As it currently stands the status of the various bits of IndiePass look something like this:
- IndiePass for Android was last updated 2023-05-01, and without an update being published before 2024-08-05 it’ll be de-listed from the Google Play Store
- Indigenous for iOS was removed by Apple in 2022 from the AppStore as they deemed the app untainted due to no updates for several years
- IndiePass for Desktop was last updated 2021-11-10 and has an expired app signature on macOS
- None of the current versions have much in common other than there’s some red bits in the UI and the icon is the same. Aside from that the feature-set, app flow, look & feel for each version is completely different.
All in all, things aren’t in the best state so far as a usable app is concerned.
While I have made multiple starts on building IndiePass 2.0 to be a cross-platform unified app, the current state of the various app versions just made it seem like an impossible task to get things playing nicely across iOS, Android & Desktop.
Previously I had settled on using Flutter to develop the new version, which came with its own set of frustrations and gotchas which ended up just being a pain in the arse more than anything.
Also a massive thanks is due to Antonio who has put a considerable amount of effort into attempting to get the current iOS app up to scratch, which due to the codebase’s age is a mammoth task in and of itself.
The Plan
To make things more manageable, and also help with the transparency of how updates bug fixes etc. are going, I’m essentially spending the rest of June doing prep work to make a fresh, properly structured effort to bring a new, unified IndiePass app to life.
I have already migrated the various IndiePass repos to a organisation on GitHub, making collaboration easier, and saves trawling through the various repos I have on GitHub.
The first part of this is a new IndiePass site, featuring a blog for development updates and release announcements etc. along with documentation that reflects how to use the app, rather than generalised info about IndieAuth etc.
Secondly, I’m going to archive the repos for the current iOS and Desktop apps, and remove them from the website, as the iOS version is no longer published, and the Desktop version is outdated, and is missing various features present in the Android version.
There will be a small update to the android version of IndiePass released shortly that updates dependencies and ensures the app remains compliant with Play Store policies. After which I'll look to address issues raised on GitHub.
So far as IndiePass 2.0 is concerned, I will be using Kotlin Multiplatform going forward, focusing first on Android, followed by iOS and finally Desktop. All of these versions will share the same core, with refinements in UI etc. to each platform.
This will also be the last update post on my personal site about IndiePass, with any future updates being made there.