The free Pocket Informer app for iPhone and iPad has been updated today with a host of new features, including improved location support, iBeacon compatibility, a revamped month view, and much more.
The new update allows users to accomplish new types location-based tasks, such as automatically activating specific calendar filters based on location. iBeacon support allows more precise location-based reminders and alerts. The app can also edit Apple’s native location-based Reminders.
Improvements to repeated calendar events have also been made, allowing users to create new types of recurring events, and a redesigned month view provides a more complete overview of the weeks ahead. A new travel mode allows users to enter future travel plans so that the app can automatically do time zone conversions based on where the user will be on the date of that event.
Pocket Informant is available for free on the App Store, but many features are locked behind in-app purchases ranging from $.99 to $14.99. The complete list of changes in this update can be found below.
What’s New in Version 4.0
Informant 4.0 is a MAJOR FREE UPGRADE. We’ve added exciting new features that you won’t find in ANY other calendaring app as well as ton of other additions and improvements across the board.
Here some highlights of what’s new:
◉ NEW! TravelAssist™ is completely unique approach to automating Time Zone handling while traveling. Simply tell Informant about your travel plans and after that, all new events scheduled between those dates will automatically default to the proper time zone. Likewise, while you are traveling, all new events scheduled outside your travel dates will default to your “home” time zone (instead of your “current” travel time zone).
◉ NEW! iBeacon Support. If you haven’t heard about iBeacons, check out Apple’s website to learn more. In short, iBeacons allow you to create location notifications at a much more precise location than GPS can give you. Here are a few things Informant can do with iBeacons:
◉ Informant can act as an iBeacon itself! This allows you to set Informant to remind you to do something next time you are near a specific friend, co-worker or family member.
◉ Pre-order hardware Informant iBeacons on our website today! You can place these small, convenient hardware beacons in your car, a room in your house, a conference room, your desk at work or anywhere else where you’d like to have Informant remind you to do something.
◉ LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
◉ Calendar Filters can now be automatically tied to a specific location (including a specific iBeacon)! Create a saved calendar filter for home and one for work. Then set Informant to automatically change between them based on you current location.
◉ Task locations notifications now have a radius that you can now conveniently adjust in the map view
◉ We now support editing Apple Location Reminders directly in Informant
◉ YOU’LL LOVE THE NEW MONTH VIEW
◉ Month View is now a vertically scrolling “Rolling Month View”
◉ Double-tap on a day to slide up a graphical day view
◉ Timed multi-day events now appear similar to “All Day” events in the Month View
◉ iPad now uses the “slide up” detail view instead of popovers when tapping on a day
◉ YOU’LL LOVE ALL THE OTHER VIEWS AS WELL
◉ We added support for iOS 7 Dynamic Text size and we added additional large text size options
◉ Details of events & tasks are now displayed in a convenient popover
◉ Informant now opens the contact card when you tap on a Birthday event
◉ Event conflict detection can be enabled/disabled per calendar
◉ GET HOLIDAY AND OTHER CALENDARS: We’ve partnered with SchedJoules to offer you a huge selection of calendars that you can purchase from their calendar store (integrated into Informant): everything from Name Days, Holidays, Phases of the Moon, Sports Calendars, and more.
◉ SEARCH MORE: Informant now searches the past 15 years and all future Apple Events in addition to all Pocket Informant native events.
◉ PRINT MORE: You can now print individual events, tasks, or any task list that is available in the Task View.
◉ SMART TITLE: Informant now offers to auto-complete Template names or Contacts as you type the title of a new event or task.
◉ NEW RECURRENCE OPTION: You can now create recurring events on the “5th of the month”. Finally.
◉ BACKUPS: Daily backups are now completely automatic!
◉ MUCH MUCH MORE: We have a more complete list of what’s new on our website.
By the way, did we mention this is a FREE upgrade to all of our amazing Informant Premium customers? If you haven’t purchased Informant Premium yet, it’s a great time to upgrade. And if you have – thank you so much for your support and don’t forget to tell your friends about your favorite calendaring app!!
As always, we recommend you back up your data before a major upgrade of any app (Informant will do this for you automatically). If you have any questions about what’s new, please contact our support team.
Apple’s SSL certificate that is responsible for verifying and authenticating connections to Apple’s Mac App Store software update servers has expired, causing the Mac App Store to issue errors like those above. Another error notification points to the swscan.apple.com server as being the issue, below.