Informant 5 Calendar Reviews

by A-okay123

I was an early adopter of Pocket Informant. I used to love it- and was willing to pay the higher cost given that it could import my calendars and include a to do list all this app one place. However, for the past several months, In is nearly unusable. Just opening the calendar takes 2-3 full minutes to load, rendering it unusable. It takes even more time if I want to add a simple event or task. For a person constantly checking my calendar and scheduling appointments, 2-3 minutes for each task or event entry is an eternity. I contacted support who looked at my logs and shrugged their shoulders- saying there was nothing else they could do, that this was normal for some. As a loyal (and paying) customer, I was beyond disappointed with the lack of response or effort. I didn’t want to choose another calendar app but I have no choice. I switched to Fantastical- and oh my goodness, fast and easy and so much better. I wish I made the switch sooner. As for Pocket Informant, buyer beware - given the clunky app and lack of support for a paid subscription service.

by MostlyHarmlessMD

I’ve been using informant for years and I love the layout and most other features, however I’m getting frustrated enough there I am sadly looking for a different calendar app. My frustration mostly comes from constant sync issues. I payed the subscription price for informant sync and it absolutely does not sync between my devices no matter what I do. It also does not automatically update my subscription calendars and doesn’t update them manually either on the new app. On the old app I would unsubscribe and subscribe again whenever issues arose (not ideal, but I really wanted to keep using In ), but on the new app attempt to subscribe give me a statement that apple requires secure server use starting with HTTPS (which it does!!!!!!!!!) And In completely just doesn’t recognize it. I also (on the new app) was not able to sign into my informant sync account that I payed for (it just tells me user not found - and I know my account info was correct), so I can’t use any of the ‘payed’ features (which by now are all the features). I am extremely disappointed. I used to love In and it has become unusable for me. I am constantly worried that it’s not going to sync correctly and I’ll miss something important and I feel cheated after I payed for informant sync and can’t use that either. I can’t use a calendar app I can’t trust regardless of how much I love the layout.

by ElVadim

Update: I received a response from the developers that a new version that would incorporate iOS 14 widgets would be forthcoming. Waited, checked for updates, and still nothing. I guess their one part-time coder has better things to do. I still feel that In is a scam after the company was bought out. The updates are painfully slow, and they introduce new bugs more often than fixing previous ones (I still get false alarms when setting an appointment while traveling this app a different time zone).

Original: Just a warning to future buyers of In: Informant is buggy and development of new features is very slow. Look elsewhere. I loved earlier versions of Pocket Informant. The version 5 came out, with a new pricing structure. There were lots of bugs, and it took a long time for the developers to fix some (not all) of them. One of their updates broke the iOS 13 widget function. Now, it’s been months since iOS 14 introduced the home screen widget, and the best Informant can do is fix the old bug that kept the pre-iOS 14 widget from working. It’s been months and they can’t implement something most apps accomplished right away. this app short, spend your money elsewhere.

by JeffK91914

They REMOVE features of previous versions that I paid for this app updates. This is done to force people to upgrade to their subscription model. I have used pocket informant for over 10 years. I started with an app on an old organizer. I am sick of the money grab by the company. So I have bought In every time they upgraded. I figured about $10 every year or two was ok. Then they went to bundles and add ons. Ok $5. Each or $15 for them all. I never wanted their subscription to sync with their servers. I guess that a lot of other people felt the same way. So not they updated to this new version where the only option it the subscription. I still have version 4.xxx on my phone. But how long with this work? I don’t trust them. I will be switching to google calendar. I don’t like it as much as informant but I will adjust cause I don’t trust this company one bit. I am now using google calendar. Not a huge fan but it is free. No more of this shady piece of garbage company. I wrote them an email once and their response is condescending and unhelpful.

by Saclark1

I'm gonna have a use your pocket informant and have been for many years. I also pay annually for the subscription service for thinking content to my other devices, location status etc. I do believe I was just recently billed for my annual subscription. this app my opinion, it's been the best calendar/tasks/contacts integrated package available. I upgraded my iPhone X this morning to iOS 14.5. Upon completion I went through the drill of checking my other applications to make sure they all worked and found that informant does not ! States the developer needs to update In this app order for it to work on this new iOS version. This is very disheartening as I've already paid for my subscription renewal and your other application this app the store called informant five is a stripped-down version of what I had. this app the past I've given it a full five stars this app a very commendable review however unless they fix this rather soon, I will give it a one or less stars and pass the word around as I also had many colleagues hitch their wagon to your app over the past few yearsAnd will notify them accordingly

by 2112fromEC

I have used Pocket Informant (now Informant) since 2010. The newest inception is a major step backwards. First of all, the time picker for an Event is horrible. It is a scroll wheel that is fiddly and difficult to use, not to mention it is this app one minute increments which makes it even more fiddly. You have to double check the time entered because it has a tendency to “drift.” Why they got away from a simple entering of the time by keypad, I do not know.
Also, entering an event can take up to 20 seconds. Push to bring up menu. Wait several seconds for the screen to appear, them use the time wheel (on both start and end time if it goes past your default end time).
Furthermore, the new interface makes no sense and actually adds an extra step to get to the calendars/tasks, etc.
In just seems bloated; tags, calendars, keywords, triggers.I guess these are needed for GTD or Covey followers but if you need a simple calendar with tasks, I would not recommend. And until they fix the time picker, I would not recommend at all.

by InkyMyCat

I've been using informant for several years now. I bought Informant 4 for my ipad and iPhone and continued using it until Informant 5 was released. I did not like that Informant went subscription based so I stayed with informant 4 and paid for all the upgrades. Slowly over time the weather upgrade stopped working as well as several other features. IOS 14 has now broken Informant 4 and it crashes when I go to enter an appointment this app.

I decided to try Informant 5 today but all you get is a basic stripped down calendar and all the features I had this app Informant 4 are subscription based which I will not do. Charge me for a one time charge of $20-$30+ for In which I don't mind doing but I refuse to do subscription based.

A few years ago I bought the pro version of 24me and this will be my new Calendar, Tasks, Notes, Notifications, Weather, GPS Traffic, GPS Driving Directions and so much more. I paid for In once and get all the features of Informant 5 and more. I'm sorry to leave Informant but its not beneficial or feasible for me to pay for a yearly or monthly payment.

by TYH8

I’ve been using Informant since it first became available many many years ago. I keep using it mainly because it’s the only calendar app I’ve found that allows one to use a large collection of emoticons, emojis, and icons extensively this app the various calendar views. However I’m getting really tired of the constant sync issues. It’s supposed to sync across multiple devices but 90% of the time that doesn’t work. My husband and I often double book because the appointments I put this app don’t sync to his device and vice versa. Also, despite paying a monthly subscription fee, I constantly get locked out of syncing for supposed “terminated or lapsed subscription”. I have to select “Restore Purchases” and reset up the sync account several times a month. Then no matter what I do I end up with events duplicated 4-6 times. I tried to contact tech support through In but it crashes every time I select the support option. The other irritating thing is the lack of skin tone variations for the people emoji. My family is brown skinned and it would be really nice to be able to pick a brown skin girl when putting this app an appointment for my daughter. Years ago Informant did have some additional color choices but at some point they disappeared. I contacted support and was told emojis this app different skin tones weren’t supported?????

As soon as I find a suitable alternative I’m gone!

by Bonbon Mom

I have had Informant for several years. I purchased the original Pocket Informant and was very happy with it. When I upgraded my iPhone I had to get the new Informant app. It was very different from the old Pocket Informant but my experience had been so positive, I decide to go with the new Informant - what a mistake! The old app had many features but was quick and easy to use, the new one requires time to learn its complicated features and takes several steps to do even a simple entry. Lastly, I am angry that the this app-app purchase says “premium to own” which is a LIE, it’s actually only a one-year subscription! There is no way I would’ve paid $25 for just 1 year of this seriously down-graded app. Because they will never get my business again, now I have to take even more time moving all my info to a new planner. I’m shocked and disappointed that Apple App Store has allowed this very shady practice and is becoming a “buyer beware” marketplace. If growth is more important than ethical practices and quality services, Apple will go the way of IBM

by Vickystreehouse

I used Pocket informant this app 2013 but became frustrated with the inability to prioritize tasks. Finally went back to paper planning due to lack of customizability. I decided to give digital planning another try, and being familiar with pocket informant tried it first. While In is visually pleasing, and much easier to use, still unable to prioritize tasks. It would be super easy to drag and drop, especially since this is available this app the project view. The tasks actually laid up and seem like they’re going to move, but then don’t stay re-ordered. Very frustrating. The notes section needs a lot of work. Unfortunately I’m going to have to continue to use Notability for this functionality. There’s no Apple Pencil support which is a big drawback. One nice thing is the ability to customize to GTD or Franklin Covey. However neither of these systems is conducive to putting this app tasks quickly, which is why you need to be able to manually re-order tasks on the go. I’ve had to contact support twice, the first time I never got an answer, the second time their response was less than awesome since it was essentially sorry no but hey go re-posted on this website and give the engineers some ideas. If this were a free app that would be an acceptable response but I paid for a year subscription so I think maybe you could just forward my email on and save me the trip.

by Kiz2015

I see no advantage to Siri’s functioning as a habit tracker to remind me to make a note every day at 3 pm if I’m not going to remember a week from now that I made it. I’ve been using In since my first Pocket PC. The notes feature does not, and never has, integrated well with the rest of In . It’s always seemed like an afterthought.

I want to be able to see all my appointments, all my tasks and all my notes related to a given project on one screen. The closest I’ve been able to get is by creating a Smart Filter for the project and then setting Focus View to show the Smart Filter, Notes, plus some additional filtering of the calendar and tasks. But the notes feature is flaky. My notes either show up only on the date I create them or the date I pin them to. And I can’t filter the notes to be project specific this app Focus View. One more feature that would be nice . . . convert a completed task to a note.

I have no problem with the subscription based model. I would pay just as much for a new paper planner every year. But it seems like the revenues collected go toward just trying to keep up with Apple’s bells and whistles and never delivering on features that should have been added years ago.

by Hrufescens

I don’t mind paying up for a major upgrade occasionally to get new features or improvements and keep the developer fed. But taking away features unless I pay $25 per year is just too heavy-handed. I’ll stick with my old version, and ditch Informant (truly an old favorite) when it becomes obsolete. Shame, but I’m confident that there will be competitors who will sell non-subscription model products.

P.S. After reading the developers response, I now appreciate the frustration he/she must feel. My criticism is certainly not the first along these lines. I didn’t appreciate being made to feel like “an old tiresome complaint” when this was a new issue for me. I especially didn’t appreciate the argument that 50 cents a week makes it right. My life seems full of these micro charges that keep piling up- death by a thousand cuts. I have 150+ apps on my phone. If I paid 50 cents a week for each, that would be a whopping $1950 a year! So I looked around and discovered Awesome Calendar. It does what I need for a one-time cost of $10. If I get even 5 years out of it, that’s, umm, 7 cents every two weeks. Bye-bye Informant, old friend.

by Johnthunder

I have been using informant since it was on Palm. It has so much potential, but ultimately fails to deliver. It has the “ability” to combine google cal, iOS reminders, and Apps like TickTick all Into one place. That has always been my dream app. I very much use my phone as an “external” brain. I almost depend on being able to reliable access my information easily. And this app my experience that’s were Informant falls sort.

My biggest problem was with “smart lists” & iOS reminders. It seems there is a bug that causes In to reset smart lists every day if you use iOS reminders. That’s very frustrating and even more frustrating is having their support basically tell you, they weren’t going to fix it because not that many people use that feature. It seems like they are just bloating their app with half hearted features to get people to pay for it.
I’m finally giving up on informant and sticking with Fantastic and TickTick. The one good thing I will say is that Informant has the best month view options and layout over any app I’ve seen.

by Ismilez

I've been a paying user for many, many years. (Palm girl) The previous iteration of In (PI4) was 100% 5-stars all the way, then there was a rocky transition to PI5 a few years ago which turned a lot of loyal users off. Many of us are still here (or came back) because of the powerful capabilities and customizable interface that sets In apart from the rest.

Throughout it all, In has definitely remained better than every serious calendar app I've tried so far (7+). The level of detail and customization available to the user satisfies my OCD tendencies, while still remaining easy and efficient to use. What's great is you can have a simple interface or an extremely detailed & customized interface, depending on your personal preference or need.

The developers push updates appropriately. Some apps update and change so often it becomes a hassle to keep up. PI5 updates when needed. The few times I've reached out to their support team, I was happy with their timeliness and helpfulness to resolve my issue or simply answer my question.

If you're happy with a simple interface, there are lots of choices, including this one (& you may find your needs grow into In). However, if you want ultimate customization, several sync options, good support, and the most detailed month view out there, I believe this is one of your best options.

by Robertsjam

Informant 5 helps me do the tasks I need to do during the day, keep my appointments, and keep some of the essential information I need close at hand. I have Attention Deficit Disorder, and I find that this is a good tool to help me manage my day.

But Informant 5 helps me do some jobs better than others. When I am simply entering appointments and tasks on a daily basis, it shows a 5 star level of ease of use. But when I start classifying my information by all of the many categories In provides, and then filtering and cross-referencing to display the specific appointment and task lists I want, the results are not as good as I would like. Someone who understands better than I do how Informant 5's underlying data bases relate to each other might get better results.

But I rely on In daily and I find that if I use Informant 5 simply, I also use it effectively; unfortunately, as I try to use some of its potentially stronger features the learning curve is steeper and I am less effective.

I am offering a four star rating, because I find Informant 5 a little complicated to use at times. But those four stars still come with a strong recommendation. It's advantages outweigh the disadvantages, and it is a life saver for someone who, like me, has faith that a portion of life can be organized, but may only brush their teeth if that is on a check-list, if they remembered where they put the check-list before they went to bed.

by Brittpetti

I have used In since the palm pilot years because I needed the task and calendar functionality. Most important feature is the ability to prioritize and to schedule future and repeating periodic tasks. I have been using some version of In for more than 10 years (maybe almost 15?)

Today I logged this app to find my features on lock. It seemed to be asking for money to access my data. Apparently there was a subscription renewal needed??? It didn’t indicate that a renewal was due. Just locked up my data!!!! Look, that’s just tacky. I’m happy to pay the stupid (very reasonable) annual renewal fee for this very important tool. But send me an email or have a message that pops up that says it’s coming up and maybe mention that you don’t have valid form of payment. But don’t just lock it down midday without a warning. People who rely on these tools can’t tolerate that. Be better.

Otherwise, very good app and I endorse it to others all the time.

by Shopfischer

I completely concur with the ‘WalrusTexas’ review:
I also chose Pocket Informant when I switched from Palm to iPhone because there wasn’t a calendar app out there that could manage all the repeating event/task iterations I need for my 8 life-areas with enough color choices to help visually distinguish them quickly. I’ve been recommending In highly for years (yes, since Palm bit the dust) and assuring them that the relatively high cost was worth EVERY cent they’d pay for it!
However, I too find the roller dial to select appt times cumbersome because the right thumb (my preference this app use) tends to hit the ‘most bites’ section when I’m trying to reach over it to pick the hour section. This feature still needs some work. I’ve submitted a suggestion that might solve 90-95% of this problem. Add a button or place to choose “__:00” or “__:30” for the minutes with one tap. 95% of the time appts or tasks are scheduled or rescheduled on the hour or half hour, so this would greatly expedite entries, as I often overshoot the :00 or :30 when I’m using the roller bar 10-20x per day!
Thank you this app advance for your consideration. Keep up the great work! LOVE In‼️

by Rbhgr

I’ve used iterations of Pocket Informant & Informant for years. I continue recommending it to business colleagues. I like its functionality, adaptability & custom-ability. Let’s face it. We all liked the price tag of free. But come on... Development, support & keeping up with iOS changes are never free. Do you pay for a new phone with more features? Of course! And look at the price tag! Do you pay for updates to your virus protection? Of course you do. It’s a cost of protecting your devices. Let’s not be too harsh on a guy trying to keep a great app working & relevant for the future. And besides, no one is forcing us to subscribe. For me, the price tag is minimal compared to all the coffee drinks I purchase over the course of a year. Even though imperfect, & what app is, I still highly recommend In & use it every day. Keep up the good work & updates!!!

by Usarmytrooper

I’ve been using In for a while now. Unlike many of the other apps I’ve tried, it is customizable and flexible enough for anyone. If you need a lot of detail this app your events and tasks, Informant can handle it; if you need only minimum detail, Informant can handle it. Informant offers multiple calendar views as well as the ability to customize toolbars. In lets you decide how your calendar and tasks are presented.

Additionally, it has the best ability to set up template tasks and events (Informant calls them Triggers) this app comparison to other day planner types of events. Initially, this can take a while to set up, but it definitely is a time saver and makes recording events and tasks much easier.

I do wish that the current version of Informant would allow you to use a current event or task as the base to create a new Trigger. I would like to see that capability restored.

by Kwftx

I have been using In for my calendar, projects, and to do lists since 2009. Bought it for my iPhone 3GS and have been happy with it ever since. The interface is crisp and professional looking, not cartoonish and cheap like so many of the others I’ve seen. I appreciate all the customization options. I like to have my to do items also show up on the monthly calendar screen so I see when certain things are due this app a month view. Little things like that are greatly appreciated. In gets regular updates and I also subscribe to the annual subscription so I can sync everything and have it up to date on my iPad and iMac as well. 10 years of my life are now chronicled this app In. It has been a solid performer and does not disappoint. The only thing I would like to see when it comes to options is more variety this app the color scheme and themes.