OmniFocus 2 not compatible with iOS 16

I just saw a message inside my OF 2 iOS app that it is not going to be compatible with iOS 16. While I understand why they are probably doing this (having to support multiple versions), I will have to say - a few months ago I was testing OF 4. I wanted to compare a few things so I downloaded the old OF 2 app.

I couldn’t believe how much I enjoyed it! I switched to using OF 2 as my daily driver and forgot just how great of an app that was. I’m not a huge “multiple” tag user so contexts worked for me just fine.

I wish they would bring back some of the simplicity that they had (and the sleek “feel”) with OF 2.

Anyone else here going to miss OF 2? Or is it just me?

1 Like

I was hoping I could stay in OF2 for IOS until OF4 got released. Since there is no release date for OF4, I don’t know how to assess what I’ll do.

I didn’t have a problem updating to OF3 in my Mac. I just do not use multiple tags while the enhanced perspectives capabilities como on handy.

You could join the OF 4 Beta trial (for iOS only at the moment).

I’m still on OF2 on iOS/iPadOS because OF3 there ruined the Forecast view. I’m running OF3 on macOS because it’s fine there. Not sure what I’ll do when iOS16 ships.

Well, I just learnt I have to choose whether not to upgrade to IOS16 and further IOS versions or must upgrade to OF3 for IOS.

This is not what OF support personnel said before about maintaining the possibility of running old versions, and I guess they know it and are thus offering a 50% discount in the upgrade from IOS OF2 to OF3, which is nice.

Before this, I already lost some OF2 for IOS functionality, like for instance apple watch inbox voice input. I understand I will not get new functionalities for a product unless I upgrade, but I don’t like loosing functionalities that I did pay for when I did the original purchase of OF2. I think this should not happen, and if it does it should be clearly communicated to the user base, as it has been the case with IOS16.

Since there is still no planned date for the release of OF4, I feel forced to upgrade to maintain my database access while keeping up to date with my apple devices.

That said, I still like the product and will keep on using and upgrading it, but these kind of things erode my trust in the pricing schemes and stability of the product.

It launched in may 2014 so you have probably had your moneys worth… thats’ $10 a year for the pro version so that’s pretty good value however you look at it so complaining is pretty curmudgeonly IMO.

1 Like

I’m afraid I do not understand the expression but didn’t expect that kind of unfriendly answer. I am entitled to my opinions as everyone else, as long as I do expose them respectfully and do not try to be the only holding the truth.

By the way, I am not talking about money, but about principles. I didn’t say nothing about pricing.

We design software that is built to last, and the evidence of this is that we still have customers using versions of our software that we built back in the '90s, along with versions released every decade since! However, it’s important to note that software built decades ago generally doesn’t run on today’s latest systems (unless you’re running them under some sort of emulation), because over the years the systems have changed in ways that make them incompatible.

OmniFocus 2 originally shipped for iOS 7 in 2013 (nearly a decade ago), and was replaced with OmniFocus 3 in 2018 (for iOS 11 and 12). We designed OmniFocus 2 to last, and we hope that anyone interested will be able to run OmniFocus 2 for as long as they like. But since we can’t afford to keep maintaining old versions of our apps forever alongside working on the current versions, people who want to run an older version will need to run it on a compatible operating system—ideally, on the iOS 7 through iOS 11 systems that it was designed and updated to operate on.

We appreciate our customers’ investment in our software, and to help preserve that investment we never ask existing customers to pay full price to upgrade to our latest software: we always offer upgrades at a 50% discount, even when customers have skipped upgrades along the way. (Customers who purchased OmniGraffle 1 two decades ago are eligible for a 50% discount when upgrading to OmniGraffle 7 today.)

So if you’re looking to maintain an old setup with an old version of an app and an older operating system, our app should keep working as long as the system itself does. If you’re looking to upgrade your system, you can be assured that the latest versions of our apps are ready for the latest operating system as well.

And on the rare occasions we do charge for an upgrade—a few times per decade—you can expect to be able to upgrade to the latest version for half price. (Or if you don’t feel that upgrade is compelling, you can skip it and go for the next version whenever it’s ready.)

Hope this helps!

3 Likes

Fair enough, Ken. Thanks for your answer.

1 Like

I appreciate that perspective Ken. I think my original post was more about how great OF2 was for me (not really a money issue or anything else along those lines for me). In fact, if there was a monthly subscription that would allow me to use whichever version I wanted, that would be great (for me). But, I fully understand (and support) your need for generating income through upgrades and/or subscriptions.

I’ll be purchasing the upgrade just to support you guys no matter what. Just loved the single context concept and the UX of OF2. You guys did a great job! :)

1 Like

Likewise…

This topic was automatically closed 30 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.