MacStories Weekly: Issue 163
Connected, Episode 230: Here’s the Thing about Code Names→
Stephen solves a problem that has been plaguing the podcast, Federico has concerns about Apple’s rumored news service and Myke is fighting a losing battle with AirPlay 2.
On this week’s episode of Connected, I reveal something from my youth and we consider the potential of future Apple services. You can listen here.
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- TextExpander, from Smile: Recall your best words. Instantly, repeatedly. Get 20% off your first year.
- Luna Display: The only hardware solution that turns your iPad into a wireless display for your Mac. Use promo code CONNECTED at checkout for 10% off.
- Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code CONNECTED at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.
Tabs to Links: A Mac Utility for Creating Link Lists
Yesterday Benjamin Mayo released Tabs to Links, a Mac utility that can grab the links and page titles from your open Safari tabs and send them to another app. The app is as simple as it sounds, but its thoughtful touches make it a tool I expect to use often.
Agenda 5 Expands iPad External Keyboard Support
Agenda recently passed the milestone of its first full year in public release, with the Mac version debuting last January and the iOS app a few months later. The team behind Agenda has been keeping busy ever since, with improvements like Siri shortcuts, dark mode, accent colors, and most recently, images and file attachments. Today’s update to version 5.0 on iOS and the Mac is relatively minor by comparison, but it still offers a few valuable additions. There are new options for your text environment, like the ability to set a custom line spacing and use an extra small text size, plus you can now perform multi-tag and multi-person searches. The improvement that stands out most, however, is Agenda’s newly expanded support for external keyboards on iPad.
AppStories, Episode 98 – Mixed iOS/Mac Automation→
On this week’s episode of AppStories, dive into Federico’s experiments in mixed iOS and Mac automation for controlling his Mac mini, iTunes, and podcasting setup.
Sponsored by:
- RAW Power - Make your best shots better. If you miss Aperture, check out RAW Power for Mac and iOS. Enter to win a free copy of RAW Power for iOS or the Mac here.
- ExpressVPN - High-Speed, Secure & Anonymous VPN Service. Get 3 months free with a 1-year package.
AppStories Episode 98 - Mixed iOS/Mac Automation
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Apple’s Health Records on iPhone Coming to Veterans→
Apple today announced that its Health Records feature is coming soon to all U.S. veterans thanks to a partnership with the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The announcement includes key quotes from Apple executives that highlight the growing importance of health to Apple as a company.
“When patients have better access to their health information, they have more productive conversations with their physicians,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s COO. “By bringing Health Records on iPhone to VA patients, we hope veterans will experience improved healthcare that will enhance their lives.”
“Our goal is to empower people to better understand and improve their health, enabling them to view their medical information from multiple providers in one place easily and securely,” said Kevin Lynch, Apple’s vice president of Technology. “We’re excited to bring this feature to veterans across the US.”
First introduced as part of iOS 11.3, Health Records is an iPhone feature whereby users’ patient records from participating hospitals and clinics can be stored in the Health app for easy access. Today’s news is significant largely for the expanded scope it brings to the feature. From the press release:
Health Records on iPhone will be the first record-sharing platform of its kind available to the VA, which is the largest medical system in the United States providing service to more than 9 million veterans across 1,243 facilities.
It’s a smart partnership for Apple, and one that could make a meaningful difference in the lives of U.S. veterans.
The Clock: The Best World Clock [Sponsor]
Time zones are hard, but they don’t have to be. With The Clock for iOS and the Mac, you can stay in touch with friends and family and schedule meetings with colleagues scattered across the globe without the confusion that time zones can cause.
The hallmark of The Clock is its flexibility to work the way you do. The app has 20,000 users, and it’s their input that has helped it evolve into an intuitive and essential utility.
Times and dates can be displayed in a bunch of formats, but that’s just the start. The Clock includes four handsome themes and supports eight different complications that display information like sunrise and sunset times, business hours, days off, days of the week, time zone offset, and more.
The Clock is also indispensable for planning meetings. With calendar integration and a unique slider interface, it’s easy to find a time window to chat with colleagues spread around the world. The app also automatically adjusts for Daylight Savings Time and alerts you as the time change approaches.
The Clock is loaded with lots of other features too:
- Menu bar and dock options
- Notes
- Accessibility support
- Local, iCloud, and Dropbox backups
- Keyboard support
- Handoff
- Share sheet and service integration for converting times
- Split Screen and Full Screen
- Siri Shortcuts on iOS
The Clock is the best world clock you’ll find anywhere on the Mac or iOS. Learn more about The Clock for macOS and download a trial version from the app’s website. While you’re there, check out the iOS version too. Both the macOS and iOS versions are available on the iOS App Store and the Mac App Store.
Also, we’re giving away 20 copies each of the Mac and iOS versions of The Clock to MacStories readers. Click here, to learn more and enter the giveaway.
Our thanks to The Clock for sponsoring MacStories this week.
Apple Shares Apple Music Ads for Grammys Featuring Artists as Memoji
In advance of 2019’s Grammy awards, airing this Sunday, February 10, Apple has shared three new Apple Music ads on its YouTube channel. Each minute-long ad is a music video wherein well known artists are represented in Memoji form. One video features Ariana Grande, another Khalid, and the final one Florida Georgia Line.
Last year Apple shared music videos featuring Animoji ahead of the Grammys, so this year’s decision to use Memoji is a natural evolution following iOS 12’s debut in September.
Although Animoji Karaoke hasn’t caught on much in broader culture despite commercials like these, it’s still fun seeing Apple highlight one of iOS’ more whimsical features alongside its music service.