Posts in reviews

Alyx: A Fun, Flexible Way to Track Caffeine Intake

Alyx is a new caffeine tracking app for the iPhone by Jordan Morgan that’s simple, fun, and flexible all at once. It’s a great example of marrying Apple’s latest design language with recent technologies in a way that serves its users incredibly well.

The app has just one view and a couple of prominent Liquid Glass buttons for logging caffeine consumption and accessing settings. That’s balanced visually by a bar at the top that remains on-screen as you scroll, showing your current caffeine intake, how many milligrams of caffeine you can still consume before reaching your self-imposed limit, and a ‘Last Call’ button that tells you the latest time you can have caffeine without interrupting your sleep at night. The ‘Last Call’ button opens a view with an explanation of how the time is calculated, an option to set an alarm for your Last Call, and a ‘Learn More’ button that opens a fun terminal-style view with even more data.

More of the data available in Alyx's main view.

More of the data available in Alyx’s main view.

Most of the time, you’ll remain in the app’s main view, which summarizes the data you enter. You can add caffeine using a series of categorized preset drinks, manually punching in the number of milligrams of caffeine you’ve consumed, or using Apple Intelligence to describe a drink and get an estimate of its caffeine content. You can also define custom drinks and log them using a Siri Shortcut, the Action Button tied to an App Shortcut, or a shortcut you create yourself. You can also use Visual Lookup to get an estimate of the caffeine in a drink based on a photo. The app offers a lot of options for logging caffeine, but that’s good because it covers a wide range of potential contexts inside and outside the app where you might want to add a drink, lowering the barrier to recording them.

Some of the many ways to add drinks to Alyx.

Some of the many ways to add drinks to Alyx.

The rest of Alyx’s main view includes:

  • a graph that can be switched between your daily, weekly, and annual caffeine intake,
  • a handful of glanceable daily and weekly stats,
  • a sleep forecast that tells you how much sleep you might lose based on your caffeine intake,
  • more detail about the individual drinks you’ve logged for the current day,
  • a different graph depicting your rate of caffeine intake over the past year,
  • your annual caffeine intake measured in espresso shots, and
  • a Hall of Shame that measures your top intake by month, week, day, and entry.

It’s also worth noting that Alyx includes eight small- and medium-sized Home Screen widgets to track your caffeine intake, a Lock Screen widget for logging caffeine, and a very long list of Shortcuts actions.

Alyx supports Visual Lookup, App Shortcuts, Shortcuts actions, and more.

Alyx supports Visual Lookup, App Shortcuts, Shortcuts actions, and more.

It’s a lot of data, but it’s presented in clear card-style groupings that are broken up with just enough explanation of what you’re looking at to make everything understandable. Behind the cards is Liquid Glass’ familiar frosted effect backed by subtle areas of color that make the UI feel more dynamic than scrolling a plain list of graphs and numbers. It looks great and adds vibrancy that fits in with the app’s touches of humor from its coffee drink mascot, Alyx.

I often find myself in stretches where I know I’m consuming too much caffeine but find it hard to break the habit. Alyx offers the ability to get control of that sort of thing in a way that’s inviting. The app is fun to use and makes it dead simple to keep up with tracking, too. I highly recommend giving it a try.

Alyx is available in the App Store for the iPhone as a free download with a subscription that’s $1.99/month, $9.99/year, or a $24.99 one-time payment.

Activas: Modern Design with a Sprinkling of AI

Activas is a new health and wellness tracker for the iPhone and iPad from developer Brian Hough, who built it from the ground up with Apple Intelligence and Liquid Glass in mind. The app serves as a dashboard that brings together information from the Health app in a colorful and easy-to-understand way, using progressive disclosure to avoid overwhelming users with data. It’s a fantastic example of modern design that marries form and function to elevate the user experience.

The app has just two tabs that adopt iOS 26’s Liquid Glass design without sacrificing legibility. The default view is the Dashboard, which can display your recent health and wellness metrics for the last 7, 15, or 30 days. At the top of the Dashboard is a Momentum Score that’s calculated based on a composite of step count, sleep, resting heart rate, and BMI targets, plus your calorie goal. Unlike many similar apps, Activas links to research supporting its targets, which I appreciate. The Momentum Score and a handful of additional stats can also be tracked using one of the app’s Home Screen widgets.

The Momentum Score is followed by an AI-generated insight about your metrics. Because I haven’t been tracking my calories or weight recently, the app suggested I should. That’s followed by overviews of Activity, Nutrition, Sleep, Vitals, and Body Measurement. Each of these sections appears as a SwiftUI-style card that includes graphs showing recent trends, an insight about your metrics, and a suggested question that you can ask the Activas AI with a tap. Sections can be turned on and off and reordered in the app’s settings, too.

The Dashboard’s design is superb. By collecting individual measurements in groups of related statistics and providing a takeaway about each section, the app allows users to get a quick, understandable overview of where they’re succeeding and what needs work.

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Festivitas Brings Fresh Whimsy to Your Mac, iPhone, and iPad for the Holiday Season

Last year, Simon Støvring released Festivitas, a Mac app that lets you string holiday lights from your menu bar and across the top of your Dock. This year, Simon is back with an update to the Mac app and a new version for the iPhone and iPad.

The default set of lights consists of traditional multi-colored bulbs that blink on and off as you use your Mac. That’s the set I use the most, but Festivitas offers many more options. You can control the lights’ opacity, whether they appear along both the menu bar and the Dock or just one of them, and the colors of the lights and the cable from which they hang. You also have more than a dozen light styles to choose from, including round holiday lights, bats, clovers, eggs, stars, hearts, snowflakes, cocktail glasses, beer mugs, “2026,” “WWDC,” and more, covering a wide variety of holidays and festive events. Plus, you can control how the lights blink. It’s a lot, but it’s also just plain fun to tweak everything to suit your tastes.

This year, the Mac app adds a virtual snowstorm that you can start from the app’s settings or menu bar item. It’s a great addition that looks amazing against a dark backdrop like the Obsidian theme I often use to write. A fun touch is that the snowflakes avoid your pointer, and you can adjust the sensitivity of this feature in settings. You can also use your pointer to push around the lights hanging from the menu bar, which is handy for those times when they obscure Safari’s menu bar or other content.

The snow is lovely. I highly recommend pairing it with the Animal Crossing Snowy Day soundtrack on Nintendo Music. It’s an incredibly peaceful and relaxing combination.

Festivitas supports Shortcuts, too. Simon has created some fun example automations that you’ll find in the app’s settings to do things like turning on the snowstorm when snow is forecast and activating your lights when you play music.

Festivitas on iPhone.

Festivitas on iPhone.

New this year is a Festivitas app for the iPhone and iPad. The app lets you build small, medium, and large widgets to place on your Home Screen. You can either frame a photo with twinkling lights or create a transparent-style widget so the lights frame an element of your Home Screen. I love that the lights framing the photos are animated, an effect I know isn’t easy to do with a widget. You can also add text and make other adjustments to each widget.

Festivitas isn’t going to help you get more done. In fact, it might even slow you down a little bit, and maybe that’s the point. Taking a moment to enjoy the app’s lights and be mesmerized by the falling snow is a good reminder to slow down a little and have some fun.

Festivitas for the Mac is available directly from the app’s website for any price you want to name between $3.99 and $9.99. The iPhone and iPad version is a free download on the App Store with a range of in-app purchases from $3.99 to $9.99 to create a similar name-your-price system.

Picmal Streamlines Batch Conversion and Compression on the Mac

One of my favorite aspects of macOS is the endless supply of great utilities for doing anything you can imagine. If there’s something you want to do on your Mac, the chances are that there isn’t just one good utility to accomplish your task; there are several.

My latest discovery is a file conversion and compression app called Picmal. The app has a wonderfully simple, modern interface that sits on top of a lot of complexity, enabling batch conversion and compression with minimal effort.

You can mix and match file types in one conversion or compression operation.

You can mix and match file types in one conversion or compression operation.

Picmal handles images, videos, and audio files in a single-window utility that features a Convert/Compress toggle at the top and a lot of empty space to start. The center of the window invites users to “Drop Your Files Here.” Once you do, the window animates into something a little closer to a Finder window with alternating white and light gray rows that make it simple to track metadata about each file.

Files can be dragged into Picmal from anywhere on your Mac, allowing for batch processing without moving your files to one location first, which I appreciate. Once converted, files are saved as new files in the folder they came from with a prefix or suffix that you can specify in the app’s Settings. You’re not limited by file type either. You can drag any combination of images, videos, and audio files into Picmal’s window, picking and choosing what to convert them into as you go.

For some file types, Picmal includes metadata.

For some file types, Picmal includes metadata.

Next to some file types is a small info button that reports the sort of basic file metadata you find in the Finder’s info panel. That’s followed by a column that lists the file’s starting type, and a column with a dropdown menu for picking the destination file type. The list of supported file types is long, too, with the exact number of options dependent on the type you begin with.

If you want to check the file you’re about to convert before doing so, there’s also an arrow button on the far right of each file’s row that will take you to it in the Finder. The other columns report the output file’s size, any compression savings, and the status of each conversion. Whenever you want, you can add more files for conversion, kicking off a new batch once any ongoing conversions complete.

Most file conversions I tried went well, but I couldn't manage to convert large MP4s to the MOV format.

Most file conversions I tried went well, but I couldn’t manage to convert large MP4s to the MOV format.

In my testing, Picmal performed well overall. I converted images, audio, and videos to and from a variety of common formats such as PNG, JPEG, PDF, MP3, AAC, WAV, MP4, and MOV. However, I did run into trouble trying to convert a 1.55 GB MP4 of an episode of MacStories Unwind from MP4 to MOV. The conversion failed, even though much smaller files worked. Hopefully this is something that can be fixed in an upcoming update.

Another smaller issue I ran into is that there’s a checkbox next to each file in the Picmal file conversion interface that appears to be intended as a way to change the conversion file type for multiple files at once. However, the dropdown that appears when selecting multiple files of the same type didn’t give me an option to pick a new conversion type. The developer is aware of this and the large video file issue and is working to resolve both.

The other primary use for Picmal is file compression. The workflow is largely the same as converting files, with the size savings reported in a dedicated window column. By default, compressing files requires you to click on Picmal’s Compress button, but you can change the process so that it happens automatically instead. From Settings, you can also add compression to your file conversions, completing both steps together.

Compressing images.

Compressing images.

Audio and video compression quality are set to 85% by default, while image compression quality is set to ‘balanced.’ However, in each case, you can tweak the compression settings with more fine-grained controls. Another nice touch is that your compression selections and a link to Picmal’s Settings are both accessible from the bottom of the Picmal window, making your compression choices clear and simplifying the process of making any adjustments.

Aside from a couple of hiccups in my testing that the developer will likely have fixed soon, my experience with Picmal has been great. About the only thing I’d love to see added is support for Shortcuts. Otherwise, Picmal is an excellent way to manage file conversion and compression jobs of any size. There are other apps that accomplish something similar, but the simplicity and speed with which you can manage batch conversion and compression with Picmal sets it apart and makes it worth checking out.

Picmal is available directly from its developer for $9.99. That gets you the use of the app on one Mac at a time, which can be expanded to more Macs at an increasing per-Mac discount based on the number of licenses you purchase.

More Than Just a Camera Grip: Belkin’s Stage PowerGrip for iPhone

For the past week, I’ve been testing the Belkin Stage PowerGrip. It’s an iPhone accessory that adds a DSLR-like grip to your iPhone while simultaneously charging it. Belkin isn’t the first company to make an accessory like this, but the Stage PowerGrip delivers a bigger battery at a more affordable price than its competitors. That’s why it initially caught my eye. However, what I didn’t expect was for the device to make a compelling case to become part of my everyday on-the-go setup, which it absolutely has. Here’s why.

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Remess Visualizes Your Life in Texts

Text messages are a chronicle of our lives. But by the same token, those conversations remain locked away in Messages. The app’s search has improved with macOS Tahoe, which I appreciate, but finding past snippets of a chat log doesn’t allow you to understand the full arc of conversations across your entire family and friend group.

That’s where Remess by Fahmi Omer comes in. It’s a Mac app that accesses your Messages and Contacts databases locally to paint a picture of your life in text messages.

To run Remess, which is an open source project that you can inspect on GitHub, you need to run a Terminal command that bypasses Apple’s Gatekeeper protection and give it both full disk access and access to your contacts. The developer says the app only accesses your information locally, but there’s an element of trust there that’s worth considering before you take the plunge. That said, if you go for it like I did, Remess is a lot of fun.

Let’s take a look.

The app starts out very high level with the total number of messages sent and received:

Then, it digs into the details. This is what writing at MacStories for nearly a decade looks like:

From all-time numbers, Remess digs into what a typical day of texting looks like for you:

The app also calculates the year you sent the most messages and how many people you’ve exchanged texts. After this brief tour of your life in texts, Remess lands on a dashboard with additional data, a graph of your texting totals, a word cloud of most frequently-used words, and a ranking of your contacts and groups ranked by texting totals.

You can filter texting totals by year, too, which is an interesting way to spot patterns in your messaging habits.

The word cloud should probably filter out common words, but the rest is about what you'd expect from me: Mac, app, shortcuts.

The word cloud should probably filter out common words, but the rest is about what you’d expect from me: Mac, app, shortcuts.

I’m not sure I learned anything about my texting habits from Remess that I didn’t already have a sense of based on my day-to-day messaging. Still, it’s interesting and fun to see the magnitude of the number of texts and the way they’ve accumulated over time.

Remess is available as a free download directly from its developer.

Hands-On with the Kuxiu X40 Turbo Qi 2.2 3-in-1 Travel Charger

Wireless charging is great, but historically it’s been slow. That’s starting to change for the iPhone with Qi 2.2, the latest wireless charging standard that the iPhone 16 and 17 series phones support. With Qi 2.2, a compatible iPhone charges wirelessly at 25W. By comparison Qi 1 charged at 5–7.5W and Qi 2.0 and the original MagSafe charged at 15W.

So far, though, there have been precious few chargers, besides Apple’s MagSafe puck charger, that support Qi 2.2’s faster charging, which is why I was interested in trying the Kuxiu X40 Turbo, when Kuxiu offered to send me a review unit. As advertised, the compact 3-in-1 charger delivers the fastest wireless iPhone charging around, but that’s not its only selling point.

In addition to fast charging an iPhone 16 or 17 series phone at 25W, the X40 Turbo, which retails for around $80, charges AirPods and an Apple Watch at 5W. However, what I wasn’t expecting was just how small the X40 Turbo is when folded for travel. The entire package is about twice as thick as an iPhone 17 Pro Max and fits neatly into the palm of your hand. At the same time, though, the X40 Turbo feels sturdy. It’s made of metal with soft-touch pads to avoid scratching your devices or tabletop. Here’s a closer look at what Kuxiu sent me:

When it’s time to charge your iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch, the X40 Turbo unfolds into a z-shaped configuration from which the Watch pad flips down horizontally. So far, I’ve used the X40 Turbo on my nightstand and at my desk, where it takes up minimal space. I also plan to take the X40 Turbo on my next trip because it takes so little room in my bag.

Kuxiu isn’t the first company to make a charger in this form factor, but the X40 Turbo is one of the best built that I’ve tried, and as one of the first Qi 2.2 models, it’s notable, and a great upgrade to your charging setup.

The Kuxiu X40 Turbo is available directly from Kuxiu and Amazon.

A Fresh Spin on Apple Music: Exploring Daft Music’s Liquid Glass Design

Daft Music asks a question that’s been on my mind for a long while: what if Apple Music started over with a new Mac app? As a service, I love Apple Music. I’ve been a subscriber since day one. But I’m less enamored with the Music app, especially on the Mac.

Music on the Mac has a long history dating back nearly 25 years to Apple’s acquisition of SoundJam MP, which became iTunes, an app for organizing your music collection, syncing it to your iPod, and, later, buying music. Over the years, iTunes expanded to encompass TV, movies, books, apps, and even courses, which was too much for one app. So Apple began dismantling iTunes, with the final blow coming in 2019 with the release of macOS Catalina. The update retired iTunes, replacing it with Apple Music and dedicated apps for other types of media.

Music was a significant break from the design of iTunes, but as a long-time user of both iTunes and Music, what didn’t seem to change as much was the app’s underlying code. That’s consistent with reporting at the time that Music was an AppKit app built on the bones of iTunes. The choice to build Music for macOS on top of the iTunes foundation had the advantage of allowing Apple to preserve iTunes features that the Music app lacked on other platforms. However, the decision had a big downside, too. Built on what was already a nearly 20-year-old code base, Music inherited iTunes’ bugs, which have hung around unfixed for years.

I love the simple elegance of Daft Music’s interface.

I love the simple elegance of Daft Music’s interface.

That’s where Daft Music by Dennis Oberhoff comes in. It’s a simple, elegant Apple Music “do-over” that also happens to be the first Mac app I’ve tried that was built from the ground up for Liquid Glass. There’s a lot to cover, so let’s dig in.

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First Look: Logitech’s MX Master 4 Adds Haptics, Actions Ring, and a USB-C Bolt Receiver

Source: Logitech.

Source: Logitech.

Today, Logitech introduced an updated version of its MX Master series mouse dubbed the MX Master 4. It’s a good upgrade, but the changes are largely incremental; while I like it a lot, the MX Master 4 won’t be for everyone. Logitech sent me the MX Master 4 to try, and I’ve been using it for the past couple of weeks, so I thought I would share what the experience has been like so far.

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