John Voorhees

5615 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.

Is Apple Collaborating with SongShift on Migrating Users to Apple Music?

Speaking of Apple Music, Apple appears to be testing ways to migrate your music library and playlists from other streaming services to its own.

Chance Miller, writing for 9to5Mac, reports on the discovery made by users of the Apple Music for Android beta on Reddit:

Now, Apple appears to be testing native integration with SongShift. According to users on Reddit, there is a new prompt in Apple Music for Android that asks users if they want to “add saved music and playlists you made in other music services to your Apple Music library.” There’s also a new option for doing this through Apple Music’s settings on Android.

SongShift is an excellent third-party app that we’ve covered over the years at MacStories. However, I’d be surprised if Apple winds up partnering with a third-party developer for this sort of new user onboarding experience instead of building a similar tool itself. Regardless of the direction Apple decides to take, a migration tool makes a lot of sense for anyone who is deeply invested in another service but is interested in trying Apple Music.

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Apple Music Replay Updated with Monthly Listening Statistics

Apple has updated its Replay website with monthly totals for top artists, albums, songs, and milestones, giving Apple Music listeners a reason to visit the site more than once a year. The update bears some similarities to the sort of monthly statistics available from sites like Last.fm, although less detailed.

Here’s what Apple had to say about the new features:

Once logged in [to Apple Music], users can check out their top songs, top albums, top artists, and milestones of the month, every month. They can also listen to their personal top songs chart of the year with their Replay Mix, which updates weekly.

The update extends the existing Replay site’s beautiful, interactive design. Selecting milestones provides additional details about the music you were listening to when you reach each one.

Currently, only January’s statistics are available. The site says February statistics will appear in early March. However, the monthly stats have been added for 2023, too, so you can browse last year’s musical obsessions as you wait for February’s. The deeper year-round statistics are a welcome addition to Replay. I still wish I could access all of this inside the Music app itself, but I love the new level of detail about my listening habits.


A Comprehensive Guide to Gaming on the Apple Vision Pro

The lack of any kind of port significantly limits the type of gaming you can do in the Apple Vision Pro – or does it? Sure, even one USB-C port would make a big difference to gamers looking to play titles outside the App Store, but there is a surprisingly wide array of ways to play almost any game on the Vision Pro with the help of a combination of apps and hardware. The solutions run the gamut from simple to complex and span a range of price points. I’ve tried them all and have pointers on how to get started.

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AppStories, Episode 371 – Exploring visionOS

This week on AppStories, we move on from hardware to explore visionOS, where it hits, where it misses, and what we’d like to see in the future from the OS.

Sponsored by:

  • Paste – Endless clipboard for Mac and iOS devices
  • Crouton – A home for your favorite recipes from wherever you find them

On AppStories+, we discuss the developer strap and how it could potentially gain new features in the future, as well as the idea of using a headless Mac as a Vision Pro accessory.

We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week.

To learn more about the benefits included with an AppStories+ subscription, visit our Plans page, or read the AppStories+ FAQ.

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Exploring visionOS

AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

AppStories Episode 371 - Exploring visionOS

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AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

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.

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The Tools I Use to Proofread My Writing

One thing I’ve learned about myself as a writer is that I’m not a very good proofreader. No matter how carefully I think I’m proofing something I wrote, typos slip through. There are a few things going on here. One is that by the time I’m proofreading, my brain has already moved on to the...


App Debuts

Bezel Bezel is a visionOS app with an iPhone companion utility that allows you to mirror your iPhone’s screen in real-time on the Vision Pro and display it into a resizable 3D iPhone frame. The idea is intriguing enough: I, for one, struggle to read my iPhone’s screen when I’m wearing the Vision Pro,...


Interesting Links

Writing for The Verge, Chris Welch reviews the Bose Ultra Open, the company’s latest wireless earbuds based on a brand new design that doesn’t go into your ears. (Link)

Sarah Perez, writing for TechCrunch, looks at what the demise of Twitter has meant to the social media landscape, RSS, and more. (Link) Zoë...


MacStories Unwind: Vision Pro Q&A with Club MacStories Members

AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps
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45:15

AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps


This week on MacStories Unwind, we answer questions from Jonathan Reed and Club MacStories members about the Apple Vision Pro live from the Club MacStories Discord audio channel.

  • Kolide – It ensures that if a device isn’t secure it can’t access your apps.  It’s Device Trust for Okta. Watch the demo now.

MacStories Unwind+

We deliver MacStories Unwind+ to Club MacStories subscribers ad-free and early with high bitrate audio every week.

To learn more about the benefits of a Club MacStories subscription, visit our Plans page.

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