AppStories

This week on AppStories, John and Federico talk about Apple's new HomeView, the HomePod mini 2, and Apple TV 4K (4th gen).  Then for AppStories+ subscribers, Federico and John dive into the world decomped video games, with a warning for what's to come for developers on Apple's platforms. Also available on YouTube here. --- Sponsored By: Claude – Discover what's possible. Try Claude today. --- Links and Show Notes Apple HomeView Meet Apple HomeView: A New Way to Enjoy Entertainment and Manage the HomeApple Unveils HomeView: A Smart Home Display Powered by Siri AI HomePod mini 2 Apple Announces the Next Generation of HomePod MiniApple Reveals HomePod mini 2 with New Colors, Richer Sound, and Siri AI Apple TV 4K Apple unveils the new Apple TV 4K, supercharged by Siri AIThe Apple TV 4K Gets Siri AI, an A19 Chip, and a $299 Price Tag Apple Home Collection Introducing Apple Home Collection, a new lineup of smart home accessories Siri AI, iOS 27, and the AI Landscape Apple Is Slow-Rolling iOS 27 Adoption, So FarMeta's New Muse AI Agent App Overtakes ChatGPT as Top iPhone AppJohn Ternus on the cover of Time Streaming and Media Alternatives NVIDIA Shield TVMoonlightfx-upscale Apps Mentioned for HomeView Widgets and CarPlay OvercastPocket CastsCastroMercury Weather AppStories+ Show Notes Decompilation and Personal Software AI is mass decompiling games. That's both awesome and scaryXbox Encourages Recomp AI Craze With New Experimental Labs DivisionHopper DisassemblerNew on Google Play: More ways to create, discover, and play --- Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Social Media Federico is @viticci everywhereJohn is @johnvoorhees`everywhere Affiliate Linking Policy 

This week on AppStories, Federico and John start realizing the benefits of their attempt to automate all administrative tasks and explain why Apple's vague developer blog post about Full Disk Access and AI agents should concern all Mac users whether or not they use AI. On AppStories+, as John nears the finish line on his podcast production suite for the Mac, he explains how the project started and what it's done to improve his podcasting workflow. Also available on YouTube here. --- Sponsored By: Crickets: The First Alarm Clock for Families. For a limited time, get 50% off for 6 months with code MACSTORIES2026 by selecting Redeem on the app’s paywall. --- Links and Show Notes Apple's Full Disk Access Announcement Apple Announces Plan to Impose New Full Disk Access Controls on Mac DevelopersApple Developer Blog postMeta’s New Muse AI Agent Read My Private Messages. I Never Asked It ToMeta denies its Muse AI agent read a journalist's private messages Some Mac Utilities That Rely on Full Disk Access RaycastAlfredBloomSetappCleanMyMacDaisyDiskPixelmator Pro AppStories+ Post-Show Tools and services mentioned:RiversideTransistorLibsynLogic ProFinal Cut ProHushiZotope RXWhisper --- Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Social Media Federico is @viticci everywhereJohn is @johnvoorhees`everywhere Affiliate Linking Policy 

Meet Dot: OpenAI's Always On Agent This week on AppStories, John is back from OpenAI DevDay, so he and Federico cover the history of AI agents, the current landscape, and what OpenAI is doing with Dots.  On AppStories+, Federico provides a sneak peek at what's in store for his Reminders, Notes, and upcoming CLIs. Also available on YouTube here. Links and Show Notes AI Agents OpenAI Dots and DevDay 2026OpenAI launches Dots, its bubbly agentic avatar (TechCrunch)OpenAI’s Dots: A First Look Self Hosted AgentsOpenClawOpenClaw on GitHubHermes AgentOpenAI hires OpenClaw creator Peter SteinbergerHosted Agent CompetitorsMeta's Muse becomes App Store's hottest downloadGrok BotGrok Bot Brings Always-On AI Agents to macOS and iOSAppStories+ Post-Show: RemCTL: GitHubMacStories: Introducing RemCTL, the Power-User Reminders CLI for macOS and AI AgentsNotesCTL: Club MacStories downloadMacStories: NotesCTL, a Club MacStories Preview of Federico’s Advanced Apple Notes CLI ToolLeave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback FormFollow us on Social Media Federico is @viticci everywhereJohn is @johnvoorhees`everywhereAffiliate Linking Policy

This week on AppStories, John shares his favorite parts of macOS and watchOS 27 from his reviews of both. On AppStories+, Federico and John begin revisiting new their long lists of automation projects. Also available on YouTube here. Sponsored By: Scribe – AI-powered workflow documentation. Get your first month free.Links and Show Notes John's macOS and watchOS 27 Reviews macOS 27: The MacStories ReviewwatchOS 27: The MacStories ReviewAppStories+ Show Notes AI Agents and Cloud Development Claude Code ProjectsCursor Cloud AgentsMuse (Meta AI agent)Grok BotLocal AI on Mac Studio Qwen3.8 Flash NextXiaomi MiMo-V2.6MLXLM StudioDraw ThingsoMLXmlx-serveDwarfStarOpen MinisTailscaleLeave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback FormFollow us on Social Media Federico is @viticci everywhereJohn is @johnvoorhees`everywhereAffiliate Linking Policy

This week on AppStories, John interviews Federico about his review of the M5 Ultra Mac Studio and it local AI capabilities. On AppStories+, Federico takes listeners behind the scenes on how he tested the M5 Ultra Mac Studio. Also available on YouTube here. Sponsored By: Workbench: Remote desktop for AI agents and headless Mac minis. Free to use for 20 minutes/day.Claude – For problems worth solving — get started with Claude today.Links and Show Notes Running Local AI Models on Apple's Latest Macs M5 Ultra Mac Studio Review: The Dream Mac for Local AI AgentsApple Hardware Mac StudioMac miniStudio Display XDRLocal Models Qwen3.8-Flash-NextQwen3.8-27BDeepSeek-V4-FlashGLM-5.3-FlashCohere TranscribeQwen3-TTSQwen-Image-2.1Local Inference and Clustering oMLXexoAgent Apps and Tools Hermes AgentHermes Agent on GitHubOpen MinisCaduOpenAI Brings Computer Use to Codex App on WindowsFrontier Models and Workflow GPT-6 AstraClaude Fable 5.1Claude ProjectsArtificial Analysis Intelligence IndexElyxNVIDIA PC Comparison GeForce RTX 5090Lian Li A3-mATXNVIDIA DGX SparkAppStories+ Post-Show: A preview of how Federico used local AI models to support his iOS and iPadOS 27 review.Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback FormFollow us on Social Media Federico is @viticci everywhereJohn is @johnvoorhees everywhereAffiliate Linking Policy

This week Federico shares thoughts from his review of iOS and iPadOS 27. Then in the AppStories+ post-show, he explains how he used agents to support the production of the review and Club MacStories extras. Also available on YouTube here. Sponsored By: Granola – The AI notepad for back-to-back days. Try for 3 months, for free, with code MACSTORIES. Links and Show Notes iOS and iPadOS 27: The MacStories Review Federico's iOS and iPadOS 27 ReviewOur OS 27 Review Extras: eBooks, Shortcuts, and the Making of the iOS and iPadOS 27 ReviewOn AppStories Next Week: macOS 27: The MacStories ReviewwatchOS 27: The MacStories ReviewAppStories+ Post-Show: The Role Agents Played in Review ProductionLeave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback FormFollow us on Social Media Federico is @viticci everywhereJohn is @johnvoorhees`everywhereAffiliate Linking Policy

This week on AppStories, we celebrate the 500th episode of the show with a look at the App Store's past, present, and future. On AppStories+, Federico and John pick some of their all-time favorite apps. Also available on YouTube here. Sponsored By: Claude: For problems worth solving — get started with Claude today.Gentler Streak – Move consistently, not constantly. AppStories listeners get an extended two-week free trial with the link above.Shipaton, from RevenueCat: The world's biggest mobile hackathon for people who actually ship.Links and Show Notes App Store History The App Store at 10, MacStories' 2018 coverage of the App Store's 10th anniversaryApps Discussed From The Early App Store Era InstapaperTwitterrificSpotifyWhatsAppAI and the Modern App Store Inside OpenAI's Codex with Andrew Ambrosino (MacStories)AppStories+ Post-Show: All-Time Favorite Apps OvercastEditorialPythonista 3DraftsUnread: An RSS ReaderWorking CopyOpen MinisLaunch Center ProScreens 5: VNC Remote DesktopMercury WeatherCARROT WeatherAlyx Caffeine TrackerSequel Media TrackerLookUpChroniclingJaysonLeave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback FormFollow us on Social Media Federico is @viticci everywhereJohn is @johnvoorhees`everywhereAffiliate Linking Policy

This week on AppStories, Federico and John are joined by Andrew Ambrosino, the Codex team lead at OpenAI, to talk about the evolution of Codex, the unification of ChatGPT and Codex, Computer Use and Computer History, designing for user trust, and more. On AppStories+, Andrew shares some of his favorite Mac apps and his Mac origin story. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our Plans page, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Finalist – A paper-inspired daily planner with notes for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and now Apple Watch. A day you design your way. For 50% off your first year use this link. Links and Show Notes Inside OpenAI’s Codex With Andrew Ambrosino Introducing the Codex App (OpenAI) Codex CLI (GitHub) Codex Documentation (OpenAI Developers) ChatGPT Desktop App ChatGPT Work ChatGPT Is Now a Partner for Your Most Ambitious Work (OpenAI) Introducing ChatGPT Atlas (OpenAI) OpenAI Codex Lead on the New Shape of Product Work (Lenny’s Newsletter) Follow Andrew Ambrosino online Website X.com AppStories+ Post-Show Apps Mentioned: Things Craft Linear Sketch Figma Numbers Keynote Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Social Media Federico is @viticci everywhere John is @johnvoorhees`everywhere Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

This week on AppStories, John and Federico check in on Apple’s betas with a close look at the new Siri app and how it compares to past-Siri and other chatbot products. On AppStories+, John and Federico explain how they manage multiple Macs for automation and coding tasks. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our Plans page, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Finalist – A paper-inspired daily planner with notes for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and now Apple Watch. A day you design your way. For 50% off your first year use this link. Inoreader – Build your own newsfeed and cut through the noise. Links and Show Notes Beta Season macOS 27 Golden Gate iOS 27 Preview iPadOS 27 Preview macOS 27 Golden Gate: The MacStories Public Beta Preview Siri AI and Apple’s Trickle-Up Strategy Siri and Apple Intelligence Siri Apple Intelligence App Intents Chatbots and Models ChatGPT Improving GPT-5.6 Sol in ChatGPT and expanding access to GPT-5.6 Luna for free users Claude Claude Fable 5 and Claude Mythos 5 Gemini Grok Kimi K3 Open Minis Agents and Automation Claude Code Claude Cowork OpenAI Codex Shortcuts Playground RemCTL Local AI on the Mac MLX oMLX DeepSeek V4 Flash for MLX AppStories+ Post-Show: Multi-Mac Setup and Remote Access Tailscale Syncthing 1Password cmux Jump Desktop Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

This week, on AppStories, John is joined by Christoper Lawley to discuss uses for a folding iPhone and Parchment, Lawley’s daily agenda app. On AppStories+, John and Chris dig into audio and video workflows for podcasting and YouTube. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our Plans page, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Inoreader – Build Your Own Newsfeed and Cut Through the Noise Shipaton, from RevenueCat – The world’s biggest mobile hackathon for people who actually ship. Links and Show Notes The Foldable iPhone iPhone Fold: Everything We Know Logitech Keys-To-Go 2 Apple and the Creator Economy Apple Creator Studio Final Cut Pro for iPad Final Cut Camera Blackmagic Camera Pixelmator Pro Parchment and Other Agenda Apps Parchment: Agenda and Daily Note Parchment Christopher Lawley on YouTube Fantastical BusyCal EventKit TestFlight Automating Email and Support Spark Introducing Spark CLI: Your Inbox, Now Agent-Ready Codex Notion Follow Chris Lawley online YouTube Website Comfort Zone Parchment AppStories+ Post-Show Audio and Video Production Workflows Logic Pro Final Cut Pro Hush iZotope RX Clear Unsqueeze Detail FFmpeg Riverside Video on Apple Podcasts Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

This week on AppStories, Federico and John cover the app and agent experiments they’re both running. On AppStories+, John explores the sort of rapid workflow iteration enabled by agents. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our Plans page, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Inoreader – Build Your Own Newsfeed and Cut Through the Noise Shipaton, from RevenueCat: The world’s biggest mobile hackathon for people who actually ship. Links and Show Notes Summertime Projects John’s Logic to Final Cut Automation Logic Pro Final Cut Pro Riverside Federico Switches Email Clients Superhuman Spark ChatGPT Work Codex Federico Retests Dictation Apps Wispr Flow Monologue Aqua Voice Typeless Superwhisper T3 Code T3 Code T3 Code on GitHub Nerd Snipe with Theo and Ben John’s Research System Parallel Firecrawl Defuddle AppStories+ Post-Show: Advancing Voice Intelligence With New Models in the API (OpenAI) Desert Ant Labs Pokémon Red & Blue mod turns the classic RPG into a sick 3D voxel game Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

This week on AppStories, John and Federico discuss the changing face of the AI-fueled App Store and questionable changes made to TestFlight before going into the nerdiest details of Open Minis, an iOS app that brings desktop-class agents onto the iPhone and iPad. Then on AppStories+, Federico and John explore Cmux, a Mac terminal app with an iPhone and iPad beta that makes it easier than ever to sync coding projects across devices. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our Plans page, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Inoreader – Build Your Own Newsfeed and Cut Through the Noise Claude – For problems worth solving — get started with Claude today. Scribe – AI-powered workflow documentation. Get your first month free. Links and Show Notes App Store Chaos App Store Chaos See also: A.I. ‘Vibecoded’ Apps Are Flooding Apple’s App Store TestFlight Woes TestFlight: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back See also: Apple just improved TestFlight for users with a lot of beta apps Open Minis Open Minis Is the iOS Agent I Wish Siri AI Could Be AppStories+ Post-Show: Cmux Founder’s Edition ($30) includes iOS beta CLIProxyAPI Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

This week, on AppStories, Federico and John look at what Siri AI is good at, where it needs improvement, and where it might be heading. On AppStories+, the conversation expands to Federico and John’s experiences with the betas of macOS Golden Gate, iOS 27, and iPadOS 27. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our Plans page, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Daylite: The only made-for-mac CRM solution. Start your free trial today. Decagon: The AI concierge for every customer. Get a personalized demo. Links and Show Notes All About Siri AI Siri AI and Apple’s Trickle-Up Strategy Also: Apple introduces Siri AI, a profoundly more capable and personal assistant AppStories+ Post-Show: macOS 27 Golden Gate: The MacStories Public Beta Preview Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

This week on AppStories, Federico and John look at our experiences with Claude Fable 5 and how they differ from other models and break down the controversial changes made by OpenAI to its Mac’s ChatGPT app. Then on AppStories+, John and Federico contrast their experiences with Fable 5 and OpenAI’s new family of GPT 5.6 models. Also available on YouTube here or download the transcript here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our Plans page, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Daylite: The only made-for-Mac CRM solution. Start your free trial today. Links and Show Notes App State Appalachian State University Anthropic’s Claude Fable 5 Claude Fable What did OpenAI Do to ChatGPT? The New ChatGPT The ChatGPT “Super App” Sort of Super Sucks AppStories, Episode 483: Codex as a Productivity Super App AppStories+ Post-Show GPT 5.6 Announcement Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

This week on AppStories, Federico and John talk about the 10+ email apps they’ve used over the years and how their strategies for dealing with recent spikes in email volume has caused them to change their approaches. On AppStories+, Federico and John update listeners on their summertime agentic coding projects. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our Plans page, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Decagon: The AI concierge for every customer. Get a personalized demo. Email Survival Guide Apps and Services Mentioned Spark Mimestream Superhuman Shortwave Missive Airmail Hey SaneBox Clean Email Dispatch Mailbox Inbox by Gmail Mailplane AI and Automation Tools Claude Code OpenAI Codex Raycast Notion Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

This week on AppStories, Federico and John talk about the state of AI aggregator apps and their future prospects before checking in on their current AI app setups for the AppStories+ post-show. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our Plans page, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Mercury Weather: Forecasts, beautifully done. Download now for free. Claude: For problems worth solving — get started with Claude today. Links and Show Notes AI Aggregator Apps The Pros and Cons of AI Aggregator Apps Apps Mentioned Raycast Bolt AI Perplexity Notion Alter Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

This week on AppStories, John and Federico are back home and reflect on all the WWDC announcements, including Siri AI, Apple Intelligence, design changes, developer tools, and more. On AppStories+, we check in on our research setups and how they fared at WWDC. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our Plans page, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Decagon: The AI concierge for every customer. Get a personalized demo. Mercury Weather: Forecasts, beautifully done. Download now for free. Links and Show Notes Apple Intelligence and Siri AI Apple Intelligence App Intents Private Cloud Compute iOS 27 Design This Is How Apple Rolls Xcode and Developer Tools Xcode Foundation Models Sqim Apple Photos and Image Playground Image Playground AppStories+ Post-Show: iOS Review Research Systems Notion Notion AI Notion Web Clipper Obsidian defuddle Firecrawl Hardware reMarkable Paper Pure Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

In a second special WWDC edition of AppStories, Federico and John interview Apple Design Award finalists and winners, including the developers of The Outsiders and Tide Guide and the publishers of Pine Hearts and BALL x PIT. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our [Plans page](macstories.net/appstories-plans/, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Sofa – Organize everything you watch, read, play, and do. AppStories listeners can get 25% off the first year of Super Sofa with the link above. Agenda – Date-focused notes deeply integrated with the Apple ecosystem. Dropzone 5 – The essential drag & drop productivity enhancer for Mac. AppStories listeners can get 50% off the usual $35 price of Dropzone 5 using the link above. Links and Show Notes Apple Design Award Winners Tide Guide (Visuals and Graphics) by Condor Digital Pine Heart (Inclusivity) by Hyper Luminal Games Limited Apple Design Award Finalists The Outsiders (Interaction) by Gentler Stories BALL x PIT (Delight and Fun) by Kenny Sun Studios MacStories Coverage of the ADAs 2026 Apple Design Awards Winners Announced Apple Announces Its 2026 Apple Design Award Finalists Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

Federico and John are joined this week by Myke Hurley and Chris Lawley to share their first impressions of the WWDC keynote and discoveries in the hours following the presentation. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our Plans page, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Albums – The app that cares about your music library as much as you do Controller for HomeKit – Master your Apple home with ease. RevenueCat – Join the mobile app hackathon that’s all about shipping Links and Show Notes MacStories’ WWDC 2026 Coverage macOS 27 Golden Gate: The MacStories Overview The Third Generation of Apple’s Foundation Models and AFM Core Advanced iOS and iPadOS 27: The MacStories Overview Siri AI and the Latest in Apple Intelligence: The MacStories Overview WWDC 2026: Small Details and Compatibility Lists WWDC 2026: Apple Publishes Keynote Video Special Guests Myke Hurley Christoper Lawley Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

This week on AppStories, Federico and John share their WWDC automation wishes. Then on AppStories+, they share more details on their research setups for the summer. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our [Plans page](macstories.net/appstories-plans/, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Things: The award-winning to-do app. Links and Show Notes Our WWDC Automation Wish List Apple Intelligence and the Cloud Model Apple Intelligence Private Cloud Compute — Apple Security Research Google Gemini Model Context Protocol Siri and App Intents App Intents — Apple Developer Documentation Apps mentioned: Spark Working Copy GoodLinks Readwise Reader Shortcuts and Natural Language Automation Shortcuts Playground Developer Tools, APIs, and Agents WeatherKit — Apple Developer Xcode OpenAI Codex Claude Code Perplexity AI Security Research Simon Willison Google CaMeL AppStories+ Post-Show Research and Productivity Tools Discussed Obsidian Obsidian Web Clipper Obsidian Bases Feedbin Unread Defuddle Capture Monologue Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

This week on AppStories, Federico explains how he’s using the recently-released Notion developer platform before he and John share their wishes for macOS 27. On AppStories+, John asks Federico about the technical underpinnings and evolution of the Shortcuts Playground project that he published last week. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our [Plans page](macstories.net/appstories-plans/, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Steamclock – We make great apps. Design and development, from demos to details. — https://steamclock.com/appstories Links and Show Notes Notion Dev Platform Notion’s Announcement Learn more about the Notion Dev Platform Also mentioned: Cloudflare Workers Pushover Our macOS 27 Wishes Apps, APIs, and service mentioned Playwright GameHub by GameSir Matter Things 3 Raycast AppStories+ Post-show: Shortcuts Playground, Behind the Scenes Hopper Disassembler SF Symbols Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

This week on AppStories, we share our wishes for iOS and iPadOS 27, and for AppStories+ subscribers, we tackle Visual Intelligence and whether there are any use cases that aren’t creepy. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our [Plans page](macstories.net/appstories-plans/, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Steamclock: We make great apps. Design and development, from demos to details. Claude: For problems worth solving — get started with Claude today. Links and Show Notes Our iOS and iPadOS 27 Wishes Continuity Camera Siri and Apple Intelligence Apple Intelligence Siri App Intents Google Gemini Google I/O 2026 iPad Screen Sharing Jump Desktop Screens by Edovia AstroPad Workbench Reminders EventKit Apple CarPlay AppStories+ Post-Show Visual Intelligence and AirPods Cameras AirPods Pro Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses HomeKit Secure Video Parcel Sequel Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

This week on AppStories, John and Federico kick off the app swap challenge, with each of them giving the other three apps to use. We’ll be checking in on how it’s going each week with a final roundup of the results of the experiment after WWDC. On AppStories+, we each pick aspirational apps and OS features that we wish we used more but don’t. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our [Plans page](macstories.net/appstories-plans/, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Steamclock: We make great apps. Design and development, from demos to details. Links and Show Notes An App Swap Challenge: Pick Three apps for each other to try for a month and report back John’s Picks for Federico Dropzone 5 Zed PastePal Federico’s Picks for John Cora Subscription Day Habitify AppStories+ Post-Show Aspirational Apps and Features We’d Like to Use More John Bend Copilot Money Federico Apple Journal Home Screen widgets iPhone’s Stand By mode Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

This week on AppStories, John shares his tip for moving files with Taildrop before he and Federico dig into Codex and its unique capabilities. On AppStories+, Federico and John have both returned to Apple Reminders and discuss why and how they’re using it. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our [Plans page](macstories.net/appstories-plans/, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Mercury Weather: Forecasts, beautifully done. Download now for free. Follow-Up: Moving Files Between Devices Tailscale Taildrop Hyperduck Codex as a Productivity Super App Codex OpenAI acquires Software Applications Incorporated Sky Acquired by OpenAI Claude Code Issues An update on recent Claude Code quality reports (Anthropic) Claude Code Federico’s Codex Workflows Apple Frames CLI Cardmarket Monologue Matter Other Mac Dictation Apps Wispr Flow Aqua Voice Remote Codex on iPhone Remodex Remodex Is the Best Codex Remote Client for iOS Open-Source Personal AI Assistants OpenClaw AppStories+ Post-Show: Apple Reminders GoodTask Remind Me Faster Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

This week on AppStories, John and Federico cover Apple’s executive transition, follow up on OpenAI’s super app, and share the apps they’re looking for and give each other suggestions on how to fill their app gaps. On AppStories+, we round up the tools we’ve built for ourselves that fill gaps, for which we haven’t found apps. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our [Plans page](macstories.net/appstories-plans/, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Steamclock: We make great apps. Design and development, from demos to details. Claude: For problems worth solving — get started with Claude today. Links and Show Notes Links and Show Notes Apple Leadership Transition Apple’s Executive Leadership Transition Announced Community Letter from Tim OpenAI Codex and Computer Use Follow-Up OpenAI Codex Claude Code Filling the App Gap HomeKit Automation Controller for HomeKit Home Assistant Cross-Device Screenshot and File Transfer CleanShot X macOS Screen Sharing utility Workspace Management Workspaces+ Workspaces Calendar Apps Notion Calendar Fantastical Calendar 366 Dot Bookmarking and Read-It-Later Shiori, by Brian Lovin Readwise Reader Matter AppStories+ Post Show: Self-Built Tools and the Services Behind Them ElevenLabs Buffer Google Gemini Kokoro TTS Defuddle CrossPost (John’s cross-platform social media posting tool) Research Feed (John’s ranked, filtered social media reader) Dialog (John’s article-to-podcast converter using Defuddle, Claude, and Kokoro TTS) Daily Star (John’s twice-daily magazine-style digest from Notion, RSS, and Matter) Notion Daily Notes Appender (Federico’s quick-capture web app) Notion Daily Notes Viewer (Federico’s horizontal tray viewer for open daily notes) Ghost Reader (Federico’s Readwise Reader audio-preview tool using ElevenLabs) CLI Chats (Federico’s session-log viewer for Claude Code and Codex) Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

This week on AppStories, we draw from Federico’s experience creating the Apple Frames 4 shortcut and CLI to discuss the multiplier effect that AI agents can have in the hands of someone with deep domain expertise. On AppStories+, we share our AI agent mishaps and horror stories along with additional details on a John’s ongoing HomeKit makeover project. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our [Plans page](https://appstories.net/plans, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Mercury Weather – Forecasts, beautifully done. Download now for free. Links and Show Notes Apple Frames 4 and the Multiplier Effect Introducing Apple Frames 4: A Revamped Shortcut, Support for Frame Colors, Proportional Scaling, and the Apple Frames CLI for Developers AppStories+ Post-Show: Agent mishaps and horror stories, plus a peek at John’s ongoing HomeKit makeover. Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

[ This week, on AppStories, we return to a topic that’s an old favorite: the Everything App in honor of OpenAI’s announcement that they are building a Super App. On AppStories+, Federico consolidates the tools and services he uses. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our [Plans page](https://appstories.net/plans, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Mercury Weather: Forecasts, beautifully done. Download now for free. Steamclock: We make great apps. Design and development, from demos to details. Links and Show Notes The Everything App Trap OpenAI raises $122 billion to accelerate the next phase of AI OpenAI Bets Big on Building an Everything App Daring Fireball AppStories+ Post-Show: Federico’s AI Tool Consolidation Services and Apps Discussed: Claude Claude Code ChatGPT Perplexity Google Gemini Telegram Firecrawl SerpAPI Parallel.ai Feedbin Obsidian Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

This week on AppStories, John and Federico revisit the state of text editors on Apple platforms and how they use them. On AppStories+, John and Federico dig deeper into their writing workflows and the apps they’re using to write. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our [Plans page](https://appstories.net/plans, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Steamclock – We make great apps. Design and development, from demos to details. Claude – Ready to tackle bigger problems? Get started with Claude today. Links and Show Notes Text Editors Discussed Obsidian Obsidian CLI Obsidian Sync Drafts Drafts Action Directory Drafts MCP Server Notion Panda Bear Zed Other Markdown and Plain Text Editors iA Writer Ulysses Typora MarkEdit Clearly Markdown Atlas Runestone FSNotes File Formats TextBundle AppStories+ Post-Show Writing Workflow Tools Claude Code DropOver Pandoc Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

This week on AppStories, Federico and John draw from their experiences using AI agents to imagine the sort of agent Apple could build with tight hardware and software integration if it had a LLM to orchestrate the pieces already in place. On AppStories+, John asks where artificial intelligence falls on the spectrum of historical technology milestones. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our [Plans page](https://appstories.net/plans, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Vitally – Your Copilot for AI-Powered Customer Success. Get a free pair of AirPods Pro when you book a qualified meeting. Links and Show Notes Agentic AI Tools OpenClaw OpenClaw on GitHub Claude Code Claude Cowork Claude Code Channels Claude Dispatch Perplexity Computer OpenAI Codex Related News OpenClaw, OpenAI and the Future — Peter Steinberger OpenAI Reportedly Pivoting to a Focus on Business and Productivity Only (Gizmodo) Anthropic Turns the Tables on OpenAI in Critical Revenue Category (Axios) Apple and AI Apple Intelligence App Intents Private Cloud Compute AppStories+ Post-Show Where does AI rank as a tech innovation? Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

This week on AppStories, Federico shares his experiences with foldable Android phones and what Apple might do for its first foldable hardware and its software. On AppStories+, Federico shares his experience using Samsung DeX. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our [Plans page](https://appstories.net/plans, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Claude – Ready to tackle bigger problems? Get started with Claude today. Links and Show Notes AirPods Max 2 In a Surprise Move, Apple Announces AirPods Max 2 Foldable Phones Will the iPhone Fold be a phone you open, or an iPad you close? iPhone Fold looks like two of my all-time favorite products in one Foldables Mentioned Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 Google Pixel Fold Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold Oppo Find N6 Honor Magic V5 Samsung Galaxy Z Flip Samsung Tri-Fold Belkin UltraBoost AppStories+ Post-Show Samsung DeX Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

This week on AppStories, Federico and John look at the confusing array of tools and naming conventions used by Anthropic and OpenAI. On AppStories+, John explains how he automated two unautomatable Mac apps. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our [Plans page](https://appstories.net/plans, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Vitally: Your Copilot for AI-Powered Customer Success. Get a free pair of AirPods Pro when you book a qualified meeting. Links and Show Notes The Fragmented World of AI Tools Anthropic’s Claude Claude for Mac Claude Cowork Claude Code Claude Code on the web Claude Code Remote Control Model Context Protocol (MCP) OpenAI’s Codex ChatGPT for Mac Codex for Mac Codex CLI GPT-5.4 GPT-5.3-Codex-Spark Cerebras Codex Skills GitHub Repository Also mentioned: Playwright Todoist Notion Gmail Pushover Linear GitHub Brrr AppStories+ Post-Show iZotope RX 11 Hush Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

This week on AppStories, Federico and John discuss Apple’s latest hardware announcements. Then on AppStories+, Federico explains Notion Agents and Workers and how he’s using them. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our [Plans page](https://appstories.net/plans, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. Links and Show Notes Apple Takes the Wraps Off the MacBook Neo Apple Reveals the New M5 MacBook Air Apple Announces M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pros Apple Introduces Two New Studio Displays Apple Unveils iPhone 17e Apple Introduces M4-Powered iPad Air AppStories+ Post-Show Notion AI Notion Agents Notion Workers Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

This week on AppStories, Federico and John cast our wishes for Apple hardware in 2026, covering everything from the latest rumored gear to more outrageous hopes. On AppStories+, John and Federico share their top three everyday uses of AI tools. This episode is sponsored by: Claude – Ready to tackle bigger problems? Get started with... Read more

This week, Federico and John revisit App Intents to discuss where it came from, what it can do today, and the challenges Apple faces in integrating it with Apple Intelligence. On AppStories+, John and Federico migrated their server setups and found themselves playing IT administrator. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and... Read more

This week, Federico and John share apps they’re trying for the first time, including a calendar app, a text editor, a snippets utility, and more. Then on AppStories+, John shares his first impressions of Xcode 26.3. This episode is sponsored by: Claude – Get 50% off Claude Pro, including access to Claude Code. Insta360 –... Read more

This week on AppStories, John and Federico share the very different ways they use Notion. On AppStories+, we follow up on OpenClaw security concerns and explore the ways Federico is using it. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+... Read more

This week, Federico and John update listeners on the ClawdBot-MoltBot-OpenClaw saga before digging into how AI will affect apps and app developers. On AppStories+, John covers why Creator Studio is such a fundamental shift in Apple’s approach to ‘Pro’ apps. [We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers]https://www.macstories.net/appstories-plans/) with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high... Read more

This week, Federico and John share their workflows and tips on how they use Claud Code and Codex to build automations. On AppStories+, John and Federico explore the Apple and Google Gemini deal and the end of Shortcuts as we know it. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at... Read more

This week, Federico and John complete their tour of holiday projects with a look at the tools both of them built with the help of Claude Code, Codex, and other tools. On AppStories+, John pushes Claude Code by building a Safari web extension that integrates with Notion. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with... Read more

This week, Federico and John are back from their holiday break, included so many hardware and automation projects that this is part one of a two-part episode regarding Federico’s networked music automation setup and John’s new research tool. On AppStories+, Federico shares his foldable phone experiments. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus... Read more

This week, Federico and John look ahead to 2026 and what it will mean for apps, smarter Siri, and more. On AppStories+, Federico and John update listeners on their latest app experiments and holiday hardware projects. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week.... Read more

This week, Federico and John reveal the winners of the 2025 MacStories Selects Awards, which celebrate the exceptional design, innovation, and creativity of apps across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch. On AppStories+, John has some Apple Music discovery tips for Federico, and they reveal the iPhone features they don’t use. We... Read more

This week, Federico and John explain how they go about creating personal productivity tools with the assistance of AI and walk through some of what they have created. On AppStories+, we talk about our Black Friday tech purchases. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early... Read more

This week, Federico and John dig into some of their favorite apps that have adopted Apple’s Liquid Glass design language. On AppStories+, it’s John’s 10th anniversary at MacStories, so he and Federico look back at the last decade. Also available on YouTube here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and... Read more

This week, Federico and John explore current changes to the world of apps through the lens of its past evolution. On AppStories+, we build “money’s no object” holiday wish lists for ourselves. Also available on YouTube here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every... Read more

This week, Federico and John kick off their holiday app and automation experimentation season a little earlier than usual with a mix of apps, automations, and services. On AppStories+, Federico and John look ahead, considering the future of Shortcuts and automation. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a... Read more

This week, Federico and John clean house, deleting old apps, screenshots, half-built shortcuts, huge downloads, and more. A look at the workflows and apps we use to stay organized and clean up our digital messes. On AppStories+, Federico’s Typing Mind experiments continue, while John shares his experience of Claude Code to build tools to run... Read more

This week, Federico and John look at the hype surrounding AI browsers to see if there’s any there there. Then, on AppStories+, Federico explains his experiments with lightning fast alternative AI models in Typing Mind. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To... Read more

This week, Federico and John consider whether Apple made the case for running local LLMs and gaming on the M5 iPad Pro and discusss who should consider buying it. On AppStories+, we explain how Claude Skills work and why they are one of Anthropic’s most exciting features in a while. Also available on YouTube here.... Read more

This week, Federico and John discuss what might be next for Apple Intelligence and how it fits into the broader AI market. On AppStories+, Federico and John cover the fallout from the Sora app and why AI can’t replace human creativity. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a... Read more

This week, with rumors of more products in the pipeline, Federico and John share what they want most from Apple before the end of the year. On AppStories+, Federico experiments with lightning fast inference and iteration using Cerebras for scripting. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high... Read more

This week, Federico and John demystify Model Context Protocol (MCP), covering how it works, where it’s heading, and practical examples of what it can do. On AppStories+, Federico and John experiment with whether AI can make sense of the information firehose. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a... Read more

This week, Federico and John follow up after a week with new Apple hardware and dig into watchOS and visionOS 26. On AppStories+, John is mixing up his link and data organization systems - again. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To... Read more

This week, Federico and John shared their first impressions of the iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air, Apple Watch Ultra 3, and AirPods Pro 3. On AppStories+, Federico asks John about his plans to unwind now that his macOS review is out. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at... Read more

This week, Federico and John discuss their annual OS reviews. Federico digs into the details of iOS and iPadOS 26, while John considers what macOS 26 Tahoe means for users. On AppStories+, John updates listeners on what he bought after last week’s Apple event and why. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus... Read more

This week, Federico and John do their annual pre-Apple event “vibe check,” discussing what they expect and hope to see at the upcoming September Apple event. They explore the rumored iPhone 17 lineup, AirPods Pro 3, and debate the Apple Watch Ultra. Plus, they share thoughts on the prospect of an Apple TV with Apple... Read more

This week, AppStories returns with details on the projects Federico and John worked on during their breaks. On AppStories+, the importance of breaks and finding ways to unwind. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit... Read more

This week, Federico and John pick and choose their favorite AI app features to imagine a better AI app future, critiquing the leading LLM apps along the way. And, as a bonus, John explains why read-later apps should support Shortcuts and other automation schemes. On AppStories+, the critique continues with a look at how Todoist... Read more

This week, Federico and John share their experiences with iPadOS and macOS 26, which are now available as part of Apple’s public beta program. On AppStories+, Federico and John discuss the state of engagement bait posting about Apple and how it’s affecting the discourse about the company and its products. We deliver AppStories+... Read more

This week, John is joined by Brendon Bigley to explore the wide world of videogame companion apps from media trackers to game specific companion apps. On AppStories+, John and Brendon dig into 16 years of App Store history to compile a list of games that have defined gaming on the iPhone. Also available on YouTube... Read more

This week, Federico and John explain how they use their secondary systems, which for John is the iPad and for Federico, the Mac. On AppStories+, Federico asks whether technologies like web-based MCP render Apple’s native App Intents irrelevant? Also available on YouTube here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and... Read more

This week, Federico and John share a grab bag of projects we’d like to see Apple pursue from software, to hardware and corporate acquisitions. On AppStories+, Federico and John take their wish list further with a bunch of gadgets they’d like to see Apple make. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content,... Read more

This week, Federico and John reflect on their preparations for the fall review season, how dealing with design changes is different than new features, and explain some of the tools their using for research and writing this year. On AppStories+, John answers the question “What if the Stream Deck was $20 and fit in the... Read more

This week, Federico records entirely on his iPad Pro using the new local capture feature in iPadOS 26. He and John discuss how this system feature changes remote podcasting, their experiences and experiments with macOS Tahoe and the new Spotlight, and why both have returned to Apple’s Reminders app—thanks in part to Apple Intelligence and... Read more

This week, Federico and John reflect on where the iPad fits within their workflows after the announcement of iPadOS 26. Then, on AppStories+, they explore the potential for an Apple automation renaissance built on the features announced at WWDC. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate... Read more

This week, Federico and John catch listeners up on their whirlwind WWDC week, which was chaotic in the best possible way. On AppStories+, Federico and John get excited about what the WWDC announcements say about the direction of automation on Apple’s platforms. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at... Read more

For our second WWDC episode of AppStories, Federico and John dig into the details they’ve learned about what was announced by Apple this week at WWDC 2025. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our Plans... Read more

For their first WWDC 2025 AppStories episode, Federico and John interview finalists and winners of the Apple Design Award. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our Plans page, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. [[audio_player]] This... Read more

This week, John shares his first impressions of Sky, the alpha AI-powered Mac automation app from the creators of Workflow and Shortcuts and then he and Federico share their Shortcuts and Apple Intelligence wishes for WWDC 2025 On AppStories+, John and Federico consider what AI means for developers and the App Store in the year... Read more

This week, Federico and John share their WWDC wishes for macOS and visionOS. On AppStories+, John explores how Apple hardware and software got so out of sync when it comes to AI use cases. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn... Read more

This week, Federico and John interview Airbnb Vice President of Product Marketing, Jud Coplan, and Vice President of Design, Teo Connor. On AppStories+, Federico explores running LLMs locally on an M3 Ultra Mac Studio. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn... Read more

This week, Federico and John interview Apple’s VP of Developer Relations, Education, and Enterprise, Susan Prescott, along with Amy Key and Omar Firdaus, Distinguished Swift Student Challenge Winners. Then, they also share their 2025 wishes for watchOS and tvOS. On AppStories+, John leads a philosophical discussion about art, culture, and creativity and where it’s heading... Read more

This week, Federico and John begin their annual look at what they’d like to see Apple announce at WWDC 2025, starting with iOS and iPadOS 19. On AppStories+, John explains why the recent contempt order entered against Apple is a bigger deal than most people realize, on multiple levels. We deliver AppStories+ to... Read more

This week, Federico and John tackle tracking apps. From database apps to media trackers, they consider what makes a good tracking app no matter what you’re tracking. On AppStories+, Federico quizzes John about what’s on his desk, the tech he’d be happy to have a burgler steal, and more. We deliver AppStories+ to... Read more

This week, Federico and John revisit the fast-paced world of artificial intelligence to describe how they’re using a variety of tools for their everyday workflows. On AppStories+, John shares his theory of the way we’ll look at AI models in the future. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at... Read more

This week, Federico and John survey their favorite calendar apps, discussing the strengths and weaknesses of each. On AppStories+, Federico shares Shortcuts tips for working with Google’s Gemini API and the highly structured data it returns. Plus he and John share their concern and cautious optimism for the future of Shortcuts. We deliver... Read more

This week, Federico and John share some of their favorite utility apps, including Amphetamine, Text Lens, Gifski, Folder Peek, Mic Drop, Keka, and Marked. Then, on AppStories+, Federico and John extend their conversation about utilities with six more favorites. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate... Read more

This week, Federico and John take listeners on a tour of the wide variety of automations they’ve been working on so far this year, including shortcuts, Claude projects, and Zapier zaps. On AppStories+, Federico and John dig a little deeper into some of the more complex automations that they’ve been working on in 2025. not... Read more

In this special interview episode, Federico and John welcome Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman to discuss his 16-year journey covering Apple. Mark shares how he started as a teenage app developer before joining 9to5Mac and eventually Bloomberg. The conversation explores Mark’s most memorable scoops, the evolution of Apple news coverage, his relationship with Apple, and advice for... Read more

This week, Federico and John explore a collection of Shortcuts helper utilities that extend functionality beyond the built-in system actions, sharing how these apps address gaps in Apple’s Shortcuts implementation across the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. On AppStories+, John interviews Federico about his recent story that concludes web applications often provide superior experiences to native... Read more

This week, Federico and John share their self-imposed tech deadlines for the hardware and software they use. On AppStories+, Federico and John follow up their tech deadlines with the hardware they expect to add to their setups in 2025. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate... Read more

This week, Federico and John examine the widening gap between consumer and enterprise apps, asking what happened to prosumer and small business app market. On AppStories+, John doesn’t buy Apple’s explanation of why the iPhone 16e doesn’t have MagSafe and has an email-adjacent theory about task managers. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with... Read more

This week, Federico and John make five app predictions for the next five years covering everything from App Intents and automation to the fate of the App Store. On AppStories+, John talks through a very specific use case for Apple’s new iPhone 16e. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John each pick two apps you may or may not have heard of or considered using and explain why you should give them a try. On AppStories+, we extend our picks with several more apps we’ve been testing recently. Learn more at appstories.plus. This episode is sponsored by: Memberful – Easy-to-Use... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John say goodbye to the AppStories+ pre-show and hello to the new post-show. Then, for the main event, they update listeners on how MacStories plans to cover AI news and tools. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico and John share the AI tools they are using themselves. Links and Show... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John are joined by Devon Dundee of the Magic Rays of Light podcast to talk about his approaches to life tracking and journaling and how the Apple Vision Pro has become his primary computer. if [appstories] On AppStories+, we prove that Chris Lawley isn’t the only one with obscure soda... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, for episode 420 Federico and John are joined by Matt Birchler, co-host of Comfort Zone and many other projects to talk about web apps, email, AI, and more. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Matt, John, and Federico confess their tech secrets. This episode is sponsored by: Things – Keep Your Plans on... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John look ahead to WWDC and beyond to consider how Apple Intelligence could be used to change the way we use our iPhones, iPads, and Macs. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico has grievances about the lack of Apple software compatibility on Android. Links and Show Notes if [appstories] AppStories+... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week on AppStories, Federico and John predict what we’ll see from Apple in 2025. From agentic AI to App Intents and Siri, they explore what will shape the year ahead and the implications to users and developers. if [appstories] On AppStories+, John runs down the third-party Apple accessories he saw at CES 2025,... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John round up the tech and productivity projects they have planned for their annual holiday break. if [appstories] On AppStories+, John explains the refinements he’s made to his reading setup. Links and Show Notes if [appstories] AppStories+ Pre-Show John’s Reading Setup Changes RSS Sync: Feedbin RSS App: Unread Other... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John explore the trends that shaped the App Store in 2024. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico returns to Obsidian for note-taking and explores ChatGPT as a way of assisting him with the creation of custom plugins. Links and Show Notes if [appstories] AppStories+ Pre-Show Federico’s Note Taking Experiments Experiments... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John reveal the winners of the 2024 MacStories Selects Awards, which celebrate the exceptional design, innovation, and creativity of apps across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico and John go behind-the-scenes to discuss the logistics of picking the annual MacStories Selects Award winners and... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John consider the differences between assistive and generative AI and cover the sort of automation tasks for which assistive AI is useful. if [appstories] On AppStories+, John is skeptical about the utility of Apple’s rumored home hub device. Links and Show Notes if [appstories] AppStories+ Pre-Show Apple’s Rumored Home... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, John is joined by his NPC: Next Portable Console co-host Brendon Bigley for a conversation about Control Ultimate Edition coming to the Mac, Bluesky, a friendly interrogation about the apps and gear Brendon uses, and more. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Brendon and John talk about videogame tracking apps and services. This... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John interview Robb Knight, John’s co-host on Ruminate, a show about the open web, snacks, and the occasional videogame about Mastodon, ActivityPub, and the apps Robb uses day-to-day. if [appstories] On AppStories+, John and Robb fill Federico in on the origin story of their podcast, Ruminate. This episode is... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John are joined by Chris Lawley for a fun defense of his taste in music and beverages, plus a discussion of Apple’s acquisition of Pixelmator, working on the iPad, Final Cut Pro for iPad, and the apps Chris uses for his daily work. if [appstories] On AppStories+, how Chris Lawley... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John are joined by Jonathan Reed to check in on the parts of watchOS 11 that he’s still using, talk about browsing the web from an Apple Watch, and dig into the apps he uses day-to-day. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Jonathan shares the story of the return of his Blueberry... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John are joined by Niléane Dorffer who writes at MacStories and is a co-host of Comfort Zone, a podcast all about trying new things in your tech life, to talk about three of Niléane’s favorite apps – Raycast, Tailscale, and Day One – after which Federico quizzes Niléane about some... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John announce that AppStories is now on YouTube and discuss the Club MacStories Fall Membership Drive and listener follow-up before digging into Federico’s iPad mini review and the concept of “The Third Place.” if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico explains how he’s been revisiting and using the Apple Vision Pro.... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John share the changes they’ve made to their desk setups in recent months and the philosophies that have driven those changes. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico and John share their reactions to Submerged, the first scripted short film published for Apple Immersive Video on the Vision Pro. This episode... Read more

[[audio_player]] Federico and John share the iPhone Lock Screen and Control Center controls that they’re currently using them. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico and John explore what it takes to successfully launch a subscription-based app. This episode is sponsored by: Memberful – Help Your Clients Monetize Their Passion Links and Show Notes if [appstories]... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John share their favorite app updates that take advantage of what’s new in iOS 18. if [appstories] On AppStories+, John expands on his first look at the Logitech MX Creative Console, and Federico and John discuss Orion, the prototype AR glasses that Meta showed off last week. This episode... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John cover the highlights of macOS Sequoia, a good update that feels unfinished. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico and John chat about how they’re preparing for Apple Intelligence and rumored fall hardware releases. Links and Show Notes if [appstories] AppStories+ Pre-Show Apple Intelligence Apple still has a lot of... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John tackle Apple’s updates to iOS and iPadOS 18 and Federico’s review of both. In a special AppStories+ segment available as a special review season perk to all listeners, Federico explains what led him to take a different approach to this year’s annual review. This episode is sponsored by: Sentry:... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John finish their tour of the apps they use for work and play to be productive. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico has an iPad surprise for John. This episode is sponsored by: Memberful – Help Your Clients Monetize Their Passion Links and Show Notes if [appstories] AppStories+ Pre-Show An iPad... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, in part 1 of a two part series, Federico and John explore the note-taking, task management, and RSS readers that make them more productive. if [appstories] On AppStories+, John explains how Apple is working to make the Apple Pencil more useful to a wider audience with Smart Script. This episode is... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John celebrate episode 400 by considering what the future will hold for apps 400 more episodes from now. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico reveals why he’s using the third generation AirPods. This episode is sponsored by: Balance – A thoughtfully designed personal finance and budgeting app from one of... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John look at the gadget landscape to find inspiration for expanding Apple’s hardware lineup. if [appstories] On AppStories+, a behind-the-scenes look at our expansion into video and a conversation about what’s holding the Vision Pro back. This episode is sponsored by: Memberful – Help Your Clients Monetize Their Passion... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John rethink podcast apps, exploring why it’s such a tricking category to get right for the greatest number of users. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico has a new Find My-compatible wallet, which may be ‘The One.’ This episode is sponsored by: Setapp – the place to get apps. Use the... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, John is joined by Jonathan to preview watchOS 11, which is one of the most feature packed OSes being updated this fall. if [appstories] On AppStories+, John reports on how his travel tech setup fared. This episode is sponsored by: Setapp – the place to get apps. Use the code appstories20 at... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, John tours the highlights of the macOS Sequoia public beta. if [appstories] On AppStories+, we take a step back to consider what sort of time frame we’re looking at for evaluating Apple Intelligence. This episode is sponsored by: Setapp – the place to get apps. Use the code appstories20 at checkout for... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John run down the highlights of the iOS and iPadOS 18 public betas that were released today. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico and John compare earbud notes, covering recent models from Sennheiser, Technics, and Beats. This episode is sponsored by: CleanMyMac X: Your Mac. As good as new. Get... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John cover the developer features they’re excited to see come to third-party apps later this year? if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico previews his evolving iPad setup. This episode is sponsored by: Vitally: A new era for customer success productivity. Get a free pair of AirPods Pro when you book... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John share tips on iPadOS, macOS, RSS, cross-platform file transfers, and more. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico wonders whether he should install the macOS Sequoia beta, John is confused about why iPhone Mirroring is being withheld from the EU due to DMA concerns, and they both wonder who will use... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John attempt to clear up confusion about MacStories’ position on AI web crawlers before rethinking email apps in light of the update to Apple’s Mail app coming this fall. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico and John preview their fall review research setups and consider the impact of Apple Intelligence on... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John recap WWDC week with more on their early testing of the iOS and iPadOS 18 betas and an in-depth conversation about why they are disappointed with Apple’s decision to train its large language models on the Open Web. if [appstories] On AppStories+, John shares a long list of observations... Read more

[[audio_player]] Today, for a special episode of AppStories recorded at Apple Park, Federico and John interview ADA winners Devin Davies, the maker of Crouton, Katarina Lotrič and Jasna Krmelj from Gentler Streak, and James Cuda and Michael Shaw of Procreate, plus Adelaide Humez and Dezmond Blair, Distinguished Winners of Apple’s Swift Student Challenge. if [appstories]... Read more

[[audio_player]] For the latest WWDC episode of AppStories, Federico is joined by Myke Hurley to talk about the Vision Pro and Apple Intelligence before John pops up with some AI tidbits and a WWDC vibe check from in and around Apple Park. if [appstories] This episode is sponsored by: 1Password Extended Access Management –... Read more

[[audio_player]] For this special episode of AppStories, Federico is joined by Jonathan and Niléane live in the Club MacStories+ Discord community to share their first impressions of the WWDC 2024 Keynote. if [appstories] This episode is sponsored by: 1Password Extended Access Management: Secure every sign-in for every app on every device. Links and Show... Read more

[[audio_player]] Recorded live in the Club MacStories Discord, Federico share their final preparations and plans for WWDC 2024 along with some last-minute predictions. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico reveals his trio of iPad Pros and we take questions from Club members about WWDC. This episode is sponsored by: CleanMyMac X: Your Mac. As good... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John introduce Comfort Zone and NPC: Next Portable Console, two new MacStories podcasts and share their wishes for watchOS and tvOS updates. if [appstories] On AppStories+, John shares his first impressions of the Clicks iPyone keyboard case. This episode is sponsored by: Raycast – A collection of powerful productivity... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John continue their annual wishlists with a look at macOS and visionOS. if [appstories] On AppStories+, a video experiment, John has iPad Pro follow-up, and Federico has technical follow-up and a question for listeners about streaming videogames over Wi-Fi. This episode is sponsored by: Raycast – A collection of... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John kick off their annual WWDC wishes episodes with a conversation about the changes they’d like to see made to iOS and iPadOS 18. if [appstories] On AppStories+, John explains the three features that make him apprehensive about his iPad Pro purchase. This episode is sponsored by: Things: a... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John examine iPadOS and the ways it has failed to get the basics right. if [appstories] On AppStories+, behind the scenes of a roller coaster week at MacStories. This episode is sponsored by: Concepts – Sketch, Note, Draw. Celtreos – The shoot-em-up game with tiny ships, big weapons, waves... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John are joined by Riley Testut for a conversation about the history of AltStore from side-loaded app to official alternative app marketplace in the EU and Delta’s dominance of the Top Free App chart in the US and elsewhere. if [appstories] On AppStories+, John proposes an optimistic perspective on iOS... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John are joined by Susan Prescott, vice president of developer relations, education, and enterprise at Apple, along with 2024 Swift Student Challenge winners Harshitha Rajesh and Roscoe Rubin-Rottenberg to talk about the challenge and the students’ projects. Then, John is joined by Finn Voorhees and Ellie O’Sullivan, past winners of the Swift... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John revisit their Obsidian systems, themes, and favorite plugins. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico ponders what notes are, what they should be, and whether he should document more of what he learns on the web. This episode is sponsored by: Genius Scan – A scanner in your pocket. Jam:... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week on AppStories, Federico and John return with a classic Pick 2 episode focused on the Mac. if [appstories] On AppStories+, we talk about Apple’s decision to allow game emulators and game streaming services on the iPhone worldwide. This episode is sponsored by: Jam: Developer-friendly bug reports in 1 click. Notion: Start... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John explore whether we’re experiencing the beginning of the end of apps and consider what might replace them. if [appstories] On AppStories+, we explain why we’ve said goodbye to time tracking. This episode is sponsored by: Genius Scan – A scanner in your pocket. Jam – Developer friendly bug... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John explain what’s going on with the US Department of Justice’s lawsuit against Apple that claims the iPhone-maker is monopolizing the smartphone market. if [appstories] On AppStories+, John explains the research and writing workflow he developed for big projects like covering the DOJ’s lawsuit against Apple. This episode is... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John take a hard look at Shortcuts to discuss what needs fixing and the new features they hope to see Apple announce at WWDC this year. if [appstories] On AppStories+, we explain the recent changes we’ve made at MacStories and how we’re approaching its future. This episode is sponsored... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John take a look at their latest app downloads on a variety of Apple devices. if [appstories] On AppStories+, John covers is attempts to integrate text-to-speech engines with read-later apps. This episode is sponsored by: TelemetryDeck – privacy-first app analytics and usage data that’s not evil. Get 3 month... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John examine Apple’s Sports and Journal apps and visionOS for clues to what their designs may mean for the next major revisions of Apple’s OSes. if [appstories] On AppStories+, John tackles whether Federico needs an Apple Studio Display and offers a more portable solution. This episode is sponsored by:... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico introduces the world to the MacPad, a hybrid Mac/iPad that he built from an M2 MacBook Air and 11” iPad Pro, and John quizzes him on the build process, software involved, and what it’s like to use. if [appstories] On AppStories+, we discuss Apple’s reversal on removing progressive web apps from... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John share some of their favorite visionOS entertainment apps. if [appstories] On AppStories+, John explains all the little gotchas involved with taking screenshots even if you have the Vision Pro Developer Strap. This episode is sponsored by: Memberful – Help Your Clients Monetize Their Passion Porkbun – Get $1... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John move on from hardware to explore visionOS, where it hits, where it misses, and what they’d like to see in the future from the OS. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico and John discuss the developer strap and how it could potentially gain new features in the future, as well... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John tell the story of how Federico got his Apple Vision Pro before sharing their first impressions of the Vision Pro hardware. if [appstories] On AppStories+, John updates listeners on the early results of his experiments with gaming on the Apple Vision Pro. This episode is sponsored by: Memberful... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John consider how Apple’s response to the Digital Markets Act will change the world of apps for developers and users in the EU. if [appstories] On AppStories+, the backstory of Shortcut Buttons a visionOS Shortcuts app by Finn Voorhees. This episode is sponsored by: Notion: Do your most efficient... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John Federico and John explore workflows they’ve been trying in a variety of apps. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico and John follow up last week’s Vision Pro episode with follow up on their plans and consider what the device will be good for besides sitting by yourself watching movies.... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John kick Apple Vision Pro preparations into high gear, sharing the questions they still have about the device and discussing the apps developers are working on. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico and John look back at CES and the gadgets they’re excited about and disappointed with. This episode is... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John are joined by Sigmund Judge and Devon Dundee, the hosts of Magic Rays of Light, a weekly show that explores the world of Apple TV and Apple Arcade, which has joined MacStories, to discuss the show’s move to MacStories as well as tvOS and the apps we use to... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John pick two apps they’ve been enjoying recently. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico and John have a grab bag of bonus app picks. This episode is sponsored by: Notion – Do your most efficient work with Notion AI. Try it free today. Links and Show Notes A Classic Pick... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John rethink the share sheet and other ways Apple’s platforms share data. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico shares his experiment with moving to an 11-inch iPad Pro and his iPhone as a second screen setup. This episode is sponsored by: Zocdoc – Find the right doctor, right now with Zocdoc.... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John introduce the annual MacStories Selects award winners. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico and John go behind-the-scenes to discuss the logistics of picking the annual MacStories Selects Award winners and shipping awards worldwide. This episode is sponsored by: Vitally – A new era for customer success productivity. Get a... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week Federico and John explore alternative Apple timelines by asking the question: What if? if [appstories] On AppStories+, John tries to simplify and speed up his backup setup, and Federico has an update on his default apps. This episode is sponsored by: Dropzone 4 – The essential drag and drop productivity enhancer.... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John conclude their tour of their geeky holiday projects. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico and John address follow up from the first part of Nerding out for the Holidays. This episode is sponsored by: Notion – Do your most efficient work with Notion AI. Try it free today. Vitally... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John share their geeky holiday season tech projects. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico and John revisit artificial intelligence and discuss the sorts of tools they’ve been testing. This episode is sponsored by: Vitally – A new era for customer success productivity. Get a free pair of AirPods Pro when... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John tackle the struggle with staying organized in the face of the never-ending stream of files and other information. if [appstories] On AppStories+, The Chamberlain Group’s decision to cut off API support to its garage door controllers is an example of what happens when a company shifts from selling to... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John explore why there are so many good task managers, but none is a perfect fit with the way they work. if [appstories] On AppStories+, John explores screen maximalism while Federico heads the other direction into screen minimalism. This episode is sponsored by: Zocdoc – Find the right doctor,... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, John is joined by Relay FM’s Stephen Hackett for a recap and thoughts on Apple’s Scary Fast event, which was recorded live in the Club MacStories+ Discord. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico, John, and Jonathan discuss their home automation setups, strategies, and upcoming plans in an event that was recorded live in... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John cover the web apps they use and why they’re sometimes preferable to native apps. if [appstories] On AppStories+, John explains why he’s a fan of Adaptive Noise Control and Conversation Awareness, Federico has come around on Dolby Atmos, and they both speculate about where the AirPods Max are heading.... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, John surprises Federico with a link gathering machine he designed for processing and reading the web. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico tests more AR glasses and reports back on his experience with the XREAL Air after a week, plus John joins in on the fun. This episode is sponsored by: CleanMyMac... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John spend time with the visionOS simulator and consider the design of the Apple Vision Pro system apps and what to expect from third-party developers. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico drops a big AR surprise on John. This episode is sponsored by: Zocdoc – Find the right doctor, right... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John are joined by tvOS expert Sigmund Judge, who just finished writing his tvOS 17 review for MacStories, to understand what has changed in tvOS and where it might be heading. if [appstories] On AppStories+, John explains iPads of a Plane, a far safer version of Snakes on a Plane.... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John take a look at some of their favorite apps with interactive widgets for iOS 17, iOS 17, and macOS Sonoma. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico and John reflect on the end of the busiest part of review season at MacStories. This episode is sponsored by: Fitbod: Get stronger,... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John dig into Federico’s review of iOS and iPadOS 17. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico takes listeners behind the scenes of his iOS and iPadOS 17 review with a look at the custom Obsidian plugins he used to produce the review that will be available as an exclusive perk for... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John are joined by Alex live in the Club MacStories+ Discord community for a special episode covering their initial impressions of Apple’s Wonderlust media event, which introduced new iPhones, Apple Watches, and more. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico, John, and Alex answer Club MacStories member questions about Apple’s fall media... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John look at the history of bookmarking apps, their relationship to read-later apps, how their use of bookmarking apps has changed, and their favorite modern bookmarking apps. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico and John discuss the benefits of tinkering to avoid burnout and for generating writing ideas. This episode... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John look back at the gadgets they’ve accumulated over the summer and share what’s worked and what hasn’t. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico and John step back from the OS beta cycle to try to figure out what is going on with Shortcuts and automation on Apple’s platforms. This... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John each share two app recommendations in a classic Pick 2 episode. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico has a mini surprise, and John experiments with connecting his Sony a6500 mirrorless camera to an iPad Pro. This episode is sponsored by: Fitbod: Get stronger, faster with a fitness plan that... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John look at how making apps has changed along with the evolution of Apple’s hardware lineup and what that means for the future of apps on those platforms. if [appstories] On AppStories+, all’s well that ends well. Federico reports on how he managed to connect a no-name brand Bluetooth lightstrip... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John look at the latest app trends and where Apple’s system apps are heading to try to answer the question of where the world of apps is heading. if [appstories] On AppStories+, John stress tests the AirPods Pro (2nd gen) and Federico unboxes the new Beats Studio Pros. This... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John to talk about Safari, videoconferencing, Messages, and gaming on macOS Sonoma, plus stickers and widgets on iOS and iPadOS 17. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico and John share their wishes for the next version of the iPad Pro. This episode is sponsored by: Concepts - Sketch, Note, Draw.... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, John is joined by Alex Guyot to talk about the watchOS 10 and macOS Sonoma public betas. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Alex shares the tech he’s using to plan his wedding and John talks about game and app preservation. This episode is sponsored by: Concepts - Sketch, Note, Draw. Fitbod: Get... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John explore the web apps and services they use and how they use them. if [appstories] On AppStories+, we share our first impressions of Meta’s new social network, Threads, and its app. This episode is sponsored by: Zocdoc: Find the right doctor, right now with Zocdoc. Sign up for... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John conclude a look back at their pre-WWDC OS wishes for iOS 17, watchOS 10, and tvOS 17 and look at which came true. if [appstories] On AppStories+, John reports on his early experiments with macOS Sonoma desktop widgets, while Federico follows up on his attempt to create a portable... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John revisit their pre-WWDC OS wishes, including visionOS, macOS, and iPadOS, and look at which came true. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico shares his plans for a surprise weekend music project and his HomeKit gardening ambitions. This episode is sponsored by: CleanMyMac X: Your Mac. As good as new.... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John consider the impact that this year’s OS releases will have on third-party apps. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico and John dig into the details of iOS 17’s StandBy feature and John’s thoughts on why the Vision Pro’s upcoming launch feels more like the iPhone’s debut than the iPad’s.... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, John is joined by Alex Guyot to talk about the new features coming to Apple Notes and Reminders, as well as new Mac hardware announced at WWDC. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Alex shares his thoughts about WWDC after four years away, and John explains what it was like to record at the... Read more

[[audio_player]] Federico and John also had the opportunity to sit down with three winners of the Swift Student Challenge in the Apple Podcasts Studio at Apple Park. It was fun and inspiring to chat with Damian Perez, Henri Bredt, and Maria Eduarda Cabral de Lucena. if [appstories] This episode is sponsored by: Setapp –... Read more

[[audio_player]] Today, Federico and John interview the creators of five apps that were finalists or winners of the 2023 Apple Design Awards: Zach Gage, the creator of Knotwords, Swupnil Sahai, the developer of SwingVision, Philipp Nägelsbach, the publisher of Endling, Leon Sasson of Rise: Energy and Sleep, and Jakob Lykkegaard of Lykke Studios the maker... Read more

[[audio_player]] In today’s WWDC episode of AppStories, Federico shares his experience with Apple Vision Pro answering questions from John, Alex, and Club MacStories members. if [appstories] This episode is sponsored by: Setapp – An efficient way to get and distribute apps on macOS, iOS, and web. Links and Show Notes if [appstories] Apple... Read more

[[audio_player]] In the latest WWDC episode of AppStories, Federico, John, and Alex are joined by MacPaw developer Serhii Popov for a developer’s perspective on WWDC before covering iPadOS 17’s Stage Manager changes in depth, along with Notes, Reminders, and StandBy. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico, John, and Alex take questions from Club MacStories members about... Read more

[[audio_player]] For this special episode of AppStories, John and Federico were joined by Alex live in the Club MacStories+ Discord community to share their first impressions of the WWDC 2023 Keynote. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico, John, and Alex take questions from Club MacStories members. This episode is sponsored by: Setapp – An efficient... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week Federico and John recorded their last-minute thoughts and predictions for WWDC before a live audience in the Club MacStories+ Discord community. if [appstories] On AppStories+ Federico and John take questions from Club MacStories members. This episode is sponsored by: Setapp – An efficient way to get and distribute apps on macOS,... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John talk about Logic Pro for iPad and their wishes for Apple’s rumored mixed reality OS, xrOS. if [appstories] On AppStories+, John needs new wired travel headphones and Federico comes through with an excellent recommendation. This episode is sponsored by: Nom Nom – Healthy, fresh food for dogs formulated... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John share their wishes for macOS 14. if [appstories] On AppStories+, corrupt Mac user accounts and changes to our workflows that we’re considering in advance of WWDC. This episode is sponsored by: Factor – Healthy, fully-prepared food delivered to your door. Links and Show Notes if [appstories] AppStories+ Pre-Show... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John explain the changes to watchOS and tvOS that they’d like to see made in 2023. if [appstories] On AppStories+, troubleshooting hardware and software issues. Links and Show Notes if [appstories] AppStories+ Pre-Show When Lightning Strikes TestFlight’s Inability to Handle Large Beta Collections Needs to Be Fixed watchOS... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John continue their wish list series with their wishes for iPadOS 17. if [appstories] On AppStories+, stand-up lawn mowers and John’s struggles with social media. This episode is sponsored by: Zocdoc – Find the right doctor, right now with Zocdoc. Sign up for free. Links and Show Notes if... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John kick off their annual OS wishes series with a long list of rapid-fire wishes for iOS 17. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico and John share their thoughts on AI-generated music and John’s struggles with managing 200 betas in TestFlight. This episode is sponsored by: Hit The Island –... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico explains his return to the Mac, including his hardware setup and the apps he’s using, and John recommends some apps he should try. if [appstories] On AppStories+, we discuss the advantages of Raindrop.io over alternative bookmarking services and John shares a story from the past about the pitfalls of sharing shortcuts... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John dig into third-party apps with excellent shortcuts support. if [appstories] On AppStories+, John’s Mac Studio is in the shop, so both he and Federico are using MacBook Airs. This episode is sponsored by: Viso – Beautiful minimal image viewer for macOS. Links and Show Notes if [appstories] AppStories+... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, John explains his new link management workflow, combining a series of apps and shortcuts, and Federico shares more about his S-GPT shortcut that integrates ChatGPT with Apple’s OSes. if [appstories] On AppStories+, a behind the scenes look at the first week of Automation April. This episode is sponsored by: Zocdoc –... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John check in on the shortcuts they use the most and the types of tasks they get the most bang for the buck from by automating. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico tours the world of wireless earbuds and shares his favorite AirPods Pro replacement tips, while John ships a single... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John each pick two apps they’ve been enjoying recently and explain why. if [appstories] On AppStories+, John dives into VR and explores whether AI can convincingly replace himself or Federico as hosts of the show. This episode is sponsored by: Squarespace – Make your next move. Enter offer code... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John revisit RSS to talk about how syncing services and apps have changed and share how their use of RSS has evolved. if [appstories] On AppStories+, John is dipping his toe into co-working but wonders if he’s more into the idea of it than it is useful. This episode... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John answer listener questions about apps, automation, podcasting, tattoos, and more. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Untitled Goose Game’s rejection from the Mac App Store, and the curious case of Apple Music Classical. This episode is sponsored by: Kolide – Kolide ensures only secure devices can access your cloud apps.... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John cover the increasing competition among web browsers and the emerging features they find most useful. if [appstories] On AppStories+, John struggles with security cameras, Federico’s desk setup continues to evolve, and they share their theories on the popularity of web-first apps. This episode is sponsored by: Kolide –... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John compare notes on the Apple Watch Ultra, including what makes it special and what frustrates them, and share the apps they’re using regularly. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico and John dig into HomeKit-enabled blinds, shades, and shutters and explain their Nintendo Switch HDMI upscaling experiments. This episode is... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John conclude their mini-series on artificial intelligence with a conversation about the apps they’ve used that include AI features. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico shares his KNX home automation setup. This episode is sponsored by: Things – Now with Deep Shortcuts Integration Issuu – Get started with Issuu today... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John begin a new series on the impact of artificial intelligence on apps and the world around us. This week’s episode sets the stage with a look at chatbots, image generation tools, and issues and opportunities they raise. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico and John share their experiments with Whisper,... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John conclude their look at Mastodon apps with web and Mac clients, plus Mastodon utilities. if [appstories] On AppStories+, John has a complaint to lodge with Federico and explains why the second generation HomePod is so disappointing. This episode is sponsored by: Zocdoc – Find the right doctor, right... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John cover the iPhone and iPad Mastodon apps they’ve been testing and share what they like and don’t about each. if [appstories] On AppStories+, John shares his lates experiments with HomeKit lighting and the Loupedeck Live S. This episode is sponsored by: Issuu – Get started with Issuu today... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John imagine the kinds of apps that may emerge for an Apple VR headset. if [appstories] On AppStories+: Cookies, Cider, and touchscreen Macs. This episode is sponsored by: CleanMyMac X – Your Mac. As good as new. Get 5% off today. Pillow – Sleeping better, made simple. Links and... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John look at the history of read-later apps and the many similarities and differences between them and today’s read-later apps, like Matter and Reader, as well as link organizers, such as GoodLinks and Anybox. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico and John share their themes for 2023. This episode is... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John conclude their ‘Gone but Not Forgotten’ series with more third-party apps, including productivity, communications, and entertainment apps, plus games. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico and John share their 2022 tech purchasing regrets. This episode is sponsored by: Pillow – Sleeping better, made simple. Zocdoc: Find the right doctor, right... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico, John, and Alex introduce the fifth annual MacStories Selects award winners and interview the MacStories Selects Lifetime Achievement award winner, Greg Pierce, the creator of Drafts. if [appstories] On AppStories+, John and Federico talk about the team’s move to MacStories’ own Mastodon server. This episode is sponsored by: Kolide –... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John extend last week’s ‘Gone but Not Forgotten’ theme to third-party apps, including Dropbox text editors, Twitter apps, email clients, and more. if [appstories] On AppStories+, John has a gripe about TV app sports notifications, and Federico experiments with Siri and wonders if he should set up a second home... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John explore the Apple apps and features that have disappeared from its platforms in recent years. if [appstories] On AppStories+, John’s working on a portable video streaming setup, plus country-ambient music release announcements and other email we contend with. This episode is sponsored by: Pillow – Sleeping better, made simple.... Read more

[[audio_player]] This week, Federico and John conclude their two-part series on their nerdy holiday projects with home automation, RSS, WiFi, and other plans. if [appstories] On AppStories+, Federico is getting to know new delivery people, and John explains how he’s working to preserve his Nintendo 3DS games. This episode is sponsored by: Pillow – Sleeping... Read more