2Do on Android learns a new Trick with CalDAV
I’m thrilled to announce the availability of CalDAV sync on Android! With 2Do v2.10 (currently in beta) you can now sync with your CalDAV server of choice (iCloud Reminders, Fruux, Fastmail, OwnCloud and Synology to name a few). CalDAV is great because it’s open, widely supported, and best of all, you can share lists with other users and pseudo-collaborate on stuff. Neat.
The big deal about all this is the fact that this is a totally free addition for all existing pro users (remember, 2Do doesn’t charge you recurring subscription fees). There are no hidden upgrade charges, no bait and switch, no tricks. Since 2Do can be downloaded and used in all its glory for free (well, almost – you still need to pay once to be able to sync), you can still take this new feature for a test-run during the initial two-week free trial period.
So how do we milk money out of this new sync addition? We don’t. Frankly, supporting CalDAV is like learning to ______ (fill in the blank with anything super difficult that comes to mind) – it’s just hard, and adds to the overall support burden given the three-thousand-and-one flavours of clients and servers out there that we need to mix well with. Initially the plan was to charge a one-off upgrade fee for this, especially since a lot of effort and time went into its development, and will continue with ongoing improvements. Pro users would have paid around $2.99 once and sync endless times with endless devices and servers.
It turns out, 2Do doesn’t get much press on Android and I could count the number of active Pro users we have on a few thousand fingers. With an upgrade model like this, we may have gotten lucky and earned $192.98 extra the first month, and $74.40 the second (these are made-up estimates), whilst angry (and nasty) emails and reviews left by a small handful would have effectively put us out of business. It just wasn’t worth it.
On the bright side, it would genuinely make us a lot happier to see folks using 2Do, syncing it with their favourite CalDAV server and enjoying being a lot more productive.
If you’re on Android and haven’t given 2Do a chance, I guarantee you there’s no other CalDAV task manager that comes close. Try it out now.
You can join the open beta group by clicking here.
November 27, 2018
A shiny new Store
2Do has spent the majority of its life within the Mac App Store. I’ve held back on exploring other distribution models (until recently) mostly due to the supposed headaches that come with managing a self-hosted store, but also because I felt the MAS would eventually cater for all our needs (free trials, volume discounts, paid upgrades, flexible licensing, Testflight beta testing and so on). That hasn’t happened for such a long time. Deep down though, it feels as if this is the year they’ll finally reveal a solid plan at the WWDC for all of those that don’t believe subscriptions are a way forward (spoiler: they didn’t). I say that, but if the last 6 years have been any lesson, I’ve begun to lose faith.
On the bright side, distributing 2Do on Setapp has been enlightening. It’s not as rewarding as I had hoped it would be, but with close to around 1,300 active users a month, 2Do has taken a slow but steady start. These numbers should increase as the overall popularity and adoption of Setapp increases.
After years of rejecting requests for joining 3rd party app-bundles and campaigns, providing educational and bulk discounts, losing in on joining cross-campaign partnerships and more, I’m happy to announce 2Do finally has a brand new Store for direct distribution.
Users that have already purchased 2Do from the Mac App Store will be able to switch to the direct version, if they so wished, without a hitch. It should automatically detect their existing license. 2Do v2 updates will still be free of charge. Nothing should change for the end-user.
Other than providing me with more control over its distribution and licensing, the new Store and direct distribution will also play a big role in how automatic builds can be deployed to enthusiastic beta users. This wasn’t possible until now. Needless to say, 2Do’s direct distribution will also pave the way for paid upgrades in the future (one isn’t in the works), considering 2Do has deployed close to around 50 free updates on the Mac in the last 6 years, and countless for iOS and Android for the past 9 years, without once asking its user to pay another dime. In hindsight, this isn’t feasible nor sustainable, but neither is a subscription based model.
May 26, 2018