I am happy to announce the release of RadioMail 1.2 aka the “Formidable”
release. Available now in the App Store.
📋 Forms
This version provides support for the much requested HTML forms. Now
you can compose and view 100+ standard forms right within the
app. Just tap and hold the compose icon, and choose “Compose with Form”.
The Forms Library pops up so you can pick the form you need. Your 10
most recently used forms are just a tap away under the 'Recents'
tab.
Forms are displayed within an embedded web view so there is no switching
out to other applications. Essential details such as callsign and GPS
coordinates are automatically pre-filled.
Once your form is filled in, tap 'Done' and a draft of your message will
appear.
🤝 100% Compatibility
Form-based messages created in RadioMail are designed to work seamlessly
with other clients like Winlink Express. Forms are automatically kept up
to date.
📲 Import Specialized Forms
There are many forms developed for specialized needs that are not part
of the standard library. You can download and import those forms in
RadioMail. Once imported, the forms will appear alongside the standard
forms in the Library.
💾 Save Work In Progress
When composing forms, you can save a JSON representation of the form
content to local or cloud storage. Conversely, you can load the content
from a previously saved form. The file format is compatible with Winlink
Express, so you could start filling a form in RadioMail, save it to an
SD card and finish composing the message on a different computer running
Winlink Express for example.
📄 Share Received Forms as PDF
When displaying a received form, you can share a PDF representation of
the form with other applications on your devices. You can also save,
annotate, or print it.
🌟 Forms Activation
Forms are an optional premium feature that requires a subscription to
activate. This is for two reasons:
For people who just want the straightforward email functionality of
RadioMail, nothing changes. The UI stays streamlined and the price
remains the same.
For others who rely on forms, a subscription ensures the forms stay
useful and compatible in the long run, with ongoing maintenance and
support.
To activate forms, go to Settings > Activate Forms Subscription after
upgrading to version 1.2. A monthly plan and yearly plan with a free
trial period are available.
You can view the forms in action in the following live demo. This is a
segment from a presentation I gave to RATPAC which covers many aspects
of RadioMail that you might find interesting.
🪲 Background Fetch Bug Fix
Finally, I've squashed a pesky bug that affected message fetching in the
background. Previously, the timing of background retrieval of messages
could be somewhat erratic. In version 1.2, when you setup RadioMail to
fetch your messages periodically, you should see a significant
improvement in timely notifications when new messages are available. Of
course background processes are still subject to iOS oversight, so in
some rare cases (low battery for example), iOS may decide to postpone
the fetch. Give it a try and let me know if your experience improve.
