I’ve been busy, so I’m behind on WWDC news. However, MacStories, as always, has a great rundown of everything that’s changing in iOS and iPadOS 14. Most notably the first-party Notes and Reminders apps.

No more texture. At long last, Notes’ textured background has been put to rest. The new flat background looks great in light mode and even better in dark mode, where OLED iPhones display true black.

Everything Changing in Apple Notes and Reminders in iOS and iPadOS 14 – MacStories

I use various notes apps (more on this some other time), but I’ve always wanted to swap one with the Apple Notes app. I just could never bring myself to look at that background. Finally, that is being replaced. I will need to test this in the upcoming public betas.

As for Reminders, again, I use different task managers for different things (more on this later, too). In Reminders, I keep all personal items that have nothing to do with my work. It helps my brain to have everything in its own spot, so any additions and refinement here are welcomed.

Apple’s Shortcuts app (aka Siri Shortcuts) is an exciting platform for automating tasks. This directory is my attempt to collect all the best Shortcuts resources. I hope it helps you find and create shortcuts to make your life better.

Shortcuts Directory / Start Here

Awesome resource to get started with Apple’s Shortcuts app. Once you get started utilizing Shortcuts, you won’t be able to stop.

Sharing in case someone somehow sees it here first.

After some research, I discovered that YouTube offers a privacy-enhanced way of embedding videos. Instead of linking to youtube.com, link to youtube-nocookie.com, and no data-collecting HTTP cookie will be sent. This is Google’s way of providing GDPR-compliant YouTube videos.

https://dri.es/how-to-remove-youtube-tracking

YouTube offers a tracking-free embed option. Be kind and use it.

Enhancements to the app include link detection and a new Join button for conference calls, the ability to schedule calendar sets for different times of day, and more.

Fantastical 3.1 Arrives as a Valuable Aid for Work-from-Home Users – MacStories

The link detection plus Join button addition instantly makes Meeter irrelevant to me. It was nicely done, but if Fantastical can handle it just fine in a calendar I already have open all day, then even better.

The second added feature, though, shouldn’t slide by you. Scheduling calendar sets for different times of day, in addition to location, is a welcomed surprise. Fantastical, another app I happily pay for and support.

We’re excited to announce a deep integration between Siri and Castro that shortens the distance between you and your podcasts.

Castro Podcast Player

Castro is such a beautifully designed podcast player in iOS, and this update adds all the Shortcuts features you could ever want. I’ve gone back and forth enough times between Castro and Overcast that I happily subscribe to both to support future development (hopefully that means an iPad app from the Castro team).

Currently, Overcast handles my regular listening. But Castro’s side loading from YouTube is an essential workflow of mine. Don’t be afraid to use more than one app to get the job done.

via Toys for Tot • The Breakroom:

The main focus of today’s release are system extensions that allow Tot to co-exist with other apps. To this end, we’ve added a Sharing extension for both iOS and macOS.

I’ve started to use Tot a lot recently for various text functions, so today’s additions were a nice surprise. My use as a whole is something I plan to write about soon.

Hat tip to The Newsprint for bringing this to my attention: Speed:

Very useful.

via Copilot — A Smart Budgeting App for iPhone — Tools and Toys:

Tools & Toys with a great rundown of this (new to me) finance app. Perfect time for a Mint replacement that doesn’t hammer you with advertising.

via Daring Fireball: ‘What Time Is It in London?’:

So every other service that tries to answer “What time is it in London?” gets it right. Only Siri gets it wrong.

Reminds me of a post I made roundabouts last year’s NHL trade deadline (lost in various site migrations, such is life). I asked Siri when the NHL trade deadline was and it showed me the current standings. Google, on the other hand, provided the correct date AND time. And provided me news stories about who the Penguins were targeting. Worlds better.

In regards to the London time test noted above, that Bing clock is a slick design feature.

Do better, Apple.