What’s next for Sketchbook
We appreciate all the messages we’ve received in the past week - thank you. It’s been incredibly positive to see all the excitement and energy for Sketchbook’s future. We’ve also received a lot of questions! It’s important to us that we are transparent, so here are some comments on things we’ve heard.
“Are you going to charge for Sketchbook?”
This is the big one, and expected. Yes, we are. We need to make some money in order to pay the development costs for the cool stuff you guys want, need, and expect. But for those of you who have asked, no, we are not going to go to a subscription model.
“Will I need to download Sketchbook again?”
Sketchbook is available on multiple stores and the transition will not be the same for each app due to platform specifics. There has been a lot of progress, but there are still some unknowns.
Here’s what we understand as of the moment:
Google Play: People who originally downloaded Autodesk Sketchbook from Google Play will receive future updates from us and will not have to download again
iOS App Store: People who originally downloaded from the iOS App Store for iPhone & iPad will receive future updates from us and will not have to download again, however the connection to the Autodesk iCloud folder will be severed (more details on accessing your iCloud files here)
Mac App Store: the Mac app cannot be transferred due to a technical dependency with the Application Group Container. People who have the Autodesk version can continue to use it, but it will not be updated. Those looking for ongoing support and feature updates should get our Sketchbook Pro release
Microsoft store: [updated] the UWP version of Sketchbook previously distributed by Autodesk through the Microsoft Store could not be transferred due to technical dependencies on the store backend. People who have this version can continue to use it, but it will not be updated. Our Sketchbook Pro release on the Microsoft Store is now available, however it is optimized for desktop use with a pen peripheral. It will run on a Windows tablet, but it is not currently optimized for a tablet experience.
Direct Downloads: If you downloaded directly from Autodesk, Amazon, or other sources not mentioned above: you can continue to use those versions, but there will be no automatic update path to our future releases. Those looking for ongoing support and feature updates should get our Sketchbook Pro release
“What will happen to my data and files? Should I back up?”
Please back up your files under all circumstances. This is always a good practice. We believe that your files are safe, but we can’t be sure due to the complexities of the app transfer processes. Please please please back up your files. On iOS, the iCloud container associated with Autodesk will be disconnected upon transfer to us. We believe that your data will be safe and accessible through the Files App (more on that here).
“When will we see an update to Sketchbook?”
Our first update should come within the week, depending on the submission process of each of the stores. The first update will only deal with the updated branding and legal requirements of the transfer. It won’t have new features, because we just got started! We are currently working on new features and enhancements including Color Editor improvements that will come soon.
“Please keep the Copic color palette!”
Enough of you have made this comment that we’re wondering if you have ESP. Unfortunately, the license agreement for the Copic colors was between Autodesk and Too Corporation. Sketchbook, Inc. does not have permission to use the Copic brand and color library, so we have to remove this in our first update. We know this is a loss to many users. We are working on a Color Editor update for all platforms that enhances the color palettes and provides new base swatches and some color variations. You can read more about the upcoming color palette and library feature in this blog post.
Feature requests & bug reports
We really appreciate input and ideas, some of which we hadn’t thought of yet! There are only a few of us and millions of you so we can’t reply to you all, but please keep communicating with us. Thank you to those who have given us heads up on issues. We’re following up with some of you individually in order to investigate.
“Great, now you can compete with Procreate or <insert name of other app here>”
There are some really amazing tools out there. We believe the right thing is for Sketchbook to work alongside them, not replace them. Read more about our POV on the digital art ecosystem in Chris’s blog post.
Thank you to everyone for the tremendous support as things are transitioning. We know there will be some bumps as we navigate this process, but we are going to work through this with you. And some exciting stuff is coming soon!