Now Playing won the best iPhone App of 2008 award in its category!

Now playing v2.6 - Excellent update the only thing that could improve it is an indication of the availability date for soon to be released DVDs. Thanks

Now Playing has to be one of the best apps I ever downloaded for my iPod. I constantly use it to check out the latest movies, and I'll always whip it out before going into the theater. There isn't any more I can ask for to be updated. Thanks!

Now Playing is now impossible to use in bed while lying on your side. :) Can you make the auto-landscape mode function optional? Maybe give us a preference to disable that or something?

Fantastic app! I'm addicted to my Netflix profiles. Is it possible to log onto my other profiles/queues?

I agree with the above poster. I like the app, but in my opinion the older versions of the icon for this app were much better than the current version.

I agree--no offense to the artist, but I like the old red film reel icon much better than the new one. The red icon looked at home on my home screen. The new icon sticks out like a sore thumb.

I am avoiding the latest update because I don't want to loose the nice red ticket icon from the previous version :( It may seem petty, but I think icon aesthetic is important.

is there anyway u can get the blockbuster users the same features as the netflix users?

Just wanted to mention that I'm seeing the same error as travis.marshall. I have a 1st gen iPhone, in case that matters, and my phone is not jailbroken.

it´s because the new update requires iphone 2.2.1 software update... what for?! totally uncalled for..

cannot download new version

great app, two things:

Bring back the original maroon ticket stub icon. That icon looked much better on your home screen.

Have the ability to turn off rotation in the options somewhere.

I also cannot download the new version, and my software is updated. Suggestions?

Great app. But I'm noticing that scrolling longer listings is really jittery.

Scrolling performance is due to the 2.2.1 update from apple. I'm working on a fix now.

"it´s because the new update requires iphone 2.2.1 software update... what for?! totally uncalled for.."

Uh. It's required because i'm using portions of the api in 2.2.1.

To people complaining about the icon:

You may be wondering why i changed the icon. The reason for this was the unending stream of complaints i got about the old icon. Here are some interesting stats:

I never got any less than 5 emails a day complaining about the old icon. And usually the number of emails was much higher. My total number of icon complaints was over 5000 emails. 5000. That was out of a total of 13000 personal emails i got form people asking me to change something in my app. So already, about 40% of the feedback was that hte icon sucked and that people wouldn't use my app because of it.

The feedback included the following issues: 1) people hated the inverted corners 2) people hated the red 3) people hated the lack of shinyness 4) people hated the 'pizza' on the front 5) people didn't understand what it was, or what it had to do with movies 6) people didn't like the graininess 7) the gold foil effect looked ugly and muddy 8) people thought it was sloppy that the film strip went outside the border

With that constant deluge of feedback, i decided that i'd had enough and that i'd wrk on something new. With the help of a designer we came up with the film strip ideal (after all, it's very iconic and representative of the movies). I also liked the idea of the countdown timer that you see at the beginnign of movies (also iconic). We put it all together and came up with several varieties that had plusses and minuses. I then put it up to a vote that i sent out to a thousand people that had given me any feedback. Of those people, 80% picked this icon. 15% were neutral, and 5% didn't like it. That was far better than the 40% feedback i was getting from people being negative about the old icon.

Since making the change my complaint count has gone down to 1-2 complaints a week. (that's 1/5 the previous rate), and my download rate has gone up by 30%!!

So, while i recognize that some may not like the new icon, realize that the change was done on purpose, and that it seems to have been the right choice for my customers and for me.

Also, i hope that if you give it time it will grow on you. If you don't feel that it will, please petition apple to allow app authors to have multiple icons. I will happily provide the old icon again for people who still want it.

Hi Cyrus,

Any plans for New Zealand support? Really like the look and feel of this app but since my country isn't supported, it's a little limited.

Ditto for New Zealand support. Flicks.co.nz has New Zealand movie times. I would love you forever if you could implement this.

I'm working on NZ support now.

Awesome, thanks :)

Well, thanks for the explanation about the new icon. It won't grow on me; I loathe that color combination. All I can say is there's no accounting for taste, and that this further reinforces my distaste for art by committee (or focus group). But, hey, you're in business and have to make a buck, I get it. Here's to your continued success...it is a great app, after all.

That said, as soon as there's a way to get rid of that ugly-ass thing, I'm taking it. Whether it's a new update from you or a different, comparable app.

P.S. Is there any way to un-update?

There is no way to do an un-update. please talk to apple if you want that capability.

Cheers!

I really preferred the red ticket icon. is there a way you can please everyone, like two versions in the app store? one for the red ticket icon, the "classic look", and one for those other people?

Unfortunately no. Sorry!

Wow, Cyrus. With all you wrote about the icon, I can see why you changed it. I'm really surprised at the feedback you got about the old icon. I thought it was one of the classiest looking icons on my phone. If Apple bought your app and sold it themselves, I wouldn't be surprised if they left the icon unchanged. Well, except for the corners, as those don't fit in with Apple's motif. But the old one was very professional-looking, I thought. Apparently more people disagree with me than agree with me!

Sorry to burn up your time on such frivolous things!

The red ticket icon was the BEST BY FAR! It was awesome, fun, graphically interesting. NOT the one with the filmstrip, which looked klutzy. And the new one is the worst.

Jason, i'm sorry you feel that way. Unfortunately, it is the favorite by far.

Cheers!

I like this app so much that others, but unfortunatelly, i have the 2.2 software and i can´t update. Why is not possible to install with the 2.2 softaware? Could be possible to make it for this version? Thanks a lot...

HI Fernando,

My app makes use of fixes in 2.2.1 and has several features which become broken in 2.2. You can upgrade to 2.2.1 by plugging your iPhone into your computer and clicking on the 'upgrade' button in iTunes.

Cheers!

Could u make it to where we can choose which icon is displayed? That would be awesome and ppl would quit bitchin haha!

Hey DJ, as mentioned above, i cannot provide that capability due to restrictions that apple has with 3rd party apps. Sorry!

Personally, what I dislike about the new logo is the four colors. I think it evokes that old game Simon (where you hit the buttons that lit up in the order they lit up).

Obviously I have no idea if this is what other people are disliking about the new icon, but if it is, perhaps a compromise could be reached where you keep the new design but make the color scheme a little less busy (maybe going with the two colors of the old logo). Just a suggestion. Take it or leave it.

Hello, and thanks for a really well-written app -- the best movie app, so far! Now a couple of comments:

The primary feature I'm missing is the ability to look up the Tomatometer score for non-current movies. You already have the search field -- but it only seems to work for current movies. Why?

The icon.... Although I prefer the red one, I understand the intent of the new one -- but in my opinion there are problems: First, it looks "unfinished." The flat, gray center section looks completely out-of-place against the rest of the icon, which is colored and slightly three-dimensional.

Secondly, with all due respect (really!), this icon is trying to convey too many things. We get that it's a film strip, but then it's also displaying the primary colors of light. But then it also has a triangular playback button -- within another, circular button. There's simply too much going on. :-) Also, the magenta simply reads as "hot pink." And as silly as it sounds, I can't help having a reaction to that particular color.

Similarly, when the app is launched, the flat, gray splash screen with "crosshairs" (?) looks unfinished and out-of-place in an otherwise very colorful app, and the purpose of the "crosshairs" is unclear in the context of movies.

Again, congrats on a great app! Just wanted to share my thoughts....

This might sound like a strange request but would there be any way to add a button that allows you to add a movie to the calendar app

Sorry MBrew, apple exposes no way to access the calendar on the iPhone.

ok thanks

Hi, without trying to sound too impatient; do you have an estimated date that New Zealand support could be released? Cheers for the great app so far.

Hopefully mid year.

Big thumbs up for the stability improvements in v3.5 vs. v3.4. Can you disclose any plans for the app made possible due to the improvements in the upcoming iPhone 3.0 OS?

Sure. I've already made my code 3.0 compliant. There will be some visible changes (like being able to compose messages inside the app instead of needing to launch the external Mail.app). There will also be a lot of internal changes. I'm adopting a bunch of the new 3.0 apis. That makes my code a lot smaller (less stuff for me to write), and it also helps speed things up a bunch.

Cheers!

Hi, I´m form Spain, and cheers for the great app, but...

I can´t find two cinemas in my city, and we only have four of them. I think the app must control all the cinemas in capital cities, the most important, and almost in another secondary citie, but is important the app could find the cinemas in a city... If only find two of them when we have four... At least, could be great to edit the new cinemas online in order the program could find them... Thanks a lot...

Hey there, what theaters would you like to see?

Just wanted to thank you so much for the 3.6 update.

I can't imagine this app functioning or looking much better. My wife and I use it constantly.

Can't wait to see what you do with 3.0.

Billy Miller, faithful user since version 1. Olathe, KS

Latest update broke my app. Now it shows no movies and just complains that it can't find my location. I have my zip code set an the "don't update location" option set. Please remember that not everyone has an iPhone, some of us have iPod touch.

I test on an iPod touch and an iPhone. Could you try uninstalling and reinstalling to see if that clears up the issue?

Thanks!

My rotten luck that none of the three theaters I usually go to have online ticket ordering via NowPlaying. This is the only missing feature that keeps me from deleting the Flixster from my iPhone and relying solely on NowPlaying. I'm curious what ticketing system you use vs that application, which seems to work for any theater I try. I'm willing to lobby my local theater managers/corporate to add the service you're using if that's the issue, though a more widely accepted service, or options might be a nice feature to add.

Thanks for the fantastic app. The Netflix features have allowed me to delete an Netflix only app from my very crowded springboard.

I use Fandango for ticketing. I'd like to add MovieTickets?.com. However, they will only give me access if i remove Fandango support.

WIth the update to iphone 3.0 betas 2 and 3, Now Playing will no longer even launch. After I attempt to open and the loading screen appears for a few seconds, I just get dumped right back to the homepage. To try and clean up everything and start from scratch, I have even gone as far as doing a complete reset/erase of the iphone, then done a fresh restore. I have uninstalled, rebooted, then reinstalled, but it doesnt seem to change anything for me. No luck so far, but if anyone figures out anything to get to work on 3.0, please share as I miss this application!

This is a known bug with teh iPhone OS. I submitted a workaround to apple several weeks ago. Hopefully they will release it soon.

thanks for the great free app. i use it all the time. lately though, i've been having problems lately with the app not updating showtimes. showtimes are a up to a week old and just won't update. (version 3.6)

Have you tried uninstalling and reinstalling NowPlaying?

Deleted spam from: gregfarq.

I've just updated to the latest version, and all the good cinemas in my area have been removed from the listing.(in the Brisbane, Australia area)

In particular, the Balmoral, Hawthorne, and Southbank cinemas are no longer listed- these are the only cinemas anyone in this city really goes to. ]

Is it possible to put them back in?

Zoomzoom, please use the 'send feedback' button in the app to contact me. it will contain information i need.

Thanks!

Hello there. Here in Spain we have the same problem than zoomzoom in Brisbane. Since last upgrading several (most of them) theaters have "disappeared". It's a pity because before the upgrade it run perfect. I've already submited this problem from the app store (in spanish, nick perletico). And I've readed a lot of complains by spanish people talking about the same problem... And your valuation there is dramatically decreasing. Thank you for this wonderful app. I'm sure you'll solve these mistakes

Albert, please use the 'send feedback' button in the app to contact me. it will contain information i need.

Thanks!

I live in Quebec, Canada. When I tap on the french title of a movie I got the Schedule of the french version. Is it possible to get the movie synopsis in French too as in "www.cinemamontreal.com/fr/Montreal.html".

Thank you for your excellent work

yes. localized synopsis are coming in in 3.7. Cheers!

Hi there, I love this app, but i have a problem with the ratings: If I choose metacritic, no ratings at all show up, at rottentomatoes there are some, but most of the films have no ratings (for example coraline, duplicity). Also, i didn't find out how to get to the reviews, if i tap a movie, i get the overview and a rottentomatoes-button at the bottom which links to the rt-website. How can I show the reviews inside the app? I'm from Switzerland, using iPhone 3GS.

For Foreign countries i recommend that your reviews provider be set to 'Google'.

Cheers!

Hi there, Cyrus. Really like your app, and have been using it from the start. In my efforts to confidently settle on just one that does it all for me, I started experimenting and comparing how each handles ticket purchases. Unfortunately, at least here in Los Angeles (90036,) Now Playing seems to be the weakest of the bunch.

For starters, nearly every single theater reports "No Online Ticketing." The only two I see anything for, AMC Magic Johnson Crenshaw 15 and AMC CityWalk?? Stadium 19 (the two nearest theaters listed as available for ticket purchasing at Fandango.com) don't work properly. For starters, it seems like I only can click movie times that are more than 12 hours off (the earlier times report "No Online Ticketing" even though I know these showings are not sold out.) Worse, when I tap a movie time that's 12 hours later, to try and experiment/purchase a ticket, it takes me to a Fandango page that says "Invalid showtime or movie id."

Essentially, movie ticket purchasing isn't working at all, here in the movie capital of the world, Los Angeles.

I'm checking out how other apps handle this... a newcomer "Movies Now!" works with movietickets.com, has an interesting look, and a native UI to buy tickets (it doesn't merely take you to a webpage,) but the app seems to be lacking in other areas.

Read your note about how MovieTickets??.com and will only give you access if you remove Fandango support. That's really quite unfortunate. (Is that for purchasing with native UI, via some API, or is that even any kind of linking to their page? You'd think they'd be happy for any kind of purchases, sheesh.) That said, at least here in L.A., if I was forced to choose between movietickets.com and fandango, I'm afraid I'd have to choose movietickets.com. It simply supports many more theaters.

Both Flixster and Moviefone work with two of my favorite of my favorite theaters, by way of movietickets.com... they just shuttle you off to the relevant mobile movietickets.com page: http://iphone.movietickets.com/ I wouldn't mind if NowPlaying merely linked users directly to that page, as that's certainly better than not working at all. And since Fandango doesn't seem to work (at least for me,) any solution here is welcome.

Thanks for the great work and consideration.

Hey Userfriendly. I'll see if i can figure out why fandango purchasing isn't working for you.

I haven't received any reports yet of problems with ticketing. So this may just be an issue with those theaters.

Cheers!

Hi...I'm also very happy with program. For some reason, in my neck of the woods, the theaters are not showing up. Can you think of a reason for this? I'm having to keep flixter available too because it can access my theaters. The area code is 83440. I use your program for everything else and for the netflix access as well.

Thanks! Gregg

Could you try an alternate location or postal code?

Thanks!

with all due respect.In loved this app until In updated to 2.2. Now it is useless because it is not backwards compatible and the new one requires 3.0 firmware.

I forgot to mention how disappointed I am. why would you not make it backwards compatible.

Ruby,

I don't know what you're talking about. I never made NowPlaying stop working. You can still use your copy and I will support it for a very long time.

That said, I did add some 3.0 specific features (like viewing maps directly in the app). These capabilities require iPhone OS 3.0 because of Apple. So my choices were to not improve my app in these ways, or to add the features that people were asking for, but limit to the 3.0 OS.

I'm not sure why you're dissapointed. NowPlaying is still supported and you will continue getting theater and movie updates for the foreseeable future.

If you have any further comments, please email me at cyrusn@stwing.upenn.edu.

Thanks!

I am emailing you more info plus my screenshot for you to see

Hi Cyrus,

i absolutely love the app, however two features would be really awesome: a localized "upcoming" list and a localized "dvd" list. I'm from Austria and while all theaters work excellently here, upcoming and DVDs however always show the american lists.

Best wishes and regards peter

Hey Cyrus,

Fellow iPhone dev here. This is one of the sweetest apps I own. I am very impressed with the depth of the app as well as it's excellent UI design. You have done an excellent job and should be very proud. Looking forward to seeing this on the much-rumoured tablet (which I'm sure will be running Cocoa Touch).

Just like everyone else I have a new feature request. Don't you love them? :-)

Blu-ray users are currently very concerned about the quality of Blu-ray releases, and there are sites like http://bluray.highdefdigest.com that supply these ratings. Alas, I can't see any indication that High-Def Digest has an API you can use or anything. But if you've heard of one, it would be a great (and hopefully not too difficult to add) new feature.

Thanks, Reid

Hi,

I saw this app mentioned on opensourceiphonesoftware.com. Does that mean you have source code available for download somewhere?

thanks, Sunil

Hi Sunil, The source is available by clicking on the 'Source' tab above.

Your app says Shutter Island (the new Scorsese movie) comes out on Oct 2, 2009, but IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes say February 19, 2010. What gives? If your app is wrong, can we get more accurate release dates somehow? :)

The data comes from the movie studios. Sometimes they're inaccurate. Sorry!

Hi Cyrus.. Since the recent update, my theatres are no longer showing the current movie times.. (shows from a few days ago). The ones which show today's current date only show 1 or 2 movies...

Any ideas? Thanks! And great application.. one of my all time favs!

Which theaters? Thanks!

They're all theatres in the 08873 area code. Main one in particular is AMC Loews New Brunswick 18.. Thanks for the quick reply~!

Thanks for letting me know. I'll take care of it!

Cyrus, I just un-installed, rebooted, and re-installed the app on my iPhone. All the theatres which were not updating movies and times no longer show up on my theatre list (argh!) and the ones which show up indicate that the movie times were updated today, but only show 1 or 2 movies (argh x 2!)..

Let me know if you need me to send anymore info..! thanks!

What's your postal code James?

same here, with l4b postal code.

Please provide more data. What version of the iPhone OS do you have, what location did you enter? Does this happen after an uninstall/reinstall? Have you rebooted your phone? thanks.

Now Playing is not supported on iPhone OS 3.0.1. I'm not sure why you were even able to install on that OS as iTunes should have prevented you. Please install iPhone OS 3.1 to get things working.

iPhone OS 3.1 fixed several movie playback bugs that were causing crashes for people.

Loving the app, except there's no ticketing system available where I live (Stavanger, Norway). I don't know if this is something you can implement, but it'd be cool if you did.

A couple of bugs: when I start up the application, there seems to be a dialog box "behind" the interface if you know what I mean. I see it briefly when I go into the preferences, and the panel flips over. Also, when I start playing a trailer, it seems to be playing behind the interface panel, with no way of bringing it to the front.

I'm also running iPhone OS 3.0.1 (US, non-jailbroken) and the App Store also let me upgrade to Now Playing 3.11 as well. The US App Store still shows OS 3.0 as the requirement.

I respect that you moved to 3.1 for sound reasons, I hope you can file a bug with the App Store so they respect your app requirements. FWIW I have other apps which also moved to 3.1 and the update process worked correctly there (i.e. it did not install a non-compatible version of the app on my phone).

Very kind of you. I had replaced the app already for a local movie-app but I will reinstall it. The update will then show up when it is approved. Thanks!

Hello again Cyrus.

I've just updated my NowPlaying to 3.12 (I'm still on US iPhone OS 3.0.1, non-jailbroken). It works great with OS 3.0.1 and is notably snappier than the previous NowPlaying version that was compatible with OS 3.0. Thank you very much for updating the app to work on the 3.0 firmware. It is VERY MUCH appreciated. I wouldn't be surprised if NowPlaying were the most well supported free app (or any app, for that matter) out there. Great work, man!

Thanks!