PCalc gains new Apple Watch complication, eight-line mode on iPad Pro and lots more

PCalc 3.5.3 for iOS app icon full size

PCalc, arguably the most powerful App Store calculator for scientists, engineers, students, programmers or anybody looking for a feature rich calculator, has received a fresh new icon and more features as part of today’s update in the App Store.

For starters, the app’s now fully compatible with iOS 9 and watchOS 2. If you own an Apple Watch, you can now quickly access PCalc via a complication.

On the iPad Pro, a new eight-line mode is now available and you now specify certain settings like RPN mode and number of decimal places separately for the app, watch and widget.

The brand new icon for PCalc can be seen top of post.

“I’ve unified the design of all the icons across all the different platforms PCalc runs on,” said Glasgow, Scotland-based PCalc developer James Thomson. “The old icons were getting a bit tired and didn’t fit in as well with the OS, especially on the Mac, and these are modern and easily recognizable.”

In the watch app, there’s a new handy section for converting units. The watch and widget settings now have their separate sections and the display mode setting is now used by the watch and widget.

PCalc for watchOS Apple Watch screenshot

You also get the ability to specify E notation for the main display rather than using superscript numbers and the refreshed app makes the behavior of the delete key more sensible when you are dealing with decimals and exponents.

Those who own an iPhone 6s will be delighted to learn that not only does PCalc support 3D Touch icon shortcuts for quick access to its functionality, but also lets you configure the shortcuts to your liking using the in-app settings interface.

PCalc 3.5.3 release notes

Here’s the full list of fixes, refinements and new features in PCals 3.5.3:

  • Added a unit conversion section to the Apple Watch app.
  • Added a watch complication to quickly access the Apple Watch app.
  • Added a quick “Reset All Buttons…” command to the layout editing alert if there are any changes.
  • Added a warning the very first time you try to switch on RPN mode.
    Changed the number entry and delete key behaviour to be more sensible for decimals and exponents.
  • You can now have eight lines of display on a horizontal iPad Pro.
  • You can now specify certain settings like RPN mode and number of decimal places separately for the app, watch, and widget.
  • The display mode setting is now used by the watch and widget.
  • Moved the watch and widget settings into separate new sections.
  • Fixed a problem with the theme resetting to “Samurai” if you used the automatic night theme option.
  • Fixed a problem with the minus sign not always displaying properly with the LCD digit style.
  • Fixed a problem with hiding the status bar when running in split-screen.
  • Fixed a problem emailing the tape or registers when you 3D Touch the display to peek at them.
  • Fixed a problem with the “Use Animations” accessibility setting not applying to the splashscreen.
  • Fixed a problem with VoiceOver for the tape, registers, and RPN stack.
  • Fixed a problem with existing numbers not being pushed to the RPN stack when starting a new one with the decimal or “Exp” keys.
  • Fixed a problem with Handoff from the Apple Watch.

The full list of changes is available at the official website.

This update is provided at no charge to existing users of the app.

Availability

PCalc is English-only and requires an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad with iOS 7.0 or later. The watch edition, which lets you run calculations on your wrist, requires an Apple Watch with watchOS 2 or later.

To use PCalc on your Apple TV, search for ‘PCalc’ in the tvOS App Store.

PCalc is $9.99 in the App Store.