SmartGo One for Mac

I released SmartGo One for iPad and iPhone a bit more than a year ago, and thought the Mac version would be at most a few months behind. However, it proved to be more difficult than expected, and Mac Catalyst didn’t make it quite as easy as advertised. And I got distracted by bug fixes, localizations, and tons of improvements in the iOS version. (As well as designing a passive house.)

Anyway, the Mac version is now available. Like the iOS version, it’s a free download. All your in-app purchases from iOS should automatically show up and work on the Mac: books, problem collections, as well as your Pro subscription. Files in iCloud Drive are now shared between all your devices. And your progress in solving problems that synced between iPhone and iPad now also syncs to your Mac.

There are a few differences to the iOS version:

• Menu items: Menus make it easier to add more functionality, and a few extra functions are available. For example, under Edit > Delete Nodes you’ll find the following submenu:

Delete All Variations and Delete Rest of Game are not currently available on iOS. Insert Node also offers more options. I’m looking for ways to make the same features available across all devices without overloading the UI.

• On My Mac: File access on iOS is restricted to a specific folder reserved for the app. On the Mac, you can access other folders, once you allow access. There’s a new button next to On My Mac (see image below) that lets you select a folder with your go files. You can then directly access and work with files in that whole folder and any subfolders.

• Title bar: To leave more space for the content, I’ve removed the navigation bar from the game view and moved some functions to the title bar (Game Info, Share, Settings). I’ve also added controls for switching between the areas of the app (My Files, Pro Games, Players, Problems, and Books) to the title bar (see image above). I found that having direct access there worked better than using the sidebar. (The sidebar is still available if you prefer to use it.)

• Multiple windows and tabs: You can open multiple windows, each with multiple tabs. The Window menu has standard commands like Merge All Windows and Move Tab to New Window.

I’m excited that new features and bug fixes can now apply to all platforms: iPhone, iPad, and Mac. As always, please let me know what you’re missing in SmartGo One, or any issues you run into.