I love a weird battery story, and this one is really something. Apparently, Haribo – the maker of gummy bears – has teamed up with a company called DCHK to produce the lightest 20,000 mAh power bank available. I compared it to one of my big Anker batteries, and sure enough, the gummy battery...
App Debuts
Shareshot In a small update this week, Shareshot added backgrounds for screenshots that match the colors of the latest iPhones, which are available only to users of those phones. Later Later is a read later app for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac that I don’t see mentioned often, but it has a lot of...
Mystery Solved: Why Third-Party Apps Vanished From the Mac’s Control Center
As I explained in my macOS Tahoe review, one of the biggest disappointments was how few third-party Control Center controls I had access to at launch. That was surprising to me given how many developers support Control Center on the iPhone and iPad.
So, I spent a lot of time investigating the issue without reaching a satisfactory answer until yesterday. The short story is it’s a bug, and there’s a workaround until it can be fixed by Apple, but here’s the rest of the back-story that didn’t make it into my macOS Tahoe review and how to sidestep it.
Access Extra Content and Perks
Founded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for nearly a decade.
What started with weekly and monthly email newsletters has blossomed into a family of memberships designed for every MacStories fan.
Club MacStories: Weekly and monthly newsletters via email and the web that are brimming with apps, tips, automation workflows, longform writing, early access to the MacStories Unwind podcast, periodic giveaways, and more;
Club MacStories+: Everything that Club MacStories offers, plus an active Discord community, advanced search and custom RSS features for exploring the Club’s entire back catalog, bonus columns, and dozens of app discounts;
Club Premier: All of the above and AppStories+, an extended version of our flagship podcast that’s delivered early, ad-free, and in high-bitrate audio.
iOS, iPadOS, and macOS 26: The MacStories Reviews
FedericoThis 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.
](https://cdn.macstories.net/banneras-1629219199428.png)
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.
AppStories Episode 452 - iOS, iPadOS, and macOS 26: The MacStories Reviews
0:00
52:54
52:54
This episode is sponsored by:
- Widgetsmith: Make your phone your own with custom widgets and wallpapers. Ready for Liquid Glass in iOS 26. Use our link for a free month of Widgetsmith Premium.
- Steamclock: We make great apps. Design and development, from demos to details.
macOS 26 Tahoe: The MacStories Review
I’m going to cut to the chase – I like macOS 26 Tahoe a lot. No, it’s not perfect, and yes, I wish Apple had done even more, but that’s the case every year.
What I love about Tahoe is its balance. It’s not the sort of thing you can draw up a set of specs or a table of pros and cons for. It just feels right.
The heart of why Tahoe works is that it meets users where they are better than the typical annual release. If you’ve been using macOS for years and prefer to follow a beaten path through its features, you can. You may stumble across a new feature now and then, and you’ll notice visual differences thanks to Liquid Glass, but I’ve been moving between macOS Sequoia and Tahoe all summer long, and when I’m not seeking out what’s new, everything simply feels familiar and comfortable. That’s a good thing for an OS that’s relied upon by millions of people to get their work done.
But you’re probably wondering how I can say that given the Liquid Glass design and online drama surrounding it over the summer. The thing is, whether you’re a Liquid Glass fan or foe, it’s just not as big of a deal on the Mac as it is elsewhere. I’ll explain what I like about Liquid Glass and what I don’t, but it hasn’t moved the needle at all when it comes to my daily work.
What has moved the needle are the new features available in Tahoe. They won’t get in the way of your existing workflows, but if you’re interested iprn exploring new and better ways of getting things done, there’s a lot to like about this update. That’s why I’m such a big fan of macOS 26: it’s a release that walks a careful line between the familiar and the new. There’s no adjustment period, but there are plenty of new features to explore that I think will make a big difference in the way MacStories readers use their Macs.
So join me for a tour off the beaten path to explore what you can expect to discover in macOS 26 Tahoe.
Access Extra Content and Perks
Founded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for nearly a decade.
What started with weekly and monthly email newsletters has blossomed into a family of memberships designed for every MacStories fan.
Club MacStories: Weekly and monthly newsletters via email and the web that are brimming with apps, tips, automation workflows, longform writing, early access to the MacStories Unwind podcast, periodic giveaways, and more;
Club MacStories+: Everything that Club MacStories offers, plus an active Discord community, advanced search and custom RSS features for exploring the Club’s entire back catalog, bonus columns, and dozens of app discounts;
Club Premier: All of the above and AppStories+, an extended version of our flagship podcast that’s delivered early, ad-free, and in high-bitrate audio.
App Debuts
Kagi Summarize It’s been a while since I kicked the tires on Kagi, but as I recall, one of the search engine’s touted AI features is its finely-tuned summarizer. Kagi has spun that off as a separate free iOS app that works from the share sheet. Send the app an article or other text,...
Previously, On MacStories
Sound Designer Dallas Taylor on the Audio Enhancements to AirPods Pro 3 Testing Claude’s Native Integration with Reminders and Calendar on iOS and iPadOS Apple Announces Final Cut Camera 2.0 with Support for ProRes RAW and Genlock Apple’s September 2025 Event: By the Numbers Apple’s September 2025 Event: All the New Accessories Apple Announces iPhone...
Interesting Links
Apple published an article on its security blog this week explaining Memory Integrity Enforcement and how it secures iOS devices. (Link) Ever wonder about how quantum computers can theoretically break modern encryption? Ben Brubaker explains how it works in a fascinating story for Wired. (Link) SwitchBot, whose products I’ve started to fall for, wants...
My Apple Event Top Three
For the first time in a while, Apple has made it hard for me to choose which iPhone to buy. The Air looks amazing but has compromises, while the Pro line has the power I want, but I’m lukewarm on the design and colors. In the end, I’ll go Pro, but aside from one feature,...