AppStories

Full Disk Access in the Age of Agents Oct 12, 2026 2083 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 sta

Meet Dot: OpenAI's Always On Agent Oct 5, 2026 2319 Meet Dot: OpenAI's Always On AgentThis 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.Also available on YouTube here.Links and Show NotesAI AgentsOpenAI Dots and Dev

What's New in macOS and watchOS 27 Sep 28, 2026 1952 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.Also available on YouTube here.Sponsored By:Scribe – AI-powered workflow documentation. Get your first month free.Links and Show NotesJohn's macOS and watchOS 27 ReviewsmacOS 27: The MacStori

Local AI Gets Serious on the M5 Ultra Mac Studio Sep 21, 2026 2361 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.Also available on YouTube here.Sponsored By:Workbench: Remote desktop for AI agents and headless Mac minis. Free to use for 20 minutes/day.Claude – For problems worth s

iOS and iPadOS 27: The MacStories Review Sep 14, 2026 2469 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.Sponsored By:Granola – The AI notepad for back-to-back days. Try for 3 months, for free, with code MACSTORIES.Links and Show NotesiOS and iPadOS 27: The M

The Once and Future App Store Sep 7, 2026 2825 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.Also available on YouTube here.Sponsored By:Claude: For problems worth solving — get started with Claude today.Gentler Streak – Move consistently, not constantly. AppStories listeners get an

Inside OpenAI’s Codex With Andrew Ambrosino Aug 31, 2026 2727 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. Subscribe here. We

How Should the Siri App Be Graded? Aug 17, 2026 3016 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. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, an

Folding the iPhone into the Creator Economy Aug 10, 2026 3222 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. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week.

Summer Projects: Automation, Email, and Dictation Aug 3, 2026 2972 This week on AppStories, Federico and John cover the app and agent experiments they’re both running. On AppStories+, John explores the sort of rapid workflow iteration enabled by agents. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription,

Open Minis Turns iOS into an Agent Playground Jul 27, 2026 3307 This week on AppStories, John and Federico discuss the changing face of the AI-fueled App Store and questionable changes made to TestFlight before going into the nerdiest details of Open Minis, an iOS app that brings desktop-class agents onto the iPhone and iPad. Then on AppStories+, Federico and John explore Cmux, a Mac terminal app with an iPhone and iPad beta that makes it easier than

All About Siri AI Jul 20, 2026 2898 This week, on AppStories, Federico and John look at what Siri AI is good at, where it needs improvement, and where it might be heading. On AppStories+, the conversation expands to Federico and John’s experiences with the betas of macOS Golden Gate, iOS 27, and iPadOS 27. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and

Fable 5 and OpenAI’s Curious ChatGPT Update Jul 13, 2026 3148 This week on AppStories, Federico and John look at our experiences with Claude Fable 5 and how they differ from other models and break down the controversial changes made by OpenAI to its Mac’s ChatGPT app. Then on AppStories+, John and Federico contrast their experiences with Fable 5 and OpenAI’s new family of GPT 5.6 models. Also available on YouTube here or download the transcript her

Email Survival Guide Jul 6, 2026 2625 This week on AppStories, Federico and John talk about the 10+ email apps they’ve used over the years and how their strategies for dealing with recent spikes in email volume has caused them to change their approaches. On AppStories+, Federico and John update listeners on their summertime agentic coding projects. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to sub

Are AI Aggregators Worth It? Jun 29, 2026 2639 This week on AppStories, Federico and John talk about the state of AI aggregator apps and their future prospects before checking in on their current AI app setups for the AppStories+ post-show. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscr

WWDC Debrief Jun 22, 2026 2858 This week on AppStories, John and Federico are back home and reflect on all the WWDC announcements, including Siri AI, Apple Intelligence, design changes, developer tools, and more. On AppStories+, we check in on our research setups and how they fared at WWDC. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high

WWDC 2026: The Apple Design Award Interviews Jun 10, 2026 3135 In a second special WWDC edition of AppStories, Federico and John interview Apple Design Award finalists and winners, including the developers of The Outsiders and Tide Guide and the publishers of Pine Hearts and BALL x PIT. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn m

WWDC 2026 with Special Guests Myke Hurley and Christopher Lawley Jun 9, 2026 3928 Federico and John are joined this week by Myke Hurley and Chris Lawley to share their first impressions of the WWDC keynote and discoveries in the hours following the presentation. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our Plans page, or read the App

Our WWDC Automation Wish List Jun 1, 2026 2220 This week on AppStories, Federico and John share their WWDC automation wishes. Then on AppStories+, they share more details on their research setups for the summer. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our [Plans page

Our macOS 27 Wishes May 25, 2026 1904 This week on AppStories, Federico explains how he’s using the recently-released Notion developer platform before he and John share their wishes for macOS 27. On AppStories+, John asks Federico about the technical underpinnings and evolution of the Shortcuts Playground project that he published last week. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscriber

Our iOS and iPadOS 27 Wishes May 18, 2026 2045 This week on AppStories, we share our wishes for iOS and iPadOS 27, and for AppStories+ subscribers, we tackle Visual Intelligence and whether there are any use cases that aren’t creepy. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription,

An App Swap Challenge May 11, 2026 1753 This week on AppStories, John and Federico kick off the app swap challenge, with each of them giving the other three apps to use. We’ll be checking in on how it’s going each week with a final roundup of the results of the experiment after WWDC. On AppStories+, we each pick aspirational apps and OS features that we wish we used more but don’t. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe her

Codex as a Productivity Super App May 4, 2026 2680 This week on AppStories, John shares his tip for moving files with Taildrop before he and Federico dig into Codex and its unique capabilities. On AppStories+, Federico and John have both returned to Apple Reminders and discuss why and how they’re using it. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitr

Filling the App Gap Apr 27, 2026 2957 This week on AppStories, John and Federico cover Apple’s executive transition, follow up on OpenAI’s super app, and share the apps they’re looking for and give each other suggestions on how to fill their app gaps. On AppStories+, we round up the tools we’ve built for ourselves that fill gaps, for which we haven’t found apps. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppS

Apple Frames 4 and the AI Multiplier Apr 20, 2026 2293 This week on AppStories, we draw from Federico’s experience creating the Apple Frames 4 shortcut and CLI to discuss the multiplier effect that AI agents can have in the hands of someone with deep domain expertise. On AppStories+, we share our AI agent mishaps and horror stories along with additional details on a John’s ongoing HomeKit makeover project. Also available on YouTube here. Sub

OpenAI’s Everything App Trap Apr 13, 2026 2304 [ This week, on AppStories, we return to a topic that’s an old favorite: the Everything App in honor of OpenAI’s announcement that they are building a Super App. On AppStories+, Federico consolidates the tools and services he uses. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To

Revisiting the Text Editor Landscape Apr 6, 2026 2318 This week on AppStories, John and Federico revisit the state of text editors on Apple platforms and how they use them. On AppStories+, John and Federico dig deeper into their writing workflows and the apps they’re using to write. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To le

An Orchestra Without a Conductor, Apple’s AI Dilemma Mar 30, 2026 2125 This week on AppStories, Federico and John draw from their experiences using AI agents to imagine the sort of agent Apple could build with tight hardware and software integration if it had a LLM to orchestrate the pieces already in place. On AppStories+, John asks where artificial intelligence falls on the spectrum of historical technology milestones. Also available on YouTube here. Subs

Why Foldable Phones Matter: The Case for an iPhone Duo Mar 23, 2026 2533 This week on AppStories, Federico shares his experiences with foldable Android phones and what Apple might do for its first foldable hardware and its software. On AppStories+, Federico shares his experience using Samsung DeX. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn

The Fractal Fragmentation of AI Tools Mar 16, 2026 3071 This week on AppStories, Federico and John look at the confusing array of tools and naming conventions used by Anthropic and OpenAI. On AppStories+, John explains how he automated two unautomatable Mac apps. Also available on YouTube here. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppS

Apple’s Big Neo Week Mar 9, 2026 2079 This week on AppStories, Federico and John discuss Apple’s latest hardware announcements. Then on AppStories+, Federico explains Notion Agents and Workers and how he’s using them. Subscribe here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our [Plans page](https://appstor

Our Apple Hardware Wish List for 2026 Mar 2, 2026 1823 This week on AppStories, Federico and John cast our wishes for Apple hardware in 2026, covering everything from the latest rumored gear to more outrageous hopes. On AppStories+, John and Federico share their top three everyday uses of AI tools. This episode is sponsored by: Claude – Ready to tackle bigger problems? Get started with... Read more

App Intents and the Road to a Smarter Siri Feb 23, 2026 1822 This week, Federico and John revisit App Intents to discuss where it came from, what it can do today, and the challenges Apple faces in integrating it with Apple Intelligence. On AppStories+, John and Federico migrated their server setups and found themselves playing IT administrator. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and... Read more

Pick a Pair: New Apps We’re Using Feb 16, 2026 2302 This week, Federico and John share apps they’re trying for the first time, including a calendar app, a text editor, a snippets utility, and more. Then on AppStories+, John shares his first impressions of Xcode 26.3. This episode is sponsored by: Claude – Get 50% off Claude Pro, including access to Claude Code. Insta360 –... Read more

One Notion: Two Approaches Feb 9, 2026 1856 This week on AppStories, John and Federico share the very different ways they use Notion. On AppStories+, we follow up on OpenClaw security concerns and explore the ways Federico is using it. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+... Read more

The Future of Apps in an AI-Coded World Feb 2, 2026 2279 This week, Federico and John update listeners on the ClawdBot-MoltBot-OpenClaw saga before digging into how AI will affect apps and app developers. On AppStories+, John covers why Creator Studio is such a fundamental shift in Apple’s approach to ‘Pro’ apps. [We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers]https://www.macstories.net/appstories-plans/) with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high... R

Terminal Tips and Claude Code Workflows Jan 25, 2026 2606 This week, Federico and John share their workflows and tips on how they use Claud Code and Codex to build automations. On AppStories+, John and Federico explore the Apple and Google Gemini deal and the end of Shortcuts as we know it. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at... Read more

A Very ‘Just Build It’ Holiday Jan 18, 2026 2556 This week, Federico and John complete their tour of holiday projects with a look at the tools both of them built with the help of Claude Code, Codex, and other tools. On AppStories+, John pushes Claude Code by building a Safari web extension that integrates with Notion. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with... Read more

A Very Nerdy Holiday Break Jan 11, 2026 2874 This week, Federico and John are back from their holiday break, included so many hardware and automation projects that this is part one of a two-part episode regarding Federico’s networked music automation setup and John’s new research tool. On AppStories+, Federico shares his foldable phone experiments. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus... Read more

What’s Next for Apps in 2026 Dec 21, 2025 1703 This week, Federico and John look ahead to 2026 and what it will mean for apps, smarter Siri, and more. On AppStories+, Federico and John update listeners on their latest app experiments and holiday hardware projects. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week.... Read more

The 2025 MacStories Selects Awards Dec 16, 2025 3447 This week, Federico and John reveal the winners of the 2025 MacStories Selects Awards, which celebrate the exceptional design, innovation, and creativity of apps across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch. On AppStories+, John has some Apple Music discovery tips for Federico, and they reveal the iPhone features they don’t use. We... Read more

Vibe Coding Your Own Productivity Tools Dec 7, 2025 2392 This week, Federico and John explain how they go about creating personal productivity tools with the assistance of AI and walk through some of what they have created. On AppStories+, we talk about our Black Friday tech purchases. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early... Read more

Designing for Liquid Glass: Outstanding Indie Apps Nov 30, 2025 1588 This week, Federico and John dig into some of their favorite apps that have adopted Apple’s Liquid Glass design language. On AppStories+, it’s John’s 10th anniversary at MacStories, so he and Federico look back at the last decade. Also available on YouTube here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and... Read more

The Ever-Changing App Store Nov 23, 2025 1955 This week, Federico and John explore current changes to the world of apps through the lens of its past evolution. On AppStories+, we build “money’s no object” holiday wish lists for ourselves. Also available on YouTube here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every... Read more

Our Latest App and Automation Experiments Nov 16, 2025 2333 This week, Federico and John kick off their holiday app and automation experimentation season a little earlier than usual with a mix of apps, automations, and services. On AppStories+, Federico and John look ahead, considering the future of Shortcuts and automation. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a... Read more

The Great Digital Declutter Nov 9, 2025 1873 This week, Federico and John clean house, deleting old apps, screenshots, half-built shortcuts, huge downloads, and more. A look at the workflows and apps we use to stay organized and clean up our digital messes. On AppStories+, Federico’s Typing Mind experiments continue, while John shares his experience of Claude Code to build tools to run... Read more

Exploring AI Browsers Nov 2, 2025 2304 This week, Federico and John look at the hype surrounding AI browsers to see if there’s any there there. Then, on AppStories+, Federico explains his experiments with lightning fast alternative AI models in Typing Mind. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To... Read more

The Potential and Limits of the M5 iPad Pro Oct 26, 2025 2013 This week, Federico and John consider whether Apple made the case for running local LLMs and gaming on the M5 iPad Pro and discusss who should consider buying it. On AppStories+, we explain how Claude Skills work and why they are one of Anthropic’s most exciting features in a while. Also available on YouTube here.... Read more

Apple’s Intelligence Quest: Beyond Smart Siri Oct 19, 2025 2191 This week, Federico and John discuss what might be next for Apple Intelligence and how it fits into the broader AI market. On AppStories+, Federico and John cover the fallout from the Sora app and why AI can’t replace human creativity. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a... Read more

What Else Do We Want from Apple in 2025? Oct 12, 2025 1868 This week, with rumors of more products in the pipeline, Federico and John share what they want most from Apple before the end of the year. On AppStories+, Federico experiments with lightning fast inference and iteration using Cerebras for scripting. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high... Read more

Making Sense of MCP: The Standard Connecting AI to Apps Oct 5, 2025 2293 This week, Federico and John demystify Model Context Protocol (MCP), covering how it works, where it’s heading, and practical examples of what it can do. On AppStories+, Federico and John experiment with whether AI can make sense of the information firehose. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a... Read more

AirPods Pro 3, iPhone Air, and a Cable Quest Sep 28, 2025 2233 This week, Federico and John follow up after a week with new Apple hardware and dig into watchOS and visionOS 26. On AppStories+, John is mixing up his link and data organization systems - again. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To... Read more

Fall Hardware: First Impressions Sep 21, 2025 1847 This week, Federico and John shared their first impressions of the iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air, Apple Watch Ultra 3, and AirPods Pro 3. On AppStories+, Federico asks John about his plans to unwind now that his macOS review is out. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at... Read more

iOS, iPadOS, and macOS 26: The MacStories Reviews Sep 15, 2025 3175 This week, Federico and John discuss their annual OS reviews. Federico digs into the details of iOS and iPadOS 26, while John considers what macOS 26 Tahoe means for users. On AppStories+, John updates listeners on what he bought after last week’s Apple event and why. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus... Read more

Apple Event Vibe Check Sep 7, 2025 2500 This week, Federico and John do their annual pre-Apple event “vibe check,” discussing what they expect and hope to see at the upcoming September Apple event. They explore the rumored iPhone 17 lineup, AirPods Pro 3, and debate the Apple Watch Ultra. Plus, they share thoughts on the prospect of an Apple TV with Apple... Read more

Back From Break: Automation, AI, and IKEA Aug 31, 2025 2868 This week, AppStories returns with details on the projects Federico and John worked on during their breaks. On AppStories+, the importance of breaks and finding ways to unwind. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit... Read more

Building a Better AI App Aug 10, 2025 2188 This week, Federico and John pick and choose their favorite AI app features to imagine a better AI app future, critiquing the leading LLM apps along the way. And, as a bonus, John explains why read-later apps should support Shortcuts and other automation schemes. On AppStories+, the critique continues with a look at how Todoist... Read more

The iPadOS and macOS 26 Public Betas Aug 3, 2025 2098 This week, Federico and John share their experiences with iPadOS and macOS 26, which are now available as part of Apple’s public beta program. On AppStories+, Federico and John discuss the state of engagement bait posting about Apple and how it’s affecting the discourse about the company and its products. We deliver AppStories+... Read more

Gaming Sidekicks: Videogame Companion Apps with Brendon Bigley Jul 27, 2025 2594 This week, John is joined by Brendon Bigley to explore the wide world of videogame companion apps from media trackers to game specific companion apps. On AppStories+, John and Brendon dig into 16 years of App Store history to compile a list of games that have defined gaming on the iPhone. Also available on YouTube... Read more

A Secondary Device Check-In Jul 20, 2025 1694 This week, Federico and John explain how they use their secondary systems, which for John is the iPad and for Federico, the Mac. On AppStories+, Federico asks whether technologies like web-based MCP render Apple’s native App Intents irrelevant? Also available on YouTube here. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and... Read more

Imagining Apple’s Next Big Thing Jul 13, 2025 2252 This week, Federico and John share a grab bag of projects we’d like to see Apple pursue from software, to hardware and corporate acquisitions. On AppStories+, Federico and John take their wish list further with a bunch of gadgets they’d like to see Apple make. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content,... Read more

Inside our Summertime Review Toolkits Jul 6, 2025 1657 This week, Federico and John reflect on their preparations for the fall review season, how dealing with design changes is different than new features, and explain some of the tools their using for research and writing this year. On AppStories+, John answers the question “What if the Stream Deck was $20 and fit in the... Read more

Our OS 26 Experiments: iPad Podcasting, Reminders, and More Jun 29, 2025 1770 This week, Federico records entirely on his iPad Pro using the new local capture feature in iPadOS 26. He and John discuss how this system feature changes remote podcasting, their experiences and experiments with macOS Tahoe and the new Spotlight, and why both have returned to Apple’s Reminders app—thanks in part to Apple Intelligence and... Read more

An iPad Pickle Jun 22, 2025 1755 This week, Federico and John reflect on where the iPad fits within their workflows after the announcement of iPadOS 26. Then, on AppStories+, they explore the potential for an Apple automation renaissance built on the features announced at WWDC. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate... Read more

A Behind the Scenes Peek at WWDC Week Jun 15, 2025 2062 This week, Federico and John catch listeners up on their whirlwind WWDC week, which was chaotic in the best possible way. On AppStories+, Federico and John get excited about what the WWDC announcements say about the direction of automation on Apple’s platforms. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at... Read more

WWDC 2025: A First Look at Everything Apple Announced Jun 11, 2025 3435 For our second WWDC episode of AppStories, Federico and John dig into the details they’ve learned about what was announced by Apple this week at WWDC 2025. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our Plans... Read more

WWDC 2025: The AppStories Interviews with Apple Design Award Winners Jun 10, 2025 3497 For their first WWDC 2025 AppStories episode, Federico and John interview finalists and winners of the Apple Design Award. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our Plans page, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. [[audio_player]] This... Read more

Sky and Our 2025 Shortcuts and Apple Intelligence WWDC Wishes Jun 1, 2025 2274 This week, John shares his first impressions of Sky, the alpha AI-powered Mac automation app from the creators of Workflow and Shortcuts and then he and Federico share their Shortcuts and Apple Intelligence wishes for WWDC 2025 On AppStories+, John and Federico consider what AI means for developers and the App Store in the year... Read more

Our 2025 macOS and visionOS WWDC Wishes May 25, 2025 2034 This week, Federico and John share their WWDC wishes for macOS and visionOS. On AppStories+, John explores how Apple hardware and software got so out of sync when it comes to AI use cases. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn... Read more

Airbnb 2025 Summer Release: An Interview with Jud Coplan and Teo Connor May 18, 2025 3021 This week, Federico and John interview Airbnb Vice President of Product Marketing, Jud Coplan, and Vice President of Design, Teo Connor. On AppStories+, Federico explores running LLMs locally on an M3 Ultra Mac Studio. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate early every week. To learn... Read more

The Swift Student Challenge Interviews and watchOS and tvOS Wishes May 11, 2025 2464 This week, Federico and John interview Apple’s VP of Developer Relations, Education, and Enterprise, Susan Prescott, along with Amy Key and Omar Firdaus, Distinguished Swift Student Challenge Winners. Then, they also share their 2025 wishes for watchOS and tvOS. On AppStories+, John leads a philosophical discussion about art, culture, and creativity and where it’s heading... Read more

Our 2025 iOS and iPadOS WWDC Wishes May 4, 2025 3822 This week, Federico and John begin their annual look at what they’d like to see Apple announce at WWDC 2025, starting with iOS and iPadOS 19. On AppStories+, John explains why the recent contempt order entered against Apple is a bigger deal than most people realize, on multiple levels. We deliver AppStories+ to... Read more

Tackling Trackers Apr 27, 2025 2124 This week, Federico and John tackle tracking apps. From database apps to media trackers, they consider what makes a good tracking app no matter what you’re tracking. On AppStories+, Federico quizzes John about what’s on his desk, the tech he’d be happy to have a burgler steal, and more. We deliver AppStories+ to... Read more

How We’re Using AI Apr 20, 2025 3255 This week, Federico and John revisit the fast-paced world of artificial intelligence to describe how they’re using a variety of tools for their everyday workflows. On AppStories+, John shares his theory of the way we’ll look at AI models in the future. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at... Read more

Time for Calendars Apr 13, 2025 2066 This week, Federico and John survey their favorite calendar apps, discussing the strengths and weaknesses of each. On AppStories+, Federico shares Shortcuts tips for working with Google’s Gemini API and the highly structured data it returns. Plus he and John share their concern and cautious optimism for the future of Shortcuts. We deliver... Read more

Return of the Utility Grab Bag Apr 6, 2025 1838 This week, Federico and John share some of their favorite utility apps, including Amphetamine, Text Lens, Gifski, Folder Peek, Mic Drop, Keka, and Marked. Then, on AppStories+, Federico and John extend their conversation about utilities with six more favorites. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate... Read more

Pick 3: Automations Mar 30, 2025 2383 This week, Federico and John take listeners on a tour of the wide variety of automations they’ve been working on so far this year, including shortcuts, Claude projects, and Zapier zaps. On AppStories+, Federico and John dig a little deeper into some of the more complex automations that they’ve been working on in 2025. not... Read more

From Dashboard Widgets to Breaking News: Mark Gurman’s Path to Bloomberg Mar 23, 2025 2815 In this special interview episode, Federico and John welcome Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman to discuss his 16-year journey covering Apple. Mark shares how he started as a teenage app developer before joining 9to5Mac and eventually Bloomberg. The conversation explores Mark’s most memorable scoops, the evolution of Apple news coverage, his relationship with Apple, and advice for... Read more

Shortcuts Utility Apps Revisited Mar 16, 2025 1947 This week, Federico and John explore a collection of Shortcuts helper utilities that extend functionality beyond the built-in system actions, sharing how these apps address gaps in Apple’s Shortcuts implementation across the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. On AppStories+, John interviews Federico about his recent story that concludes web applications often provide superior experiences to native...

Our Self-Imposed Tech Deadlines Mar 9, 2025 2124 This week, Federico and John share their self-imposed tech deadlines for the hardware and software they use. On AppStories+, Federico and John follow up their tech deadlines with the hardware they expect to add to their setups in 2025. We deliver AppStories+ to subscribers with bonus content, ad-free, and at a high bitrate... Read more

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