A New Fresh Cards Is Coming Soon

Fresh Cards 3

I’m very happy to confirm that the next major update will hit the App Store in 1–2 months (just in time for back‑to‑school). Here’s a quick rundown of why it’s taken longer than expected.

I began building Fresh Cards in spring 2020 and launched it that November. Its lightweight database and sync engine let me ship quickly and keep the app easy to maintain. However, that same simplicity made it hard to add a folder system or full Anki compatibility – features that many users had been asking for.

After years of supporting the original architecture, it became clear that a rewrite was necessary if I wanted to keep adding meaningful features.

In September 2024 I started a prototype for a new database and sync engine, aiming to add folders and Anki support on top. I expected a couple of months, but the scope quickly blew up: drag‑and‑drop across folders, the potential for thousands of Anki cards, new sync scenarios, and overall app performance all had to be taken into account.

I worked hard to make this new foundation correct from the outset so that I wouldn’t have to redesign it again later. That initial prototype led to months of iterative design, shaping the database schema and building an extensible base so that I could add future features like image occlusion and custom card types.

Today, 11 months after the first prototype, I’m nearly done, expecting to release this massive update some time in September.

Thank you for your patience and support. I know this update has been a long time coming. I’ll be posting more about the new features in the coming days, so stay tuned!