Calca

I had more or less given up the wait for another update of Calca, the markdown-capable text editor that can do math. It‘s been two years since the last update, with no support for the iPhone X screen in sight.

Last week, finally, that long-awaited update rolled in. According to the version history provided by the iOS App Store, the update comes with just two changes: support for iOS 11 (?) and the iPhone X‘s screen.

That seems … a bit … meager for the first update in two years, and I’d totally have some topics on a feature list that I’d like Calca to implement. But on the other hand, my wishes are mostly about usability1, as the core app is already crazy powerful.

I use Calca surprisingly often, it has earned a stable place on my homescreen2. It’s my go-to calculator for everything from dec-hex conversion, currency and VAT calculation, down to using the plot function to double-check my son’s homework.

And the best part is that you can write down the story of your calculation, with the calculation itself being an integral part of it.


  1. For example, a more powerful share functionality. At the moment, sharing a calculation is pretty much impossible apart from using the clipboard or mailing it via Mail.app. 
  2. A distinction that, quite frankly, no other app without iPhone X support ever managed to achieve so far. 
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