AppStories
Federico Viticci, John Voorhees
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.
- 30 minutes 22 secondsOur Apple Hardware Wish List for 2026
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 Claude today.
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Links and Show Notes
John has a theory:
- Daring Fireball: One More Spitball Idea for Apple’s March 4 Media Event ‘Experience’
- The Apple Vision Pro is getting foveated streaming, which is Valve’s fancy trick for the Steam Frame.
- Steam Frame
Apple Hardware Wishes
- Articles and gear mentioned:
AppStories+ Post-Show: Our Top 3 Uses for AI
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2 March 2026, 11:43 am - 30 minutes 21 secondsApp Intents and the Road to a Smarter Siri
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.
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Sponsored By:
- Insta360 – Introducing the Insta360 Wave and the Link 2 Pro.
Links and Show Notes
Xcode 26.3
AI Models and Services Discussed
- Claude (Anthropic)
- ChatGPT (OpenAI)
- OpenAI Codex models (5.2 and 5.3)
- Google Gemini
- MCP (Model Context Protocol)
Third-Party Apps and Services
AppStories+ Post-Show
- Messy Mac Transitions
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23 February 2026, 11:51 am - 38 minutes 21 secondsPick a Pair: New Apps We’re Using
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 – Introducing the Insta360 Wave and the Link 2 Pro.
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.
Links and Show Notes
Pick a Pair: New Apps We’re Using
AppStories+ Post-Show
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16 February 2026, 12:22 pm - 30 minutes 55 secondsOne Notion: Two Approaches
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.
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Links and Show Notes
How We Use Notion
- Notion
- Notion Web Clipper
- Notion AI
- Notion API
- Other apps and services mentioned:
- Drafts
- Raycast
- Todoist
- [Parallel](https://parallel.ai
- Wispr Flow
AppStories+ Post-Show
- OpenClaw Update:
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9 February 2026, 12:04 pm - Notion
- 37 minutes 58 secondsThe Future of Apps in an AI-Coded World
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 bitrate early every week.
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Links and Show Notes
Follow Up
- AI and App Store
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2 February 2026, 12:53 pm - 43 minutes 26 secondsTerminal Tips and Claude Code Workflows
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.
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This episode is sponsored by:
- HTTPBot: A powerful API client and debugger for Apple platforms. Get a 7-day trial and 25% off your subscription.
Links and Show Notes
Our Claude Code and Codex Workflows
- Federico’s Setup
- John’s Setup
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25 January 2026, 5:59 pm - 42 minutes 35 secondsA Very ‘Just Build It’ Holiday
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.
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Links and Show Notes
Holiday Coding Projects Continued
Federico’s Projects:
- HTML tools collection (12+ tools) inspired by Simon Willison’s approach
- MacStories Markdown Preview tool
- MarkdownFixer (Python in browser via Pyodide)
- Custom MCP servers for: Feedbin, Readwise Reader, YouTube Transcript, and Raindrop
- Home automation tools: NAS Control, Roon Visualizer, Custom TV Remote (LG webOS + Philips Hue Sync Box)
- Notion tools: DailyNote Append, DailyNote Viewer, Notion Clippings web app, YouTube Watch Queue
- Liquid Glass CSS design guide for web apps
- Using Claude Code vs OpenAI Codex comparison
- Remote coding workflow with Termius and Pushover notifications
John’s Projects:
- MacStories Common (shared code library)
- Podcast production tools (loudness matching, transcription improvements)
- Obsidian plugins for sending to Matter and Readwise Reader
- Article Highlights tool
- Notion OAuth integration
- Reviving Blink app (Objective C to Swift/SwiftUI conversion)
-
Other Tools and Services Mentioned
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18 January 2026, 4:20 pm - 47 minutes 53 secondsA Very Nerdy Holiday Break
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 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:
- Copilot Money – Your money, beautifully organized.
Links and Show Notes
Presenting Our Nerdy Holiday Projects
- John’s Research PWA
- Parallel.ai
- Firecrawl
- Example Club MacStories article by John where he used his research tool
- Tools John used:
- Federico’s Networked Music Library
- Roon
- ROCK (Roon server)
- Qobuz
- M4 Mac mini (Refurbished)
- Terramaster F8SSD+ NAS
- FiiO R9
- FiiO M17 DAP
- FiiO FT1 headphones
- John got a FiiO Snowsky Echo Mini DAP
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11 January 2026, 2:04 pm - 28 minutes 22 secondsWhat’s Next for Apps in 2026
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.
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Links and Show Notes
App and Apple Preditions and Trends for 2026
Vibe Coding & AI Development Trends for 2026
- Mentioned:
- Google AI Studio
- [Swift Playground](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/swift-playground/id908519492
- Manus AI
- Wabi
- Claude Code
- Codex
- The junior bet has gotten better
iPhone Opening Up to Wireless Wearables
Android AI Agents & Computer Use
Research Apps & NotebookLM Alternatives
Siri with App Intents & Apple Intelligence
MCP on Mobile
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21 December 2025, 5:55 pm - Mentioned:
- 57 minutes 26 secondsThe 2025 MacStories Selects Awards
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 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:
- RevenueCat – It’s the easiest way to add in-app subscriptions and native paywalls into your mobile apps, and getting started is free.
Links and Show Notes
MacStories Selects 2025
- Read More on MacStories here:
- The winners:
- Best New App: Quick Reviews
- Runner-up: Wispr Flow
- Runner-up: Activas AI
- Best Mac App: Bloom
- Runner-up: Supercharge
- Best Watch App: Athlytic
- Runner-up: µBrowser
- Best New Feature: Matter’s TTS voices
- Runner-up: Bridges
- Runner-up: Longplay MCP
- Best Design: Sequel 2.6
- Runner-up: Not Boring Camera
- Readers’ Choice Award: Alfred
- App of the Year: Drafts
- Runner-up: Athlytic
- Best New App: Quick Reviews
The MacStories Selects 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award
- Read more on MacStories:
- The winner:
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Unread
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Unread
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16 December 2025, 4:56 pm - 39 minutes 51 secondsVibe Coding Your Own Productivity Tools
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.
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Links and Show Notes
Vibe Coding Personal Productivity Tools
- Simon Willison’s blog
- Harper Reed
- Vibe coding apps and startups:
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7 December 2025, 4:29 pm - More Episodes? Get the App