AppStories, Episode 326 – Return to macOS

This week on AppStories, Federico explains his return to the Mac, including his hardware setup and the apps he’s using, and I recommend some apps he should try.

Sponsored by:

  • Dropshare – The most flexible file-sharing solution for macOS and iOS that just works with your trusted file storage provider. 15% off for AppStories listeners with the code appstories at checkout.
  • Hit The Island – Funn Media’s innovative, fun, and deceptively simple game for the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.
  • Factor – Healthy, fully-prepared food delivered to your door. Get 50% off your first box.

On AppStories+, we discuss the advantages of Raindrop.io over alternative bookmarking services, and I share a story from the past about the pitfalls of sharing shortcuts in the early days of Workflow.

We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week.

To learn more about the benefits included with an AppStories+ subscription, visit our Plans page, or read the AppStories+ FAQ.

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Last Week, on Club MacStories: An Obsidian Shortcut, the Benefits of Utility Shortcuts, and Two Special Club Podcast Episodes

Because Club MacStories now encompasses more than just newsletters, we’ve created a guide to the past week’s happenings:

MacStories Weekly: Issue 365

Federico's Dashboard note in Obsidian includes an 'On My Mind' section that he prepends notes to using Shortcuts.

Federico’s Dashboard note in Obsidian includes an ‘On My Mind’ section that he prepends notes to using Shortcuts.

Club MacStories+ AV Club Town Hall

Last week, Federico and I were joined by Jonathan Reed to discuss the debut albums of Coldplay and Oasis live in the Club Discord. Club MacStories+ Discord members picked Coldplay’s Parachutes, and Federico picked Oasis’ Definitely Maybe in honor of MacStories’ anniversary last week. Club MacStories+ and Premier members can listen to the event in the Town Hall podcast feed.

Club MacStories+ Automation April Shortcuts Workshop, Part 2

We threw a second live Automation April Shortcuts workshop in Discord last week with special guest Rosemary Orchard where we explained our approaches to building new shortcuts, when to build utility functions called from other shortcuts, our recent shortcuts experiments, and projects. The event is also available in the Town Hall podcast feed.

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.

Learn more here and from our Club FAQs.

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.

Learn more here and from our Club FAQs.


Streaks: The to-Do List That Helps You Form Good Habits [Sponsor]

Streaks is one of the best-known habit-tracking apps on the App Store. In addition to linking to the Health app to help improve your health and wellbeing, you can use it for anything! Work, hobbies, exercise, timers, and more - it’s extremely customizable.

We’ve just released Streaks 9 with some great new features:

  • Screen Time tasks that automatically monitor your device usage
  • An all-new Apple Watch app, now written in SwiftUI
  • You can now record daily notes with your tasks
  • New great-looking neon themes

Streaks has now been in the App Store for 8 years - if you haven’t tried it before, or it’s been a while since you used it, we hope you can check it out!

Our thanks to Streaks for sponsoring MacStories this week.

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.

Learn more here and from our Club FAQs.

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.

Learn more here and from our Club FAQs.



MacStories Unwind: How I Met Your Father, Pokémon Scarlet, and Rabbit Hole

AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps
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AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps


This week on MacStories Unwind, Federico started watching How I Met Your Father, season 2, on Hulu, which in itself is a minor miracle from Italy, and picked up Pokémon Scarlet again, while I stumbled across Rabbit Hole, an action/thriller/conspiracy show on Paramount+ starring Keifer Sutherland.

Federico’s Picks:

John’s Pick:

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.

Learn more here and from our Club FAQs.

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.

Learn more here and from our Club FAQs.


Automation April: Hyperduck Leverages the Power of URL Schemes to Control Your Mac from an iPhone or iPad

Hyperduck is a recent utility from Sindre Sorhus for sending URLs from an iPhone or iPad to your Mac that has some very interesting applications. Hyperduck hasn’t replaced my use of AirDrop, Handoff, and other Apple technologies that move data between devices, but it has extended those features in meaningful ways and has quickly worked its way into my everyday computing life.

Hyperduck does just one thing very well. It sends URLs from an iPhone or iPad to a Mac using iCloud. That’s different than how AirDrop works, which has some advantages.

Read more

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.

Learn more here and from our Club FAQs.

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.

Learn more here and from our Club FAQs.




AppStories, Episode 325 – Automation April: Third-Party Apps with Great Shortcuts Support

This week on AppStories, we dig into third-party apps with excellent shortcuts support.

Sponsored by:

  • Viso – Beautiful minimal image viewer for macOS.

On AppStories+, My Mac Studio is in the shop, so Federico and I are both using MacBook Airs.

We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week.

To learn more about the benefits included with an AppStories+ subscription, visit our Plans page, or read the AppStories+ FAQ.

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