iOS Today (Audio) Podcast

Apple just dropped the biggest design overhaul since iOS 7, and hosts Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard dive deep into everything announced at WWDC 2025, from the stunning "liquid glass" interface to game-changing iPad features that finally make it feel like a real computer.

• Liquid Glass Interface - Biggest visual redesign in many years! Translucent elements, enhanced lighting effects, and improved visual hierarchy
• Design Principles - Built around hierarchy, harmony, consistency, layering, depth, and vitality for a more expressive user experience
• Visual Effects - Enhanced Control Center with peek-through background visibility and ghostly transparent aesthetic

Apple Intelligence Levels Up

• Live Translation - Real-time translation in Messages, FaceTime, and Phone calls running entirely on-device for privacy
• Visual Intelligence Expansion - Now works with screenshots and integrates with third-party apps like Etsy for product searches
• ChatGPT Integration - Enhanced Image Playground functionality with ChatGPT support across the platform

Carplay & Music Updates

• Message Improvements - Tapback support directly in CarPlay without needing CarPlay Ultra
• Widgets Integration - CarPlay now supports widgets for enhanced navigation and app experiences
• Apple Music Features - Auto Mix with crossfade and beat matching, plus lyric translation for foreign language songs

Phone App Overhaul

• Call Screening - System asks unknown callers for their name and reason before connecting you
• Hold Assist - Automatically waits on hold and notifies when a human agent returns to call
• Unified Interface - Streamlined call history and contact management in a single interface

Gaming & Social Features

• Apple Games App - New dedicated hub for Apple Arcade with recommendations and social "Play Together" features
• Game Library - Comprehensive view of installed games with play history and activity tracking

Messages Upgrades

• Built-in Polling - Native poll creation with expandable voting options and visual participant tracking
• Custom Backgrounds - Personalized chat backgrounds, including AI-generated options through Image Playground
• Group Payments - Apple Cash support for splitting expenses in group chats
• Smart Filtering - Automatic separation of unknown sender messages into a dedicated folder

Apple Watch Enhancements

• Gesture Controls - New wrist flick gesture to dismiss notifications and return to watch face
• Configurable Widgets - Enhanced customization options for watch complications and widgets
• Integration Features - Seamless connection with iPhone's hold assist and other new iOS features

Accessibility Advances

• System-wide Reader - Enhanced reading experience across all apps and interfaces
• Braille Improvements - Better support for connected Braille displays on iPhone
• Enhanced Features - Updates to Live Listen, background sounds, and Personal Voice capabilities

iPadOS 26

• Mac-Style Windows - Red, yellow, green window control buttons finally come to iPad
• Default Apps - Set specific applications to open different file types automatically
• Preview App - New system app for viewing and annotating PDFs and images
• Folder Customization - Color-coded folder system across Files app (also coming to Mac)
• Background Processing - Computationally intensive tasks can run in the background

Shor

These show notes have been truncated due to length. For the full show notes, visit https://twit.tv/shows/ios-today/episodes/756

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard

Ready to make your next day out absolutely perfect? Mikah and Rosemary share their favorite apps and strategies for planning the ultimate outdoor adventure, from weather tracking to transit navigation and everything in between.

• Please Don't Rain - Rosemary showcases this specialized weather app designed for theme park visits and outdoor activities, featuring location-specific rain forecasts and customizable measurement units for international travelers
• Fantastical - Mikah explains how this premium calendar app provides 10-day weather forecasts directly within your schedule, making it easy to plan events around weather conditions
• Mercury Weather - Advanced weather app with trip planning features that automatically adjusts forecasts based on your travel destinations, plus widget support for seamless integration
• WidgetSmith - David Smith's popular widget creation tool gets highlighted for its countdown timers and custom widgets that help keep upcoming events and trips front-of-mind on your home screen
• Apple Maps Custom Guides - Creating and sharing location guides for group trips
• CityMapper - Comprehensive look at the ultimate public transportation app, covering everything from platform positioning to accessibility options and multi-modal journey planning across walking, cycling, and transit
• Pedometer++ - Rosemary shares real-world examples from her Glasgow trip (28,000+ steps!) and explains how tracking your daily activity can help you understand why you're exhausted after big days out

News

• Capsule Medication Tracker - Rosemary announces her new collaboration with Snailed It on a medication tracking app that's more user-friendly than Apple Health, featuring customizable notifications, privacy options, and support for tracking medications for family members and pets! Capsule isn't quite ready yet, but we invite everyone to join the TestFlight in the meantime!

App Caps

• Secure Shellfish - SSH client app for iOS that enables server access and file management, particularly useful for managing home servers like Homebridge setups with Files app integration
• Finch - Tamagotchi-style app that gamifies self-care and habit building by letting you care for a virtual pet that grows stronger as you complete real-world goals and tasks

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard

Contact iOS Today at [email protected].

Download or subscribe to iOS Today at https://twit.tv/shows/ios-today

Want access to the ad-free video and exclusive features? Become a member of Club TWiT today! https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

Document editors take center stage as Mikah and Rosemary show viewers the best apps for editing PDFs and plain text files on iOS devices. The hosts emphasize practical solutions for common document editing needs while showcasing both free built-in tools and premium third-party options for power users.

• Built-in PDF tool in Notes - Demonstrates how to attach PDFs to Notes documents, use Quick Look for basic annotation, highlighting, and form filling, plus collaborative editing features
• PDF Expert - Rosemary showcases advanced PDF editing capabilities including text editing, image replacement, adding clickable links to table of contents, redaction tools, and custom stamps
• Documents - Mikah highlights the comprehensive file management app with PDF tools, conversion options, page management, form filling, and multi-cloud storage integration
• Textastic - Rosemary gets technical with this specialized plain text editor supporting syntax highlighting for HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, and other programming languages, plus SSH terminal access and live preview features

News

• WWDC 2025 announcement - Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference runs June 9-13, with keynote streaming available and exclusive Club TWiT live coverage planned for members

Shortcuts Corner

• Follow-up from episode 751 - Dave from Ohio shares success creating an Apple TV remote shortcut button for his iPhone home screen using Rosemary's previous tutorial

App Caps

• Wipr 2 - Simple, effective Safari content blocker that blocks ads and trackers without overwhelming features, created by solo developer Kaylee Calderolla
• Tatami - Addictive number puzzle game where players connect numbered blocks in lines and rectangles, free to play with $4.99 unlock option, also by developer Kaylee Calderolla

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard

Contact iOS Today at [email protected].

Download or subscribe to iOS Today at https://twit.tv/shows/ios-today

Want access to the ad-free video and exclusive features? Become a member of Club TWiT today! https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

Discover powerful voice recording and transcription apps that can transform how you capture ideas, take notes, and create content on your Apple devices. Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard explore essential voice tools while sharing exciting news about CarPlay Ultra's debut in Aston Martin vehicles.

• Voice Memos app - Built into iOS with live transcription capabilities, allowing users to record, edit, search transcripts, and enhance audio quality with features like silence skipping.
• Just Press Record - Popular third-party app offering automatic transcription in multiple languages, customizable file formats, and the ability to share recordings as text, audio, or video.
• Ferrite Recording Studio - Professional-grade podcast production tool for iPhone and iPad with multi-track editing, effects, automation, and advanced audio manipulation capabilities.
• Otter - Voice transcription service that has evolved to include enterprise features like AI summaries, meeting integrations with Zoom and Teams, and action item extraction.
• Notes app recording feature - Built-in audio recording in Apple's Notes app that synchronizes with typed or handwritten notes, providing searchable transcriptions.

News

• CarPlay Ultra announced - Apple's next-generation car interface is debuting in Aston Martin vehicles with support for instrument clusters and customizable displays; coming soon to Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. The new CarPlay Ultra works with devices as old as iPhone 12 running iOS 18.5, making the technology accessible to more users.

Shortcuts Corner

• New Shortcuts features in iOS 18.4 - Latest update includes actions for Clock app (add/remove cities), Messages app (open specific conversations), and settings controls for various apps.
• Safari settings shortcuts - New ability to toggle pop-up blocking, change search engines, and adjust tab behavior through shortcuts, allowing customized browser experiences.
• Creating profiles - Using the new settings shortcuts to create pseudo-profiles for different contexts like work and personal use on iOS and iPadOS

App Caps

• Partiful - Free event planning app with features like date polling, RSVP tracking, photo sharing, playlist integration, and "chip in" payment options for collecting money from attendees.
• Moft Dynamic Folio - iPad case offering several viewing angles with innovative folding design, available for multiple iPad models and starting around $40.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard

Contact iOS Today at [email protected].

Download or subscribe to iOS Today at https://twit.tv/shows/ios-today

Want access to the ad-free video and exclusive features? Become a member of Club TWiT today! https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

Looking to transform your iPhone photos into tangible keepsakes? Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard explore various apps and services that help you print your digital photos in different formats, from traditional prints to magnets, books, and even wine glasses!

• Social Print Studio - A versatile app offering various print options including photo magnets with water-resistant coating and classic square prints on archival paper
• Mpix - Features integration with the Mac Photos app and offers a Print Club subscription
• Google Photos Premium Print Series - $7/month for 10 4x6 prints that Google selects from your library, with option to have postcard-style backs for mailing
• Shutterfly - Best for bulk printing and uniquely customized items like photo water bottles and wine glasses, though print quality may not be as high as other services
• Boots Photo - The app for the UK pharmacy store, where users can obtain their printed pictures

Shortcuts Corner

• A user named DiAnna requested help moving the last word of ebook filenames to the front, and Rosemary created a shortcut solution without using regular expressions!

App Caps

• Rosemary's pick: Eco-Worthy 12-volt foldable solar panel (100W) - A portable, waterproof solar panel for camping that can recharge battery packs like Jackery, with adjustable angles and no magnetic connectors
• Mikah's pick: Days - An event countdown app that creates customizable widgets for upcoming events with photo backgrounds, different font styles, and countdown formats that can display in days or hours

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard

Contact iOS Today at [email protected].

Download or subscribe to iOS Today at https://twit.tv/shows/ios-today

Want access to the ad-free video and exclusive features? Become a member of Club TWiT today! https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.