[infotainment]

On the plus side, the actually good mobile Anki client, AnkiDroid, remains out of the hands of this potentially questionable new entity.

(AnkiDroid has always been run independently, which is good, considering the state of the iOS client, which has always been neglected.)

[Jacobinski]

True. It should however be noted that the most active maintainer of AnkiDroid will be joining the new entity:

> We’re currently talking to David Allison, a long-time core contributor to AnkiDroid, about working together on exactly these questions. His experience with AnkiDroid’s collaborative development is invaluable, and we’re grateful he’s willing to help us get this right. We’re incredibly excited to have him join us full-time to help propel Anki into the future.

[KPGv2]

Yeah, and while they say AnkiDroid is going to be maintained by the original creator separate from AnkiHub, we won't be privy to any employment contract language that makes any work done by the employee as being property of AnkiHub. Which would be an issue.

[doctorpangloss]

anki has so much potential and has such a big and unique audience, it is incomprehensible to me how it has managed to be so neglected.

and then now why, of all times, when a solo developer is never more productive, would the lead maintainer cede ownership? the antidote for programming burnout has just been invented, just take it haha

[avazhi]

What’s so bad about the paid iOS client? I remember it being expensive when I got it but it works fine for my use case (mix of getting me through part of med school, all of law school, and the just general shit I’d like to remember and learn). There’s definitely never been anything jarring about using it vs the Mac or windows clients but I’m happy for somebody to point out the problems I’ve been missing!

[littlecranky67]

I paid 30€ for Anki on iOS. I remember being a bit upset because the Android and the macOS version (Qt based) are completely free. Even the iOS version is open-source. In the end, I did not want to create my own build and sideload Anki for iOS via Developer certificates, so I just paid the 30€. I think it is too expensive especially since I can easily afford that having a job and all, but I remember at uni I would struggle to afford this. But then again, when I was at uni there were no smartphones, and my computer cost less than an iPhone. So I'd probably have cheap android anyway.

To amend, I got way more than 30€ of value out of it. I learn a new language, and vocab training with Anki works better than anything else.

[jaredklewis]

I use the official iOS client everyday. What’s wrong with it?

[DeusExMachina]

I also use it every day. It does its job, but it has many usability issues that make it less than ideal.

For example, copy and paste retains the text color (probably by design). So, sometimes I get black text on a black background, when the app is in dark mode.

The editing process to remove the formatting is pretty annoying.

It takes me time to find the edit button, which is buried in the menu but prominent in the desktop version. Then, I have to toggle the HTML mode and delete the retained tags, which on a phone takes time. The desktop version, instead, has a button to remove all formatting.

[ohyoutravel]

iOS one is fine, pretty good. I use it daily too. Ankidroid is much better, which I would attribute to being open source with lots of eyeballs on it and making improvements for the love of it.

[not_your_vase]

I do too, and I hate it. Some of my pet peeves from the top of my head (there would be more most likely if I'd think a bit, but maybe later):

    > I keep pressing the second button to OK a card, I rarely use the 3rd and 4th. But if I fail a card, that button becomes a NOK, and I keep pressing it out of reflex
    > I can't help interpreting "card was a leech" notification other than "how dumb can you be". Fortunately there is no way to turn it off.
    > It keeps phoning home for some reason, each time it gets into the foreground. It is really great when you are behind a proxy, and it keeps complaining that there is no network, every single time. Of course that call can't be turned off. Also, have no idea what it sends home. I try to trust that it's not some nefarious.
   > Some years ago, for some reason Anki changed DB format, in a backwards incompatible way. There was a notification at the start of the app, that if I don't want it, I shouldn't update my app. I did turn off auto-update. A few weeks later it bricked my deck (my deck got updated to the new format, even though that old iOS app was the only way I accessed it), also trashing my 3 years long strike.

[__float]

The (paid!) iOS client has always been a disappointment to me, and I've long been jealous of the open source Android one.

I don't mind so much that it's paid, given how much use I get for the price, but it sucks knowing it sucks and not being able to help make it better.

[hermanzegerman]

I've just bought it to support the developer, as it was according to his website his preferred way to support him.

[3D30497420]

Agreed. I’m particularly excited that they’ll be investing in the UI/UX.

[pushedx]

I use the iOS app daily, and while it's not the prettiest thing in the world, it has nearly every feature of the desktop client, including full scripting support for card contents, which is amazing for things like collapsable elements and media. And, at the end of the day, it's about what you learn from using it that matters.

[divan]

Is it still 25$ price? Makes it impossible to recommend Anki to friends/students to "try spaced repetition".

[tvshtr]

AnkiDroid is *just* an interface over the shared core/engine (written in rust nowadays)

[mbanerjeepalmer]

Given that push notifications haven't worked in AnkiDroid for years, it doesn't feel good to me?

[padraic7a]

Just one data point but they work for me. (Nothing phone, android 16, Ankidroid 2.23.3 installed from Fdroid)

[hermanzegerman]

Why would you need push notifications on AnkiDroid?