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Federico Viticci, John Voorhees

AppStories

A Technology , News and Tech News podcast

#53 in Technology · 🇮🇪 #65 in Technology · 🇸🇬
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About the show

AppStories is a weekly exploration of the world of apps by MacStories’ Federico Viticci and John Voorhees. Each week, they discuss the best new apps, the impact of apps on our culture, and cover the stories behind popular apps. Hosted by Federico Viticci and John Voorhees.

Newest episodes

iPhone Duo Apps, Volume One

44 min

This week on AppStories, Federico and John kick off a miniseries highlighting their favorite iPhone Duo apps. Then on AppStories+ for subscribers, John explains the technical details of Apple's announcement of tools and skills for Siri AI. Also available on YouTube here. --- Sponsored By: Astropad Workbench – Remote desktop and terminal for AI agents. Free to use for 20 minutes/day.Base44 – Build the real thing with Base44. Describe the software you need in your own words and get a working build. Get 30% off the Builder plan for your first year.--- Links and Show Notes MacStories iPhone Duo App Coverage Apple: More Than 100,000 iPhone Duo Apps Are Now on the App StoreMy Favorite iPhone Duo Productivity Apps, Vol. 1Our Favorite iPhone Duo Apps: Weird and Wonderful, Vol. 1Apps Mentioned DuoBoxDuometryHinge CaliperSafe CrackerPopfoldFold & SquishSnapshotsDuopaperFlipcorderAjarFinelinerTypeDrawT3 CodeCalendariaSuper Easy TimerFlitSillAppStories+ Post-Show:  Notes from Apple’s Siri AI Labs: Schemas, Tools, and SkillsSiri AI’s Evolution Is Both Surprising and Obvious--- Chapters (00:00) - AppStories' iPhone Duo App Miniseries (05:50) - DuoBox (07:53) - Hinge Caliper (08:58) - Duometry (10:17) - Safe Cracker (11:26) - Sponsor: Astropad Workbench (13:21) - T3 Code (17:00) - Ajar (18:33) - Fineliner (20:18) - TypeDraw (21:49) - Flit (23:49) - Popfold (25:12) - Calendaria (27:40) - Sponsor: Base44 (30:09) - Fold & Squish (31:47) - Flipcorder (32:59) - Snapshots (34:14) - Super Easy Timer (36:34) - Duopaper (37:49) - Sill Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback FormFollow us on Social Media Federico is @viticci everywhereJohn is @johnvoorhees everywhereAffiliate Linking Policy

First Impressions of the MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR

39 min

This week on AppStories, Federico shares his first impressions of the new MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display with John. On AppStories+, we dig into more use cases for the new MacBook Pro, the 512GB Mac Studio, and our ideal Mac setups. Also available on YouTube here. --- Sponsored By: Astropad Workbench – Remote desktop and terminal for AI agents. Free to use for 20 minutes/day. --- Links and Show Notes MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display Apple Brings Touch to the Mac with New OLED MacBook ProsApple Kicks Off Touch on Mac Developer Resources with Videos and LabsMacBook Pro with Touch: A Mac for the iPad GenerationAppStories+ Post-Show: More on MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display use cases and our ideal Mac setups.--- Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback FormFollow us on Social Media Federico is @viticci everywhereJohn is @johnvoorhees`everywhereAffiliate Linking Policy

iPhone Duo App Rush and First Impressions

35 min

On this week's episode of AppStories, John returns from New York, Federico returns from London, and they compare notes on the iPhone Duo and the app demos they saw. Then on AppStories+, Federico and John discuss the durability of the iPhone Duo and the sorts of apps that developers are creating for it. Also available on YouTube here. --- Sponsored By: Insert Affiliate: Track and reward affiliates for every in-app purchase. Get started today.--- Links and Show Notes The iPhone Duo App Rush and First Impressions A Day with the iPhone Duo: First ImpressionsBuilding for iPhone Duo, in App Developers’ Own WordsApps Mentioned:Deck-ManFold AccordionToastieCraftDetailEditsNetflixAmazon Prime VideoNYT CookingNotewiseFantasticalMLBAsphalt LegendsUnGodly — currently a preorder, expected November 11.Also mentioned:Apple iPhone Duo Folio with KickstandLogitech Keys-To-Go 2AppStories+ Post-Show:  Reviews and Durability TestingiPhone Duo ReviewiPhone Duo 32,000-Fold TestiPhone Duo Review: 10,000 Folds Later…--- Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback FormFollow us on Social Media Federico is @viticci everywhereJohn is @johnvoorhees`everywhereAffiliate Linking Policy

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All episodes

The newest 50 of 509 episodes

iPhone Duo Apps, Volume One

44 min

This week on AppStories, Federico and John kick off a miniseries highlighting their favorite iPhone Duo apps. Then on AppStories+ for subscribers, John explains the technical details of Apple's announcement of tools and skills for Siri AI. Also available on YouTube here. --- Sponsored By: Astropad Workbench – Remote desktop and terminal for AI agents. Free to use for 20 minutes/day.Base44 – Build the real thing with Base44. Describe the software you need in your own words and get a working build. Get 30% off the Builder plan for your first year.--- Links and Show Notes MacStories iPhone Duo App Coverage Apple: More Than 100,000 iPhone Duo Apps Are Now on the App StoreMy Favorite iPhone Duo Productivity Apps, Vol. 1Our Favorite iPhone Duo Apps: Weird and Wonderful, Vol. 1Apps Mentioned DuoBoxDuometryHinge CaliperSafe CrackerPopfoldFold & SquishSnapshotsDuopaperFlipcorderAjarFinelinerTypeDrawT3 CodeCalendariaSuper Easy TimerFlitSillAppStories+ Post-Show:  Notes from Apple’s Siri AI Labs: Schemas, Tools, and SkillsSiri AI’s Evolution Is Both Surprising and Obvious--- Chapters (00:00) - AppStories' iPhone Duo App Miniseries (05:50) - DuoBox (07:53) - Hinge Caliper (08:58) - Duometry (10:17) - Safe Cracker (11:26) - Sponsor: Astropad Workbench (13:21) - T3 Code (17:00) - Ajar (18:33) - Fineliner (20:18) - TypeDraw (21:49) - Flit (23:49) - Popfold (25:12) - Calendaria (27:40) - Sponsor: Base44 (30:09) - Fold & Squish (31:47) - Flipcorder (32:59) - Snapshots (34:14) - Super Easy Timer (36:34) - Duopaper (37:49) - Sill Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback FormFollow us on Social Media Federico is @viticci everywhereJohn is @johnvoorhees everywhereAffiliate Linking Policy

First Impressions of the MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR

39 min

This week on AppStories, Federico shares his first impressions of the new MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display with John. On AppStories+, we dig into more use cases for the new MacBook Pro, the 512GB Mac Studio, and our ideal Mac setups. Also available on YouTube here. --- Sponsored By: Astropad Workbench – Remote desktop and terminal for AI agents. Free to use for 20 minutes/day. --- Links and Show Notes MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display Apple Brings Touch to the Mac with New OLED MacBook ProsApple Kicks Off Touch on Mac Developer Resources with Videos and LabsMacBook Pro with Touch: A Mac for the iPad GenerationAppStories+ Post-Show: More on MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display use cases and our ideal Mac setups.--- Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback FormFollow us on Social Media Federico is @viticci everywhereJohn is @johnvoorhees`everywhereAffiliate Linking Policy

iPhone Duo App Rush and First Impressions

35 min

On this week's episode of AppStories, John returns from New York, Federico returns from London, and they compare notes on the iPhone Duo and the app demos they saw. Then on AppStories+, Federico and John discuss the durability of the iPhone Duo and the sorts of apps that developers are creating for it. Also available on YouTube here. --- Sponsored By: Insert Affiliate: Track and reward affiliates for every in-app purchase. Get started today.--- Links and Show Notes The iPhone Duo App Rush and First Impressions A Day with the iPhone Duo: First ImpressionsBuilding for iPhone Duo, in App Developers’ Own WordsApps Mentioned:Deck-ManFold AccordionToastieCraftDetailEditsNetflixAmazon Prime VideoNYT CookingNotewiseFantasticalMLBAsphalt LegendsUnGodly — currently a preorder, expected November 11.Also mentioned:Apple iPhone Duo Folio with KickstandLogitech Keys-To-Go 2AppStories+ Post-Show:  Reviews and Durability TestingiPhone Duo ReviewiPhone Duo 32,000-Fold TestiPhone Duo Review: 10,000 Folds Later…--- Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback FormFollow us on Social Media Federico is @viticci everywhereJohn is @johnvoorhees`everywhereAffiliate Linking Policy

HomeView and Apple's Home Reset

43 min

This week on AppStories, John and Federico talk about Apple's new HomeView, the HomePod mini 2, and Apple TV 4K (4th gen).  Then for AppStories+ subscribers, Federico and John dive into the world decomped video games, with a warning for what's to come for developers on Apple's platforms. Also available on YouTube here. --- Sponsored By: Claude – Discover what's possible. Try Claude today. --- Links and Show Notes Apple HomeView Meet Apple HomeView: A New Way to Enjoy Entertainment and Manage the HomeApple Unveils HomeView: A Smart Home Display Powered by Siri AI HomePod mini 2 Apple Announces the Next Generation of HomePod MiniApple Reveals HomePod mini 2 with New Colors, Richer Sound, and Siri AI Apple TV 4K Apple unveils the new Apple TV 4K, supercharged by Siri AIThe Apple TV 4K Gets Siri AI, an A19 Chip, and a $299 Price Tag Apple Home Collection Introducing Apple Home Collection, a new lineup of smart home accessories Siri AI, iOS 27, and the AI Landscape Apple Is Slow-Rolling iOS 27 Adoption, So FarMeta's New Muse AI Agent App Overtakes ChatGPT as Top iPhone AppJohn Ternus on the cover of Time Streaming and Media Alternatives NVIDIA Shield TVMoonlightfx-upscale Apps Mentioned for HomeView Widgets and CarPlay OvercastPocket CastsCastroMercury Weather AppStories+ Show Notes Decompilation and Personal Software AI is mass decompiling games. That's both awesome and scaryXbox Encourages Recomp AI Craze With New Experimental Labs DivisionHopper DisassemblerNew on Google Play: More ways to create, discover, and play --- Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Social Media Federico is @viticci everywhereJohn is @johnvoorhees`everywhere Affiliate Linking Policy 

Full Disk Access in the Age of Agents

34 min

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. Also available on YouTube here. --- Sponsored By: Crickets: 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. --- Links and Show Notes Apple's Full Disk Access Announcement Apple Announces Plan to Impose New Full Disk Access Controls on Mac DevelopersApple Developer Blog postMeta’s New Muse AI Agent Read My Private Messages. I Never Asked It ToMeta denies its Muse AI agent read a journalist's private messages Some Mac Utilities That Rely on Full Disk Access RaycastAlfredBloomSetappCleanMyMacDaisyDiskPixelmator Pro AppStories+ Post-Show Tools and services mentioned:RiversideTransistorLibsynLogic ProFinal Cut ProHushiZotope RXWhisper --- Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Social Media Federico is @viticci everywhereJohn is @johnvoorhees`everywhere Affiliate Linking Policy 

Meet Dot: OpenAI's Always On Agent

38 min

Meet Dot: OpenAI's Always On Agent 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. Also available on YouTube here. Links and Show Notes AI Agents OpenAI Dots and DevDay 2026OpenAI launches Dots, its bubbly agentic avatar (TechCrunch)OpenAI’s Dots: A First Look Self Hosted AgentsOpenClawOpenClaw on GitHubHermes AgentOpenAI hires OpenClaw creator Peter SteinbergerHosted Agent CompetitorsMeta's Muse becomes App Store's hottest downloadGrok BotGrok Bot Brings Always-On AI Agents to macOS and iOSAppStories+ Post-Show: RemCTL: GitHubMacStories: Introducing RemCTL, the Power-User Reminders CLI for macOS and AI AgentsNotesCTL: Club MacStories downloadMacStories: NotesCTL, a Club MacStories Preview of Federico’s Advanced Apple Notes CLI ToolLeave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback FormFollow us on Social Media Federico is @viticci everywhereJohn is @johnvoorhees`everywhereAffiliate Linking Policy

What's New in macOS and watchOS 27

32 min

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 Notes John's macOS and watchOS 27 Reviews macOS 27: The MacStories ReviewwatchOS 27: The MacStories ReviewAppStories+ Show Notes AI Agents and Cloud Development Claude Code ProjectsCursor Cloud AgentsMuse (Meta AI agent)Grok BotLocal AI on Mac Studio Qwen3.8 Flash NextXiaomi MiMo-V2.6MLXLM StudioDraw ThingsoMLXmlx-serveDwarfStarOpen MinisTailscaleLeave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback FormFollow us on Social Media Federico is @viticci everywhereJohn is @johnvoorhees`everywhereAffiliate Linking Policy

Local AI Gets Serious on the M5 Ultra Mac Studio

39 min

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 solving — get started with Claude today.Links and Show Notes Running Local AI Models on Apple's Latest Macs M5 Ultra Mac Studio Review: The Dream Mac for Local AI AgentsApple Hardware Mac StudioMac miniStudio Display XDRLocal Models Qwen3.8-Flash-NextQwen3.8-27BDeepSeek-V4-FlashGLM-5.3-FlashCohere TranscribeQwen3-TTSQwen-Image-2.1Local Inference and Clustering oMLXexoAgent Apps and Tools Hermes AgentHermes Agent on GitHubOpen MinisCaduOpenAI Brings Computer Use to Codex App on WindowsFrontier Models and Workflow GPT-6 AstraClaude Fable 5.1Claude ProjectsArtificial Analysis Intelligence IndexElyxNVIDIA PC Comparison GeForce RTX 5090Lian Li A3-mATXNVIDIA DGX SparkAppStories+ Post-Show: A preview of how Federico used local AI models to support his iOS and iPadOS 27 review.Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback FormFollow us on Social Media Federico is @viticci everywhereJohn is @johnvoorhees everywhereAffiliate Linking Policy

iOS and iPadOS 27: The MacStories Review

41 min

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 Notes iOS and iPadOS 27: The MacStories Review Federico's iOS and iPadOS 27 ReviewOur OS 27 Review Extras: eBooks, Shortcuts, and the Making of the iOS and iPadOS 27 ReviewOn AppStories Next Week: macOS 27: The MacStories ReviewwatchOS 27: The MacStories ReviewAppStories+ Post-Show: The Role Agents Played in Review ProductionLeave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback FormFollow us on Social Media Federico is @viticci everywhereJohn is @johnvoorhees`everywhereAffiliate Linking Policy

The Once and Future App Store

47 min

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 extended two-week free trial with the link above.Shipaton, from RevenueCat: The world's biggest mobile hackathon for people who actually ship.Links and Show Notes App Store History The App Store at 10, MacStories' 2018 coverage of the App Store's 10th anniversaryApps Discussed From The Early App Store Era InstapaperTwitterrificSpotifyWhatsAppAI and the Modern App Store Inside OpenAI's Codex with Andrew Ambrosino (MacStories)AppStories+ Post-Show: All-Time Favorite Apps OvercastEditorialPythonista 3DraftsUnread: An RSS ReaderWorking CopyOpen MinisLaunch Center ProScreens 5: VNC Remote DesktopMercury WeatherCARROT WeatherAlyx Caffeine TrackerSequel Media TrackerLookUpChroniclingJaysonLeave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback FormFollow us on Social Media Federico is @viticci everywhereJohn is @johnvoorhees`everywhereAffiliate Linking Policy

Inside OpenAI’s Codex With Andrew Ambrosino

45 min

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 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: 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. Links and Show Notes Inside OpenAI’s Codex With Andrew Ambrosino Introducing the Codex App (OpenAI) Codex CLI (GitHub) Codex Documentation (OpenAI Developers) ChatGPT Desktop App ChatGPT Work ChatGPT Is Now a Partner for Your Most Ambitious Work (OpenAI) Introducing ChatGPT Atlas (OpenAI) OpenAI Codex Lead on the New Shape of Product Work (Lenny’s Newsletter) Follow Andrew Ambrosino online Website X.com AppStories+ Post-Show Apps Mentioned: Things Craft Linear Sketch Figma Numbers Keynote Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Social Media Federico is @viticci everywhere John is @johnvoorhees`everywhere Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

How Should the Siri App Be Graded?

50 min

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, 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: 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. Links and Show Notes Beta Season macOS 27 Golden Gate iOS 27 Preview iPadOS 27 Preview macOS 27 Golden Gate: The MacStories Public Beta Preview Siri AI and Apple’s Trickle-Up Strategy Siri and Apple Intelligence Siri Apple Intelligence App Intents Chatbots and Models ChatGPT Improving GPT-5.6 Sol in ChatGPT and expanding access to GPT-5.6 Luna for free users Claude Claude Fable 5 and Claude Mythos 5 Gemini Grok Kimi K3 Open Minis Agents and Automation Claude Code Claude Cowork OpenAI Codex Shortcuts Playground RemCTL Local AI on the Mac MLX oMLX DeepSeek V4 Flash for MLX AppStories+ Post-Show: Multi-Mac Setup and Remote Access Tailscale Syncthing 1Password cmux Jump Desktop Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

Folding the iPhone into the Creator Economy

53 min

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. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our Plans page, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. 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. Links and Show Notes The Foldable iPhone iPhone Fold: Everything We Know Logitech Keys-To-Go 2 Apple and the Creator Economy Apple Creator Studio Final Cut Pro for iPad Final Cut Camera Blackmagic Camera Pixelmator Pro Parchment and Other Agenda Apps Parchment: Agenda and Daily Note Parchment Christopher Lawley on YouTube Fantastical BusyCal EventKit TestFlight Automating Email and Support Spark Introducing Spark CLI: Your Inbox, Now Agent-Ready Codex Notion Follow Chris Lawley online YouTube Website Comfort Zone Parchment AppStories+ Post-Show Audio and Video Production Workflows Logic Pro Final Cut Pro Hush iZotope RX Clear Unsqueeze Detail FFmpeg Riverside Video on Apple Podcasts Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

Summer Projects: Automation, Email, and Dictation

49 min

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, visit our Plans page, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. 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. Links and Show Notes Summertime Projects John’s Logic to Final Cut Automation Logic Pro Final Cut Pro Riverside Federico Switches Email Clients Superhuman Spark ChatGPT Work Codex Federico Retests Dictation Apps Wispr Flow Monologue Aqua Voice Typeless Superwhisper T3 Code T3 Code T3 Code on GitHub Nerd Snipe with Theo and Ben John’s Research System Parallel Firecrawl Defuddle AppStories+ Post-Show: Advancing Voice Intelligence With New Models in the API (OpenAI) Desert Ant Labs Pokémon Red & Blue mod turns the classic RPG into a sick 3D voxel game Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

Open Minis Turns iOS into an Agent Playground

55 min

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 ever to sync coding projects across devices. 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, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Inoreader – Build Your Own Newsfeed and Cut Through the Noise Claude – For problems worth solving — get started with Claude today. Scribe – AI-powered workflow documentation. Get your first month free. Links and Show Notes App Store Chaos App Store Chaos See also: A.I. ‘Vibecoded’ Apps Are Flooding Apple’s App Store TestFlight Woes TestFlight: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back See also: Apple just improved TestFlight for users with a lot of beta apps Open Minis Open Minis Is the iOS Agent I Wish Siri AI Could Be AppStories+ Post-Show: Cmux Founder’s Edition ($30) includes iOS beta CLIProxyAPI Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

All About Siri AI

48 min

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 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: Daylite: The only made-for-mac CRM solution. Start your free trial today. Decagon: The AI concierge for every customer. Get a personalized demo. Links and Show Notes All About Siri AI Siri AI and Apple’s Trickle-Up Strategy Also: Apple introduces Siri AI, a profoundly more capable and personal assistant AppStories+ Post-Show: macOS 27 Golden Gate: The MacStories Public Beta Preview Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

Fable 5 and OpenAI’s Curious ChatGPT Update

52 min

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 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, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Daylite: The only made-for-Mac CRM solution. Start your free trial today. Links and Show Notes App State Appalachian State University Anthropic’s Claude Fable 5 Claude Fable What did OpenAI Do to ChatGPT? The New ChatGPT The ChatGPT “Super App” Sort of Super Sucks AppStories, Episode 483: Codex as a Productivity Super App AppStories+ Post-Show GPT 5.6 Announcement Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

Email Survival Guide

43 min

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 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: Decagon: The AI concierge for every customer. Get a personalized demo. Email Survival Guide Apps and Services Mentioned Spark Mimestream Superhuman Shortwave Missive Airmail Hey SaneBox Clean Email Dispatch Mailbox Inbox by Gmail Mailplane AI and Automation Tools Claude Code OpenAI Codex Raycast Notion Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

Are AI Aggregators Worth It?

43 min

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+ subscription, visit our Plans page, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Mercury Weather: Forecasts, beautifully done. Download now for free. Claude: For problems worth solving — get started with Claude today. Links and Show Notes AI Aggregator Apps The Pros and Cons of AI Aggregator Apps Apps Mentioned Raycast Bolt AI Perplexity Notion Alter Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

WWDC Debrief

47 min

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 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: Decagon: The AI concierge for every customer. Get a personalized demo. Mercury Weather: Forecasts, beautifully done. Download now for free. Links and Show Notes Apple Intelligence and Siri AI Apple Intelligence App Intents Private Cloud Compute iOS 27 Design This Is How Apple Rolls Xcode and Developer Tools Xcode Foundation Models Sqim Apple Photos and Image Playground Image Playground AppStories+ Post-Show: iOS Review Research Systems Notion Notion AI Notion Web Clipper Obsidian defuddle Firecrawl Hardware reMarkable Paper Pure Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

WWDC 2026: The Apple Design Award Interviews

52 min

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 more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our [Plans page](macstories.net/appstories-plans/, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Sofa – Organize everything you watch, read, play, and do. AppStories listeners can get 25% off the first year of Super Sofa with the link above. Agenda – Date-focused notes deeply integrated with the Apple ecosystem. Dropzone 5 – The essential drag & drop productivity enhancer for Mac. AppStories listeners can get 50% off the usual $35 price of Dropzone 5 using the link above. Links and Show Notes Apple Design Award Winners Tide Guide (Visuals and Graphics) by Condor Digital Pine Heart (Inclusivity) by Hyper Luminal Games Limited Apple Design Award Finalists The Outsiders (Interaction) by Gentler Stories BALL x PIT (Delight and Fun) by Kenny Sun Studios MacStories Coverage of the ADAs 2026 Apple Design Awards Winners Announced Apple Announces Its 2026 Apple Design Award Finalists Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

WWDC 2026 with Special Guests Myke Hurley and Christopher Lawley

1 hr 5 min

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 AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Albums – The app that cares about your music library as much as you do Controller for HomeKit – Master your Apple home with ease. RevenueCat – Join the mobile app hackathon that’s all about shipping Links and Show Notes MacStories’ WWDC 2026 Coverage macOS 27 Golden Gate: The MacStories Overview The Third Generation of Apple’s Foundation Models and AFM Core Advanced iOS and iPadOS 27: The MacStories Overview Siri AI and the Latest in Apple Intelligence: The MacStories Overview WWDC 2026: Small Details and Compatibility Lists WWDC 2026: Apple Publishes Keynote Video Special Guests Myke Hurley Christoper Lawley Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

Our WWDC Automation Wish List

37 min

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](macstories.net/appstories-plans/, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Things: The award-winning to-do app. Links and Show Notes Our WWDC Automation Wish List Apple Intelligence and the Cloud Model Apple Intelligence Private Cloud Compute — Apple Security Research Google Gemini Model Context Protocol Siri and App Intents App Intents — Apple Developer Documentation Apps mentioned: Spark Working Copy GoodLinks Readwise Reader Shortcuts and Natural Language Automation Shortcuts Playground Developer Tools, APIs, and Agents WeatherKit — Apple Developer Xcode OpenAI Codex Claude Code Perplexity AI Security Research Simon Willison Google CaMeL AppStories+ Post-Show Research and Productivity Tools Discussed Obsidian Obsidian Web Clipper Obsidian Bases Feedbin Unread Defuddle Capture Monologue Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

Our macOS 27 Wishes

31 min

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 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](macstories.net/appstories-plans/, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Steamclock – We make great apps. Design and development, from demos to details. — https://steamclock.com/appstories Links and Show Notes Notion Dev Platform Notion’s Announcement Learn more about the Notion Dev Platform Also mentioned: Cloudflare Workers Pushover Our macOS 27 Wishes Apps, APIs, and service mentioned Playwright GameHub by GameSir Matter Things 3 Raycast AppStories+ Post-show: Shortcuts Playground, Behind the Scenes Hopper Disassembler SF Symbols Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

Our iOS and iPadOS 27 Wishes

34 min

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, visit our [Plans page](macstories.net/appstories-plans/, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Steamclock: We make great apps. Design and development, from demos to details. Claude: For problems worth solving — get started with Claude today. Links and Show Notes Our iOS and iPadOS 27 Wishes Continuity Camera Siri and Apple Intelligence Apple Intelligence Siri App Intents Google Gemini Google I/O 2026 iPad Screen Sharing Jump Desktop Screens by Edovia AstroPad Workbench Reminders EventKit Apple CarPlay AppStories+ Post-Show Visual Intelligence and AirPods Cameras AirPods Pro Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses HomeKit Secure Video Parcel Sequel Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

An App Swap Challenge

29 min

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 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](macstories.net/appstories-plans/, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Steamclock: We make great apps. Design and development, from demos to details. Links and Show Notes An App Swap Challenge: Pick Three apps for each other to try for a month and report back John’s Picks for Federico Dropzone 5 Zed PastePal Federico’s Picks for John Cora Subscription Day Habitify AppStories+ Post-Show Aspirational Apps and Features We’d Like to Use More John Bend Copilot Money Federico Apple Journal Home Screen widgets iPhone’s Stand By mode Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

Codex as a Productivity Super App

44 min

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 bitrate early every week. To learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our [Plans page](macstories.net/appstories-plans/, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Mercury Weather: Forecasts, beautifully done. Download now for free. Follow-Up: Moving Files Between Devices Tailscale Taildrop Hyperduck Codex as a Productivity Super App Codex OpenAI acquires Software Applications Incorporated Sky Acquired by OpenAI Claude Code Issues An update on recent Claude Code quality reports (Anthropic) Claude Code Federico’s Codex Workflows Apple Frames CLI Cardmarket Monologue Matter Other Mac Dictation Apps Wispr Flow Aqua Voice Remote Codex on iPhone Remodex Remodex Is the Best Codex Remote Client for iOS Open-Source Personal AI Assistants OpenClaw AppStories+ Post-Show: Apple Reminders GoodTask Remind Me Faster Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

Filling the App Gap

49 min

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 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](macstories.net/appstories-plans/, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Steamclock: We make great apps. Design and development, from demos to details. Claude: For problems worth solving — get started with Claude today. Links and Show Notes Links and Show Notes Apple Leadership Transition Apple’s Executive Leadership Transition Announced Community Letter from Tim OpenAI Codex and Computer Use Follow-Up OpenAI Codex Claude Code Filling the App Gap HomeKit Automation Controller for HomeKit Home Assistant Cross-Device Screenshot and File Transfer CleanShot X macOS Screen Sharing utility Workspace Management Workspaces+ Workspaces Calendar Apps Notion Calendar Fantastical Calendar 366 Dot Bookmarking and Read-It-Later Shiori, by Brian Lovin Readwise Reader Matter AppStories+ Post Show: Self-Built Tools and the Services Behind Them ElevenLabs Buffer Google Gemini Kokoro TTS Defuddle CrossPost (John’s cross-platform social media posting tool) Research Feed (John’s ranked, filtered social media reader) Dialog (John’s article-to-podcast converter using Defuddle, Claude, and Kokoro TTS) Daily Star (John’s twice-daily magazine-style digest from Notion, RSS, and Matter) Notion Daily Notes Appender (Federico’s quick-capture web app) Notion Daily Notes Viewer (Federico’s horizontal tray viewer for open daily notes) Ghost Reader (Federico’s Readwise Reader audio-preview tool using ElevenLabs) CLI Chats (F...

Apple Frames 4 and the AI Multiplier

38 min

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. 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://appstories.net/plans, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Mercury Weather – Forecasts, beautifully done. Download now for free. Links and Show Notes Apple Frames 4 and the Multiplier Effect Introducing Apple Frames 4: A Revamped Shortcut, Support for Frame Colors, Proportional Scaling, and the Apple Frames CLI for Developers AppStories+ Post-Show: Agent mishaps and horror stories, plus a peek at John’s ongoing HomeKit makeover. Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

OpenAI’s Everything App Trap

38 min

[ 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 learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our [Plans page](https://appstories.net/plans, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Mercury Weather: Forecasts, beautifully done. Download now for free. Steamclock: We make great apps. Design and development, from demos to details. Links and Show Notes The Everything App Trap OpenAI raises $122 billion to accelerate the next phase of AI OpenAI Bets Big on Building an Everything App Daring Fireball AppStories+ Post-Show: Federico’s AI Tool Consolidation Services and Apps Discussed: Claude Claude Code ChatGPT Perplexity Google Gemini Telegram Firecrawl SerpAPI Parallel.ai Feedbin Obsidian Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

Revisiting the Text Editor Landscape

38 min

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 learn more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our [Plans page](https://appstories.net/plans, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Steamclock – We make great apps. Design and development, from demos to details. Claude – Ready to tackle bigger problems? Get started with Claude today. Links and Show Notes Text Editors Discussed Obsidian Obsidian CLI Obsidian Sync Drafts Drafts Action Directory Drafts MCP Server Notion Panda Bear Zed Other Markdown and Plain Text Editors iA Writer Ulysses Typora MarkEdit Clearly Markdown Atlas Runestone FSNotes File Formats TextBundle AppStories+ Post-Show Writing Workflow Tools Claude Code DropOver Pandoc Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

An Orchestra Without a Conductor, Apple’s AI Dilemma

35 min

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. 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://appstories.net/plans, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Vitally – Your Copilot for AI-Powered Customer Success. Get a free pair of AirPods Pro when you book a qualified meeting. Links and Show Notes Agentic AI Tools OpenClaw OpenClaw on GitHub Claude Code Claude Cowork Claude Code Channels Claude Dispatch Perplexity Computer OpenAI Codex Related News OpenClaw, OpenAI and the Future — Peter Steinberger OpenAI Reportedly Pivoting to a Focus on Business and Productivity Only (Gizmodo) Anthropic Turns the Tables on OpenAI in Critical Revenue Category (Axios) Apple and AI Apple Intelligence App Intents Private Cloud Compute AppStories+ Post-Show Where does AI rank as a tech innovation? Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

Why Foldable Phones Matter: The Case for an iPhone Duo

42 min

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 more about an AppStories+ subscription, visit our [Plans page](https://appstories.net/plans, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Claude – Ready to tackle bigger problems? Get started with Claude today. Links and Show Notes AirPods Max 2 In a Surprise Move, Apple Announces AirPods Max 2 Foldable Phones Will the iPhone Fold be a phone you open, or an iPad you close? iPhone Fold looks like two of my all-time favorite products in one Foldables Mentioned Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 Google Pixel Fold Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold Oppo Find N6 Honor Magic V5 Samsung Galaxy Z Flip Samsung Tri-Fold Belkin UltraBoost AppStories+ Post-Show Samsung DeX Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

The Fractal Fragmentation of AI Tools

51 min

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 AppStories+ subscription, visit our [Plans page](https://appstories.net/plans, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. This episode is sponsored by: Vitally: Your Copilot for AI-Powered Customer Success. Get a free pair of AirPods Pro when you book a qualified meeting. Links and Show Notes The Fragmented World of AI Tools Anthropic’s Claude Claude for Mac Claude Cowork Claude Code Claude Code on the web Claude Code Remote Control Model Context Protocol (MCP) OpenAI’s Codex ChatGPT for Mac Codex for Mac Codex CLI GPT-5.4 GPT-5.3-Codex-Spark Cerebras Codex Skills GitHub Repository Also mentioned: Playwright Todoist Notion Gmail Pushover Linear GitHub Brrr AppStories+ Post-Show iZotope RX 11 Hush Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

Apple’s Big Neo Week

34 min

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://appstories.net/plans, or read the AppStories+ FAQ. Links and Show Notes Apple Takes the Wraps Off the MacBook Neo Apple Reveals the New M5 MacBook Air Apple Announces M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pros Apple Introduces Two New Studio Displays Apple Unveils iPhone 17e Apple Introduces M4-Powered iPad Air AppStories+ Post-Show Notion AI Notion Agents Notion Workers Leave Feedback for John and Federico AppStories Feedback Form Follow us on Mastodon AppStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Follow us on Bluesky AppStories MacStories Federico Viticci John Voorhees Join Annual$50/yearJoin Monthly$5/month

Our Apple Hardware Wish List for 2026

30 min

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

30 min

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

38 min

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

30 min

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

37 min

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... Read more

Terminal Tips and Claude Code Workflows

43 min

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

42 min

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

47 min

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

28 min

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

57 min

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

39 min

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

26 min

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

32 min

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

38 min

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

31 min

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

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