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Textexpander smile7/6/2023 ![]() Previously, Smile hasn’t stored any snippet information on servers under its control. It’s also “headless,” as noted above, and has no snippet-editing or preferences interface. ![]() The Windows client is still in beta testing, and didn’t work well for me on an up-to-date Windows 10 laptop I couldn’t get it to expand with the latest beta release and restarting the laptop. While I expect that will be remedied in future releases of the apps, it makes it feel as if the ecosystem was released too soon. Sharing, adding people, managing permissions, and other tasks can only be done via the web app. You can’t manage shared snippet groups via the native apps. The web app lacks a preview entirely.Īnd there’s an odd and unfortunate omission in this first outing related to sharing. In the iOS app, tapping a forward arrow brings up a preview and tapping a back arrow takes one back. This preview now requires a keystroke (Command-Return), which produces a modal dialog that has to be dismissed. TextExpander for OS X used to have a split-pane view that provided a live preview as you assembled a snippet. The editor is identical across the Mac, iOS, and web apps.Ī refresh snippet editor is the same in Web, iOS, and OS X apps, and is a nice bump up in being explicable to new and veteran users alike. This is a far superior interface for both new and experienced users. A redesigned snippet editor has drop-down menus with all the special features, like inserting time-based placeholders, system keys, fill-in items, and the rest. The one significant change in the apps, by the way, involves both improvement and omission. Syncing and sharing are the same thing in this new ecosystem, and in my testing, it worked equally well on my devices with the same account and among devices logged in to different accounts that were sharing snippet groups. ![]() Instead, you have to export it and import it back in, then delete the team version. Team-shared snippets can be shared with guests outside the team, but a snippet group created for a team or moved under team management can’t be converted back to a regular group via the web interface. Teams have more controls, with admins being able to assign snippet groups that are automatically added to new or existing users’ accounts. You can set permissions for whether newly added people have admin privileges, can edit, or further share the group, or change the permissions at any time as an admin for anyone with whom you’re currently sharing. There’s no global or local address book, which reduces utility, though ensures more privacy. (Owners of previous releases receive a lifetime discount on the Life Hacker tier’s yearly rate.)Ĭlicking the plus sign lets you enter email addresses, but not (yet at least) select people with whom you’ve already shared other snippets. Smile offers a 30-day trial for both flavors of its service. The two subscription levels are labeled Life Hacker (for consumers) at $5 billed monthly or $47.50 per year and Team (for businesses) at $10 billed monthly or $95.50 pear year. The new app versions comprise TextExpander 6 for OS X, TextExpander 4 for iOS, and TextExpander 1 for Windows (in beta). When your subscription is inactive, TextExpander empties all the snippets. (They can be exported from the OS X version to retain copies.) If you’re logged out or the subscription lapses, snippets disappear. You’re required to set up an account and it has to be in good standing-currently paid for and active-to use snippets on any copy of the app you have, as well as to access sharing features on the website. The new set of TextExpander apps revolve around and connect to Smile’s servers. But we review the software and service in front of us, not a future version we can’t test. Smile says it plans to add additional features and sophistication, which may ultimately make it worth the price to some users in the future, including those upgrading from the previous standalone releases. In this review, I’ll point out changes in the snippet editor, but will be focused on the ecosystem of apps: First, how it all works next, security decisions and tradeoffs and finally, how existing users should approach the new arrangement.īut I can start with the conclusion: This first iteration is overpriced for most users’ needs, and removing the ability to use TextExpander on a standalone basis with a less efficient personal sync doesn’t give existing customers any advantage. ![]() The web app manages sharing snippets, which are organized by type and use icons to identify additional characteristics, like globally shared.įor details about core features in TextExpander, consult
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