Why would you release such a buggy app?

[why? 37]

Looking at the iOS rating for EN7 which is currently 2.5 on the App Store, the plethora of complaints and functional inadequacies of EN7, I'd like to ask why this was ever released when it's clear that it was far from ready? This has seriously shaken my confidence in EN in what has been a solid app ever since I can remember. I use EN every day ALOT and if it wasn't for having a mac air and having had the presence of mind to retain v5 on iOS, I'd be facing the horrific prospect of frustrating workflows.

I'm wondering what went wrong with EN's quality control pre-release and asking if this is a one-off or the way of things to come? I need robust reliable tools. Not software that leaves me nervous when an update is released.

Admittedly, this is not only EN. Apple must take the brunt of this fiasco with iOS 7, which also seems to have lacked quality control.

Is there any assurance from EN that this won't happen again? (When it's fixed! Still looking for an update)

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

Great question!   I would love to see Evernote's response.

[Metrodon 2,184]

This is a user forum, if you want a direct answer to a direct question then you should open a support ticket.

[actant 22]

Very disappointed by the EN team!

[RobD 47]

Looking at the iOS rating for EN7 which is currently 2.5 on the App Store, the plethora of complaints and functional inadequacies of EN7, I'd like to ask why this was ever released when it's clear that it was far from ready? This has seriously shaken my confidence in EN in what has been a solid app ever since I can remember. I use EN every day ALOT and if it wasn't for having a mac air and having had the presence of mind to retain v5 on iOS, I'd be facing the horrific prospect of frustrating workflows.

I'm wondering what went wrong with EN's quality control pre-release and asking if this is a one-off or the way of things to come? I need robust reliable tools. Not software that leaves me nervous when an update is released.

Admittedly, this is not only EN. Apple must take the brunt of this fiasco with iOS 7, which also seems to have lacked quality control.

Is there any assurance from EN that this won't happen again? (When it's fixed! Still looking for an update)

How about the Windows Desktop version of EN5 being buggy?  Ugh...........unusable for me.

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

Of those complaining, did you participate in the beta testing?

Personally, I've not encountered any bugs in the few times I've used the iOS app. And generic complaining of "buggy" is not helpful. If you find specific bugs, did you report them via a support ticket?

[why? 37]

Of those complaining, did you participate in the beta testing?

There's a banal comment if I ever read one!

Nope, didn't beta test, I expect testing to be done by those who I pay for a robust product. I also didn't crash test my car before I bought it. I do let companies know when there's an issue with their product, but I do expect something I buy to be fit for purpose and EN for iOS was not.

Personally I had a number of issues.

1. Sync froze, some notes where updated some not.

2. When editing the page started to scroll down to the bottom of the page with each key press

Those two items alone made it unfit for release. Other's had additional problems such as having to log in every time they opened the app.

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

 

Of those complaining, did you participate in the beta testing?

There's a banal comment if I ever read one!

Nope, didn't beta test, I expect testing to be done by those who I pay for a robust product. I also didn't crash test my car before I bought it.

 

 

Well said!

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

 

Of those complaining, did you participate in the beta testing?

There's a banal comment if I ever read one!

Nope, didn't beta test, I expect testing to be done by those who I pay for a robust product. I also didn't crash test my car before I bought it. I do let companies know when there's an issue with their product, but I do expect something I buy to be fit for purpose and EN for iOS was not.

Personally I had a number of issues.

1. Sync froze, some notes where updated some not.

2. When editing the page started to scroll down to the bottom of the page with each key press

Those two items alone made it unfit for release. Other's had additional problems such as having to log in every time they opened the app.

 

 

 

Comparing free software to crash testing a car?  Seriously?  (BTW, you are not paying for the clients...you're paying for the service.) 

 

If you don't want to help with the software (which is certainly your choice) or submit support tickets & activity logs, then you don't have a lot of room to complain, IMO.  There are so many scenarios to cover when you have 60+ million users.  There really is no way EN can cover them all without help from users. 

[why? 37]

Comparing free software to crash testing a car? Seriously? (BTW, you are not paying for the clients...you're paying for the service.)

If you don't want to help with the software (which is certainly your choice) or submit support tickets & activity logs, then you don't have a lot of room to complain, IMO. There are so many scenarios to cover when you have 60+ million users. There really is no way EN can cover them all without help from users.

My example is perfectly valid. You linked complaining to beta testing, which is equally outrageous. As you rightly pointed out beta testing is a choice and certainly not recommended to be used where information is important. This is why I don't beta test EN, my data is too critical.

There may be 60+ million users, but one of EN's selling points is multi-platform. If they are unable to fulfill this then don't promise it.

As mentioned earlier, I do let companies know when there are problems.

Even if I did not do all this I still have a right to complain. I may pay for the service, but EN cannot fulfill the service without the software so it's really a moot point.

The issues here are not millions of scenarios. It was iOS 7 a sandboxes environment. People's complaints were about issues that crippled the programme and made it unusable as in sync not working. And to repeat, Apple also is responsible for their lack of quality control.

[CatOne 30]

"Comparing free software to crash testing a car?  Seriously?  (BTW, you are not paying for the clients...you're paying for the service.) 

 

If you don't want to help with the software (which is certainly your choice) or submit support tickets & activity logs, then you don't have a lot of room to complain, IMO.  There are so many scenarios to cover when you have 60+ million users.  There really is no way EN can cover them all without help from users.'

 

This is a bit ridiculous; this is the iOS forum.  iOS beta testing is EXTREMELY limited due to the limits Apple imposes on devices that can be enrolled for ad-hoc deployment of devices.

 

People *can* beta-test Evernote on OS X and Windows.  So there could be *some* merit to this (though, to be fair, doing a GOOD job of beta testing which includes writing GOOD bug reports and some knowledge of things is NOT for everybody).  But for iOS, the beta pool is small (it's probably no more than 50 people total, which is like 0.0001% of all Evernote users).  So taking high-horse position on this one is totally unwarranted.

 

Evernote was in a bit of a tough position here: iOS 7 was available as a beta for 3 months and I'm sure the first betas had a number of API bugs (that's part of the purpose of the betas).  They were also mentioned in the iPhone 5s/5c keynote as a "greatly improved for iOS 7" app, and were featured and I'm sure had to ship on day 1.  That was a LOT of work, for an application that does a LOT of stuff.  And they pretty much HAD to meet the ship date, meaning there were ABSOLUTELY going to be bugs (ALL software save TeX has bugs... ALL OF IT, it's just a question of how noticeable they are).  I've found it through version 7.0.3 to be generally tolerable, though there are UI lags and things that annoy me.

 

Evernote is shipping fast and furious which has its good and bad facets.  They can't do this and be TOTALLY bug free, but for me as long as they don't lose my data I'm not that bothered.  Data loss bugs, however, I would be VERY critical about (though I'd do it through support as I would expect them to assist me to help recover my data).

[jmpsfs 23]

Evernote has a history of releasing updates that could use some polish, but it also is pretty quick to remedy its problems and has never been shy about 'fessing up to bugs. You'll see quicker results if you file a service request with specific information and files so they can diagnose the problems you've found.

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

Evernote has a history of releasing updates that could use some polish, but it also is pretty quick to remedy its problems and has never been shy about 'fessing up to bugs. You'll see quicker results if you file a service request with specific information and files so they can diagnose the problems you've found.

 

Sorry, but I have to disagree about calling major bugs "polish".  Also, many times the fix takes quite a while -- weeks to months.

 

I have been pointing out for over a year now that sometime over a year ago Evernote changed something in their development/testing process that has resulted in significant bugs in just about every update.  It would appear that they are using the general user community as their testing group -- a VERY bad policy, IMO.

[chrisbulle 26]

Hi there,

 

I don't usually complain about The New Version. But I am not happy at all with the current iOS offering. 

 

First of all, I don't like the overall look and feel. That's personal. Take it or leave it. I will get used to it.

However, the dainty appearance of icons and text makes it hard for me to read (I am not really visually impaired, just short sighted). 

 

On the plus side, I can pinch-zoom notes while editing, a great boon (can't remember if this is new though). I also like the quick note feature.

 

I also think there are some major design flaws that are independent from the look and feel. 

For example, the "maximise window" icon is next to the title which means that I often find myself scrolling up to the title to maximise the note pane. It should be in the top menu bar, and/or the divider should be movable as it is in many other applications.

Also, the swiping in the note list reveals the fav star, reminder and trash icon. I can't see why the trash is not also in the menu bar like the other two.

 

The German translation is poorly done (for example, it returns "4757 Notiz" when it should be "Notizen", and it says "Änderungsdatum" which means the date on which something was changed instead of "Datum ändern" which means to change the date).

 

I have never turned on PIN protection on previous versions, so I can't compare it but I would say that asking for a PIN after showing the application window with all notes readable for a good long while is not really what I would expect.

 

And then there are bugs.  For example, a search in the format -tag:"tag1" -tag:"tag2" -tag:"tag3" works fine in MacOS and duly returns 962 notes that are not tagged with either of those three tags. I have saved the search under 'favorites' and on iOS it returns 1940 notes, with many of them appearing up to ten times in the list.

 

Today I edited a note on the iPad and it synced to the Mac without a problem. On the iPhone, it shows as synced and I see the changes in the preview but when I open the note, it's still the previous version. Now I would say this is a pretty obvious fault in a basic functionality of a service that I pay money for.

 

Talking of which, I would love to see alternatives to the Evernote clients (such as "Clever" for the iPhone). We all should support developers by buying their apps, most cost less than a cup of coffee. I try a lot of apps and end up using only 10% of them, but don't regret paying for the rest.

 

I would really like for Evernote (and Apple and a lot of other companies) to concentrate more on functionality and robustness and less on eye candy. 

 

Have a great day everyone! Thanks for listening! 

[willie45 3]

 

Of those complaining, did you participate in the beta testing?

There's a banal comment if I ever read one!

 

That's a very polite response to such a ridiculous statement. 

 

I've found EN to be a real pain lately. Crashes all the time. Can't use it for anything important. It's really messing up my workflow at the moment. Very disappointing.

[TallahasseeLassie 0]

I really wanted to love this new version. I expect to have to learn to do things a different way, but this update is not intuitive. Too many often used things are hidden away. Why on earth does the home page only use up a fraction of the iPads screen? I have tried to use the knowledge base to find out how to create a new notebook on my iPad, (I have several existing notes I need to move to a new notebook), but the knowledge base comes up in a window that is even smaller, with teeny tiny print. When I 'reverse pinch', for want of a better expression, the print becomes larger, but not the window! Is this really happening, or is it me? I must admit I am not a power user of Evernote. If anybody can help me on this, I would be grateful.

I really did love the old 'virtual notebook' icons, call me old fashioned.

Thanks for providing a place for me to rant!

[Simon.D 0]

The ios7 release of Evernote has pushed me to cancel my subscription. I cant believe that Evernote would release such garbage; I cant even take 4 document pictures on my phone without the app crashing and tagging is just a nightmare compared to previous releases.

[why? 37]

I moved to another service for a short while, but to be honest, nothing comes close to Evernote. The one saving grace for me is that I recently moved to a macbookair so iOS isn't critical.

 

On a sidenote: iOS is rapidly becoming unviable for me. The continued lack of a proper file system coupled with it's locked in applications and some horrendous development choices by Apple are making it increasingly less of a business option. Interestingly all my EN problems are solved if I don't use iOS devices! I still find it difficult to believe that a tablet more powerful than a 90's computer has nowhere near the capability because it is purposely hampered by a rubbish OS. This is where I think the Windows tablets may well gain significant ground.

[phongsta 12]

I lost two potential projects because of the update.  From now on, I will be holding off for at least 2 weeks before updating ANYTHING from Evernote.  OR I can discontinue my Premium service and go with something else that has more thorough developers and quicker support response instead of the 9 - 5 schtick (I paid Premium for this???)

 

This is what happens when Evernote becomes a bigger company...  Hurry it up out the door. Yeah, you guys may have done testing, but some of us that haven't have these issues so do NOT act like there's nothing wrong at all. Put yourselves in our shoes instead of acting arrogantly like it can't happen to others.

 

iPhone 5s w/ iOS 7.0.4.

[phongsta 12]

Of those complaining, did you participate in the beta testing?

Personally, I've not encountered any bugs in the few times I've used the iOS app. And generic complaining of "buggy" is not helpful. If you find specific bugs, did you report them via a support ticket?

Isn't that what beta testing is all about? You may have not encountered ANY issue with your beta test, but the final product has ceased to work for a LOT of people, especially Premium users like I.  Also, this is supposed to be a final release and should've been stable.  Perhaps Evernote need to have MORE beta testers?  I agree with the other members on this forum... this is the most BANAL comment.

[phongsta 12]

Of those complaining, did you participate in the beta testing?

Personally, I've not encountered any bugs in the few times I've used the iOS app. And generic complaining of "buggy" is not helpful. If you find specific bugs, did you report them via a support ticket?

And yes, I have two tickets with them and they have been VERY pisspoor in responding... And I pay for their shoddy service so far.

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

 

Of those complaining, did you participate in the beta testing?

Personally, I've not encountered any bugs in the few times I've used the iOS app. And generic complaining of "buggy" is not helpful. If you find specific bugs, did you report them via a support ticket?

Isn't that what beta testing is all about? You may have not encountered ANY issue with your beta test, but the final product has ceased to work for a LOT of people, especially Premium users like I.  Also, this is supposed to be a final release and should've been stable.  Perhaps Evernote need to have MORE beta testers?  I agree with the other members on this forum... this is the most BANAL comment.

 

 

In order to do thorough beta testing, there must be beta TESTERS.  I would suggest you sign up to be a beta tester next time. 

 

"If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem."

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

This is the bitter tasting icing on the buggy cake:

 

The New 7.2 Update from December 12, 2013 Keeps Crashing

[phongsta 12]

 

 

Of those complaining, did you participate in the beta testing?

Personally, I've not encountered any bugs in the few times I've used the iOS app. And generic complaining of "buggy" is not helpful. If you find specific bugs, did you report them via a support ticket?

Isn't that what beta testing is all about? You may have not encountered ANY issue with your beta test, but the final product has ceased to work for a LOT of people, especially Premium users like I.  Also, this is supposed to be a final release and should've been stable.  Perhaps Evernote need to have MORE beta testers?  I agree with the other members on this forum... this is the most BANAL comment.

 

 

In order to do thorough beta testing, there must be beta TESTERS.  I would suggest you sign up to be a beta tester next time. 

 

"If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem."

 

What do you NOT understand about what others are posting here? Beta testing was done awhile ago for 7.2.  It's now released to the App Store in FINAL version format.  I want a working app, not some nightly build to beta test.  I am an IT professional that needs finalized and released apps.  Beta testing is NOT what I am interested in, otherwise I wouldn't be complaining about a final released product.  Now take your trolling and arrogance elsewhere.

[megsaint 441]

This release has so far, been rock solid for me on both my iPad and my iPhone. I've been back and forth on it on both devices all day. As an IT professional, you know that, if a small number of people are having a problem, it might indicate a condition that never came up in the beta testing.

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

This release has so far, been rock solid for me on both my iPad and my iPhone. I've been back and forth on it on both devices all day. As an IT professional, you know that, if a small number of people are having a problem, it might indicate a condition that never came up in the beta testing.

 

Well, I suppose that might be the case, but in fact none of us know the % of users experiencing major problems with EN iOS Ver 7.2.

 

However, there are quite a few bad ratings and complaints about Ver 7.2 posted on the iTunes web site.

Ver 7.2 (current version) has a rating of 3 of 5 stars.

 

Many posted ratings of 1 or 2 stars with complaints like this:

 

[megsaint 441]

You're right. We don't know the percentage. What is fairly well established, though, is that people are far more likely to complain when they are unhappy about a product than they are to praise it when they are pleased with it.

[jbenson2 2,147]

However, there are quite a few bad ratings and complaints about Ver 7.2 posted on the iTunes web site.

Ver 7.2 (current version) has a rating of 3 of 5 stars.

 

And the bigger elephant in the room:

People are far more likely to go elsewhere when they are unhappy about a product, than the vocal few who complain when they are unhappy.

[JoeMommie 0]

I moved to another service for a short while, but to be honest, nothing comes close to Evernote. The one saving grace for me is that I recently moved to a macbookair so iOS isn't critical.

 

On a sidenote: iOS is rapidly becoming unviable for me. The continued lack of a proper file system coupled with it's locked in applications and some horrendous development choices by Apple are making it increasingly less of a business option. Interestingly all my EN problems are solved if I don't use iOS devices! I still find it difficult to believe that a tablet more powerful than a 90's computer has nowhere near the capability because it is purposely hampered by a rubbish OS. This is where I think the Windows tablets may well gain significant ground.

 

ios is going to have to give me SOMETHING in 2014..either a expansion slot for storage (yeah,right), or NFC...there is increasingly becoming fewer reasons to own an ios device. It's becoming a generic device. 

[JoeMommie 0]

ios is going to have to give me SOMETHING in 2014..either a expansion slot for storage (yeah,right), or NFC...there is increasingly becoming fewer reasons to own an ios device. It's becoming a generic device. 

 

****Now that I think of it, why dont Apple just make something like the MS Surface...that thing is pretty damn slick! 

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

ios is going to have to give me SOMETHING in 2014..either a expansion slot for storage (yeah,right), or NFC...there is increasingly becoming fewer reasons to own an ios device. It's becoming a generic device. 

 

****Now that I think of it, why dont Apple just make something like the MS Surface...that thing is pretty damn slick! 

I think that is a bit beyond Evernote's control. Within the iOS world, the Evernote app is pretty amazing for its level of functionality (in my opinion). While there is a lot more that could be done (you'll see plenty of posts by me pushing for more functionality), I think it is worthwhile to take a step back from the app, compare it to others, and recognize its achievements within the limitations of the device and OS. That said, if you have any specific bugs that you are experiencing, please do report them so that we can get them fixed. The app will never be as functional as the desktop version (if this is your expectation, then I do recommend the Surface), but hopefully our feedback will help the developers make it the best it can be.

By the way, one workaround you may want to consider is to use a remote login app that enables you to control your desktop via your iPad. When I have something to do that the iPad (or Evernote on it) cannot accomplish, it helps to be able to log into my laptop and get it done.

[why? 37]

I mentioned earlier, that I now use a macbook air and I must confess that this has solved the majority of all my issues. Now that I'm 3 months down the line I've realised that the real problem in my workflow is iOS. It just isn't fit for purpose in terms of business. No USB, syncing issues in just about every app I've ever used and the biggest shortcoming in my opinion: the lack of a file system so documents need to be copied into every app that needs to open them creating multiple copies and finally, no options in terms of robust backing up of specific data.

 

In terms of cross platform EN was undoubtedly the best app I've used. However, now I don't need cross platform and as that's EN's strength it has also become obsolescent. Off-line notebooks are only available on a paid subscription (if I remember correctly?). I no longer need this. It seems silly to pay just to keep your own data on your own hard drive. I now use Devonthink as my repository and at the risk of offending EN diehards, has far more functionality on my mac than EN has. Plus I now no longer need to pay a subscription or use the cloud which is a real bonus. I could go on about not needing to buy multiple copies of the same app one for mac and one for iOS and so on, but won't bore you. I would be interested some day trying to work out if a macbook air is realistically any more expensive than buying an ipad and all the apps, sync subscriptions and headaches that I initially thought to be the more economical root.

 

Just got to hope Apple don't stuff up OSX now!

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

I mentioned earlier, that I now use a macbook air and I must confess that this has solved the majority of all my issues. Now that I'm 3 months down the line I've realised that the real problem in my workflow is iOS. It just isn't fit for purpose in terms of business. No USB, syncing issues in just about every app I've ever used and the biggest shortcoming in my opinion: the lack of a file system so documents need to be copied into every app that needs to open them creating multiple copies and finally, no options in terms of robust backing up of specific data.

 

In terms of cross platform EN was undoubtedly the best app I've used. However, now I don't need cross platform and as that's EN's strength it has also become obsolescent. Off-line notebooks are only available on a paid subscription (if I remember correctly?). I no longer need this. It seems silly to pay just to keep your own data on your own hard drive. I now use Devonthink as my repository and at the risk of offending EN diehards, has far more functionality on my mac than EN has. Plus I now no longer need to pay a subscription or use the cloud which is a real bonus. I could go on about not needing to buy multiple copies of the same app one for mac and one for iOS and so on, but won't bore you. I would be interested some day trying to work out if a macbook air is realistically any more expensive than buying an ipad and all the apps, sync subscriptions and headaches that I initially thought to be the more economical root.

 

Just got to hope Apple don't stuff up OSX now!

Hi. Evernote is free. Offline notebooks on iOS need a paid subscription. On the Mac, all of your data is available on your computer. In addition, you have the ability to use local notebooks, which will keep your data off the cloud if you need to keep sensitive data in your account.

DevonThink is a pretty amazing app, though I am afraid (in my opinion) the interface is a little clunky, and it isn't friendly with Spotlight. One interesting thing you can do (because the direct download version of the Evernote app does play well with Spotlight) is index your Evernote notes in DevonThink. This essentially gives you the power of both apps. My favorite aspect of DevonThink is the rich search options it has. It really isn't an Evernote competitor (poor mobile functionality and no cross-platform support), but it can be a nice "integration," of sorts.

As for OSX and Apple, I agree that is a real concern. The more I enjoy OSX (and I do very much), the more worried I get that Apple will dumb it down more to remove functionality (look what the appstore has done to some of our favorite apps). Fingers are crossed! By the way, I'm thrilled that Evernote maintains two versions of its app (a direct download and appstore version). If it were only the appstore version, I'd have a very tough time -- I am pretty heavily reliant on the current Spotlight compatibility.

[Don Sakers 98]

> I now use Devonthink as my repository and at the risk of offending EN diehards, has far

> more functionality on my mac than EN has.

It's wonderful that you've found something that works better for you than Evernote does. Using an app that works well for you is a great way to be happier and more productive.

I'm not convinced that continuing to complain about an app you find unhelpful, on forums devoted to that app, is a way to increase either your happiness or your productivity...but that's your choice, of course.

[why? 37]

I'm not convinced that continuing to complain about an app you find unhelpful, on forums devoted to that app, is a way to increase either your happiness or your productivity...but that's your choice, of course.

 

Don't agree that I'm "complaining" here and I don't recall saying EN was unhelpful.

 

Although these forums are set up to focus on EN, in reality they cover so much more (which is good in my opinion). I've always found people sharing their workflows to be extremely useful. Many of us do not have the time to research into all we would like to make our workflows more efficient. My own workflows have been modified as a result of what others have been kind enough to share. I didn't realise how much of a bottle-neck iOS was until I moved to a macbook air. This invariably changed my workflow and I felt it had a sufficiently positive impact that others might find it useful. Hence I wrote about it here.

 

I should add that I'm not critising EN. In fact, if you read the post you'll see I've said it's the best cross-platform app I've used. However, my workflow has changed. This means that EN's strengths no longer fall into my criteria for app selection. Without needing cross-platform compatability other functionality moves up the ladder of my requirements such as the ability to scan documents straight into the app, OCR documents, archive my email straight into the app and as GrumpyMonkey has already stated the rich search options.

 

At the end of the day we all have changing requirements. Mavericks has certainly pushed many people to change their email client for example. I would like to think that long term EN users would be welcome to share improvements to their workflows even if it does mean EN moves down the list. Who knows, future changes may bring EN back up the list.

[why? 37]

One interesting thing you can do (because the direct download version of the Evernote app does play well with Spotlight) is index your Evernote notes in DevonThink. This essentially gives you the power of both apps.

 

Interesting idea, I'd never thought of that!

 

Many thanks!