Quick thoughts that link out to other sites
From Stephen Robles on YouTube:
Eek out every percentage of iPhone battery with these 10 Shortcuts and automations! From low power mode to adjusting brightness and disabling always-on display at critical battery levels, this video is your ultimate guide to extending your iPhone’s battery life.
📲 Get the Shortcuts
Lower Brightness + Toggle Auto
Auto-Brightness URL Scheme: prefs:root=ACCESSIBILITYu0026path=DISPLAY_AND_TEXT
In Stephen Robles’ “Inside My iPhone Setup” video on YouTube, starting at 3:15, he talks about using the Today view to store the Shortcuts widget:
Dive into my full iPhone setup tour for 2024, where I showcase customized Home and Lock Screens, Today View widgets, Shortcuts, Focus Modes, and filters for maximal productivity. If you’re curious about how to tailor your iPhone to fit your daily routine or have any setup questions, drop them below!
I agree that this is the best place to start out when using Shortcuts – it’s always available, even from the Lock Screen.
From Stephen Robles on YouTube:
After 5 months of experimenting with the iPhone Action Button, I’ve settled on one daily use that stands out above the rest. Discover the top 3 alternate uses that almost made the cut and why simplicity won the day for my action button setup.
I mentioned this video on Clockwise this week – my usage has definitely changed. And, as a teaser, Apple is making more actions for Shortcuts in iOS 17.4 that make dynamic Action button shortcuts easier to create…
From Christopher Lawley on YouTube:
Let’s talk about my Shortcuts automations and what’s on my iPad.
Shortcuts:
From Federico Viticci on MacStories:
In version 1.0 of Juno, there wasn’t a way to take a YouTube URL from Play (or any other app) and instantly open it in the app. Whenever I clicked a YouTube link in a visionOS app, it would take me to Safari, with no way to redirect that video to the Juno app instead. With the new Juno URL scheme in version 1.1, this is now possible. Simply replace https:// with juno:// in a YouTube URL, and you’ll be able to watch that video in Juno rather than YouTube’s website.
But we are refined and tasteful people with our Vision Pros, and no one should edit URLs by hand to watch a YouTube video in 2024. So I’ve built two shortcuts that you can install on your Vision Pro to simplify the process of reopening those links in Juno.
The first one is a basic shortcut that you can run on YouTube.com in Safari to open the video you’re watching in Juno. To use it, just select ‘From YouTube to Juno’ in the Safari share sheet, and the video will be opened in Juno, where you can watch it with a superior interface.
The second shortcut I’ve created is one to pick from a list of videos saved in the Play app and watch the selected video in Juno. Aptly named ‘From Play to Juno’, the shortcut is a nice way to go through your Play queue on the Vision Pro and take advantage of Juno’s native YouTube UI to watch your saved videos.
From Federico Viticci on Club MacStories:
A few months ago, I decided to switch to Things as my default task manager. As I shared multiple times on AppStories and MacStories Weekly, I’m really happy with my decision: not only does the design of the Things app create a more relaxed environment for me to manage my responsibilities, but Cultured Code’s embrace of Shortcuts automation has allowed me to create dozens of custom enhancements for Things.
This is the reason why I fell in love with Things: the app’s “simple” design and structure leaves room for power users to make their own functionalities by taking advantage of the app’s integration with Shortcuts. Things doesn’t have a feature you need? Just make it yourself by choosing from the large catalog of Shortcuts actions available in the app.
I previously shared an initial set of shortcuts I created for Things; I also created ThingsBox, an advanced shortcut to intelligently save tasks to the Things inbox. Since those articles, I’ve built several more shortcuts and created personal automations to script certain behaviors of Things on a daily basis. So, exclusively for Club Plus and Premier members, today I’m sharing my full collection of Things shortcuts, which have vastly improved how I manage my tasks on the iPad Pro and capture them on the iPhone.
Let’s take a look.
Great set of shortcuts that solves some of the pain in managing tasks daily in Things.
On Wednesday, February 21, I had the pleasure of joining Dan Moren as a guest along with James Thompson and Rosemary Orchard on Clockwise to talk about:
How we’d use a HomePod with a screen, Apple’s new Sports app, Vision Pro impressions after a couple weeks, and what we use our iPhone’s Action button for.
Check out Clockwise in Apple Podcasts or listen to the episode below:
From Stephen Robles on YouTube:
Supercharge your iPhone with these 7 essential shortcuts, from instant screenshot sharing to smart hotel hacks for travelers. Plus, add convenient features to Apple Podcasts like skip ahead more than 1 minute and skip intros for podcasts.
Good set of Apple Vision Pro tips from Andru Edwards on YouTube:
Here’s your key to unlocking the full potential of the Apple Vision Pro secret features. Get a look at a bunch of hidden features that Apple has seamlessly integrated into this device. From discovering quirky Easter eggs in various Environments to mastering the use of spatial audio in FaceTime calls, these Apple Vision Pro tips and tricks will change how you use your Apple Vision Pro.
You’ll also learn how to effectively utilize the unique gesture controls, optimize your device for the best viewing experience, and much more. Don’t miss out on the bonus feature at the end, showing you how to get the perfect fit with the solo knit band vs dual loop band.
CHAPTERS
00:00 – Apple Vision Pro Secret Features
00:18 – Apple Vision Pro Environment Easter Eggs
00:50 – Apple Vision Pro Environments Have Different Sound Profile
01:14 – Change Volume of Environments
01:33 – Apple Vision Pro Apps Will Stay Where You Leave Them
02:25 – Transport Apps
02:46 – Bring Apps With You
03:07 – Touch Vision Pro Apps
03:39 – Apple Vision Pro Pinch and Hold Gesture
04:09 – How to Force Quit Apple Vision Pro Apps
04:30 – Apple Vision Pro Light Seal Cushions
05:11 – Increase Apple Vision Pro FOV
05:47 – How To Enable Apple Vision Pro Guest Mode
06:32 – Mirror Apple Vision Pro Display
06:58 – Fast Charge Apple Vision Pro
07:29 – Free iTunes Library 3D Upgrades
08:19 – Apple Music Mini Player
08:58 – Make A Better Apple Vision Pro Persona
10:28 – Apple Vision Pro Personas Work In Several Apps
10:44 – How to See Your Own Apple Vision Pro EyeSight
11:17 – Separate Volume Settings in Apple Vision Pro
11:36 – Use Mac Keyboard u0026 Trackpad with Apple Vision Pro Apps
12:04 – Solo Knit Band vs Dual Loop Band
I knew you could AirPlay to Mac displays, but I’ve never had an iPad or iPhone open while trying to share my view – perhaps there’s a convoluted solution for live-streaming here where I film my iPad screen showing what I’m doing in visionOS…
Finn Voorhees, developer at Detail and creator of apps like Unsqueeze and Castaway, has announced an app for Apple Vision Pro called Shortcut Buttons. The app, available now, lets you place a floating tile for a shortcut in your spatial computing environment and run it instantly – how freaking cool is that?!
According to the site, here’s what Shortcut Button is for:
Shortcut Buttons is great for placing relevant automations nearby when working on notes, calendars, tasks, and other productivity apps. You can avoid switching over to the shortcuts app running in iPad compatibility mode and instead just tap a small nearby button, similar to how you might run a shortcut from the Shortcuts widget on iOS/iPadOS.
Shortcut Buttons is also useful for setting up home automation shortcuts in relevant places. Easily dim the lights or order food when watching a movie, or start a timer when cooking in the kitchen.
With Shortcut Buttons, you can place as many shortcuts as you want, which will anchor-in-place in your spatial computing environment, making it easy to launch your shortcut from anywhere, just by looking at it.
Plus, you can style your Shortcut Buttons according to your preferences, making sure they fit into your environment nicely.
Particularly useful will be the clipboard access, which will let you copy something in visionOS and send it to the Shortcut Input of your shortcut – while browsing for recipes in your kitchen, you could easily copy one and send it to your Recipes list with your Shortcut Button floating over the countertop.
The History view is also incredible, because most Shortcuts users run the same shortcuts over time – this will be super handy for your most-used shortcuts on Apple Vision Pro.
Shortcut Button is available for Apple Vision Pro for an up-front price of $7.99 – a small fee that’s certainly worth it for such a perfect spatial computing utility.
Check out the Shortcut Buttons site, get Shortcut Buttons on the App Store, and view the launch post on Mastodon.
Shared alongside with their videos today, YouTube creators iJustine, MKBHD, and Brian Tong appeared in a FaceTime call together to discuss Apple Vision Pro – or, should I say, their Personas did?
On Justine’s page, she posted a video of the call as the three demo their Personas, generated from scans taken with Apple Vision Pro, where Marques Brownlee says:
The faces are impressive… I think…
It’s very, very… it’s just at the edge of uncanny valley. I know what you guys look like so I know they look like you…”
The effect is almost unsettling, and yet obviously them – it’s sort of like a previous generation video game character version of each person.
Brian Tong says:
I feel like this is a 9/10 to how we actually look
And Justine agrees, continuing:
It’s pretty good. And also skin tones too, because all three of us have very different complexions and I feel like it actually (laughs) It actually did a pretty good job.
Marques continues:
Every single time I’ve gotten on a FaceTime call with this, it’s the same reaction of “Whoa!” Like, “This is weird…
And I realize I’ve gotten used to it, and I think after a while everyone using this is just going to get used to using it after getting over the initial “Holy crap, look at this thing.”
View the video clip or watch the segment in Justine’s full video.
Joanna Stern, journalist at The Wall Street Journal, made a live TV appearance today while wearing the Apple Vision Pro on CBNC’s The Squawk on the Street:
“I think this is a Apple die-hard product right now.”
@WSJ columnist @joannastern joins @SaraEisen and @CarlQuintanilla to break down her review of Apple’s new headset: the Vision Pro. $AAPL
Iconic.
Check out Joanna’s review (web, YouTube), which stands out among the list of early reviewers, and view the video on CNBC.com or X.
From Emmanuel Crouvisier , developer of CardPointers:
PSA: Test your App Shortcuts via Siri on Apple Vision Pro if you’re shipping on Friday.
A bunch of things don’t work, including NavigationLink, GroupBox, and more, resulting in the “McDonald’s box of death”.
Once you’ve tweaked them though, they feel so great.
As for the “McDonald’s box of death,” Emmanuel describes it in another reply:
Haha yellow box with the red slash across it. What you surely saw with your widgets when iOS 17 came out and didn’t have the widget background stuff set.
View the full thread, plus learn about Cardpointers on the web or get it on the App Store.
Gruber being Gruber, for Daring Fireball:
For the last six days, I’ve been simultaneously testing three entirely new products from Apple. The first is a VR/AR headset with eye-tracking controls. The second is a revolutionary spatial computing productivity platform. The third is a breakthrough personal entertainment device.
A headset, a spatial productivity platform, and a personal entertainment device.
I’m sure you’re already getting it. These are not three separate devices. They’re one: Apple Vision Pro. But if you’ll pardon the shameless homage to Steve Jobs’s famous iPhone introduction, I think these three perspectives are the best way to consider it.
I also like this bit:
You can do seemingly crazy things like put a VisionOS application window outside a real-world window.
From the Ulysses v34 release notes, quoted via 9to5Mac:
Widgets on iOS:
- Better late then never…
- Open projects right from your home screen.
- Create new sheets right from your home screen.
- Both actions are also available for your lock screen.
- There‘s even a dedicated Inbox widget, which works similar.
I’m very, very, very appreciative of these initial widgets—check out my Writing widgets in the post header image—and have even sent detailed feedback to the team asking for more access to Groups (since I don’t use Projects) 😇.
View the story on 9to5Mac and buy Ulysses on the web or get it the App Store.
From the Apple Developer blog:
If you’ve ever played Blackbox, you know that Ryan McLeod builds games a little differently.
In the inventive iOS puzzler from McLeod’s studio, Shapes & Stories, players solve challenges not by tapping or swiping but by rotating the device, plugging in the USB cable, singing a little tune — pretty much everything except touching the screen.
“The idea was to get people in touch with the world outside their device,” says McLeod, while ambling along the canals of his Amsterdam home base.
In fact, McLeod freed his puzzles from the confines of a device screen well before Apple Vision Pro was even announced — which made bringing the game to this new platform a fascinating challenge.
I briefly had the chance to talk with Ryan at WWDC after it was announced he’d been developer for the device in early access, and it got me thinking about how Shortcuts could work in spatial computing – fascinating to consider.
This image of his notebook from the story is very cool to look over in particular.
Apple Vision Pro is available this Friday, which means the typical Tuesday-before set of pre-release reviewers are sharing their thoughts – some are unboxings, while some are full reviews.
Here’s the set of reviewers that got early access (listed in order I came across their links):
View the Apple Vision Pro on Apple’s website.
Update: Included Carolina Milanese’s coverage, which I initially missed.
Update to the update: Included John Gruber’s coverage, which was published after this was released.
Today on X, the team from Structured announced that Apple had allowed them to partner with the team from One Sec on the new contingent pricing in the App Store, a feature announced in December that allows subscribers from one app to unlock discounts in another:
Apple chose us together with @onesecapp to be one of the first to offer the new contingent pricing 🏷️. As a subscriber to Structured or @onesecapp , you unlock a special 30% discount for the other app. Check your AppStore!
In a follow-up post, they clarified the qualifications:
The offer applies only to the yearly plan and while you are an active subscriber.
This partnership makes a lot of sense – Structured is a daily planner designed to help you focus on what’s important in your day, and One Sec is designed to help you take breaks when you open apps like social media apps from muscle memory; both are made by indie developers who want to help you be mindful about your time.
The apps actually already have a native integration making it easy to set up One Sec automations from within Structured – now the partnership extends financially both to the customer’s benefit, as well both the developers.
See the post from @Structuredapp, and check out Structured and One Sec in the App Store.
My thanks to Sigmund Judge and Devon Dundee for mentioning my Netflix shortcuts on their podcast Magic Rays of Light (who recently joined MacStories.net – congratulations!) – find the segment in Chapter 7 around 36:23 (and my mention around 38:00):
Sigmund and Devon share their experiences with Apple Vision Pro preorders, highlight Apple Original war drama series Masters of the Air ahead of its debut this weekend, and break down all of the Apple FYC news in the wake of BAFTA and Oscar Awards nominations.
They’re basically referencing my post from Mastodon in regards to the Bloomberg article on “YouTube and Spotify Join Netflix in Not Launching Apple Vision Pro Apps” where I cheekily said:
I sure wish there was some sort of, say, shortcut to help you access these resources in lieu of apps
Check out Magic Rays of Light in Apple Podcasts, get my Netflix shortcuts, and listen to the episode below:
From the Day One blog:
Introducing Shared Journals—a new way to bring your stories and memories together with those you cherish most, with the same privacy and security you expect for your journals.
What an excellent, deep feature from Day One – I’m glad to see this level of development continue with the company in the hands of Automattic, the developers behind WordPress.