What happened to office HD?

[PeteCC]

Hi,

I have purchased the full versions of both TextMaker HD and PlanMaker HD for Android. I can no longer find them on the play store, only the basic versions and 'early access' versions (which are flagged as 'contain ads').

What's going on - what happened to the purchases I made?

[martin-k]

SoftMaker Office 2021 for Android is a new version, the replacement for SoftMaker Office HD.

If you purchased SoftMaker Office HD, you can continue to use and even install it again. We however no longer offer this old version to the public.

[PeteCC]

SoftMaker Office 2021 for Android is a new version, the replacement for SoftMaker Office HD.

If you purchased SoftMaker Office HD, you can continue to use and even install it again. We however no longer offer this old version to the public.

Okay, but firstly there are major problems with it relating to cloud storge (access to google drive is blocked) and secondly, how do I install it again if it's not in the store?

I also didn't see SoftMaker Office 2021 in the store either. How would I get that?

[martin-k]

Google changed the APIs for Google Drive multiple times since the release of SoftMaker Office HD in 2014. We won't change this anymore in the old software, that's what the new SoftMaker Office 2021 is for.

As for re-installing the old software, it should still appear in your searches in Google Play if you are logged in with the account you used when purchasing.

But I'd really recommend using the new version: https://play.google.com/store/apps/deve ... tware+GmbH

[PeteCC]

Google changed the APIs for Google Drive multiple times since the release of SoftMaker Office HD in 2014. We won't change this anymore in the old software, that's what the new SoftMaker Office 2021 is for.

Not impressed. I purchased this in good faith expecting the features as advertised.

As for re-installing the old software, it should still appear in your searches in Google Play if you are logged in with the account you used when purchasing.

This simply doesn't work.

But I'd really recommend using the new version: https://play.google.com/store/apps/deve ... tware+GmbH

On my devices this says, firstly, that it's "In development" and has ads and secondly, that I need a subscription to get some features. It says you get access if you have the desktop NX (subscription) versions but nothing about if you buy 2021 desktop outright. Is there no option to just buy the new android apps?

[martin-k]

When did you purchase SoftMaker Office HD?

[PeteCC]

When did you purchase SoftMaker Office HD?

I don't recall but it was some time ago - probably shortly after it became available. I've been using Softmaker products for a long time.

[martin-k]

SoftMaker Office HD was released 7 years ago. If you purchased the whole suite, you paid around EUR 15. For this, you are expecting a longer maintenance than we offer for our Windows software which costs around 3-4 times as much.

Consider that Android development is more expensive than Windows development. In Windows, it simply does not happen that an API stops working, like Google did with Google Drive.

SoftMaker Office 2021 is our new version for Android. Nearly all features are available for free. Just a small number of features (PDF, printing, tracked changes) affords an inexpensive in-app subscription. Also, there are no ads in the software. We just reserve the right to introduce them at a later time, but rest assured they won't be bothersome.

[PeteCC]

SoftMaker Office HD was released 7 years ago. If you purchased the whole suite, you paid around EUR 15. For this, you are expecting a longer maintenance than we offer for our Windows software which costs around 3-4 times as much.

But the old versions are still perfectly usable. I'm currently using the 2018 version for Windows. AFAIK I could have stuck with 2012 and still have a workable application.

In Windows, it simply does not happen that an API stops working, like Google did with Google Drive.

Point taken, but you must have modified code to access Google Drive for the new version. How much work would it be to patch the old one too?

SoftMaker Office 2021 is our new version for Android. Nearly all features are available for free. Just a small number of features (PDF, printing, tracked changes) affords an inexpensive in-app subscription. Also, there are no ads in the software. We just reserve the right to introduce them at a later time, but rest assured they won't be bothersome.

Just how much is "inexpensive" (GBP)? Also - to be clear - if I buy a subscription to SoftMaker Office NX Home (£2.49 per month or £24.90 per year) - which only mentions Windows, Mac, and Linux in the description - I'll get access to all features on Android too (as it says in the play store description) and this will give access to any future upgrades on all platforms?

[martin-k]

The difference is that Windows is a stable operating system with a stable API, Android is not. You could still run TextMaker from 1997 on a Windows 10 PC, but you cannot run an Android 4 application on Android 11. Google simply doesn't consider backward compatibility that important.

Much more than Google Drive support had to be changed in SoftMaker Office to make it compatible with the latest Android version. If I remember correctly, Google doesn't even offer Google Drive libraries anymore for an Android 4 application.

Yes, getting an NX Home or NX Universal subscription will unlock all features of the Android version. The website will be updated tomorrow when the Android beta officially starts. An Android-only subscription will be around GBP 1.00 per month for the three apps together.

[PeteCC]

The difference is that Windows is a stable operating system with a stable API, Android is not. You could still run TextMaker from 1997 on a Windows 10 PC, but you cannot run an Android 4 application on Android 11. Google simply doesn't consider backward compatibility that important.

Much more than Google Drive support had to be changed in SoftMaker Office to make it compatible with the latest Android version. If I remember correctly, Google doesn't even offer Google Drive libraries anymore for an Android 4 application.

Yes, getting an NX Home or NX Universal subscription will unlock all features of the Android version. The website will be updated tomorrow when the Android beta officially starts. An Android-only subscription will be around GBP 1.00 per month for the three apps together.

Okay, thanks for all the information.

[Woody44]

Martin, a Word Processing program (app) or a spreadsheet program (or app) that can't print and won't export or "print" to a PDF is basically useless, in my opinion. If I read the web page for the new Sofmaker Office HD correctly. printing and PDF creation are disabled in the free version and can ONLY be made available either by subscribing to SoftMaker Office HD, or by purchasing a subscription to Softmaker Office NX.

There won't be any avenue to purchase the ability to print and to create PDFs for a one-time payment? I don't do subscriptions to software -- period. One of the attractions to SoftMaker Office for Windows (and Mac, and Linux) is that a perpetual license is affordable.

[martin-k]

I would agree if you were talking about desktop software. But this is an Android version, and there is usually no need to print. You just make modifications to an existing document. If you want to print, you can do that from your PC. Even the free FreeOffice would suffice for this task.

I would venture to guess that the vast majority of Android users do not even have their smartphone or tablet configured for printing.