Hanx Writer

I bought this app way back in the day when I still had my old iPad mini first gen and my iPhone 4s. Nostalgia was a major purchasing point for me because I learned how to type on an old IBM Selectric II, and was tested with carbon copy paper, if you remember those days. I’ve always loved the charm of this app, because I’ve never found another one that comes even remotely close to that emulation of the old typewriter days as this one does. One thing I have never loved very much, and these following issues have always been present despite changes of hardware and updates: This app crashes very frequently, especially when using with an external keyboard (whether Bluetooth or USB), and the animations frequently get janky during use. Over the years, and over several iDevices, I still keep installing this app, hoping for improvements, and even though it is old and unsupported at this point, part of me still holds out for the day this app will work wonderfully. I truly, truly love to write, and I cannot overstate how much I wanted this app to succeed. If you have not bought this app, I can’t recommend it, as it crashes way too frequently to be useful. It’s cute enough to type up maybe one or two pages in a document, but it crashes way too much for more serious typing than that. Three stars, I still want to love it, but it’s way too broken for the purchase price, especially with the cost of the extras. Thank you for your time.

This app is really close to perfect and I think with a more committed developer it could be the definitive typewriter app on the market. Heck, if they really made it good it might even make a suitable replacement to the way typing on a typewriter feels. I must confess that I paid the $10 to get the Signature Collection which includes all the typewriters and text options that you can use to make the limited function of Hanx Writer a little more useful. I am a writer myself and own a couple typewriters of my own, and I was looking for a way to replicate that feeling of freedom that comes from writing on an actual machine. What this app gives you instead is a fun way of seeing your text on the screen and a great soundtrack to accompany your typing experience. The free version is pretty useless so I recommend getting the Signature Collection. However the app crashes constantly which, although doesn’t lose me much work, becomes extremely irritating after a while. I BEG the developers to give this app an update that fixes the small issues like crashing and a couple of smart keyboard compatibility things. SO CLOSE with this one guys. Maybe I’ll write Tom a letter to ask for more support. Maybe I’ll write it with this app?

I can still see the light coming through the tall windows of the typing classroom. I can still smell the faint mustiness of that old room and l most certainly can still hear Mrs. Smiley (yes, that was really her name—and she’s not an emoji) asking us to take out our typing books and start typing. There were only a couple of IBM Selectrics because they were expensive and in very short supply. So only those who were at the top of the class got to choose the Selectric, if they so desired. Even though I had the opportunity a few times for the choice of the Selectric, I MUCH preferred the “shook shook” and the “clock clock” of the old Coronas and Royals that filled rest of the tables. When my husband and I saw the journalism piece on Sunday Morning, we were just extremely fascinated by your beautiful collection, and maybe even a little inspired to start one of our own. For now, we will relish in the use of the Hanx Writer. Thank you for bringing back a sweet glimmer of the past. Those surely were the good old days and you sir, gave us a little of that back in the Hanx Writer. Blogging, journaling and finally getting around to writing a book will be far more enjoyable now. Thank you sir. This is brilliant and we are both absolutely loving the app. With warmest regards, The Bartletts Mobile, Alabama