Whoa – Apple listened to feedback and there are some BIG changes to Stage Manager for iPadOS:

- Stage Manager on the iPad's screen is now supported on 2018 & 2020 iPad Pros
- External display support on M1 is getting delayed to a future software update

engadget.com/apple-ipad-os-… I'm installing the iPadOS beta, so hopefully there are lots of fixes as well.

Extending Stage Manager to older iPads is the RIGHT thing to do and I'm pleased Apple understood this.

I explained my argument in this episode of @_connectedfm (39 minutes in) relay.fm/connected/402

Hundreds of features.

15 pages.

8 chapters.

Here it is: my annual review of iOS. Let's go 🚀

iOS 16: The MacStories Review macstories.net/stories/ios-16… There are, of course, perks for @ClubMacStories members! Some of them are out today; more later this week.

Today:

- eBook version
- Special AppStories episode

Later:

- Making Of stories
- Shortcuts
- @obsdmd plugin update

Details: macstories.net/news/ios-16-re…

There we go. As expected, Apple is going to take more time with iPadOS 16, which will be released after iOS 16. This is a good first sign.

macstories.net/news/apple-con… Today's beta is actually the first release of iPadOS 16.1.

The first tweak in what should be a series of changes to Stage Manager is a more prominent + button to create a new windows for an app.

I expect other changes to come for the multi-window experience before October.

One year ago tomorrow, we launched the brand new @ClubMacStories and @AppStoriesNet Plus.

A year later, I want to say thank you to everyone who joined or upgraded. It's your support that allows us to keep growing and reaching the goals we have for MacStories.

❤️ Here's a recap of everything we've done in the past year for the new tiers:

- An active Discord server with community events
- Exclusive columns from me and @johnvoorhees
- App discounts + betas
- 14+ hours of exclusive AppStories.plus content

macstories.net/news/the-club-…

I was confused by iOS 16's App Shortcuts at first, but I get it now, and I think it's a genius move. 🧵

Biggest point of friction of Shortcuts for new users? The empty editor. They don't know how to get started, and the action library can be scary for people new to Shortcuts. Apple tried to improve the onboarding and discoverability of Shortcuts in a few ways over the years. With the 'Add to Siri' button, they let users choose to save a shortcut to the Shortcuts app. They expanded the Gallery with Apple-made shortcuts. They revamped sharing.

For the past 6 months, I've been living a double life.

As an experiment, I – the iPad guy – used the MacBook Pro as my main computer. I...loved it. Here is my story on how it went.

An iPad User's Journey into macOS with the M1 Max MacBook Pro

macstories.net/stories/redisc… The biggest lesson I learned? macOS lets you have an opinion on how to use your computer. iPadOS still doesn't.

I hope that changes with iPadOS 16.

I still think the iPad is Apple's best form factor to date. But 'pro' users on iPad deserve more.

How many times has iPadOS (née iOS) multitasking changed over the years compared to macOS?

Let's take a look. 🧵 iOS 9 (2015): Split View and Slide Over are introduced. The iPad never supported split-screen before; the iPad Pro came two months later.

iOS 9 featured an 'app picker' on the right side that was kind-of sorted by recently used. That one was odd.

macstories.net/stories/ios-9-…

I’m thrilled to introduce Automation April:

A month-long event about automation on Apple platforms, with a focus on Shortcuts.

Featuring special articles and shortcuts, podcast interviews, giveaways, Discord community workshops and...a contest.

Details: macstories.net/stories/introd… The @AutomationApril Shortcuts Contest kicks off on Monday, April 4th.

Up to two shortcut submissions per user, evaluated by a panel of 10 judges. The contest is open to everyone, for free.

The prize for who wins Best Shortcut?

A Stream Deck XL, and an Analogue Pocket. Yep.

I've been testing the new iPad mini for the past week. It's everything I hoped a new iPad mini could be: the best handheld tablet Apple ever made, and the most fun I've had with a new iPad in a while.

My story:

iPad mini Review: Small Wonder macstories.net/stories/ipad-m… In my review, I explain why the new iPad mini fills a specific role in between my iPhone 12 Pro Max and 12.9" iPad Pro.

It's my ideal non-primary computer, and it's the most *delightful* iPad I've tried.

macstories.net/stories/ipad-m…

Hundreds of features.

23 pages.

9 chapters.

Two OSes.

One review.

Here we go 🚀

iOS and iPadOS 15: The MacStories Review

macstories.net/stories/ios-an… This year, we have an even larger collection of @ClubMacStories perks for my review:

- eBook
- Second eBook - iOS 15: The Details
- Shortcuts
- Making Of

For Plus members:

- Three @obsdmd plugins (!!!)
- A Safari extension
- AppStories live, tonight!

macstories.net/news/ios-and-i…

There’s a total of *six* different touch targets in the iOS 15 beta 4 tab bar in Safari.

These exclude the ability to long-press the tab bar, swipe across it to change tabs, and swipe it up to open the Tabs view.

I’m…starting to think a single, small toolbar just won’t do. 😬 Here’s what I think about the new Safari for iPhone at this point:

I’m sure there are people who appreciate the compact tab bar at the bottom.

But, it breaks so much muscle memory, the trade-offs may not be worth it for *a lot* of people.

Leave this in, and make it optional.

I finally went ahead and deactivated my Facebook account.

I’m tired of this platform allowing the proliferation of ‘no vax’ groups, fake news, and the organization of “COVID doesn’t exist” events. The final straw was one of these ‘protests’ in my hometown. 🧵 I haven’t used FB much these past few years. But I still have many of my childhood friends and their parents on there. And it’s been demoralizing to see many of them spew this bullshit on my timeline whenever I log in.

Okay, WTF.

The entire @macstoriesnet Shortcuts Archive has broken links right now. None of the links to my hundreds of shortcuts are working anymore.

I *seriously* hope Apple has a quick fix for this.

macstories.net/shortcuts/

https://twitter.com/rodrigoaraujo/status/1374689829955497986

3 years of Shortcuts iCloud.com URLs are broken on @macstoriesnet right now.

Beyond the 229 shortcuts in the Archive, dozens of blog posts from our Shortcuts coverage have broken links.

Like I said, I hope this is a bug and a fix is coming.

AirPods Max are real – over-ear headphones featuring active noise cancellation, spatial audio, H1 chip, and Digital Crown. Five different colors, $549, available December 15. For headphone nerds, here's what I find intriguing about AirPods Max:

- Novel headband design with knit mesh canopy
- No gestures, but Digital Crown
- H1 chip in each ear cup
- Spatial Audio for Dolby 5.1, 7.1, and Atmos content
- Wear detection for play/pause
- Smart Case

I worked on this for four months, and here it is:

My iOS and iPadOS 14 review: macstories.net/stories/ios-an…

I covered everything I could: iOS and iPadOS 14, Shortcuts, and the upcoming iOS 14.2.

Enjoy! This year, my review has the largest collection of extras we've ever done for @ClubMacStories members:

- eBook
- A second eBook (!!!) – 40 Tips for iOS 14
- Wallpapers
- Making Of
- Shortcuts
- Special podcast episode
- A third eBook

Details here: macstories.net/news/ios-and-i…

The Epic-Apple drama feels like the logical conclusion of what's been escalating for months.

I don't think Epic will win the lawsuit. But: this is terrible publicity for Apple, and more ammo for antitrust cases.

I have a feeling none of this will end well for Apple. Questionable rules that are not applied equally to all devs; seemingly random app rejections; secret backroom deals; inability to change default apps; rejection of cloud gaming services; a 30% fee in 2020; conflict of interest with  Services.

None of this bodes well. 😬

Shortcuts got some very cool updates in iOS/iPadOS 14:

- Folders
- Disable confirmation for automations
- New compact UI for lists, input dialogs, running shortcuts in share sheet
- Automatic categories for share sheet/Watch
- Copy & paste actions (!)
- New automation triggers More Shortcuts goodies in iOS/iPadOS 14:

- Copy and paste for actions works *across* different shortcuts (amazing for power users)
- Multiwindow support on iPad
- All my iOS 13 shortcuts worked out of the box, including advanced ones like MusicBot
- New colors looking great 👍

It's going to be a tough few weeks for everyone as more countries impose lockdowns to fight #COVID19. In Italy, we'll have it until April 3 at the earliest.

Here are some tips @_silviagatta and I learned over the past ~10 days of lockdown here in Rome.

A thread. 🧵 🏠 First and foremost: stay home as much as possible.

For a while, we'll all have to sacrifice activities like going to the movies, concerts, shopping, or just hanging out in public. It may seem easy at first, then it'll soon feel impossible. It sucks, but it's necessary.

Heads up: the @Logitech Circle app update is out. About to start testing HomeKit Secure Video. apps.apple.com/us/app/logi-ci… Here's how HomeKit Secure Video works with a Circle camera: once set up, you open the Home app and the camera detail screen. From there, you can set stream/record options for Home and Away modes.

You can also control notifications for people/animal/vehicle detection.

In iOS 13.1, Apple re-enabled the option of launching specific Settings sections via URLs and the Shortcuts app.

So I tried to document all these URLs.

Here are 120 URLs that launch specific pages or sub-sections of the Settings app.

macstories.net/ios/a-comprehe… I have always wanted to offer a comprehensive guide to all the `prefs:root` URLs supported by iOS. I'm glad Apple re-enabled this feature, and I hope they won't kill it again.

Direct link to the full list: macstories.net/ios/a-comprehe…

For the past 7 years, the iPad has been my main computer.

In this story, I share everything I've learned, describe my entire iPad setup, and collect my wishes for iOS 13 and the future of iPad.

I've poured months of work into this.

Beyond the Tablet: macstories.net/stories/beyond… This story is, by far, the most complete account of all my work on iPad through the years.

From file management and multitasking to Shortcuts and podcasting, if you want to know how I work on iPad Pro, this story is for you.

It's my iPad Manifesto.

macstories.net/stories/beyond…