Lucky Clan Forum
Support => Suggestions, Ideas, Bugs => Topic started by: EarlMcLean on February 14, 2023, 04:21:17 PM
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I've written a request for support regarding this incident already. I'm posting this mostly to see if anyone else is experiencing the same issue.
I recently purchased an M2 Ipad Pro so I could paint on the go and showcase work to clients. After researching the best digital painting program for IOS I found that many of the serious artists all recommended the same program, ArtStudio Pro. So a few days ago I bit the bullet and bought the lifetime license. Since then I have had my iPad at home on wifi and had been training myself with the interface and doing a few practice paintings. This morning I had a meeting with a prospective client. He laid out what he had in mind via email and I spent several hours last night doing a mock-up that would hopefully land me the gig. I saved my artwork but left it open as I wanted it to be the first thing that came up upon unlocking the screen, then plugged the system into the charger so it'd be full for the following day.
I drove to our meeting, got seated and opened the cover on my iPad. It unlocked but instead of being greeted by the mock-up artwork, I instead got a pop-up stating the software needed to be licensed in order to save. Behind the pop-up wasn't the mock-up art I had saved previously, but instead was one of practice paintings I had done before buying a license for the software. I apologized profusely and explained that I did in fact own a license for the program. I tried searching the iPad for the mock-up so I could at least salvage the meeting but it was nowhere to be found. I just kept getting the pop-up about needing to license the software in order to save.
I haven't been back home yet today to test if the software will work as intended once I'm back on the network. This experience however was horrible. Has anyone else had anything like this happen? With as high a praise as this program received I'm having a hard time believing it's intended to not work when it doesn't have an active internet connection.
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Do you use version 5.1 or 5.11?
It should work there even without Internet connection.
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I just got home about 30 minutes ago. I had the iPad in airplane mode as I approached the house to see if the program would still throw the licensing error pop-up if it couldn't see my wifi, it did. As soon as I took it out of airplane mode and it could see my network, the prompt went away. In between my initial post and getting home I did some searching online to see if anyone else was having a similar issue and someone was. They mentioned updating the program fixed the issue, so I checked, and there was indeed an update. Before updating, the sample image I had initially practiced on was still loaded on the active canvas and saved. The mock-up art was still MIA and not saved anywhere even though I had saved it locally the night before and made sure it was there safe and sound. So I update the software. I decided to test the licensing prompt again by disconnecting the iPad from the wireless manually and shutting down the iPad from the system menu option. Once fully shut down I waited about 60 seconds, then turned the system on. I loaded the software, and initially, for like 2 seconds, it showed the practice painting I had done on the active canvas. The program then skipped out to the "local save" selection browser where I could see that painting saved icon before it simply blinked away, and it was gone. I checked the "recently deleted" folder, and it wasn't there. It's like it never existed, the same as the mock-up art piece I'd prepared for my meeting earlier today.
To answer your question, I'm now on version 5.1.1(906). In going to pull that version number for you, I still hadn't reconnected to the wifi and was met with the "You Are In Read-Only Mode" prompt again and it's still asking me to license the software.
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I will analyze the situation first thing tomorrow and try to fix it asap. Sorry for the problems.
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Thank you. I truly appreciate that. I want to start creating but am concerned about spending any more time doing so with artworks randomly popping out of existence.
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I have just tried to reproduce it. I removed app from iPad, installed the most recent version (5.1.1) from the App Store, launch it. Then turned on "Airplane mode", and everything was working fine.
They I tried many other scenarios, like rebooting, installing again. I was testing with Airplane mode enabled almost all the time (except when i was downloading the app). I tested on both iOS 15 and 16, and both iPad and iPhone.
I didn't encounter this issue. It could happen in version 5.0.1 or older, but then it was fixed in 5.0.2.
Can anybody test that as well?
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When I get home this evening I'll record footage and upload it for you.
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Link to video showing licensing issue. (https://youtu.be/0NCJYFf_doQ)
My apologies for fumbling with the IOS interface. I recently purchased the iPad, and I'm still getting used to it.
The video shows the issue I'm having with the licensing; However, it seems intermittent. I powered down with the wifi disabled and rebooted after shooting this to film it a second time and that time the program stayed licensed like it was supposed to. I want to keep testing it, but I have several projects due I need to get completed and will have to test more when time permits. (Hopefully later tonight.)
UPDATE: It's 2 hours later and I had time between projects to test. I had left it on with the wifi off, it remained licensed upon starting the software. I shut the wifi off then closed the program fully before shutting down the iPad from the system command. I waited a few minutes, turned on the system, checked to ensure wifi was indeed still off and then ran the program. I got the licensing error.
Here's a video of me doing this. (https://youtu.be/RnpegISbDmg)
Sorry again about the fumbling with the interface on IOS. I intended to spend a lot more time with it as I used this program more and more frequently but with it deleting my stuff and not being able to be used outside my home network, I haven't gotten any use out of it.
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So I realized both videos I provided start after I've already rebooted the iPad to show the licensing error so I made a 3rd video for you. This one shows the software fully licensed and the version number. I then go turn off the wifi, turn off the iPad, wait about 20 - 30 seconds and turn the iPad back on. I verify the wifi is still off and then start the software which gives the unlicensed prompt. I did talk through this video just so there wouldn't be lots of dead air while waiting on the shutdown and restart of the iPad.
Click here to view the 3rd video. (https://youtu.be/SnaUm89Zajs)
Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated. If this isn't something that can be solved, I would like a refund please. I honestly have no use for this program if I can't reliably use it offline.
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Thanks for your videos and explanations. We are working on this now.
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update: We fixed that, probably. We are not 100% sure because we cannot test it in App Store environment, but we are almost sure it will work fine. New version will be released asap, update has been submitted and is waiting for review on the App Store.
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Version 5.1 is available now! Could you check if it fixes the issue on your iPad?
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Will do, as soon as I get home this evening. 👍
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May i ask if you found time to test it? Can i treat this issue as solved?
Will do, as soon as I get home this evening. 👍
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It was a busy night but I did finally get around to testing the newest version right before bed and it seems to have resolved the issue. I ran it through three cycles with various pause lengths while off network and the software stayed licensed the entire time. Thank you for addressing this so quickly. It doesn't bring back the lost art that popped out of existence but at least I have confidence that the software is going to stay useable.
While I have you, the art disappearing thing may be something to look into. I assume it's a result of the license flip-flopping and with that resolved, it may not be much of an issue. However, if projects getting deleted from system storage are tied to the license reading properly and something happens with a future update that toggles the license state, loads of folks could potentially lose saved works.
t may have something to do with leaving the artwork open (although it was definitely saved in local storage). It hearkened with two different pieces as I mentioned previously and other than them both being saved locally, they were both open on the active canvas area during a license toggle before simply popping out of existence.
Thanks again!
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Thanks for your feedback, it is very good news the issue is finally fixed!
About deleting files:
It is not possible that Artstudio just deleted a file without any confirmation.
Actually there are 2 ways to delete Artstudio Pro docuemnt files:
1. App Document Browser
2. Files app
Both these methods are fully managed by system and app like Artstudio cannot change any behaviour there.
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Well since you seem to be in more of a testing-capable environment, what I was suggesting was that you try and recreate what I went through and witnessed happen firsthand so it could be rectified before it has the chance to affect anyone else.
Doing this wouldn't be too hard. I imagine you keep copies of previous versions of the software. Using version 5.1.1 or older, paint a test canvas quickly in the free, unlicensed software. Since you can't save, leave the canvas open, and enable wifi to license the software. With the ability to save activated, check that it's saved locally to the iPad.
Next, open up a new canvas, paint a test pattern on it, and save it also but leave it open. Verify it saved locally. You should now have two saved works.
Being on v5.1.1 or older and with the software licensed you're probably still connected to the wifi. Following the steps from the videos I posted previously you're going to activate the licensing glitch in the software (shut down the software completely, disable the wifi, shut down the system, wait 20 - 30 seconds, turn the system on, load the software without wifi enabled).
If done properly, the software will now display the message about needing to license. The image you originally painted before licensing should be on the live canvas now, not the second image you had open. That second painting will be gone along with its local save.
Next close the software entirely, leaving it in the unlicensed state, then start it up again. The painting you initially did as a test should still be on the canvas, and there should also still be a local save for it. Now create a new painting. That initial painting you had live will not only disappear, but it will also delete the locally saved file on the drive. Neither of the test canvas paintings will go to the recently deleted items, they vanish entirely.
With the software being on 5.1.2 this isn't so much an issue, but without you testing the above scenario, if the software becomes unlicensed for your users in the future for some unforeseen reason, they could easily lose saved data. It happened to me, and as I said, I don't want to see someone else lose something valuable to them over what could be a quick fix of a simply unknown bug in your program.
I appreciate all of your help in fixing the licensing issue so quickly. Thanks again!
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Bug is fixed so i will rather don't want to spend more time on this. More than 50% use now ver 5.1.2 and it grows quickly
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I wouldn't go so far as to say it's fixed. I left the iPad off for 24 hours, turned it on with no wifi and voila:
Image 1 of 2 (https://i.ibb.co/PNGGKTw/PXL-20230221-022558766.jpg)
Image 2 of 2 (https://i.ibb.co/4KpxgYH/PXL-20230221-022551389.jpg)
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May I ask if it works fine in other apps?
I wouldn't go so far as to say it's fixed. I left the iPad off for 24 hours, turned it on with no wifi and voila:
Image 1 of 2 (https://i.ibb.co/PNGGKTw/PXL-20230221-022558766.jpg)
Image 2 of 2 (https://i.ibb.co/4KpxgYH/PXL-20230221-022551389.jpg)
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From previous posts I've already mentioned that I just recently purchased the iPad from Apple new. It's fully updated and yours is the only app I've purchased. I think it's clear at this point that as some kind of security measure your software is requiring an active internet connection in order to verify valididity of an existing license. I think what you're alluding to is that this is somehow common practice amongst IOS apps and that you didn't so much "fix a bug" as merely extended the window between authentication checks.
Like I mentioned before, I have no use for software I can't use offline indefinitely. To me, this is a digital canvas. This iPad has no need to be online to serve that function. It could go weeks or even potentially months without an active internet connection because I have other devices that fulfill that requirement. At this point it's fairly clear the licensing issue is a "feature", not a bug. To resolve this, I would appreciate a refund as I purchased your software in good faith and nowhere is it mentioned an active internet connection will be required for continued authentication of ownership. Had it been so, I certainly wouldn't have bought it. I would like to be done with this entirely. Please issue my refund as a credit for the Apple app store. You should have my email address on file which is the same one associated to my account with Apple. In the meantime I will uninstall your software.
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No, i really updated the bug, not changed the "offline" window. Unfortunately the source code from Apple that shows how to manage iap has this bug so i think many apps has similar problem.
I think I know how to solve this issue, so please just give us one more chance - it will be done in version 5.1.3.
To refund - you have to contact apple, app/developers don't have any access to user account.
From previous posts I've already mentioned that I just recently purchased the iPad from Apple new. It's fully updated and yours is the only app I've purchased. I think it's clear at this point that as some kind of security measure your software is requiring an active internet connection in order to verify valididity of an existing license. I think what you're alluding to is that this is somehow common practice amongst IOS apps and that you didn't so much "fix a bug" as merely extended the window between authentication checks.
Like I mentioned before, I have no use for software I can't use offline indefinitely. To me, this is a digital canvas. This iPad has no need to be online to serve that function. It could go weeks or even potentially months without an active internet connection because I have other devices that fulfill that requirement. At this point it's fairly clear the licensing issue is a "feature", not a bug. To resolve this, I would appreciate a refund as I purchased your software in good faith and nowhere is it mentioned an active internet connection will be required for continued authentication of ownership. Had it been so, I certainly wouldn't have bought it. I would like to be done with this entirely. Please issue my refund. As a credit to the Apple app store, you should have my email address on file abbas is the same one associated to my account there. In the meantime I will uninstall your software.
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I will wait for 1.5.3 as requested. I do appreciate your quick responses to posts.and I want to love this software as much as so many others seem to. I do hope you manage to fully solve the licensing issue with the method you've devised. Thank you again.
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Version 5.1.3 is available. App now saves Full Version state in its own cache and uses it when offline. It stores cached state for two weeks.
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Thank you. I will download the update as soon as I get home.
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And? Is everything ok?
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??