Monthly Archives: November 2013

MyTrails Pro available as an in-app purchase

When I started developing MyTrails, in-app purchases (IAP) were not available on the Play Store, so like all apps from that generation, a tiny app (MyTrails Pro License) served to indicate to the main app that the user had purchased the Pro version.

It worked, for the most part, but some users didn’t know that they could just download the Pro license again for free when they switched to a new device.

So now MyTrails is available as an IAP. Buying it is slightly easier and the minor support burden should be a thing of the past.

I also wanted for users who have both a Google device and a Kindle to not have to purchase the Pro version twice just because of the platform divide, so the license information is stored on my server, and it is attached to your FrogSparks account.

On Google devices, the FrogSparks account is superseded by using your Google account; on Amazon devices the FrogSparks account remains. If you already have a FrogSparks account (or you also use a Kindle), both accounts can be attached by first connecting to your FrogSparks account, then your Google account, from your Google device.

All this happens in MyTrails > Preferences > Accounts > FrogSparks.

If you already have purchased the Pro license, MyTrails will first prompt you to create or connect to your account, and will transfer the license to the server, after which you will be prompted to uninstall the Pro License (but you don’t have to). The Pro License application will remain available on Google Play for the time being, but should no longer be used.

tl;dr: If you want MyTrails Pro, from now on the IAP is the way to go, MyTrails will guide you.

MyTrails available on Amazon Appstore

Many MyTrails users have a phone they take with them on outings, and they would like to be able to plan their itinerary and view the recorded track on their Kindle, which stays safely at home.

Until now, this was made more difficult by the fact that while MyTrails could be side-loaded on the Kindle, there was no good way to get the Pro version working on Kindle. And some people rely on Kindles exclusively.

So in a few days, once it passes Amazon’s validation process, MyTrails will be available on the Amazon Appstore, with the following changes:

  • New track rendering algorithm, much more eye-pleasing
  • Integration with Google account as a simpler alternative to FrogSparks account, where available (also log in to maps.frogsparks.com with your Google account)
  • MyTrails is now available on Amazon Appstore
  • The Pro license is now available as an in-app purchase
  • Like maps, the Pro upgrade is tied to the FrogSparks (or Google) account, so it is honored on any platform

The same version will be published on the Play Store in a few days (I need to update a few Play-Store related things first, this is not an Amazon exclusivity period thing).

Update: MyTrails is now live on Amazon.