John Voorhees

3089 posts on MacStories since November 2015

John is MacStories’ Managing Editor, has been writing about Apple and apps since joining the team in 2015, and today, runs the site alongside Federico.

John also co-hosts four MacStories podcasts: AppStories, which covers the world of apps, MacStories Unwind, which explores the fun differences between American and Italian culture and recommends media to listeners, Ruminate, a show about the weird web and unusual snacks, and NPC: Next Portable Console, a show about the games we take with us.

@johnvoorhees@macstories.net
@johnvoorhees.macstories.net
voorhees@macstories.net

This Week's Sponsor:

Copilot Money

The Apple Editor’s Choice Award App for Tracking Your Money. Start Your Free Trial Today

Apple Reveals New iPhone 16e with Face ID and 48MP Camera

Source: Apple.

Source: Apple.

Today, Apple unveiled the iPhone 16e, which replaces the iPhone SE. The new iPhone tracks with the rumors that have been circulating for months, but for those who don’t follow rumors closely, it’s worth running down the specs of Apple’s most affordable iPhone, because the changes are significant.

Let’s start with the design. With this update, the phone moves from an iPhone 8-era look to a style that fits in better with today’s iPhones. Similar to the iPhone 14, which debuted a couple of years ago, the new 16e includes a notch at the top of the screen that houses the front-facing camera and other sensors. The screen has been expanded to 6.1” and switched to Super Retina XDR OLED as well.

The new 16e ditches the Home button for Face ID, which goes a long way toward refreshing its look. The new budget phone doesn’t include the Camera Control like the iPhone 16, but it does feature the Action button, which debuted on the iPhone 15 Pro.

Source: Apple.

Source: Apple.

Notwithstanding the lack of Camera Control, the new iPhone 16e ushers in a significant upgrade to its camera. The single rear-facing camera now features a 48MP sensor, first introduced in the iPhone 14 Pro. That’s a big step up from the iPhone SE, which only had a 12MP sensor. That camera upgrade will pair nicely for photographers with the 16e’s new USB-C port, which is compatible with a wider range of accessories than Lightning, such as external storage.

The new iPhone 16e is powered by an A18 processor, making it capable of running Apple Intelligence. I’m not sure that’s a huge selling point yet, but the increased processor power and memory headroom should also make the 16e far more capable at tasks like transcoding and editing video, too.

A less welcome change is the 16e’s price, which is significantly more than the discontinued iPhone SE. The SE started at $429, but upgrading to this model will cost you at least $599 with 128GB of storage (twice what the SE offered). The price isn’t surprising considering the many updates included in this generation, but it will make it harder for some consumers to justify the purchase.

Another strange omission is the lack of MagSafe. That not only limits how the device can be charged, but it also rules out a wide variety of third-party accessories.

That said, I’m intrigued by the iPhone 16e and may buy one – not because I need a new phone, but because I want a new camera for shooting multicam video with Final Cut Pro for iPad. It’s such an incredibly efficient workflow for shooting videos for the MacStories YouTube channel that I’ve resorted to using my iPad mini’s 12MP camera alongside my iPhone 16 Pro Max. That has worked reasonably well, but the iPad mini’s camera can’t match my iPhone’s. With the 16e, I’d have a lightweight, highly portable option that’s perfect for my needs. Still, the price and lack of MagSafe are issues that make me hesitate.

The new iPhone 16e will be available for preorder starting February 21, with deliveries and in-store availability beginning Friday, February 28.

The Latest from Comfort Zone, MacStories Unwind, and Magic Rays of Light

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

Comfort Zone

Niléane is developing an obsession with remotes, but she swears she’s finally got The One, Chris has found a box that lets him store anything, and another color-based challenge leads to controversy (who saw that coming???).

MacStories Unwind

This week, I take listeners back to the animal kingdom, before Federico and I share a couple of TV recommendations. Plus, I show off a recent dream device acquisition.

Magic Rays of Light

Sigmund and Devon highlight this weekend’s debut of Apple Original film The Gorge starring Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy, discuss Sigmund’s experience of working with Vision Pro on a real TV set, and share their thoughts on the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show headlined by Kendrick Lamar.

Read more

Netflix Appears to Be Rolling Out Apple TV App Integration in the U.S.→

Source: [FlatpanelsHD](https://www.flatpanelshd.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1739529080).

Source: FlatpanelsHD.

Update: A spokesperson for Netflix has told The Verge that the integration with the Apple TV app’s Watchlist and Continue Watching features was a mistake and is being reversed. Perhaps the reaction to the change will cause Netflix to reconsider its refusal to participate in the TV app, but I wouldn’t hold your breath waiting for that to happen.

FlatpanelsHD has discovered that Netflix, long a holdout that was unavailable in Apple’s TV app, is beginning to prompt users to add the service to the TV app:

Today, FlatpanelsHD received a prompt on Apple TV 4K to integrate Netflix into the Apple TV app, as shown at the bottom. After accepting, Netflix content appeared in the Continue Watching queue and Watchlist within the Apple TV app, as seen below.

FlatpanelsHD says the feature is currently limited to Netflix Originals programming and users who are also U.S. account holders.

I’ve looked for this myself and haven’t seen it yet, but it may just be that the rollout is happening gradually. As of publication, I haven’t seen an update to the Netflix app (though the update may be a server-side change) and as 9to5Mac points out, Apple’s list of apps that support Watchlist hasn’t been updated in almost one year. So, it’s possible that after more people have the new feature, we’ll see an official announcement from Apple and/or Netflix.

This is great news, although my enthusiasm is tempered by the reported limitations. I hope the feature extends beyond Netflix Originals and to other countries. Still, for a lot of people I’m sure the only service they use that isn’t in the TV app is Netflix, so any integration after all these years is better than none. I know I’ll be checking my Apple TV throughout the day to try this myself.

Permalink

Apple Resumes Advertising on X

Yesterday, it was reported that Apple had resumed advertising on X (formerly Twitter). The company ceased advertising on the site without comment in November 2023, but earlier this week, ads for a Safari privacy feature and the Apple TV+ show Severance began appearing on X. Apple has not commented on why the change was made.

Apple’s relationship with X has been rocky since Elon Musk took over in October 2022. That fall, it was reported that Apple significantly decreased its advertising on the social media platform. That was seemingly corroborated by Musk himself, who said in November 2022 that Apple had ended most of its advertising and threatened to remove X from the App Store. Musk and Tim Cook then met at Apple Park, and they seemingly resolved the rift for about a year.

In the following months, reports surfaced indicating an increase in hate speech on X. In what may be Apple’s only public statement about its advertising relationship with the social media company, Tim Cook told CBS News in September 2023 that Apple was constantly assessing its advertising on X. Then in November, after Musk endorsed an antisemitic post on X, Apple stopped advertising on the platform, though it never explained why.

Last month, The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple was considering resuming its advertising on X. It has now done so, joining many other major brands.

Apple hasn’t explained the reason for the change, which comes hard on the heels of a report of significant increases in hate speech on X during Musk’s tenure. This has led to speculation that the move is an attempt to appease Musk, who has assumed an unprecedented and unelected position of power in the Trump administration. Whatever the reason, though, it’s not a good look for Apple.

Apple’s TV App Launches on the Google Play Store for Android Users

Apple has released its TV app on the Google Play Store for Android users. In a press release, Apple stated:

Available around the world, the Apple TV app for Android was built from the ground up to deliver Android users a familiar and intuitive interface. Android users can subscribe to Apple TV+ and MLS Season Pass using their Google Play account on Android mobile and Google TV devices. Apple TV+ also offers a seven-day free trial.

With Major League Soccer beginning on February 22nd and Friday Night Baseball just around the corner, it makes a lot of sense for Apple to expand the TV app’s availability. Android users will have all the same options Apple’s users do including subscribing to Apple TV+, which comes with a seven-day free trial, and MLS Season Pass.

As for the design, the Android version of the TV app looks as expected. It’s an Android-ified version of the iOS and iPadOS version of TV, with a similar layout and functionality controlled with standared Android UI elements.

The TV app can be downloaded for free from the Google Play Store.

For more examples of the TV app on Android, here are shots of it running on Federico’s Lenovo Legion Y700 (2024), which we recently covered on NPC: Next Portable Console:

Icon.

Icon.


Episode view.

Episode view.


Episode options.

Episode options.


Subtitle menu.

Subtitle menu.


Sharing.

Sharing.


Settings.

Settings.

Federico’s Latest Automation Academy Lesson: Working with Web APIs in Shortcuts→

Federico's Todoist shortcuts.

Federico’s Todoist shortcuts.

Earlier today, Federico released a collection of four advanced Todoist shortcuts as part of his Automation Academy column, an exclusive perk of Club MacStories+ and Club Premier.

Federico started using Todoist again a few months ago specifically because it has a robust web API:

There were several reasons behind my decision to return to Todoist, but the most important one was its web API. I’m convinced that our modern AI era is marking a resurgence of web services, and I wanted to find something that could theoretically support some kind of connection to an AI assistant (such as ChatGPT or Gemini) down the road. At the same time, I also wanted something that could be easily _and_consistently automated. With more responsibilities coming into my life, it’s essential for me to automate all the boring parts of my job that can happen without my manual, time-consuming input. With the combination of a REST API and native Shortcuts actions, Todoist simply felt like the perfect candidate.

Federico is absolutely right. As I recently wrote for Club members, web apps have been on the rise for a long time, and the trend is only accelerating with the ascension of AI tools. As a result, knowing how to use web APIs with Shortcuts is only going to become more important over time. Sure, you can often manage to scrape information from a website directly, but you’re much better off with a thoughtfully designed REST API that can fetch data for you in a structured way.

Today’s Automation Academy installment is the perfect place to get started. Todoist’s API is rich and thorough, and Federico takes readers through each of his four shortcuts in a methodical but conversational way that concludes with key takeaways readers can use in other contexts.

I struggled with implementing web APIs in Shortcuts for a long time. Web APIs aren’t easy. But today’s Academy lesson is the perfect introduction that starts with the basics and builds up to more advanced techniques, helping readers do more with Todoist and apply their new skills to other web APIs they encounter.

Discounts are just one of the many Club MacStories perks.

Discounts are just one of the many Club MacStories perks.

Automation Academy is just one of many perks that Club MacStories Plus and Club Premier members enjoy including:

  • Weekly and monthly newsletters 
  • A sophisticated web app with search and filtering tools to navigate eight years of content
  • Customizable RSS feeds
  • Bonus columns
  • An early and ad-free version of our Internet culture and media podcast, MacStories Unwind
  • A vibrant Discord community of smart app and automation fans who trade a wealth of tips and discoveries every day
  • Live Discord audio events after Apple events and at other times of the year

On top of that, Club Premier members get AppStories+, an extended, ad-free version of our flagship podcast that we deliver early every week in high-bitrate audio.

Use the buttons below to learn more and sign up for Club MacStories+ or Club Premier.

Join Club MacStories+:

Join Club Premier:

Permalink

The Latest from AppStories and NPC: Next Portable Console

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, Federico and I say goodbye to the AppStories+ pre-show and hello to the new post-show. Then, for the main event, we update listeners on how MacStories plans to cover AI news and tools.

On AppStories+, Federico and I share the AI tools we are using ourselves.

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, Brendon, Federico, and I consider how the Switch 2 will impact the wider handheld market, recap the specs and benchmarks for the Legion Go S and 2, and cover new devices coming from Anbernic and AYANEO. Then, Brendon shares his experience running Bazzite on the ASUS ROG Ally X.

Read more