Avare end of life? Avarex replacing it

FORANE

FORANE

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Any Avare users here? I just updated Avare and read that was the last planned update for Avare. Apparently Avarex, the version I thought was just for Apple, is replacing Avare going forward. Reading the Avare forum, the developer of Avare has stated he is planning on removing Avare from the Google Play Store. There's discussion on that forum about Avare getting loaded on Github for future download availability, but without future support.

I downloaded Avarex and its user interface is different than Avare. A different user interface always takes some time to accommodate to. I've noticed some tasks take more steps to accomplish, such as loading an approach plate.

Do you like the new version? Dislike it?
 
I wasn't a big fan of Avare for anything other than as a backup chart reader and I eventually gave that up too. I looked briefly as Avarex and didn't see any significant improvement other than being available for iOS and Windows.
 
I've used Avare for a while, for VFR and simple IFR.
Not sold on the AvareX UI yet, I might stick to the old version as long as chart downloads are still available.
 
FORANE said:
Any Avare users here? I just updated Avare and read that was the last planned update for Avare. Apparently Avarex, the version I thought was just for Apple, is replacing Avare going forward. Reading the Avare forum, the developer of Avare has stated he is planning on removing Avare from the Google Play Store. There's discussion on that forum about Avare getting loaded on Github for future download availability, but without future support.

I downloaded Avarex and its user interface is different than Avare. A different user interface always takes some time to accommodate to. I've noticed some tasks take more steps to accomplish, such as loading an approach plate.

Do you like the new version? Dislike it?
Click to expand...


AvareX has a slightly different interface, but it is basically the same as Avare. What I like about Avare/AvareX is that it is simple. Even then I use only a small fraction of its features. When I used to subscribe to Garmin Pilot and Foreflight, I used probably 10% of the features. I've rewritten Avare with even fewer options, just for my own use. That's the beauty of open source. AvareX is written in Flutter, which is not familiar to me, so I have not poked around it.
 
I moved from Avare to AvareX when I changed from Android to iPad.

It’s different. I used Avare for VFR for so long, and for IR training, that I got pretty used to it, and its idiosyncrasies.

AvareX was a tough switch for me. But a couple things have happened: I played with it enough to sort of get used to it, and they recently made a few version improvements that have helped a lot.

After I moved to iPad I started using FlightPlnGo, and moved away from AvareX. I still have it installed on my iThings, but I really don’t use it much in the air anymore.
 
I've been using Avare for some years now. I haven't used AvareX in the air yet because I haven't flown in a year, but I think it'll be OK. There are some things about X that I like, others that I don't like so much. The old version had a lot more settings you could customize, which I liked; the new version is a lot simpler but you lose some of the customizability. For my needs (basic VFR navigation) both versions are perfectly adequate.
 
I like open source software and use it a lot. I've even contributed to some of the projects over the years. But Avare is the exception, so quirky and cumbersome I could never get used to it. The capability and usability of Droid EFB, which I've been using for almost 15 years, is so much better that I'd rather pay for it than use Avare.

I never knew Avare ran on both Android and iOS. As someone who's written a few mobile apps I can say that is a big pain. I'm not surprised they picked just one. That said, I'm always sad to see open source projects reach end of life.
 
MRC01 said:
I never knew Avare ran on both Android and iOS. As someone who's written a few mobile apps I can say that is a big pain. I'm not surprised they picked just one. That said, I'm always sad to see open source projects reach end of life.
Click to expand...
The original Avare is just Android. AvareX added iOS and Windows. The original version is being discontinued because the old code can no longer be updated to work with newer Android versions without a complete rewrite... which is AvareX.
 
I found the Avare UI to be pretty bad, but I'm a cheapskate so I made do with it.
 
I use Avare. I wanted something to try when I started flying, and I know enough about istuff that I knew I didn't want to use istuff. It's generally been working fine for me. The tablet is just supplemental and I use it as such.

The only significant paint point is that I haven't been able to file a flight plan with it, not sure why. So I suppose at some point I should sort out a platform that will do that for me. Although I could just use a chromebook, and the 800wx thing, and file via web.
 
Albany Tom said:
I use Avare. I wanted something to try when I started flying, and I know enough about istuff that I knew I didn't want to use istuff. It's generally been working fine for me. The tablet is just supplemental and I use it as such.

The only significant paint point is that I haven't been able to file a flight plan with it, not sure why. So I suppose at some point I should sort out a platform that will do that for me. Although I could just use a chromebook, and the 800wx thing, and file via web.
Click to expand...
I think Avarex now has the ability to file from the app. I've only played with it for an hour so I can't say for certain but I believe I saw that. For flight plan filing I have used fltplan.com either on a laptop or my phone; it is easy and designed for just that so it does an excellent job.
 
MRC01 said:
I never knew Avare ran on both Android and iOS. As someone who's written a few mobile apps I can say that is a big pain. I'm not surprised they picked just one. That said, I'm always sad to see open source projects reach end of life.
Click to expand...
This is incorrect information. AvareX was implemented with Google Flutter. From Google AI:
  • Cross-Platform Initial Goal: AvareX was created to succeed the legacy Android-only Avare app by running on all major platforms, including Android, iOS (iPhone/iPad), MacOS, Windows, Linux, and ChromeOS.
  • Android Availability: It has been available on Android, often via the Google Play Store or APK files, during its development and testing phases, alongside the iOS version.
  • The Confusion: Because the original, legacy Avare was strictly Android, and the user community was desperately waiting for an iOS version to compete with ForeFlight, many users incorrectly assumed AvareX was solely an Apple project when it was first announced to be adding iOS support. [1, 2, 3, 4]
AvareX is designed to be the next generation of the original free Android EFB app, Avare.
 
Long time Avare user. I'll have to update to Avarex as I will never go over to the iCrap dark side.
 
FORANE said:
This is incorrect information. AvareX was implemented with Google Flutter. From Google AI:
  • Cross-Platform Initial Goal: AvareX was created to succeed the legacy Android-only Avare app by running on all major platforms, including Android, iOS (iPhone/iPad), MacOS, Windows, Linux, and ChromeOS.
Click to expand...
So AvareX will also run on Android? That's great.
 
I've used Avare for years. I can't figure out AvateX. I've been playing with it on commercial flights and I can't even find most of the settings. And even the map screen UI is strange. Maybe it's trying to emulate foreflight or something, but it's not at all intuitive to me.

At least it will download maps in the background now. I wish it would hold location in the background too.
 
Lindberg said:
I've used Avare for years. I can't figure out AvateX. I've been playing with it on commercial flights and I can't even find most of the settings. And even the map screen UI is strange. Maybe it's trying to emulate foreflight or something, but it's not at all intuitive to me.

At least it will download maps in the background now. I wish it would hold location in the background too.
Click to expand...
Yeah, same here. I had a flight today and I used both Avare and Avarex just to see if it worked in my plane with my external gps and ads-b. Of course I have the benefit of familiarity with Avare.

I noticed the traffic on Avarex was nowhere near as obvious as depicted in Avare. Avarex has multiple settings for traffic which even now I don't understand the differences. The depiction of traffic though was terrible; it just blended into the background of the sectional so much so that I didn't even notice the traffic.

I ended up just going back to Avare and will like just stay with Avare until it either becomes unusable or until Avarex gets more tweaks to sort out issues like unusable traffic.
 
Where
FORANE said:
Yeah, same here. I had a flight today and I used both Avare and Avarex just to see if it worked in my plane with my external gps and ads-b. Of course I have the benefit of familiarity with Avare.

I noticed the traffic on Avarex was nowhere near as obvious as depicted in Avare. Avarex has multiple settings for traffic which even now I don't understand the differences. The depiction of traffic though was terrible; it just blended into the background of the sectional so much so that I didn't even notice the traffic.

I ended up just going back to Avare and will like just stay with Avare until it either becomes unusable or until Avarex gets more tweaks to sort out issues like unusable traffic.
Click to expand...
Where did you find the settings for traffic?

I'm on a flight right now, and I can't figure out how to display elapsed time, or distance and time to next waypoint. Or VS. And I have no idea how to get rid of the wind flag sticking out of the airplane icon.
 
I also tried to get it to flight plan based on ATC preferred routes and it just does nothing.
 
1st on bottom right click layers, scroll down to traffic, slide it up to 100%.
Then just above layers, a small circle appears with an "s" in it. Not sure what s means, but it has to do with traffic, can be tapped to change to "m" or "L".

I never have tried to do flight planning on Avare or Avarex.

I assumed that flag out of my plane was the direction of North.
 
FORANE said:
1st on bottom right click layers, scroll down to traffic, slide it up to 100%.
Then just above layers, a small circle appears with an "s" in it. Not sure what s means, but it has to do with traffic, can be tapped to change to "m" or "L".
Click to expand...
Oh, wow. Thanks. That's not remotely intuitive.
 
Lindberg said:
I also tried to get it to flight plan based on ATC preferred routes and it just does nothing.
Click to expand...
If find that most apps are bad at routing. I would like to enter any 2 fixes and between them an airway that connects them, and the app should be smart enough to include only the portion of that airway between the 2 fixes. And if they don't quite connect, follow the airway as much as possible and do something reasonable. Pretty simple, SkyVector (the website) passes this test nicely but some apps can't handle that or make it more complex than it needs to be.
 
OK, I downloaded it and made a short flight. The UI is a bit different but it's functional. One thing I don't like that seems universal is the change from words/abbrv to iconography. In many cases it's stupid because a button push on the icon leads to a page which is completely and totally in Amer English. The 'layers' icon looks like a stack of books or a 'layer' of books. And when tapped opens a screen which is totally in English!: "MAP LAYERS", and so on.

Iconography is a sop to non-native English speakers, but to get a pilot license around the world requires capability to speak and understand English. hmmm

I'll work my way through it, Glad it's still supported well.
 
FORANE said:
Then just above layers, a small circle appears with an "s" in it. Not sure what s means, but it has to do with traffic, can be tapped to change to "m" or "L".
Click to expand...
S,M, and L is the size of the area where ADS-B traffic will be displayed. Small, Medium, or Large. I don't recall the numerical sizes. Google AI says:

Small (S): 20 aircraft, 3,000 ft vertical, 10 NM range.
Medium (M): 200 aircraft, 6,000 ft vertical, 50 NM range.
Large (L): 1000 aircraft, 30,000 ft vertical, 500 NM range
 
bkspero said:
S,M, and L is the size of the area where ADS-B traffic will be displayed. Small, Medium, or Large. I don't recall the numerical sizes. Google AI says:

Small (S): 20 aircraft, 3,000 ft vertical, 10 NM range.
Medium (M): 200 aircraft, 6,000 ft vertical, 50 NM range.
Large (L): 1000 aircraft, 30,000 ft vertical, 500 NM range
Click to expand...
Hmmm, I wonder why my own tail number disappeared on at least one of those settings. Thanks for the post.
 
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