Word Processor - Textilus Pro

For simple and short rtf text read/writing maybe, pdf file read also maybe, for other uses not recommended at all. Folder handling is really cryptic. Rtf-based files seem to sync automatically with iCloud, while txt-based plain text files will *not* sync. Plus, they will be located on different folder tree in iOS while they are read from the same folder on Mac's icloud folder. Font handling has also problems with plain text files. You can not define plain text font default format in UI in the way that both *existing* and new files would start to use the same font type and size. Really illogical, because plain text files should not have font information at all. Plus, font type changing is slow.

I purchased this product some time ago, now it had limited my documents and is demanding that I go to Textilus PRO for additional documents, a product I already purchased some years ago!!!!

For a while I would have considered this a 5 star app, However I ended up losing at least four whole folders of work including the RPG world I was working on. How did I lose it? I don’t know to be honest, but I have a few ideas I consider possibilities. Maybe it vanished when I removed a second copy of Textilus. When I upgraded to Textilus Pro it downloaded a second copy of Textilus that had no access to the files made with the original so I deleted it. Maybe it vanished when Textilus forgot I had pro and asked me to upgrade for more storage only to realize that I had it. Maybe it is the vanishing folder issue of earlier versions. In early Textilus versions sometimes folders vanished until I changed it to sort by folder, a sort option no longer present. Maybe it was when my tablet asked to delete unused files to make space. I was low on memory and deleting a lot of apps and photos to make room. The iPad kept asking to delete unused files. During this time I often deleted large groups of photos then went into the delete menu and chose select all and delete. If my iPad somehow considered these folders unused files I could have lost them and not even noticed when deleting dozens of photos. Regardless of the reason an app should not remove your work without you actively choosing the file to have it deleted. This was a great word processor program allowing you to save many files which given how I flit through ideas on a whim was good for me. Then I lost all my work.

I wanted a word processor for my iPhone and found Textilius, which I upgraded to Pro, paying $5.99 on the promise that my subscription would be unlimited for a lifetime, kinda similar to the ad being bandied about to lure new subscribers. When I discovered my search function suddenly missing I updated and found instead that my files were inaccessible pending a monetary subscription upgrade for the same amount as before. I complained and was rewarded with a table of contents listing TP’s many functions and user guides, an indirect way of saying I was getting a lot of bang for the buck and that presumably I should be honored to support TP’s development and improvement. This is a pretty sneaky way of doing business with no likely end to it, with files held in hostage pending a ransom fee.

I have been using Textilus for many years. My honest assessment of it is that it, at best, is a rudimentary text editor and NOT even remotely close to being a true word processor. It has a quirky interface, it is always plagued with annoying bugs but for the low price, I used it as a convenient informal note taking app. I would never trust it for any serious work. I didn’t mind the initial low cost, considering it was a somewhat serviceable app BUT to lock me out of the paid for app and extort me for more money is reprehensible. It’s time for me to move on. I refuse to reward a company that is a stellar example of corporate greed.

I see my last review was deleted…. After buying and using the Pro version for hundreds of hours writing original stories, ALL of my files were deleted, after an update. My files were replaced with the original files, which I deleted on day one, so I KNOW that it was not my error!!!! Beware, if you use this software!!!!!

Textilus was an awesome word processor. However it recently lost several folders on my IPad and I cannot find them. (Not in recently deleted or anything).

You have to guess and explore how it works. Then when they do an UPDATE many functions change. No warning. Pathetic.

I have paid for this app a couple of times and believed that it was well worth it. Including an upgrade to PRO. I recently bought a new IPad and opened the app only to learn that I need to buy it again. This is an unacceptable reason to require paying money for something I ALREADY purchased. If there are new features at least give me a choice of using my current paid for version or upgrading to a different iteration. Nope. I deleted the samples folder and hit a ridiculous limit. Thought maybe it was a glitch so I uninstalled it and reinstalled it. To no avail. Time to investigate other options…

As a formatting tool, this is great. It can handle copy/pasting large amounts of text, organizes a document well, and is great for sharing in multiple formats. For polishing a final draft to send out, this definitely does the job. But, there is only a 50/50 chance any edits will be saved. Even saving manually, when you re-open the app, whole paragraphs will have reverted as if you never touched them. I've lost days of work trying to get an edit to stick, and yes, even saving manually, they just don't. Some do, in an unpredictable way, but you're better off copying the whole thing to a notes app, making your edits, then copy/pasting the whole thing to a new file. It's a pain, but it's still better than Pages.