WaterMinder 5.1 Delivers a Ground-Up Redesign of Its Apple Watch App and More

Today, there are a lot of apps that track hydration, but for me, the standard-bearer for the category has always been and remains WaterMinder by Funn Media. The app has evolved a lot since we first covered it in 2016, but what hasn’t changed is its emphasis on fast data entry, a … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

iPad Air 2022 Review: Refined Balance

The new iPad Air. The last time I wrote about the iPad Air in October 2020, I explained how its fourth-generation model intrigued me again. A year and a half later, here I am, once again fascinated by the iPad Air, captivated by its hybrid nature caught between a base model iPad … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

AppStories, Episode 264 – Apple Event Impressions: The New iPad Air, Mac Studio, and Studio Display

This week on AppStories, we cover our first impressions of the iPad Air, Mac Studio, and Studio Display, including Federico’s thoughts on where the Air fits into the iPad lineup and John’s take on what to keep in mind when customizing a Mac Studio. [subscribe_to_appstories] On Ap … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

Tripsy 2.10 Adds Web-Based Itineraries and Expanded Travel Email Forwarding

Tripsy is my favorite travel app because it’s not just about getting from Point A to Point B. To me, the app defines the difference between trips and travel. Lots of apps can track travel information about your flights or show you where your hotel is on a map. Tripsy can do those … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

macOS 12.3: The Magic of Universal Control and More

macOS 12.3 Monterey has arrived, delivering Universal Control, the long-awaited feature that allows users to transition between Macs and iPads with a single set of input devices. Federico is covering the feature from the perspective of iPadOS 15.4, so I’ll focus on the Mac. In ad … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

iOS and iPadOS 15.4: Hands-On with Universal Control, Face ID with a Mask, and More

Today, Apple released iOS and iPadOS 15.4. The fourth major updates to iOS and iPadOS 15, originally released in September 2021, offer a long list of miscellaneous improvements and feature tweaks (which I will detail later in the story) as well as two major additions for iPad and … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

Last Week, on Club MacStories: A Special Apple Event Town Hall, ShareMenu 2.0, a Typefully Shortcut, and a Home Office with a View

Because Club MacStories now encompasses more than just newsletters, we’ve created guide to the past week’s happenings along with a look at what’s coming up next: Town Hall: Apple’s Peek Performance Event Last week, Federico, John, and Alex were joined by MacStories Discord modera … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

Textastic: Code Editor and SFTP Client for iPad and iPhone [Sponsor]

Textastic is the most comprehensive and versatile text and code editor available for iPad and iPhone. This starts with syntax highlighting support for more than 80 programming and markup languages: Textastic handles highlighting for C, C++, Swift, Objective-C, Rust, Go, Java, HTM … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

MacStories Unwind: A.P. Bio and House by Shout Out Louds

[audio_player src=”https://cdn.simplecast.com/audio/0de98bba-5e4d-4879-94dc-8c76a3a88322/episodes/bb27c15d-8053-4569-a6b1-6a47e8dc413f/audio/c6dfe558-d335-447a-bd5f-59b59554fac2/default_tc.mp3” mime_type=”audio/mpeg” total_duration=”00:15:56” caption=”“] [subscribe_to_unwind] Thi … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

Logger Is the Missing Console for Shortcuts Power Users

Logger for Shortcuts. Indie developer Alex Hay has long pushed the boundaries of what third-party developers can build with the SiriKit framework and Shortcuts integrations on Apple platforms. In late 2019, his Toolbox Pro app redefined what it means to complement Apple’s Shortcu … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

The Shift in Apple’s Hardware Strategy

John Porter writing for The Verge puts a finger on a strategic shift that has slowly been emerging at Apple for a while. Summoning the era of butterfly keyboards and the Mac Pro’s infamous thermal corner, Porter says: There was a time not long ago when it seemed like Apple spent … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

Jason Snell on the Implications of Apple’s Major League Baseball Deal

If you came away from yesterday’s Apple event with the impression that TV+ will be airing two Major League Baseball games every Friday, you wouldn’t be wrong. However, there’s a lot more to the story than meets the eye, as Jason Snell explains at Six Colors. In addition to a two- … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

Mac Studio, M1 Ultra, and Apple Studio Display: The MacStories Overview

Yesterday during their Peek Performance keynote event, Apple unveiled the Mac Studio and Apple Studio Display. The former is an all-new computer joining the Mac lineup, with specs that are blowing away Apple’s previous offerings due to the introduction of a new top-of-the-line M- … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

Apple’s ‘Peek Performance’ Event: All The Small Things

Today, Apple covered a lot of ground quickly, and as usual, more details have emerged in the aftermath of the event. We’ve been combing apple.com, Twitter, and other sources to learn more about its new services, iPhones, iPads, Mac Studio, and Studio Display, which we’ve collecte … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

Apple’s New iPad Air Adds the M1 Chip, Center Stage Support, and 5G Connectivity

Today’s Peek Performance Apple event included a new iPad Air that replaces the model that was released in the fall of 2020 and features an M1 chip, 5G connectivity, and an Ultra Wide front-facing camera. The new Air comes in five colors: Space Gray, Starlight, pink, purple, and b … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

Apple’s ‘Peek Performance’ Event: By the Numbers

As usual, Apple sprinkled facts, figures, and statistics throughout its presentation today. Here are highlights of some of those metrics from the event that was held online from Apple Park in Cupertino, California. iPhone SE 5G connectivity 64, 128, and 256GB storage capacities 4 … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

Apple Unveils the Latest Iteration of iPhone SE with an A15 Bionic Chip and 5G

Today, Apple updated its budget-model iPhone SE with a new A15 Bionic chip, 5G connectivity, better battery life, and other modern iPhone features. As with the previous model, the new SE comes in three colors: Midnight, Starlight, and (Product)RED. With the new A15 Bionic chip, A … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

Replay Apple’s Peek Performance Keynote and Other Videos

If you didn’t follow the livestream or announcements as they unfolded today, you can replay it on Apple’s Events site and catch the product videos on Apple’s YouTube channel. The keynote video can be streamed here and on the Apple TV using the TV app. A high-quality version will … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

Apple’s ‘Peek Performance’ Event – Apple Announces Availability of Green iPhones, iPhone SE, iPad Air, Mac Studio, and Studio Display

Apple announced the following pre-order and availability dates for the products announced today: iPhone 13 and 13 mini in Green and the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max in Alpine Green Pre-Order: Friday, March 11thAvailability: Friday, March 18thLocations: Australia, Canada, China, Fran … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

AppStories, Episode 263 – Beyond Doom Scrolling: Getting More Out of Twitter

This week on AppStories, Federico and John talk about how to get more out of Twitter while avoiding doom scrolling, through a combination of advanced Twitter features, third-party apps, and Shortcuts. [subscribe_to_appstories] On AppStories+, Federico and John talk about the upco … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

Last Week, on Club MacStories: Symlinks for Windows and macOS, File Organization Tips, Batch-Converting Saved Timers, and an Upcoming ‘Peek Performance’ Town Hall

Because Club MacStories now encompasses more than just newsletters, we’ve created a guide to the past week’s happenings along with a look at what’s coming up next: Monthly Log: February 2022 Federico shared how he’s using symbolic links to sync his Dolphin emulator saves across W … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

Nintendo Switch Online 2.0 Gets a Redesign and Adds a Few New Features

Since it debuted, Nintendo Switch Online’s utility has been primarily limited to initiating voice chats and other online features in the Switch games that support them. That’s still the core of version 2.0, but the app has been redesigned and adds a couple of nice new features. T … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

Take Your Business Out Of The Dark With Daylite [Sponsor]

For small businesses, it can be difficult to stay on top of clients, leads, and projects that are evolving every day. Here’s how Daylite can help supercharge your team to shine brighter, handle more clients, close more deals, and execute more projects. Designed for Mac, iPhone, a … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

MacStories Unwind: Elden Ring and Kimi

[audio_player src=”https://cdn.simplecast.com/audio/0de98bba-5e4d-4879-94dc-8c76a3a88322/episodes/b7aeae5f-44eb-4bd9-ba4b-6cdbe5bb2225/audio/6e6a12d5-0431-4632-a149-307442a36f1e/default_tc.mp3” mime_type=”audio/mpeg” total_duration=”00:24:01” caption=”“] [subscribe_to_unwind] Thi … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

Apple Announces March 8th Online Event

As tweeted by Federico, Apple has announced an online media event for March 8th, 2022 at 10:00 am Pacific: https://twitter.com/viticci/status/1499067678211948552 Based on the latest speculation and rumors, Apple is expected to introduce a revision of the iPhone SE and iPad Air. O … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

OutlineEdit 3 Offers a Fast, Keyboard-Driven Way to Outline Your Thoughts

One of my earliest MacStories reviews was of OutlineEdit 1.0, a Mac-only outlining app that caught my eye with its attention to the kind of details that are a must for creating carefully structured outlines quickly. Version 3.0 recently landed on the Mac App Store and at its core … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

AppStories, Episode 262 – 2022 Apple Hardware Predictions

This week on AppStories, we survey the many Apple hardware rumors circulating and take a stab at predicting the new hardware we’ll see in 2022. [subscribe_to_appstories] On AppStories+, Federico and John share their favorite features of the Mac launcher app Raycast, which John re … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

Last Week, on Club MacStories: Voting on the Next AV Club Pick, a Tip for Avoiding Accidental Lock Screen Activations, Utility Shortcuts for Mac, and a New Episode of Unplugged

Because Club MacStories now encompasses more than just newsletters, we’ve created a guide to the past week’s happenings along with a look at what’s coming up next: AV Club Voting Begins Don’t forget to vote for the latest AV Club pick in the Club MacStories+ Discord. Head to the … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

Tweetbot 7.1 Adds Background Notifications for Follows, Quotes, and User Tweets

We’ve been keeping an eye on Tapbots’ rapid development pace for Tweetbot on iPhone and iPad over the past few months (we gave Tweetbot 6 a MacStories Selects award in December), and I continue to be impressed by how Tweetbot is growing and adding new features thanks to its new b … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

Prizmo: Pro Scanner App with OCR, Pencil Annotation, PDF & DOCX Export [Sponsor]

Prizmo is a fully-featured scanner app for iOS and Mac that lets you capture documents and receipts, turning them into professional PDFs that you can share, archive, annotate, fill out as forms, or sign with the Apple Pencil or your finger. The app is perfect for scanning busines … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

MacStories Unwind: Horizon Forbidden West

[audio_player src=”https://cdn.simplecast.com/audio/0de98bba-5e4d-4879-94dc-8c76a3a88322/episodes/cc6d5d36-8dfc-4f25-a9f4-fc223cf2e0cc/audio/4d39bbc6-100a-425a-a588-c0d537ca5cea/default_tc.mp3” mime_type=”audio/mpeg” total_duration=”00:33:30” caption=”“] [subscribe_to_unwind] Thi … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

AppStories, Episode 261 – Shortcuts Code Injection and 10 Innovations Apple Should Adopt from Third-Party Apps

This week on AppStories, Federico explains his experiments with injecting code into shortcuts before he and John cover ten innovations from third-party apps that they would like to see Apple adopt in its system apps and OSes. [subscribe_to_appstories] On AppStories+, John updates … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

Last Week, on Club MacStories: The Matrix Movies Town Hall, Shortcuts Code Injection, Scheduling and Remotely Triggering Shortcuts on the Mac, and a New App Discount

Because Club MacStories now encompasses more than just newsletters, we’ve created guide to the past week’s happenings along with a look at what’s coming up next: AV Club Town Hall, The Matrix Movies AV Club is a monthly event held in the Club MacStories+ Discord community. Club m … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

UpNote: A Clean and Powerful Note-Taking App Across Platforms [Sponsor]

UpNote packs extraordinary power into a clean, delightful design that makes it a pleasure to take notes. Crafted to make focused note-taking effortless wherever you are, UpNote combines its beautiful, streamlined interface with powerful tools that use the latest technologies on e … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

MacStories Unwind: Only Murders in the Building, Lucifer on the Sofa, and Good Girls

[audio_player src=”https://cdn.simplecast.com/audio/0de98bba-5e4d-4879-94dc-8c76a3a88322/episodes/83b79f08-85c5-42e5-b83b-f1aa71e7e9fa/audio/5d3527db-24d6-425a-95d9-ce0886e732da/default_tc.mp3” mime_type=”audio/mpeg” total_duration=”00:21:10” caption=”“] [subscribe_to_unwind] Thi … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

MacStories Unwind: It’s All About the Picks

It’s hard to believe that we’re already closing in on the 100th episode of MacStories Unwind, part of an experiment that we launched in the spring of 2020, just as lockdowns were taking hold around the globe. Unwind grew organically from the music, movie, TV show, videogame, and … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

Obscura 3 Takes the App’s Design in a New Direction

I’ve been following Ben McCarthy’s journey with Obscura since the app first launched in 2015, watching the app as it has evolved alongside changes to Apple’s camera hardware. Camera apps pose unique design challenges, especially for camera apps like Obscura, which has consistentl … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

Steve Troughton-Smith on Mac Catalyst’s Shortcomings

Steve Troughton-Smith has spent a lot of time with Mac Catalyst, developing Mac versions of Broadcasts and Pastel, as well as an extensive library of sample code for other developers. As Troughton-Smith explains in a post on his website, Mac Catalyst has come a long way since it … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

AppStories, Episode 260 – Shortcuts Wish List, 2022 Edition

This week on AppStories, This week, Federico and John revisit their 2021 Shortcuts wishes to see what came true and share a long list of additional ways they’d like to see the app evolve in 2022. [subscribe_to_appstories] On AppStories+, John makes the case for a shelf for Univer … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

Last Week, on Club MacStories: Parsing Shortcuts as XML and JSON, Apps That Extend Apple Apps, Safari Tips, and Developer Interviews

Because Club MacStories now encompasses more than just newsletters, we’ve created a guide to the past week’s happenings along with a look ahead to what’s next: MacStories Weekly: Issue 307 Federico shares how to parse shortcuts as XML and JSON, a technique that’s at the heart of … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

TextSniper: Capture Any Uncopyable Text [Sponsor]

If you’ve ever been frustrated by text you come across that you can’t copy, you need TextSniper, the premier Mac utility for copying the uncopyable. Whether you’re working with photos, screenshots, apps, videos, or materials from webinars or online meetings that include uncopyabl … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

MacStories Unwind: The Video Game History Hour and Playing Classic Games with the Dolphin Emulator

[audio_player src=”https://cdn.simplecast.com/audio/0de98bba-5e4d-4879-94dc-8c76a3a88322/episodes/b1258e21-5935-449e-ac07-a786c46dd40d/audio/7f170bfe-b1d2-4dbd-a0c4-624e913ec237/default_tc.mp3” mime_type=”audio/mpeg” total_duration=”00:31:29” caption=”“] [subscribe_to_unwind] Thi … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

Apple Releases a Statement on Its Efforts to Deter The Misuse of AirTag and the Find My Network

Apple has released a statement about its efforts to prevent unwanted tracking using AirTags. The company’s statement outlines its cooperation with law enforcement to apprehend people who have misused AirTags and details the steps it is taking to improve AirTags and the Find My ne … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

AppStories, Episode 259 – New Apps We Are Trying or Revisiting (Part 2)

This week on AppStories, we conclude our tour of new apps we are trying for the first time or revisiting. [subscribe_to_appstories] On AppStories+, we highlight our favorite changes coming to iOS and iPadOS 15.4 and macOS 12.3, including Face ID With a Mask, Universal Control, an … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

Tweetbot 7 Adds Back the App’s Stats View and Includes New Themes

Over three years ago, Tweetbot removed the app’s stats view as a result of Twitter API changes. Today, that view is back in Tweetbot 7 for the iPhone and iPad, thanks to the social media company’s increased willingness to open its platform to third-party developers like Tapbots. … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

Contactless Payments Are Coming to the iPhone

Today, Apple announced Tap to Pay, a new contactless payment option coming later this year for the iPhone XS and later. According to Apple’s press release: Tap to Pay on iPhone will be available for payment platforms and app developers to integrate into their iOS apps and offer a … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

Fantastical 3.6 Adds In-App Scheduling and Quarter View

Calendar app Fantastical has added new and redesigned scheduling features that should improve short-term and long-term event planning for many of its users. Openings is a brand new feature for letting others know when they can schedule time on your calendar. Fantastical’s Calendl … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago

Play: A Fantastic Utility for Saving and Organizing YouTube Videos for Later

Today, Marcos Tanaka released Play, an iPhone, iPad, and Mac app for saving links to YouTube videos for later. The app doesn’t save the videos themselves. Instead, it saves their URLs, along with metadata, making it easy to organize, sort, filter, and rediscover videos that might … | Continue reading


@macstories.net | 2 years ago