Calculator Plus v2v2.3.1

Released October 5, 2024Major

iOS

The latest major update resulted in a negative user experience, evidenced by a 0.73 star decline in average rating. While visual adjustments to contrast and legibility received praise, technical regressions in calculation logic and application stability currently dominate the feedback. The net impact is negative as these functional errors overshadow the intended feature additions.

What changed

PerformanceFixed precision bug for numbers smaller than 1E-14 in addition and subtraction.
PerformanceFixed application crash occurring when calculation results equal 2^63.
PlatformFixed accessibility issues with Apple Watch settings and help pages.
New featureAdded thousands separator display for numbers within the input expression.
New featureImplemented instant autocorrect and disambiguation for inputs as they are typed.
New featureAdded support for Permutations (nPr) and Combinations (nCr) calculations.
UXEnabled non-standard percentage change notation by default with visual feedback.
UXIncreased background contrast and reduced translucency for better visibility.
PlatformUpdated app icon for iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 compatibility.
New featureAdded feature to switch between historical app icon variants.

Reception

32/ 100 impact scoreNegative

What worked

UX
Users report improved display visibility and legibility following the contrast and translucency adjustments.

What didn't

Performance
backfired
The update introduced calculation logic regressions and application instability, causing a 0.73 star decline in average rating.
UX
backfired
Persistent ANS labels and obscured history tape visibility created new friction points for users.

How it played out

Retrospective analysisAugust 30, 2026

The average rating declined by 0.73 stars following the latest update, driven primarily by reports of calculation logic regressions and application instability. While users appreciate the improved display visibility, the introduction of algebraic order errors and crashes has negatively impacted the user experience. Momentum is currently weakening as technical regressions overshadow the intended feature additions.

-0.73 ★

Sentiment shift

New praises (1)

Improved display legibility and sizing options for larger screen environmentslowversion-tied

New complaints (3)

Calculation logic errors regarding algebraic order of operations and coefficient handlingmediumversion-tied

Application stability regressions causing unexpected crashes and dock disappearance on desktopmediumversion-tied

UX friction from persistent ANS labels and obscured history tape visibilitymediumversion-tied

Marlvel takeaways

Prioritize a hotfix to address algebraic order of operations errors and coefficient handling regressions.
Restore stability to the application to resolve reported crashes and desktop dock disappearance.
Adjust the UI to remove persistent ANS labels and restore visibility to the history tape.

Original release notes

This app has been updated by Apple to prepare for watchOS 27 compatibility. No new features are included.

- Fixed: A critical bug may cause tiny numbers with a magnitude lower than 1E-14 to be treated as 0 during addition and subtraction.
- Fixed: The app may crash when the answer of the calculation is exactly 2^63.
- Fixed: The Apple Watch app settings and help pages may not correctly open.
- New: The thousands separator is now also displayed for numbers in the input expression (previous versions only use them in the answer).
- New: Inputs are now instantly autocorrected and/or disambiguated as you type (previous versions only show them when pressing '='). Some rules may be configurable in Math Evaluation Overrides.
- New: Permutations (nPr) and Combinations (nCr) are now available.
- Improved: Percentage change via non-standard math notation of "a ± b%" is now enabled by default, utilizing instant autocorrect to provide visual feedback.
- Improved: The background color is now of higher contrast and lower translucency.
- New: Updated icon to match iOS 18 and iPadOS 18.
- New: On iOS and iPadOS, you may now change the app icon between any variants used since version 2.