Pocket Whois for iPhone

Last week I launched Pocket Whois, a whois app for iPhone and iPod Touch; it’s available on the App Store for just $1.99 (scroll down to find out how to get the app for free). 

As a web developer, I use whois tools almost every day to check DNS settings, to find out whether a domain is available to register, or to see whether a registration has been processed. One of the things I’ve found difficult about other whois apps is that they show the whois information as-is — if you’ve ever seen raw whois data, you’ll know that it’s not exactly the easiest thing to understand (the way the data is presented varies too, which doesn’t make things any easier). So my goal with Pocket Whois was to build an app which shows whois data clearly and consistently.

I also wanted to build an app which non-technical folk can use to check domain availability. The idea here was that while some users want the full whois information straight up, many users actually just want to see whether a domain is registered (with the option to see the full information too, of course).

So, what features does Pocket Whois provided for the discerning iPhone user?

  • clear presentation
  • complete whois data
  • bookmarking (save domains for reference)
  • exporting (send whois data by email)
  • “web check”: find out how (or if) a domain is being used

Pocket Whois is also (as fas as I know) the only whois app which can explain why whois searches fail. For example, the app will handle a search for example.ar by explaining that the .ar registrar only allows web-based searches; on other apps this search would fail without explanation.

It’s early days for this app, but I’ve got big plans: I want to build a domain information tool which is powerful and user-friendly. If you’re using Pocket Whois and would like to help shape the development of future versions, drop me an email at support@pocketwhoisapp.com — I reply to everything personally. The same email can be used to get support, or to report bugs.

If you’re looking for a simple, intelligent whois app for iPhone, you should checkout Pocket Whois now. Thanks for reading :)

[Get the app for free: if you’d like to write about Pocket Whois on your website or blog, email me at the address above and I’ll arrange for you to have a free copy of the app for review purposes. All you need to do is post an honest review of the app on your website.]