EasyRoute 2.9 is out. Here is a rundown of what’s new:

Ads

Back in December, I removed the $0.99 price tag on EasyRoute. I did this for a few reasons, but in the end, I enjoyed setting it free more than the slow trickle of revenue it produced when it was $0.99. However, it became too popular and I can’t skate in under free limits of the services I use anymore (which used to be Google and MapQuest, but is now just Google) So having the app available completely for free (and ad-free) was starting to cost me some money and since the usage trend is still upward, this was a change I had to make.

Update: I’ve already gotten several questions about removing the ads with an in-app purchase. Since I will be making a significant change to the app (by changing the map, see below) I didn’t think it would be fair to start collecting money and then, right after, make this change. The next release will have the option to remove the ads.

Better Map Options View

I used to have a little floating arrow along the right edge of the map and I was never crazy about this. I moved it to the toolbar (which is where it has always been on the iPad) and made the view more compact (again similar to the iPad). There’s a revamped general information view in there too with help and links.

Route List and Route Types

I made some small design tweaks to the route list along with a better way to bulk edit or delete them. There is also a route type (Run, Bike, Walk, Generic) that you can assign to a route. Your old routes will default to generic, but you can select and change multiple routes on the list if you want to tag them correctly.

The Next Major Release

…is right around the corner! Yes seriously, and this is somewhat related to the above.

I’m going to have to switch away from Google’s map and data.. and soon! I had been reviewing Google’s new pricing, which goes into effect on July 16, 2018 and it seemed as if the new plan would cost EasyRoute roughly 30x more than before. I actually contacted Google because I didn’t think I was calculating this correctly and they confirmed it. Ad revenue beyond my highest estimates wouldn’t even begin to cover this, so I’m moving to Mapbox.

I am close to finished with the conversion and there are some upsides as well as some disadvantages. I’ll explain more once that release is ready, so I’ll be back here with more news soon.

Thanks for reading. I hope you’re having fun with EasyRoute!