Roadmap for iOS

This release fixes text rendering issues, making sure your text labels don’t change size when zooming the canvas and improving the performance of drawings that contain a large number of text labels.

We also added new widgets for the customizable Lock Screen in iOS 17+ that let you create new drawings with a single tap, and fixed several small bugs and improved stability of the app.

Submit your feedback and feature requests here.

Released Oct 2023

Speed up your workflow with a variety of customisable keyboard shortcuts. Check out the full list by holding down the command (⌘) key or go to Settings > Interaction > Keyboard & Mouse > Edit Shortcuts.

Align to Grid has been reworked and now supports tracing back on your stroke, enabling a snappier experience and making it easier to draw strokes of exact length. Enable Align to Grid by tapping the Snap Options under the Precision menu on canvas.

Submit your feedback and feature requests here.

Released Sep 2023

This update improves the stability of the app and fixes a number of bugs and performance issues. Additionally, the settings popup is now a floating window that can be dragged anywhere on canvas.

Later this year, we will be deprecating the iMessage stickers extension due to its limited use and the significant cost of keeping it working. This will allow us to focus our effort on core product features.

Submit your feedback and feature requests here.

Released July 2023

The Gallery is now faster than ever: interface loading, renaming, duplicating, and creating new drawings have never been so speedy. Especially for those of you with several thousand drawings.

We’ve also improved power efficiency on drawings with lots of strokes. Hover support for tilt and azimuth is better and we fixed bugs with the stamp preview orientation sometimes being wrong due to device orientation.

Submit your feedback and feature requests here.

Released May 2023

We’re updating the look and feel of our menus to be less obtrusive and adapt better to various workflows. This time, we’ve improved the Settings menu, adding collapsible sections and combining the Stylus and Gestures tabs into a single Interaction menu.

Also in this update:

• Improved hover support on various menus
• Improved file conflict handling (part of our ongoing work to prepare for iCloud sync)
• Improved error messages for some rare cases
• Improved stability

Submit your feedback and feature requests here.

Released Apr 2023

• If your iPad supports hover (M2 or later), or you use a mouse for drawing, Concepts now supports Hover Brush Previews - a way to visualize your brush size, opacity and color before you start a stroke. Useful for improving accuracy while drawing and erasing, and catching brush mixups before they happen.
• It is once again possible to rename your drawing right on the canvas. Just tap the drawing name to begin.
• We also fixed a few stability issues and did some maintenance on accounts, measurements and brush pack sharing.

Submit your feedback and feature requests here.

Released Mar 2023

• Showcase your drawings with an iOS homescreen widget, including single- and multi- drawing panels and quick access to start a new drawing.
• Snap to Grid improvements allow traceback without overlapping and easier drawing of corners.
• Improved accuracy when using the Line Guide to set the drawing scale.
• The Quick Clear menu has been overhauled. Double tap the slice or masking tools to show it.
• Tap the What's New button in the Help menu to see what's coming and what we've accomplished recently.

For a deeper look, check out the product update video.

Submit your feedback and feature requests here.

Released Jan 2023

• Measurements now exist on their own layer for easy control over rendering order, focus-mode filtering, and quick selection.
• Unit and Scale settings are easier to understand and include options for imperial fractions and other formats, plus varying levels of precision and left-hand-friendly live measurements.
• Area measurements are now supported with the Fill tool.
• Shape Guides can also be edited through the status bar and measurement menu.
• In case you missed it, try the new Measurement menu on-canvas (tap the zoom/rotate button in the status bar), our latest auto-conversion on measurement entry, and the option for “Show scale instead of units in the status bar”.

Follow us @ConceptsApp for updates, drawing tips and inspiration.

For a deeper look, check out the full release post.

Submit your feedback and feature requests here.

Released December 2022

Concepts is turning 10 years old (already!), and we're excited to share our latest with you: a new folder-based Gallery, a more efficient Canvas, new Color options, and all new branding.

Thanks to your continuous support and feedback, Concepts is actively growing and evolving. As we enter our sixth-generation design phase, we hope you'll appreciate our commitment to exploration, flexibility, and your creative pursuits. We think our new logo and style reflect that, and we're glad to have you on this journey.

Completely rewritten, the Gallery is now optimized for file and folder-based workflows, interchange with the Files app, and ready for our final push towards iCloud sync.

• On first launch, we'll automatically migrate all of your drawings from Project > Section > Drawing to Folder > Subfolder > Drawing. Some drawing names may have numbers added if they're not unique, as required by the filesystem.
• A new collapsible sidebar displays top-level folders in the Concepts directory on your iPad / iPhone, plus a special section for Recently Deleted drawings.
• You can create as many folder and subfolder levels as you like.
• New grouping and sorting options are available and remembered across folders.
• Notes are saved straight to the folder as Notes.txt.
• Pinch to zoom the Gallery to see more / fewer drawing thumbnails.
• You can now share / export drawings directly from the Gallery via tap + hold.
• You can now access and manage drawings directly from the Files app.
• Our next (and last!) step towards iCloud will be built on these changes.

The Canvas now adapts more efficiently to your drawing workflow. We hope you appreciate how key interactions are more fluid and less hidden.

• The status bar has been split into sections to free up central canvas space, provide quicker access to import + export, and better adapt to both smaller screens and resizable app windows.
• New buttons are easier to hit and don't interfere with the most recent system navigation gestures.
• Importing is a critical part of many workflows, so it's been separated from Objects and sits on your status bar. This requires one less tap to reach your photos / PDFs / clipboard / etc.
• Clear up more space on your canvas by hiding the Precision / Layers / Objects menus entirely via the new Actions section at the top of your screen.
• A new Measurement popup activates by tapping the canvas zoom + rotation button on the status bar. Here you can access zoom presets, selection measurements, and lock / unlock zoom + rotation options.
• You can now input measurements of varying systems (imperial, metric, percentages, etc) and they will automatically be converted to your workspace's unit system.

As a special birthday gift to you, we've added not one, but two new color systems!

• Explore the full spectrum of color with HSL (Hue, Saturation and Lightness) sliders.
• RGB sliders are an ancient favorite, made new in Concepts 6.

Lots of little things:

• Precisely adjusting selections was tough before, but now things stay where you put them.
• All overlays now have Close buttons to augment the tap or swipe-to-dismiss methods.
• Fixed a bug where exporting a selection as PDF resulted in a blank file if the canvas was rotated.
• Fixed a bug where the off-screen arrows disappeared quickly in large drawings.
• Fixed a bug where the app could become unresponsive if starting to draw while an overlay is closing.
• Fixed a bug where reveal-type custom brushes did not show up in layer thumbnails.
• Fixed a bug where the grid was not exported when exporting a selection and grid was enabled in the export settings.
• Updated the news feed in the help menu and added unobtrusive notifications for new content.

Please note that you'll need iOS 15 or greater to run this update.

Thanks for all the feedback and encouragement thus far, and keep it coming! We're glad you're here with us. Tune in to @ConceptsApp on your favorite channel for updates, drawing tips, and regular inspiration.

For a deeper look, check out the full release post.

Submit your feedback and feature requests here.

Released October 2022

• This update fixes a bug with the app locking up in some cases after exporting to the Photos app in iOS 15.4
• Jessika Wendel's Brush Pack includes interior elements for floor and wall surfaces

Submit your feedback and feature requests here.

Released March 2022

• This quick update fixes a crash in the gallery. Sorry about the inconvenience!

As a reminder, the 5.10 series will be the last to support iOS 13. In the next major update, we will move to minimum of iOS 14 to streamline our development process and simplify supporting new features.

Released Jan 2022

• Fixed a few bugs with shape guides, selecting dots, and snap interactions in portrait mode.
• Drawings in the Gallery will also sort properly when using Date Updated.

Released Dec 2021

• More bug fixes and stability improvements; this time around file sizes, missing localizations, and align-to-grid while zoomed out.

To improve the speed of our software development, the next major update will require iOS 14 or above.

Released Nov 2021

In case you missed last week's update, Concepts is now authorized to use more memory on M1 devices, and we fixed some bugs related to shape guides and gesture settings.

Released Oct 2021

• A quick bug fix update for devices running iOS 13.

In case you missed last week's update, Concepts is now authorized to use more memory on M1 devices, and we fixed some bugs related to shape guides and gesture settings.

Released Oct 2021

• Concepts is now authorized by Apple to use additional RAM for larger drawings!
• Shape Guides are now sharper than ever in preparation for the journey across platforms.

Bug Fixes:

• Drawing with the Shape Guides now works (again) while your fingers hold the handles.
• Fixed a bug where the color picker was left stuck in the upper left corner if activated from the color wheel.
• Fixed a bug where tapping on the canvas did not close on-screen menus if the finger action was set to “select”.
• Fixed a bug where tapping with the Apple Pencil would occasionally be ignored.
• Fixed a bug where layers in Procreate could not be dragged to Concepts.
• Fixed a bug where strokes drawn with certain brushes using 100% smoothing disappeared when zoomed in far enough.

For a deeper look, check out the full release post.

Released Oct 2021

• Improved palm rejection
• Fixed the ability to draw with the Apple Pencil while holding a finger on the screen if the finger action is set to “do nothing”
• Fixed a bug where rotating the device while Concepts was backgrounded caused strokes to be drawn with an offset
• Fixed a bug where the monitor borders were left on screen in presentation mode after enabling “mirror everything”
• Made changes to the status bar. You'll find the store button on the right side from now on and status types (such as “loading” and “saving”) are now presented with icons
• Fixed bugs with layers and focus mode

In case you missed last week's update, Concepts is now authorized to use more memory on M1 devices, and we fixed some bugs related to shape guides and gesture settings.

Released Aug 2021