don't think it's fair to expect Iconfactory to keep offering updates for free. I am rather underwhelmed by the list of new features, however.
That's the thing. I'm not expecting them to give me any updates for free. I understand the need to fund ongoing development and eventually you need to charge again or even raise prices. But the good guy way to do that is to leave Twitterific 5 as a standalone app I can download via my purchase history and get it working exactly as it was yesterday. You can be nicer and offer a discount to upgrade, but that isn't a requirement.And Twittterific 5 is still available and usable (although whether it will be maintained is a different matter).
I'm just upset that they updated the app in place so I'm forced to either adopt the new model or am downgraded entirely to the current equal of the free version.
It doesn't cost them anything to keep the old version there for paid customers like me...
The reality is though... Twitter has restricted third party clients too much that all of them are somewhat of a hard sell now. So they probably figure there are some users who are deeply dedicated to the app and will pay the new fees and the customers lost aren't a big deal. Either way, it sucks and is a scummy move.
I want to like Twitterrific, I really do. But with no notifications, and very few additional features to the Twitter (at least that I need/use) I really don't see a point on paying for it.
No obnoxious ads throughout the feed and stupid „in case you missed it“ BS are enough reasons for me personally