Federico Viticci

10637 posts on MacStories since April 2009

Federico is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of MacStories, where he writes about Apple with a focus on apps, developers, iPad, and iOS productivity. He founded MacStories in April 2009 and has been writing about Apple since. Federico is also the co-host of AppStories, a weekly podcast exploring the world of apps, Unwind, a fun exploration of media and more, and NPC: Next Portable Console, a show about portable gaming and the handheld revolution.

Yoink Brings Background Clipboard Monitoring to iOS and iPadOS 15 via Picture in Picture Workaround

Yoink's new persistent clipboard monitoring.

Yoink’s new persistent clipboard monitoring.

In the years I’ve spent working on iPad as my primary computer, I’ve learned to appreciate the platform’s advantages over the Mac (a richer app ecosystem and superior modularity, for instance), and I’ve accepted its limitations. Despite the advances in the past 18 months with iPadOS 14, the Magic Keyboard, and iPadOS 15, there are still several areas where iPadOS falls short: I can’t record podcasts on it with the setup I like (unless I deal with some ridiculous cable shenanigans); the Files app still lacks Finder features such as smart folders or the ability to navigate into hidden folders; and, due to Apple’s restrictions, iPad utilities like clipboard managers can’t run persistently in the background like they can on a Mac.

While I continue to believe Apple will have to address these issues in the next iterations of iPadOS, Matthias Gansrigler didn’t want to wait for Apple to let his clipboard manager Yoink run continuously in the background and automatically capture anything the user copies to the system clipboard. So, using a clever workaround made by possible by new APIs introduced in iOS and iPadOS 15, he figured out how to turn Yoink – already a capable and modern clipboard manager and shelf app – into a “true” clipboard manager that, like those you may have seen on macOS, can monitor everything you copy and automatically save it for you. The result is unlike anything else I’ve seen on iOS and iPadOS, and it unlocks the kind of flexibility and peace of mind I’ve long missed from macOS. It’s almost too good to be true, and I hope I won’t cause any trouble by writing about it.

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Apple’s October Music and MacBook Pro Event

AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

AppStories Episode 245 - Apple’s October Music and MacBook Pro Event

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56:04

AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

This week, Federico and John are joined by Alex Guyot live in the Club MacStories+ Discord community for a special episode recapping and breaking down everything announced by Apple at its latest online event, including the Apple Music, HomePod, and AirPods 3 announcements and the all-new MacBook Pros.

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Tagging Reminders with Siri…Sort Of

As we covered on MacStories last month, one of the major additions to the Reminders app this year is the ability to create custom Smart Lists that filter your reminders based on various criteria. While Reminders doesn’t grant the same versatility seen in apps such as Todoist or OmniFocus for these custom views, there is...



Remind Me Faster

As I shared before on Twitter and AppStories, one of the sleeper hits of this year’s iOS and iPadOS release is the updated Reminders app. Although Reminders remains an approachable, lightweight to-do app that doesn’t burden casual users with options and settings, Apple managed to add complexity for those who seek more control in the...


Apple Frames 2.0: Faster, Lighter, and Featuring Support for iPhone 13, iPad mini, iPad 10.2”, iMac 24”, MacBook Air, and Multiple Languages

Apple Frames 2.0.

Apple Frames 2.0.

Today, I’m pleased to introduce Apple Frames 2.0, an all-new version of my popular shortcut to put screenshots inside physical device frames of Apple products. The new Apple Frames, which you can download at the end of this post or on the MacStories Shortcuts Archive, has been completely rewritten so it’s faster and lighter, comes with support for the latest iPhone 13 lineup and iPad mini, brings support for framing iMac and MacBook Air screenshots, and, at long last, is available internationally in seven different languages.

This is a massive update to Apple Frames, so let’s dive in.

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iOS and iPadOS 15 Top Tips

AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

AppStories Episode 244 - iOS and iPadOS 15 Top Tips

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29:46

AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

This week, Federico and John share a long list of iOS and iPadOS 15 tips, highlighting lesser-known features that they are using to get the most out of the latest versions of the OSes.

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Rediscovering Due and Its Nagging Reminders

As I continue to put my personal and professional life back together after the release of the iOS and iPadOS 15 review, I’ve finally had the time to sit down and figure out something that has been bothering me for a while: I’ve taken personal reminders out of my task manager and put them in...