Twitter: @ksmolka. Founder of Funn Media, the maker of WaterMinder, HabitMinder, Calory, and other apps. You’ve brought both HabitMinder and Calory to the Mac with Mac Catalyst. Why did you choose to use Mac Catalyst instead of AppKit? When Apple announced Mac Catalyst at WWDC19, we were excited to try it out as soon as...
Up Next on MacStories’ Podcasts
Next week on AppStories, Federico and John examine Catalyst, what’s working, what’s broken, and the first wave of apps released by third-party developers....
Interesting Links
Tim Johnsen, writing at Instagram’s Engineering blog, has posted a fascinating (and highly technical) deep dive into how the company implemented dark mode in iOS 13. (Link) The New York Times profiles Nir Eyal, whose book Hooked helped frame the methods used to create addictive apps and services. He has a new book out that...
In This Issue
OmniOutliner, a shortcut for converting reminders to notes, John onaddressing the needs of collectors and browsers of digital media, an interview with LookUp designer andSquircle Apps co-founder Vidit Bhargava, plus the usualWeekly Q&A, Links, App Debuts, a recap of MacStories articles, and a preview of next week’s episode of AppStories....
Previously, On MacStories
Shortcuts Corner: Apple Frames for iPhone 11 and 11 Pro, App Store Updates Page, Logging Completed Reminders, and Time Zones 14-Year-Old Developer Created Game for Apple Arcade’s Launch macOS Catalina: The MacStories Review The Future of Apple Music Hands-On with Spotify’s Siri Integration and Apple TV App Catalyst’s Rough Edges Risk Alienating Developers and Users...
Interview: Vidit Bhargava
Twitter: @viditb. Designer of LookUp and co-founder of Squircle Apps. When you first heard about Catalyst, what were your hopes for how you could use it to bring LookUp to the Mac? When I first heard about Catalyst, what I was really hoping for was a system that would take the iOS UI elements such...
iOS and iPadOS 13 App Roundup: Multiwindow, Dark Mode, Shortcuts, and More
iOS and iPadOS 13 have been in users’ hands for several weeks now, and with the abundance of new capabilities those releases brought has come a wealth of third-party app updates. System dark mode has been adopted not just by indie developers, but also major social media apps; multiwindow has empowered users to work more flexibly on the iPad; context menus have introduced a new layer of functionality to both iPhone and iPad; and of course, Shortcuts is now simultaneously more powerful and more user friendly in iOS 13, unlocking possibilities that are only beginning to be explored.
We’ve covered a lot of the best app updates for iOS and iPadOS 13 in individual articles and through our Club MacStories newsletter, but today the MacStories team has a roundup to share of several other noteworthy app debuts and updates of late.
TickTick: Your Lightweight All-In-One Task Manager [Sponsor]
TickTick is an all-in-one task management tool with a focus on simplicity. The app is available for more than ten platforms, including iOS, Mac, and Apple Watch.
Time is at the heart of TickTick. The app includes everything from a Pomodoro timer and habit tracker, to calendar views. It’s a to-do list, planner, reminder, as well as a calendar, which eliminates switching between apps, saving you time and effort.
At the same time though, TickTick is lightweight. The app’s workflows are carefully designed and optimized. For example, you can start by adding tasks and setting reminders. Later, you could use the Pomodoro timer to help you stay focused as you work on those same tasks, or you could punch in daily to develop a task into a habit. TickTick puts you in full control letting you choose to show or hide each of these features in the Tab Bar so you always have exactly what you need, no more, no less.
Another essential part of the app is TickTick’s simple clean-cut design. From List to Subtask, each interface is clean and tidy. Unlike to-do apps that are littered with checkboxes, TickTick makes managing tasks a breeze that feels as natural as note-taking.
All-in-one is not only about features, but also the seamless sync across multiple platforms, including iOS, Mac and Apple Watch. TickTick’s R&D team develops each and every application to fit its many platforms. There are even web and Windows versions of the app, which users love. Getting things done on every platform you work on has never been so easy.
TickTick free version for iOS (Apple Watch included) and Mac is perfect for daily use and includes Siri, Shortcuts, and URL scheme support. Premium features, like Custom Smart Lists, Reminders for Sub-tasks, and adding up to 299 lists, 999 tasks per list, and 199 sub-tasks per task, are available for just $2.99 monthly or $27.99 annually.
Visit the TickTick website today to learn more.
Our thanks to TickTick for sponsoring MacStories this week.
Interesting Links
Timac has an interesting analysis of the rapid use of Swift in apps by Apple itself. (Link) 9to5Mac reports on the seven new macOS Catalina wallpapers coming when the update launches later this month, including downloadable high-resolution versions you can use regardless of whether you’re running Catalina. (Link) Zac Hall has a terrific review of...