Find Federico on MastodonFind John on MastodonFind Alex on MastodonFind Club MacStories on Mastodon

Jonathan Reed

Contributor

Mastodon: @jonathanreed@techhub.socialEmail: jonathan@macstories.net

Jonathan is a graphic designer at DesignStudio. As well as being a long-time Apple user he is a huge film and television aficionado and is very interested in the intersection between the two mediums and technology. He lives in London with his wife and daughter and is writing his bio in the third person.

487 — October 24, 2025

My Shortcuts for Distraction-Free App Search

SHORTCUTS CORNER

Get help and suggestions for your iOS shortcuts and productivity apps.

Shortcuts Essentials

My Shortcuts for Distraction-Free App Search

I love movies. And TV. I also love reading about them, especially who wrote and directed what, who composed the music, and what other works an actor has been in. For me, the best way to look up this information is IMDb.

I’m sure many of you are thinking, “What about Callsheet?” Callsheet is an outstanding app for looking up the cast and crew of movies and TV shows. It has an excellent user interface and is a joy to navigate through. The problem is that it relies on information from The Movie Database (TMDB), a community-driven website with certain limitations because of how it is run.

READ MORE

487 — October 24, 2025

App Debuts

APP DEBUTS

Noteworthy new app releases and updates, handpicked by the MacStories team.

Flowy

Flowy is a relatively new screen recording app for the Mac with a lot of options for fine-tuning what you capture and edit. It includes intelligent zoom effects for getting a close-up look at details in a screen recording, custom backgrounds, and templates for typical social media aspect ratios. The app also features cursor effects and camera and microphone support, which adds a lot of flexibility. Flowy is the sort of app that you can use for presentations, demoing a feature of an app to a work colleague, or promoting an app online. However, what I appreciate most about the app – as someone who only does this kind of recording now and then – is that it’s a one-time $19.99 purchase on the Mac App Store.

READ MORE

486 — October 17, 2025

App Debuts

APP DEBUTS

Noteworthy new app releases and updates, handpicked by the MacStories team.

Portal

Former Apple Mac App of the Year finalist Portal has been updated with a new Liquid Glass design. Whatever you want to say about its implementation in other apps, Portal seems like the ideal use case for the new design system. Portal is a focus app that combines incredible, live imagery from the natural world with appropriate soundscapes. It can even take over your entire desktop, absorbing your whole Mac into whichever location you choose.

Since elements like text aren’t nearly as important as the atmosphere the app creates, Liquid Glass is ideally suited to Portal. The UI showcases its impressive refracting qualities without feeling like it’s getting in the way of the beautiful visuals. This update also adds new ways to adjust the environment controls, makes transitions smoother, and more.

READ MORE

486 — October 17, 2025

I Lived the Crossbody Strap Life… For a Week

MACSTORIES EXTRAS

More stories for Club members.

I Lived the Crossbody Strap Life… For a Week

There’s one thing I could certainly call myself: trend-curious. By that, I mean that if there is a trend or hot new “thing” – especially in the tech world – I’ll more often than not want to try it out. Macro keyboards and aesthetic desk setups are just two recent ones that I’ve dived into headfirst.

So when Apple announced the Crossbody Strap for the iPhone last month, I had to give it a go. To be honest, this wasn’t a new trend for me. While many people have been surprised by this product, I’ve noticed the use of phone straps increase significantly over the last couple of years, especially while walking around London and in particular on the school run in the morning. Apple’s Crossbody Strap seemed to be a perfect example of the adage that the company is often not the first, but the best, with a new product line.

READ MORE

484 — October 3, 2025

Taking Inspiration From the Apple Watch Ultra to Imagine a Future iPhone Pro

THE EXTENSION

Exploring topics beyond our day-to-day coverage.

Taking Inspiration From the Apple Watch Ultra to Imagine a Future iPhone Pro

The iPhone Air is an incredible feat of engineering. I think it’s hard for anyone to argue with that statement. What Apple has done with the hardware, including how they’ve moved almost all of the iPhone’s internals – save for the battery – behind the camera bump (sorry, ‘Iconic Plateau’) is incredible.

Unfortunately, this development in “thinnovation” has sparked a significant amount of discourse surrounding Apple’s potential desire to make all iPhones thinner. Lots of people love that idea, but, equally, many don’t. Many users prefer the heft of a thick iPhone and are unwilling to compromise on features like battery life and camera options.

READ MORE

483 — September 26, 2025

Some Tiny iOS 26 Features I’ve Been Enjoying

TIPS

Tips and tricks to master your apps and be more productive.

Some Tiny iOS 26 Features I’ve Been Enjoying

Now that iOS 26 is out and gradually making its way to everyone’s iPhones, I thought I’d share some smaller, lesser-known features that I’ve been enjoying the last few months over the beta period.

Pinned Music Albums

This is probably the most well-known of these tips, but I wanted to point out how I’m using it. I’ve long used MusicBox to bookmark albums that I want to listen to. It’s a great app, but the issue (which is a “me” problem, for sure) is that I have to actively think about opening the app regularly.

READ MORE

NEXT PAGE