This week on AppStories, Federico and John start realizing the benefits of their attempt to automate all administrative tasks and explain why Apple’s vague developer blog post about Full Disk Access and AI agents should concern all Mac users whether or not they use AI.

On AppStories+, as John nears the finish line on his podcast production suite for the Mac, he explains how the project started and what it’s done to improve his podcasting workflow.

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AppStories Episode 505 - Full Disk Access in the Age of Agents

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34:42

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AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

This episode is sponsored by:

• Cricket: The First Alarm Clock for Families. For a limited time, get 50% off for 6 months with code MACSTORIES2026 by selecting Redeem on the app’s paywall.

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This week on AppStories, John is back from OpenAI DevDay, so he and Federico cover the history of AI agents, the current landscape, and what OpenAI is doing with Dots.

On AppStories+, Federico provides a sneak peek at what’s in store for his Reminders, Notes, and upcoming CLIs.

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AppStories Episode 504 - Meet Dot: OpenAI’s Always On Agent

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38:38

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AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

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This week on AppStories, John shares his favorite parts of macOS and watchOS 27 from his reviews of both.

On AppStories+, Federico and John begin revisiting new their long lists of automation projects.

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AppStories Episode 503 - What’s New in macOS and watchOS 27

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32:31

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AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

This episode is sponsored by:

• Scribe – AI-powered workflow documentation. Get your first month free.

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This week on AppStories, John interviews Federico about his review of the M5 Ultra Mac Studio and it local AI capabilities.

On AppStories+, Federico takes listeners behind the scenes on how he tested the M5 Ultra Mac Studio.

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AppStories Episode 502 - Local AI Gets Serious on the M5 Ultra Mac Studio

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39:20

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AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

This episode is sponsored by:

• Astropad Workbench: Remote desktop for AI agents and headless Mac minis. Free to use for 20 minutes/day.
• Claude – For problems worth solving — get started with Claude today.

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This week Federico shares thoughts from his review of iOS and iPadOS 27. Then in the AppStories+ post-show, he explains how he used agents to support the production of the review and Club MacStories extras.

Also available on YouTube here.

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AppStories Episode 501 - iOS and iPadOS 27: The MacStories Review

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41:08

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AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

This episode is sponsored by:

Granola – The AI notepad for back-to-back days. Try for 3 months, for free, with code MACSTORIES.

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This week on AppStories, we celebrate the 500th episode of the show with a look at the App Store’s past, present, and future.

On AppStories+, Federico and John pick some of their all-time favorite apps.

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AppStories Episode 500 - The Once and Future App Store

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47:05

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AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

This episode is sponsored by:

• Claude: For problems worth solving — get started with Claude today.
• Gentler Streak – Move consistently, not constantly. AppStories listeners get an extended two-week free trial with the link above.
• Shipaton, from RevenueCat: The world’s biggest mobile hackathon for people who actually ship.

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This week on AppStories, Federico and John are joined by Andrew Ambrosino, the Codex team lead at OpenAI, to talk about the evolution of Codex, the unification of ChatGPT and Codex, Computer Use and Computer History, designing for user trust, and more.

On AppStories+, Andrew shares some of his favorite Mac apps and his Mac origin story.

Also available on YouTube here.

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AppStories Episode 499 - Inside OpenAI’s Codex With Andrew Ambrosino

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45:27

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AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

This episode is sponsored by:

• Finalist – A paper-inspired daily planner with notes for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and now Apple Watch. A day you design your way. For 50% off your first year use this link.

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This week on AppStories, John and Federico check in on Apple’s betas with a close look at the new Siri app and how it compares to past-Siri and other chatbot products.

On AppStories+, John and Federico explain how they manage multiple Macs for automation and coding tasks.

Also available on YouTube here.

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AppStories Episode 498 - How Should the Siri App Be Graded?

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50:15

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AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

This episode is sponsored by:

• Finalist – A paper-inspired daily planner with notes for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and now Apple Watch. A day you design your way. For 50% off your first year use this link.
• Inoreader – Build your own newsfeed and cut through the noise.

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This week, on AppStories, John is joined by Christoper Lawley to discuss uses for a folding iPhone and Parchment, Lawley’s daily agenda app.

On AppStories+, John and Chris dig into audio and video workflows for podcasting and YouTube.

Also available on YouTube here.

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AppStories Episode 497 - Folding the iPhone into the Creator Economy

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53:41

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AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

This episode is sponsored by:

• Inoreader – Build Your Own Newsfeed and Cut Through the Noise
• Shipaton, from RevenueCat – The world’s biggest mobile hackathon for people who actually ship.

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