In a recent blog post, developer Keith Blount gave an update on the long-awaited iOS version of popular writing app Scrivener. Blount touched on the lengthy road to development the app has had over the years, mentioning that he took over its development and “rewrote it from the ground up” last year.

A screenshot of Scrivener for Mac

I know we’ve been quiet about the iOS version recently, and some users have been wondering if it’s still in development. After all the problems we’ve had with it, I took over development myself last year and rewrote it from the ground up. I had originally planned not to develop it myself so that I didn’t have to divide my time between the Mac and iOS versions, but in the event, coding our iOS version turned out to be a lot of fun, especially with the introduction of the iPad Pro. Adapting Scrivener for iOS felt like going back to the beginning and remembering why I built Scrivener in the first place.

Blount mentioned that the alpha test is “going well” for the iOS app, and that he’s particularly excited for the potential of the writing-centric experience on Apple’s new large-screened iPad Pro. The developer believes the beta isn’t too far away and that when it happens news and updates on Scrivener for iOS will start at a faster rate.

For anyone unfamiliar with Scrivener’s long-gestating iOS app, it was first announced by the team back in 2011, with an early-estimate launch goal of “some time in 2012.” When that date slipped, Blount kept fans updated on the troubled development of the app, with the team running into a few coding issues and unexpected health concerns of one of the developer’s immediate family.

Continued delayed updates finally spurred Blount into handling the iOS app on his own, leading to today’s encouraging news for fans who have been patiently waiting for a mobile version of Scrivener. Speaking directly to Scrivener users, in the most current blog post Blount thanked those who have been patient throughout the intervening years: “Thank you for your patience, your support, and your enthusiasm while Scrivener for iOS has been undergoing its long gestation.”

Scrivener is currently available on the Mac App Store for $44.99. [Direct Link]

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Source: MAC ROUMORS