[[federico]] Over the past couple of years, a lot of my favorite iOS apps have adopted subscription-based models, which, according to developers, have proven to be more sustainable in the long term than paid-upfront or one-time In-App Purchases. These subscription-based apps, in addition to web services that already featured recurring subscriptions (such as music streaming,...
Apps and Good Intentions
Federico
John
AppStories Episode 32 - Apps and Good Intentions
0:00
32:58
32:58
Federico and John consider why some apps sit unused in ‘folders of good intentions’ on their iOS and macOS devices.
This episode is sponsored by:
- iMazing – Manage your iPhone your way with iMazing.
Links and Show Notes
Good Intentions Apps
- PaintCode
- Sketch
- Lifesum
- WaterMinder
- Gyroscope
- Coursera
- edX
- Duolingo
- Marvin
- Kindle
- Headspace
- Inoreader
- Reeder
- Halide
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App Debuts
[[federico]] SpamHound With this SMS spam filtering extension, you’ll have access to more advanced controls that aren’t usually available in similar apps. SpamHound allows you to set up rules based on regular expressions and wildcards, so you can catch that annoying message that keeps being delivered to your phone number every week. In addition, SpamHound...
Turning Animoji into Custom GIFs
[[federico]] This week’s workflow isn’t about productivity per se. Actually, it’s not even a workflow. This week, we’re making custom Animoji GIFs. Some might say this could be even more important than scripting Todoist or learning URL schemes at this moment in time, and I agree. I feel like we all could use more laughing...
Force-Quitting Apps on the iPhone X
[[federico]] While I don’t understand those who obsessively force-quit all their iPhone apps as soon as they stop using them, I do occasionally need to manually terminate an app that isn’t working well or is stuck in a specific screen due to a bug. By default, the iPhone X makes the process of force-quitting apps...
Testing Faster Wireless Charging on iOS 11.2 Beta→
Matt Birchler ran some tests with faster wireless charging on iOS 11.2 (currently in beta) and, unfortunately, the results aren’t impressive:
Over the 2 hour test, the iPhone 8 Plus went from zero to 47%. It charged at an incredibly consistent 4% per 10 minutes. Previously I got up to 40% with this same charger after 2 hours, which is a 17% improvement in wireless charging speed. While this is indeed an increase, it’s not the sort of increase that’s going to get you from “wireless charging is too slow” to “I love wireless charging!”. If you have 2 hours to change your phone and there is a 7% difference in the change level, I don’t think that’s a huge deal. Especially when you compare 30 minutes on the charger, I saw literally no change in performance, as it took 30 minutes for the phone to reach 11% charge.
As I noted yesterday, the Qi spec supports up to 15W, but it’s unclear if Apple will go beyond 7.5W for wireless charging on the iPhone 8 and X lines. “Faster” wireless charging doesn’t compare to actual USB-C fast charging at all – earlier today, I tested a 30W USB-C battery pack for an iPhone X story I’m working on, and the device charged by 83% in just 60 minutes. Now that is remarkable.
What Makes an App Sticky?
AppStories Episode 31 - What Makes an App Sticky?
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38:16
38:16
Federico and John look at apps that have been designed for the iPhone X and consider what makes certain apps ‘sticky.’
This episode is sponsored by:
- iStat Menus – Providing Mac users with a wealth of information in a compact, cleanly-designed interface.
- Use the coupon code ‘APPSTORIES’ for 30% off iStat Menus 6 or an iStat Menus Family Pack.
- Jamf Now – Manage and protect your Apple devices in minutes.
- Create your free account today at jamf.com/appstories.
Links and Show Notes
Designed for the iPhone X
The Apps
- Halide
- Apollo
- Annotable
- Lire RSS reader
- Weather Atlas
- AR MeasureKit
- Glasses by Warby Parker
- Workflow
- Reeder
What Makes an App Sticky?
- Investment in Setup and Customization
- Exclusive or Best-in-Class Features
- Sharing and Collaboration Features
- Sunk Costs – Subscription-based apps and services
- Going Where Your Friends and Family Are
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Turning Multiple Notes into Tasks with Workflow’s Drag and Drop
[[federico]] To everyone’s surprise, Workflow received a substantial update this week that, despite the unassuming version number (1.7.7), adds major new features such as iOS 11 compatibility, iPhone X support, and drag and drop for input items. Today, I want to focus on drag and drop with an example of the kind of tactile automation...
The Apps and Workflows We Use to Cover Apple Earnings Calls
AppStories Episode 30 - The Apps and Workflows We Use to Cover Apple Earnings Calls
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34:31
34:31
Federico and John explain the apps and workflows they use to cover Apple earnings calls and then cover updates to Newsify on iOS and Twitterrific for macOS.
This episode is sponsored by:
- Balance - A wallet for all the worlds currencies and tokens.