Will Adobe Sketch and the other mobile apps be available on Android?

[Nicole Mead]

I love the idea of a mobile digital sketch pad but I don't own anything other than Android products. Are Android users going to have to bite the bullet and buy a tablet they don't want for a program they do or, will there be a light at the end of this tunnel with apps for everyone to fully enjoy?

[The Jayster]

Thank you floramc - and most certainly you may! That's a great idea.

Thanks for all your attention and feedback in the forum as well!

[Dane Morgan]

Not to beat the dead horse over much, but as it's been stated that the dissatisfaction and frustration expressed here are reportes up the chain, I must offer mine.

I'm seriously disappointed over the lack of Android tools when I pay the same monthly fee for my CC subscription as do the Apple users.

It was a ray of hope when Lightroom was released, but really, that too was a disappointment. I suppose when I get lolipop lightroom on my Android will make more of a difference to me, but there are so many great tools out there in the iOS store that have such a wider use case. And then it just stopped again. No indication as to whether Adobe is even working on development for Android or intends to any further.

[floramc]

It is important that you express your frustration.

For everybody:

Check this

Photoshop Express for Android and the CreativeSDK! | In Flagrante Delicto!

[War Unicorn]

Creative Cloud for Android was finally "unlocked" as well for 7 inch tablets. (I managed to snag it when it was first released before it got locked down for a certain set of devices.) Works well for what it does--Creative Cloud assets management.

[zarrdave]

Oooo, floramc, you tease! 

Shame its not from an official source though so still speculative info.

Can you hurry the team up to give us more official information please? We appreciate any crumbs you can give us though.

[floramc]

Joseph IS an official source

[zarrdave]

"Joseph Labrecque is primarily employed by the University of Denver as a senior interactive software engineer specializing in the creation of expressive desktop, web, and mobile solutions. He is also the proprietor of Fractured Vision Media, LLC. Joseph is an Adobe Education Leader and Adobe Community Professional."

Sorry, I assumed from the paragraph as a whole that his role wasn't "official", more on the peripheral as a freelancer than an insider at the company. Last line gives him Kudos but may not necessarily know what's really going on.

[floramc]

Joseph and I are both Adobe Community Professionals, as such, we are not really allowed to speculate or share misleading information. He is also one of the most active brains inside the community preaching for the Android development, he's more on "your side" than you can imagine.

No need to be sorry, it's an occasion to explain that although we do not belong to the staff and don't claim to belong to the staff either, we are too people who take as extremely important the role of communicators and we both share gladly whatever information we have that can improve the relationship between the users and the company.

Joseph is a very sharp professional, what he says must be taken as a news from a very reliable source.

[zarrdave]

Thanks for the update, floramc. Kudos to you both and no disrespect to either of you intended. We appreciate your communication and explanations and can see you only want to help. Please keep them coming.

I suspect a large majority of frustration is aimed at the Adobe "staff" themselves for perceived lack of info & care for their customers rather than relying on yourself and Joseph to bridge the gap. Not fair to leave you both to do their roles really, but still appreciated.

Thanks.

[floramc]

The "staff" are actually human beings under contract . We don't do their role: their role is to sit inside the company and work on developing the tools.

Community Professionals AKA Community Leaders' role is to sit here and listen to you, sit on their blogs and sites and update as soon as we have something to share. That is why we are asked to be Community Professionals - I think it is very fair, indeed. We are happy to be here and listen. We are less happy when people spit on our faces for no reasons at all. We understand, share and communicate your frustration as much as we appreciate, communicate and embrace your gratitude for our commitment.

[zarrdave]

Apologies. By "staff" I meant no disrespect. To clarify, I meant people with "Staff" badges like post number 4, "Will Eisley, Product Manager". He posted an initial comment which I'm sure others were waiting for more updates from him.

I'm unfamiliar with your role and badge, so appreciate your explanation. I think we're all assuming that's the expected official to respond to our concerns but appreciate now that your knowledge is official too.

Thanks.

[floramc]

No harm in that, I am happy to explain, and hopefully be a good reference.  

WIll, who is a very humble and friendly person, is too very busy and absolutely not ignoring your complaints. None of us does, many of us complain too. Consider this period a transiction and the android experience a work in progress. It is not forgotten, we just share news when there are news to share.

Keep on posting, users' opinion matters.

[KateyBut]

I am a new CC complete user. I was sooooooooo disappointed when I went to DL the mobile apps, Adobe says is available, only to find out they were not available for Android. I have the Samsung Note Pro with built in Wacom pen that blows any IPad out of the water (no offense to IPad lovers).

It just does not seem logical at all that Adobe has placed such a low priority on Android.

I also feel that paying the same amount as other users who have access to more apps etc seems somewhat lopsided at the very least.

I do have the CC app installed now and that is helpful for uploading any photos etc. The Photoshop Touch is a pretty decent app too.

Keep them coming Adobe

I love my Photoshop and Illustrator and I am looking forward to when Adobe develops apps that will sync seamlessly with my Note Pro. (and phone)

[gchristo27]

I just wanted to add that I too am interested in an answer to this question and I am frustrated with Adobe's decision to pull Android apps from CC and only develop mobile apps for Apple. I love Adobe products, but the non support of Android OS makes me feel like they are alienating themselves from a large part of their customer base, and by Adobe's response to this thread so far, it seems they don't care. It would be nice to get a straight answer, as mentioned previously, whether Adobe plans on ever developing mobile apps for Android or not.

[Dawnsy84]

I really can't see where the problem is here Adobe THEMSELVES make software you can use to build iOS AND Android apps on! So you can publish easily on both platforms!!! So what the hell is the problem Adobe!?!?!?! Get your act together, Android have a larger worldwide base than iOS and also better hardware in some cases like my galaxy note with wacom pressure sensitivity stylus! People like my self that don't follow the "Apple sheep" pay you a lot of money every month and frankly I feel extremely short changed!

[floramc]

‌Dawny84, I understand your frustration, but please remember that one can be right, but being unpleasant makes your observations just nasty.

People buy different platforms for different reasons, as you would feel offended to be called sheep, or whatever else, for your choices, don't put labels on others. We who work 50-50 on both platforms are still a minority and enjoy the qualities of both ways.

Adobe produces hardware too and their tools are pretty neat, although I work with and love my wacom too.

[Dawnsy84]

I'm sorry I don't understand what you mean by 'but please remember one can be right' ?? 

I'm sorry if you interpreted my comment as 'unpleasant and nasty' that was not my intention and to be honest I don't take anything or mean anything nasty by it it was simply an observation that a lot of people follow the crowd, and equally some don't. A lot of people bought an iphone and/or ipad and now through habit perpetually buy them, however android users will generally pick the hardware which suits their needs best - again merely on observation not a critisism. I own a number of different products including apple ones so I am in no way an Apple hater.

I am actually a little annoyed you felt the need to jump so eagerly on the comment I made and condemn it as there is no malice in it whatsoever!

And you say you work 50:50 on both platforms where is the evidence? Why are there countless new iOS versions and nothing on Android - Lightroom excepted. (A few years ago when I first subscribed to CC I also purchased collage and proto etc I dont feel I got my monies worth there either as they were quickly pulled and then unsupported.)

[floramc]

‌i don't know what kind of evidence you may need, a picture of me on windows? I have been a ps trainer for 5 years solely on pc, I am actually having a 8h workshop between tomorrow and Friday, but this is out of topic.

You really don't need to label Mac users that is something I am not planning to back off, I am not on you, those are comments that are just not acceptable. For the rest you are welcome to express all your disappointment as everybody else.

[zarrdave]

Seems there's crossed wires between you (floramc) and Dawny84.

Dawny84, to clarify, floramc I think was talking about HER being 50:50 to working on all platforms, in other words she enjoys the benefits of apple/ Android and PC/ Mac platforms equally, and her loyalties are split fairly between them. I think you understood her comment to mean that she was saying ADOBE is treating Apple & Android users as equals.

The rest of your comments I'll leave you to clear up between you though.

[Peter Villevoye]

Jumping into the discussion, without having the time to have read all posts in this discussion, so I'm out here on a limb 😉

Rest assured, i.m.h.o. most of these new and fresh Adobe apps for mobile devices are still in their infancy. Actually, I think they're not worth working with or even trying, because they are far from intuitive, smart, clear, consistent, or even functional. I hope Adobe product and development departments are still searching for a much better or really good way to work with these apps, before spreading their wings to other platforms (like Android).

It is unbelievable how awkward all these apps and their CC services work (or at least should work, if they're not eternally spinning, spinning, spinning...) It's a complete mess ! At least I lost control: app clippings, clip boards, favorites, libraries, albums, and these are just the CC inroads (which are supposed to work). Try to use the iOS' own features and services to work with these apps, and you're set for total disaster. A simple Copy must be found under some "Sharing" menu, and where the simple Paste goes, is still a mystery to me. Before you know it, you have multiple stuff stored all over your device, but you're never sure whether any of it will work together or not.

Most interfaces are also utterly clumsy, confusing, and sometimes even conflicting within one app, between other Adobe apps, and with many other paradigms and conventions we already learned on mobile platforms. Okay, certain apps are allowed to differ when there's a different thing happening. But too often a supposedly common technique or workflow is not shared among the apps.

My bet is that Adobe is trying too hard to build their very own eco system, letting us in too early, and without hooking up to what is already and commonly known, available, and in use.

So as an Android user, you're not really missing out on something very special here. It's the Second Rise of the Adobe Planet of the Apps, and if they don't get this act together, it will go down just as silently and unsuccessfully as their previous attempt to offer some creative tools on mobile devices. A thorough shake-up is required to prevent more mishap.

[War Unicorn]

From what I understand, Lightroom Mobile isn't too bad (if limited). It follows the Lightroom conventions as far as I can see. I actually like the idea of remotely tweaking documents without actually opening the document on the device itself.

The bad thing is that I'm a Camera Raw (and Bridge) acolyte. Lightroom is more or less a version of Camera Raw with a UI shell and cataloging. That's not a bad thing per se; it's excellent for photographers; it's just not for me.  

Both Creative Cloud and Photoshop Touch remain excellent apps, though. PS Touch for tablets just got a refresh (nothing major; mostly bug fixes), so they at least acknowledge it exists.    (Note that I'm talking Android; have no idea if the iOS version got an update.)

[Peter Villevoye]

Photoshop (and associated apps like Touch and Lightroom) is an eco-system on its own

But the rest of the new Adobe apps are breaking grounds in whole new territories.

I can imagine Adobe is treading this area lightly, and doesn't want or need to waltz into these environments with a slew of new apps which just don't cut it, yet. Apart from the costs to develop all this stuff in unison, Adobe sure would need to brace for impact because of all the extra trouble any development for Android ignites in general (being an open but also very fragmented platform). Patience, my dear.

On the other hand, I think they really need to speed up the iterations (or 'sprints' as they call it in Agile speak) of these new apps, because the evolution of any mobile platform is quicker than the updates of these apps. Maybe they're silently trying to not just follow but jump ahead in innovation ? I truly hope so...

[Nichod]

+1 to Android versions.

I own a iPad Air 2, and have used the various CC applications with a Adonit Jot Touch stylus, and while the experience works it's nothing compared to a Note with a true Wacom stylus. (or any Wacom, N-Trig, etc.)

I hope that Adobe will consider pushing forward with Android versions, and perhaps communicate with loyal subscribers. I was under the impression one major advantage of CC was that I would receive updates, and information frequently. I never understand hiding development. Who is your competition on Android that you are worried about? Are you concerned users will be outraged you are developing for Android? Honestly, if you are open, and outspoke we'll appreciate it. If delays are occurring...well communication what's going on. It's an open web, and users expect openness. 

[Peter Villevoye]

@Nichod: Adobe is a company – not an open source community or a GitHub or BaseCamp group. They're not obliged to let us in or inform us on any of their "behind the screens" developments or business strategies. Maybe that's what you'd like to have, but I'm afraid that's a no-go. However, if you're seriously interested in contributing, Adobe does have "pre-release" (beta) programs for most of their applications as well as some apps. Feel free to invite yourself to some of these 'closed' groups !

You're stating "users expect openness", but customers are also entitled to expect a stable and functional product. Putting development resources (R&D, staff, budget, etc.) into more versions for multiple platforms might be less rewarding and effective in this early stage of these new apps, than first working to 'get it right' on one platform and then spread it out to others.

[zarrdave]

Something tells me, I may be wrong though, with over 13,500 (2014) employees and $4+ billion (2013) in revenue, Adobe could do a little more on Android if they really wanted to make it happen. I'm sure they don't need to decide if they develop for one platform or another with those figures, I'm sure they could afford to do both, plus apps are never "finished" products, they evolve and get updated as problems and new features are introduced. I don't believe they need to "get it right" on one platform first, before they decide to discuss maybe, possibly, sort of trying to decide if they should do it for another. You don't make that much money over decades with so many employees without having a more logical business approach to this than they are showing now. I'm sure they could employ all the personal they needed to brainstorm and decide how to do this if they wanted to sort this out. They did, a few years back, and then the Android apps disappeared overnight. A few million dollars is small change to throw at this.

From Wikipedia about Android:

"As of July 2013^[update] the Google Play store has had over one million Android applications ("apps") published, and over 50 billion applications downloaded.^[11] A developer survey conducted in April–May 2013 found that 71% of mobile developers develop for Android.^[12] At Google I/O 2014, the company revealed that there were over one billion active monthly Android users, up from 538 million in June 2013.^[13] As of 2015^[update], Android has the largest installed base of all general-purpose operating systems."

None of the reasons raised in this forum should cause Adobe any problems enough to stop them developing Android apps, so I suspect there are more political reasons than we are party to at this time, and no matter how much we speculate, we will know when Adobe wish it to be known and no sooner.

Like most of the people on this forum that don't have a vested interest in Adobe, all we want is straight forward communication to explain in brief why there are so few Android equivalent versions of their apps that Apple users seem to enjoy whilst paying the same subscription price. It would also be good to hear if that will be addressed soon, and what Adobe are planning to do for Android users in the near future. I don't believe that to be an unreasonable request considering the importance of customer relations, or is it?