I used to be a big user of the original clear. I tried to use version 2, but I never could get into it in the same way. My honest request would be to turn off over 80% of the current “features” and come up with just a limited set of features; even just for the iPhone. It’s unlikely after a year of development that you’re going to have a decent app. There are probably too many old-timers who grouse about their old features missing.
I’m “lucky” that I have a limited time to explore this app anymore and I would rather see a bullet-proof app than what looks a bunch of items slapped together.i will check back in a few months to see anything emerges. I have no interest in trying to gamify the function of the app. Turn it off and just a straight list. The. simpler the better should be your theme, not how many features you can hide in the app. If you can’t easily setup a basic setup, you really need to make the hard cuts now. Matbe make a clear game 2.0 to play with.
I don’t mean to be rude, but none of this is actually constructive feedback for the dev team. What specific features or changes do you have a problem with? My understanding is aside from a small handful of things, pretty much all these extras are optional. The unlocks, the different themes, shop items, etc. Additionally, the original had a simple gamified element for some themes (night owl unlock comes to mind).
I think the original criticism here is a bit over the top – quite a bit, in fact. But also, I don’t think we should dismiss it out of hand. One main feature – the main attraction – of Clear is its simplicity. And as we find out again and again, simplicity is hard. As users, we want both features and simplicity, and they are eternally in conflict.
Personally, I couldn’t care less about the gamification aspect of the app. I would be happy if it were ripped out altogether. But if it helps to attract users, and it stays reasonably well out of my way, that’s okay with me. The point is, the devs need some way to bring in cold hard cash, or they can’t be expected to continue developing. If gamification and the store help, that is the way it has to be. I can use the app without even noticing those aspects, so I am happy. (But if the app could be made more lightweight by removing those features, all the better.)
I feel that by going for a subscription model, the need for gamification (and maybe the store) might go away, and we’d be better off without.
As for the other features, I have a hard time seeing anything redundant. Let’s look at them:
Keeping a list, with right swipe to mark done, left swipe to delete items, and up swipe to clear completed items: Absolutely essential, this is the core of the app (and what made Clear famous to begin with).
Having several lists: The app would be pretty limited without.
Different themes: As tastes vary, one must have access to at least a few themes.
Fonts and font sizes: Essential, especially as some have poor eyesight and need bigger fonts. (Side note: Perhaps using the builtin font magnification selector in the control center would be a better choice. I find it disturbing that more apps don’t obey it.)
Reminders: Yeah, I don’t use them often, but I do like them. I use Apple’s builtin reminders feature more, especially for more complicated items, but sometimes I want a reminder on an item that naturally belongs in one of my Clear lists, and then having to rely on a different app for that reminder rubs me the wrong way.
I think the above list accounts for well over 20% of the features of Clear. For me, they are 90% of the feature I use.
To me the most critical feature is sync ability across iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac. If there was an additional PC web version that synced, all the better. Clear is my 2nd brain, especially as I have gotten older. If I don’t write it down, the thought is gone. With longer lists, iPhones solely are not a practical way for me to organize across all environments. Syncing in Clear is the key number 1 must have.
We are into the last stages with Sync development. It’s not feature-rich like the app, but good enough to be trusted and works reliably well within our dev team.