Our iPadOS WWDC Wishes 
Member Requests Question: Is there a shortcut to import all current reminders from the iOS Reminders app into OmniFocus? The shortcut could either delete them from the Reminders app once imported or leave them there for the time being. (Anonymous)
The shortcut I’ve put together to make this possible, simply called ‘Reminders to OmniFocus’, allows you...
iA Writer, my favorite text editor for all Apple platforms (which I still use as the central piece of my Markdown collaboration workflow via GitHub), has been updated today to version 5.5 both on Mac and iOS/iPadOS. I’ve been testing this version for quite some time (it’s the update I originally mentioned in my Modular Computer story back in April), and there are some fantastic details worth pointing out.
On iPad, the app can now be fully controlled with the trackpad. Besides obvious support for clicking toolbar buttons and other elements in the app’s UI, trackpad support includes the ability to swipe horizontally with two fingers to show/dismiss the Library sidebar (which I do all the time now) and – my favorite touch – support for clicking a document’s name in the title bar to rename it. I’m so used to these two new pointer features in iA Writer 5.5, I wish more iPad apps adopted them.
Version 5.5 also brings support for highlighting text inside a document by surrounding it with two equal signs – e.g. ==like this==. Highlighted text will turn yellow, and it’s impossible to miss. When I used Scrivener to write one of my iOS reviews years ago, the ability to highlight text in the editor was one of my favorite options to mark specific passages for review; with iA Writer 5.5, I can now highlight text and have a clear visual indication without giving up on the Markdown syntax. Even better: there’s a new ⌘⌥= keyboard shortcut to toggle highlighted text.
Among a variety of other updates (you can read more about them on the developers’ blog), iA Writer 5.5 also comes with a powerful PDF preview (which supports custom templates, so I can export my drafts as PDFs that look like the MacStories website) and the ability to show multiple stats in the editor at once. Thanks to the latter option, I can now see my word and open task count at once while I’m editing a story.
I’ve been using iA Writer as my only text editor for two years now, and I’m continuously impressed by the thoughtfulness and attention to modern iOS/iPadOS technologies that goes into the app. You can get iA Writer 5.5 on the App Store and read more about my writing setup based on iA Writer, Markdown, and file bookmarks here.
The Next Generation of Apps 
This week, Federico and John discuss the evolution of Apple’s platforms and the new generation apps that are emerging across every platform from the Apple Watch to the Mac and embracing those new technologies and business models.
I wish I could quote a single section of Jordan Merrick’s Shortcuts wishlist, but I can’t because I agree with all of it. If you’re a heavy Shortcuts user, you’ve likely come across at least a couple of the limitations Merrick points out (lack of folders and struggling to navigate long shortcuts).
As we look ahead at WWDC 2020, it’s also a good time to link back to my What’s Still Missing from Shortcuts section from the iOS and iPadOS 13 review. Hopefully, a few items will be checked off this list in iOS 14.
iPadOS and Pointer Support with Craig Federighi
In this special episode of AppStories, Federico interviews Apple’s Senior Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi about iPadOS, pointer support, and more.
The Apps Federico Will Use for His Annual iOS Review
This week, Federico and John discuss the apps Federico uses to research, write, and edit his annual iOS and iPadOS review, including the changes he anticipates making this year and the new apps he’s considering.
Utility Apps Revisited
MusicBot Pro 1.1 Ever since its original release in December 2019, I’ve been working on and off on a fairly substantial update to MusicBot Pro, the Club-exclusive version of MusicBot. For those not familiar with MusicBot, here’s how I introduced it on MacStories: I created MusicBot for two reasons: I wanted to speed up common interactions with...
John