Ever since I’ve been back on Todoist as my primary task manager, one of the things I’ve appreciated the most about it is how its web-first nature lends itself so well to different kinds of integrations across platforms. As Club members will know, I’ve created a suite of advanced shortcuts to communicate with Todoist; but...
Shortcuts Utility Apps Revisited
Federico
JohnThis 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 apps on iPad, examining how this trend reflects broader challenges in the iPad ecosystem.
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AppStories Episode 427 - Shortcuts Utility Apps Revisited
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32:26
32:26
This episode is sponsored by:
- Incogni – Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code APPSTORIES with this link and get 60% off an annual plan.
Links and Show Notes
Shortcuts Utility Apps
- AppStories, Episode 145: Shortcuts Utility Apps
- Shortcuts Helper Apps
- Actions
- MenuBot
- AI Actions
- Shortery
- Actions for Obsidian
- Browser Actions
- Alex Hay’s Apps, now developed by Snailed It
- BarCuts
- Text Workflow
- Also mentioned
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ReaderTask: A Shortcut to Turn Readwise Reader Articles into Todoist Tasks
You may have noticed that I’ve been trying to be more consistent about sharing interesting articles found around the web on MacStories lately. Besides feeling energized by new topics we’re covering and some upcoming changes in my workflow, I’m doing this as part of a broader effort to continue making the MacStories homepage a frequent...
Our Self-Imposed Tech Deadlines
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.
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AppStories Episode 426 - Our Self-Imposed Tech Deadlines
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35:24
35:24
This episode is sponsored by:
- Memberful – Easy-to-Use Reliable Membership Software
Links and Show Notes
Our Tech Deadlines
- Federico
- Absent significant improvements in iPadOS 19, Federico will add a Mac to his setup.
- Unless ChatGPT starts integrating more tightly with apps, Federico will cancel his subscription.
- Absent new exclusives, Federico will sell his PS5.
- John
- Barring substantial iPadOS improvements, John plans to experiment with Android tablets.
- If Apple’s cellular modems extend the battery life of the iPhone 17 Pro phones, John may drop out of Plus Club.
- If Apple supports third-party plugins for Final Cut Pro for iPad, John will consider moving more of his video editing to the iPad.
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Gemini for iOS Gets Lock Screen Widgets, Control Center Integration, Basic Shortcuts Actions
When I last wrote about Gemini for iOS, I noted the app’s lackluster integration with several system features. But since – unlike others in the AI space – the team at Google is actually shipping new stuff on a weekly basis, I’m not too surprised to see that the latest version of Gemini for iOS has brought extensive support for widgets.
Specifically, Gemini for iOS now offers a collection of Lock Screen widgets that also appear as controls in iOS 18’s Control Center, and there are barebones Shortcuts actions to go along with them. In both the Lock Screen’s widget gallery and Control Center, you’ll find Gemini widgets to:
- type a prompt,
- Talk Live,
- open the microphone (for dictation),
- open the camera,
- share an image (with a Photos picker), and
- share a document (with a Files picker).
It’s nice to see these integrations with Photos and Files; notably, Gemini now also has a share extension that lets you add the same media types – plus URLs from webpages – to a prompt from anywhere on iOS.
The Shortcuts integration is a little less exciting since Google implemented old-school actions that do not support customizable parameters. Instead, Gemini only offers actions to open the app in three modes: type, dictate, or Talk Live. That’s disappointing, and I would have preferred to see the ability to pass text or images from Shortcuts directly to Gemini.
While today’s updates are welcome, Google still has plenty of work left to do on Apple’s platforms. For starters, they don’t have an iPad version of the Gemini app. There are no Home Screen widgets yet. And the Shortcuts integration, as we’ve seen, could go much deeper. Still, the inclusion of controls, basic Shortcuts actions, and a share extension goes a long way toward making Gemini easier to access on iOS – that is, until the entire assistant is integrated as an extension for Apple Intelligence.
The Missing Middle
This week, Federico and John examine the widening gap between consumer and enterprise apps, asking what happened to prosumer and small business app market.
On AppStories+, John doesn’t buy Apple’s explanation of why the iPhone 16e doesn’t have MagSafe and has an email-adjacent theory about task managers.
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.
This episode is sponsored by:
- Incogni – Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code APPSTORIES with this link and get 60% off an annual plan.
Links and Show Notes
Why Aren’t Developers Making Prosumer and Small Business Apps Anymore?
- Todoist
- Fantastical
- PDFpen
- Beeper
- Adium
- GroupMe
- Slack
- Discord
- Microsoft Teams
- Notion
- Shortwave
- Claude
- Memberful
- GitHub
- 1Password
- Google Workspace
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5 for 5: Five Predictions, Five Years
This week, Federico and John make five app predictions for the next five years covering everything from App Intents and automation to the fate of the App Store.
On AppStories+, John talks through a very specific use case for Apple’s new iPhone 16e.
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.
AppStories Episode 424 - 5 for 5: Five Predictions, Five Years
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29:35
29:35
This episode is sponsored by:
- P – The water reminder and hydration app.
Links and Show Notes
5 for 5: Five App Predictions for the Next Five Years
- Additional Reading:
- Apple Intelligence: The MacStories Overview
- iOS and iPadOS 18: The MacStories Review
- macOS Sequoia: The MacStories Review
- Gemini 2.0 and LLMs Integrated with Apps
- Apple Intelligence in iOS 18.2: A Deep Dive into Working with Siri and ChatGPT, Together
- Apple Reveals A Partial Timeline for the Rollout of More Apple Intelligence Features
- Apple’s Commitment to AI Is Clear, But Its Execution Is Uneven
- Widgets and What Apple’s Recent Expansion of App Intents Might Mean for the Shortcuts App
- An App Store First: Delta Adds Patreon Link for Purchase and Perks
- The Delta Videogame Emulator Launches on the App Store
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A Classic Pick 2: Hidden Gems
AppStories Episode 423 - A Classic Pick 2: Hidden Gems
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31:07
31:07
This week, Federico and John each pick two apps you may or may not have heard of or considered using and explain why you should give them a try.
On AppStories+, we extend our picks with several more apps we’ve been testing recently. Learn more at appstories.plus.
This episode is sponsored by:
- Memberful – Easy-to-Use Reliable Membership Software
- Incogni – Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code APPSTORIES with this link and get 60% off an annual plan.
Links and Show Notes
Classic Pick 2: Hidden Gems Edition
- Federico’s Picks
- John’s Picks
- ScreenFloat
- MassReplaceIt
- Also Mentioned:
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Working with Web APIs in Shortcuts: My Collection of Shortcuts for the Todoist API
A few months ago, I realized that Reminders wouldn’t be able to scale to my new professional life in 2025. You see, this year we’re planning to expand and diversify MacStories even further, launching projects that have been years in the making as well as trying some new things that we recently thought of. New...
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