Luminos Pro

I paid for a version of Luminos 9 still have the same phone and operating system and now it no longer works which I feel is pretty lame especially after paying for it. All of this subscription stuff is nothing but a chincy way of getting constant money from people. I used to use the app all of the time and now I can’t without paying for a subscription. To me that is lame and I am sad that you took that route. Now I have a useless app that just crashes whenever I start it. Boo to that what a shame that you made such a great app and now I can’t even use it.... it’s a sad day for me and my daughter at least let my paid app still work... that makes no sense to me. Last thing I need is to be paying a subscription for something. It’s pretty lame that I can spend money on a great app and now I can’t even use it anymore. I feel like I got ripped off.

Just upgraded to pro Great usable app

And “they say we have not made contact yet”!!!…

This is usually a very good app, despite the volumes of info that occupies the screen, this version however keeps going black as I explore necessitating restarts often. It would be nice to be able to rid the screen of text with one tap to be able to enjoy a clear view when comparing to the actual sky.

I’ve been a happy customer for years and I still am. In the past, I asked the developer a few questions and he responded immediately. Top notch app and customer service. Constant updates and fixes.

I am happy the author has moved to a subscription service thereby ensuring Luminos will be around for years to come. Accurate and packed with features, Luminos is my primary resource.

Would be nice to be able to store and recall settings, very hard to switch view settings currently

Very complete app, especially if you own a telescope. I like that it lets me plan my viewing and imaging sessions with custom lists of objects, being able to enter different telescope and camera sizes to preview how deep sky objects will fit, and many more features!

I’ll keep supporting this app. Thank you! I’m an existing Luminos 9 user and honestly, this subscription is completely fine. I hope you keep on developing this app cause it’s AMAZING! Happy holidays!! Also, wanted to say thank you for the free pass for existing Luminos 9 users. That was really kind of you. I’ll be sure to subscribe once the free pass ends. :)

I bought Luminos and now the developer is switching to a subscription model. I understand a developer wanting a continuing revenue stream, but moving purchased features behind a paywall is not fair. We paid to purchase this app and are now being told that the features we had contracted for are now only available if you subscribe and pay continuously. It would be understandable if the developer was providing only new features behind the subscription paywall, but that is not what is happening here. Features like “orbit” and “land” that were included in our original purchase are moving them behind the subscription paywall. That is unacceptable. Purchasers of Luminos should give the new app one star ratings until the developers address these issues. Edited - Response to developer response. John, what does it mean to you when someone says “This is an old version of Luminos and it will be discontinued in 2023. This app is being replaced by Luminos Pro”? To me that means Luminos is being discontinued and Luminos Pro is replacing it. That looks like plain English to me, but it looks like a lie to you. In the new app that is replacing Luminos, orbit and land are behind the subscription paywall. If Luminos is being discontinued and Luminos Pro is replacing it, doesn’t that mean preexisting features that users paid for are now behind the subscription paywall? Before you say “but you can still use Luminos”, I’d ask you how long it will be before Luminos is out of date and no longer works on iOS? Maybe a few years? The point is, you are being disingenuous when you say Luminos will still work. You are no longer supporting it and at some point, it will fail. At that point, customers who bought Luminos would have to pay a subscription to get the same features in Luminos Pro. As I noted above, I’m not against a subscription model. I would likely subscribe to Luminos Pro. But moving features that customers paid for in Luminos behind a paywall in Luminos Pro is not fair. Did you consider putting orbit and land for bodies outside of the Solar System behind the paywall and leaving the Solar System as it is in Luminos? I can see you’ve worked hard on Luminos and to my mind, your continued work is worth a subscription. But putting features from the original app behind the paywall on the replacement app is not fair and I think you know that. On a side note, John if this is your business, act like it. I wrote a review pointing out that Luminos customers paid for a product that you are discontinuing and that you’ve moved features like orbit and land behind the subscription paywall in Luminos Pro, the product you are replacing Luminos with. Instead of engaging with my legitimate concerns like an adult, you threw a fit. People read these reviews and you come across as a jerk in your response. Your app and I suspect you are better than this. Edited - Response to the developer’s second response. John, it is unclear to me why you called me a liar in your first response, saying that Luminos is “supported and all the features I put in it are still working” and that “Nothing in the old app was moved behind a paywall” but then you say in your second response that “I don’t owe you an app for life” with the App Store Luminos page saying that “This is an old version of Luminos and it will be discontinued in 2023. This app is being replaced by Luminos Pro”. Instead of engaging with my question, you simply called me a liar again. Your own words indicate that I am not lying. Luminos will be discontinued. Luminos Pro will replace it. Features that were included in Luminos, the app that is being discontinued, are behind the subscription paywall in Luminos Pro, the app that is replacing it. Again, I will ask: have you considered putting orbit and land for bodies outside of the Solar System behind the paywall and leaving the Solar System as it is in Luminos? Would you please engage with my concerns instead of just calling names? As I noted above you’ve worked hard on Luminos and to my mind, your continued work is worth a subscription, but I am concerned that you’ve moved features that came included in the purchase price of Luminos, behind the paywall on Luminos Pro. Would you rather conduct this conversation by email rather than in public? I am concerned that your public responses will give a bad impression of yourself and the great work you’ve done with Luminos and the level of customer support that can be expected with Luminos Pro. Edited - Response to the developer’s third response. John, I politely asked if you would rather continue this conversation in private with a view towards removing this review from Luminos Pro’s page in the App Store. Rather than engaging in a civil conversation like adults, you continue to call me a liar who expects to be coddled. All that despite my explaining in initial review and each of the subsequent edits that I don’t disagree with your subscription model. It took you, three responses to explain that you were planning on updating Luminos through iOS 16? Thank you for finally addressing that issue. Could you have done so in your first response instead of calling me a liar? Instead of engaging with me as a responsible business owner, you insist on being rude and condescending to a paying customer. I didn’t ask you to “fawn” over me. I asked legitimate questions and you responded with invective like a petulant child and until your most recent response, no explanation. I wish you the best of luck with Luminos Pro, but in view of your continuing rudeness, I’m content to end this conversation with you and leave this review here with your responses. If you expect customers to enter into a continuing financial relationship with you, it is fair that they get to see the kind of person that they will have to deal with, if any issue arises. Clear skies and best wishes. Edited - The developer is lying. He removed his rude responses that avoided most of my questions. Be careful who you trust with your money.