John Voorhees

3021 posts on MacStories since November 2015

John is MacStories’ Managing Editor, has been writing about Apple and apps since joining the team in 2015, and today, runs the site alongside Federico.

John also co-hosts four MacStories podcasts: AppStories, which covers the world of apps, MacStories Unwind, which explores the fun differences between American and Italian culture and recommends media to listeners, Ruminate, a show about the weird web and unusual snacks, and NPC: Next Portable Console, a show about the games we take with us.

@[email protected]
@johnvoorhees.macstories.net
[email protected]

Apple’s TV App Launches on the Google Play Store for Android Users

Apple has released its TV app on the Google Play Store for Android users. In a press release, Apple stated:

Available around the world, the Apple TV app for Android was built from the ground up to deliver Android users a familiar and intuitive interface. Android users can subscribe to Apple TV+ and MLS Season Pass using their Google Play account on Android mobile and Google TV devices. Apple TV+ also offers a seven-day free trial.

With Major League Soccer beginning on February 22nd and Friday Night Baseball just around the corner, it makes a lot of sense for Apple to expand the TV app’s availability. Android users will have all the same options Apple’s users do including subscribing to Apple TV+, which comes with a seven-day free trial, and MLS Season Pass.

As for the design, the Android version of the TV app looks as expected. It’s an Android-ified version of the iOS and iPadOS version of TV, with a similar layout and functionality controlled with standared Android UI elements.

The TV app can be downloaded for free from the Google Play Store.

For more examples of the TV app on Android, here are shots of it running on Federico’s Lenovo Legion Y700 (2024), which we recently covered on NPC: Next Portable Console:

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Icon.


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Episode view.


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Episode options.


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Subtitle menu.


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Sharing.


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Settings.

Federico’s Latest Automation Academy Lesson: Working with Web APIs in Shortcuts→

Federico's Todoist shortcuts.

Federico’s Todoist shortcuts.

Earlier today, Federico released a collection of four advanced Todoist shortcuts as part of his Automation Academy column, an exclusive perk of Club MacStories+ and Club Premier.

Federico started using Todoist again a few months ago specifically because it has a robust web API:

There were several reasons behind my decision to return to Todoist, but the most important one was its web API. I’m convinced that our modern AI era is marking a resurgence of web services, and I wanted to find something that could theoretically support some kind of connection to an AI assistant (such as ChatGPT or Gemini) down the road. At the same time, I also wanted something that could be easily _and_consistently automated. With more responsibilities coming into my life, it’s essential for me to automate all the boring parts of my job that can happen without my manual, time-consuming input. With the combination of a REST API and native Shortcuts actions, Todoist simply felt like the perfect candidate.

Federico is absolutely right. As I recently wrote for Club members, web apps have been on the rise for a long time, and the trend is only accelerating with the ascension of AI tools. As a result, knowing how to use web APIs with Shortcuts is only going to become more important over time. Sure, you can often manage to scrape information from a website directly, but you’re much better off with a thoughtfully designed REST API that can fetch data for you in a structured way.

Today’s Automation Academy installment is the perfect place to get started. Todoist’s API is rich and thorough, and Federico takes readers through each of his four shortcuts in a methodical but conversational way that concludes with key takeaways readers can use in other contexts.

I struggled with implementing web APIs in Shortcuts for a long time. Web APIs aren’t easy. But today’s Academy lesson is the perfect introduction that starts with the basics and builds up to more advanced techniques, helping readers do more with Todoist and apply their new skills to other web APIs they encounter.

Discounts are just one of the many Club MacStories perks.

Discounts are just one of the many Club MacStories perks.

Automation Academy is just one of many perks that Club MacStories Plus and Club Premier members enjoy including:

  • Weekly and monthly newsletters 
  • A sophisticated web app with search and filtering tools to navigate eight years of content
  • Customizable RSS feeds
  • Bonus columns
  • An early and ad-free version of our Internet culture and media podcast, MacStories Unwind
  • A vibrant Discord community of smart app and automation fans who trade a wealth of tips and discoveries every day
  • Live Discord audio events after Apple events and at other times of the year

On top of that, Club Premier members get AppStories+, an extended, ad-free version of our flagship podcast that we deliver early every week in high-bitrate audio.

Use the buttons below to learn more and sign up for Club MacStories+ or Club Premier.

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The Latest from AppStories and NPC: Next Portable Console

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, Federico and I say goodbye to the AppStories+ pre-show and hello to the new post-show. Then, for the main event, we update listeners on how MacStories plans to cover AI news and tools.

On AppStories+, Federico and I share the AI tools we are using ourselves.

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, Brendon, Federico, and I consider how the Switch 2 will impact the wider handheld market, recap the specs and benchmarks for the Legion Go S and 2, and cover new devices coming from Anbernic and AYANEO. Then, Brendon shares his experience running Bazzite on the ASUS ROG Ally X.

Read more

Apple Announces New Health Study Collaboration with Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital→

Today, Apple announced a broad-based research study that is being conducted in a partnership with Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital. The study, which U.S. residents can access through Apple’s Research app, aims to evaluate how technology can play a role in understanding health and wellness changes.

In the company’s press release, Sumbul Desai, M.D., Apple’s vice president of Health, explains:

Research and validation are part of the foundation of all of our work in health, supporting the innovative features we bring to our users across devices. The valuable insights we’ve gained since launching the Research app have allowed us to bring innovative new tools to our users — including the Vitals app on Apple Watch and Walking Steadiness on iPhone — and surface new insights in areas of health that have long been undervalued, like menstrual and hearing health. We’re thrilled to bring forward the Apple Health Study, which will only accelerate our understanding of health and technology across the human body, both physically and mentally.

If you live in the U.S. and meet the minimum age requirements, you can sign up to participate in the study through the Research app.

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Beats Releases the Powerbeats Pro 2 with H2 Chip and Heart Rate Monitoring

Source: Beats.

Source: Beats.

It’s been six years since the original Powerbeats Pro debuted, so it’s no surprise that Beats has finally updated them. The new wireless headphones, which are great for running and other activities because they hook over your ears, have a slimmer, more vertical design and other new features.

Powerbeats Pro 2 include Apple’s H2 chip from the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4. That means the new model supports active noise cancelation, transparency mode, Personalized Spatial Audio, longer battery life (up to 45 hours with the case), and improved sound quality. The new headphones are Beats’ first to feature heart rate monitoring, too. Colors include Jet Black, Quick Sand, Hyper Purple, and Electric Orange. The Powerbeats Pro 2 are also IPX4 sweat and water resistant. The headphones’ case is 33% smaller and supports Qi charging.

Source: Beats.

Source: Beats.

Over on 9to5Mac, Chance Miller has a hands-on review of the Powerbeats Pro 2. Regarding the heart rate monitoring, Chance explains that:

Each Powerbeats Pro 2 earbud has a built-in heart rate monitor comprised of four components. First, there’s an LED sensor that emits green LED light at a rate of over 100 pulses per second. This light is emitted through the skin and hits your red blood cells. The photodiode then receives the reflected light from the red blood cells that is modulated by the red blood flow. There’s an optical lens that helps direct and separate the transmitted and received light, along with an accelerometer to ensure accuracy and consistency in data collection.

If you’re a Powerbeats Pro fan and in need of replacing an aging pair, Beats’ latest version looks like a nice update. I used to use Powerbeats, but I switched to the Beats Fit Pro to take advantage of the more capable H1 chip. However, I could see myself giving Powerbeats Pro 2 a try when my headphones need replacing.

The Powerbeats Pro 2 are available to order now for $249.99 on Beats and Apple’s websites. Deliveries and in-store availability will begin on February 13th.

NotebookLM Plus Is Now Available to Google One AI Premium Subscribers

In this week’s extended post-show for AppStories+ subscribers, Federico and I covered the AI tools we use. NotebookLM is one we have in common because it’s such a powerful research tool. The service allows you to upload documents and other files to a notebook and then query what you’ve collected. It’s better than a traditional search tool because you can ask complex questions, discover connections between topics, and generate materials like timelines and summaries.

Yesterday, Google announced that NotebookLM Plus is now available to Google One AI Premium subscribers, significantly expanding its reach. Previously, the extended functionality was only available as an add-on for Google Workspace subscribers.

The Plus version of NotebookLM increases the number of notebooks, sources, and audio overviews available, allows users to customize the tone of their notebooks, and lets users share notebooks with others. Google One AI Premium also includes access to Gemini Advanced and Gemini integration with Gmail, Docs, and other Google services, plus 2 TB of Google Drive cloud storage.

My DMA notebook.

My DMA notebook.

I’ve only begun to scratch the surface of what is possible with NotebookLM and am currently moving my notebook setup from one Google account to another, but it’s already proven to be a valuable research tool. Examples of the types of materials I’ve collected for querying include:

  • legislative material and articles about Apple’s DMA compliance,
  • my past macOS reviews,
  • summaries of and links to stories published on MacStories and Club MacStories,
  • video hardware research materials, and
  • manuals for home appliances and gadgets.

Having already collected and read these materials, I find navigating them with NotebookLM to be far faster than repeatedly skimming through them to pull out details. I also appreciate the ability to create materials like timelines for topics that span months or years.

Google One AI Premium is available from Google for $19.99 per month.

The Latest from Comfort Zone, MacStories Unwind, and Magic Rays of Light

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

Comfort Zone

Matt made an app and brings a very, very unbiased take on it, Chris has solved some of his tech paper cuts, and Niléane probably won yet another challenge by bringing a really rad Apple TV remote.

MacStories Unwind

This week on Unwind, I make a Kuzu discovery that may amuse Italian listeners, we explore bars and aperitivo, and we share a music and TV show pick, along with a great deal.

Magic Rays of Light

Sigmund and Devon highlight the premiere of Apple Original Spanish-language comedy Love You To Death, break down the changes coming to MLS Season Pass this season, and recap immersive film Man vs. Beast.

Read more

The UK Demanded That Apple Grant It Access to Encrypted Storage Globally→

Joseph Menn, writing for The Washington Post:

Security officials in the United Kingdom have demanded that Apple create a back door allowing them to retrieve all the content any Apple user worldwide has uploaded to the cloud, people familiar with the matter told The Washington Post.

The British government’s undisclosed order, issued last month, requires blanket capability to view fully encrypted material, not merely assistance in cracking a specific account, and has no known precedent in major democracies. Its application would mark a significant defeat for tech companies in their decades-long battle to avoid being wielded as government tools against their users, the people said, speaking under the condition of anonymity to discuss legally and politically sensitive issues.

Menn reports that in response, Apple will likely stop offering encrypted storage in the UK. That does not, however, address the order’s demand for access to storage in other countries.

The UK order reportedly applies to Advanced Data Protection, an end-to-end encryption feature added by Apple in 2022 that ensures that not even Apple has access to users’ cloud storage. Apple is not commenting presumably because to do so would be a criminal violation under UK law, but it did comment in 2024 when given a draft of the order, that has now been issued:

During a debate in Parliament over amendments to the Investigatory Powers Act, Apple warned in March that the law allowed the government to demand back doors that could apply around the world. “These provisions could be used to force a company like Apple, that would never build a back door into its products, to publicly withdraw critical security features from the UK market, depriving UK users of these protections,” it said in a written submission.

As Menn points out, even the F.B.I., which has pressured Apple to offer backdoor access to its encrypted services in the past, recently endorsed the use of encrypted services to counter recent hacks of U.S. communications systems.

I don’t think any government should have this sort of access over their citizens’ data, but the UK law is particularly egregious because it applies worldwide. Tech companies have faced government pressure for this sort of access for years. On the surface, it may seem like a good way to ‘catch the bad guys,’ but once the backdoor is created, there’s no way to ensure it will be used only by ‘the good guys.’

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