Welcome back to the best time of the month, where we go through some of the best iOS apps and the best macOS apps around.
This rainy July, I’m bringing you four new iOS apps that will help you keep track of your life and connect with other music fans. I’ll also be covering four macOS apps that will help you organize your Mac, cut down on your storage, and collaborate with your remote teams more easily.
If you’re new here, this is a monthly series where I bring to you the best iOS and macOS apps I’ve come across over the last month. Unlike some other “Best Of” lists, these are all apps I hope you haven’t heard of before. I didn’t just scour the “Best Of” list on another outlet or take some trending apps from the App Store.
These are somewhat obscure, indie apps that, for the most part, have been released in the last few weeks. As such, some may be a bit rough around the edges. However, the concepts and designs are solid and innovative. I always try to include apps that I genuinely think you’ll find useful, and this July is no exception!
As always, I would like to make it clear that I am not sponsored by any of these apps. These are my honest opinions and recommendations.
First up on our list of the best iOS apps for July is Timewave. Like many of the apps I share with you, this is one of those apps that makes you wonder why Apple hasn’t already added this feature.
Timewave allows you to create sequential timers. That means you set one timer, and after it goes off, it’ll automatically start another timer. You can chain together as many or as few timers in this manner as you like. And each timer in a chain can have a unique label and time limit.
So let’s say you wanted to create a custom workout routine. In this routine, you want to do pushups for three minutes, then squats for four minutes, then jumping jacks for two minutes, then pushups for another three minutes. You could set that chain of timers to fire off automatically with Timewave.
Using the same app, you could also create a set of timers that will tell you when to check on, flip, and cook the various components of your supper meal.
And you could use this app for the Pomodoro technique.
And you could use it to remind you to stand while you work.
And to look away from your screen every twenty minutes.
Do I need to go on? The possibilities with this thing are nearly unlimited. By allowing you to create automated timer chains, it can completely change the way you use the timer on your iPhone. It is a paid app, but it’s only $1.99. I think that’s a steal given how much you’re going to use this thing.
Show Muhammed (the developer) some love and give this one a try! You won’t regret it.
2. Tab-It: Keep track of your emotional highs and lows
Next on our list of the best iOS apps for July is Tab-It.
At first glance, Tab-It will probably look like a lot of apps you’ve seen before. It features a simple design that allows you to quantify aspects of your day. Lots of habit-tracking apps use this kind of paradigm.
Unlike those other apps, though, Tab-It has a far more focused goal. Its mission is to help you track the emotional highs and lows of your day. You can specifically track your emotions as well as your energy level, confidence, physical pain, anxiety, productivity, and more.
If you’re using it on your own, this can help you see if and how your emotional patterns relate to one another. And if you have a therapist, you can use this app in therapy to make progress on your emotional journey.
Looking at this app, I remembered an instance in therapy where we realized that this emotional slump I fell into each day was tied to how often I ate, not how my day was going. It’s not the kind of connection I would have made on my own, though it ended up being immensely helpful.
With Tab-It, I imagine you would be able to make connections like this with far more ease, whether on your own or with a professional to help you through it.
Oh yeah, and did I mention the design is great??
If you have a hard time following or understanding your emotional state throughout the day, give Tab-It a shot!
Now and then, an app completely catches me by surprise, and Humit was no exception. Admittedly, I had low expectations when I first downloaded it. I didn’t expect there to be a whole lot of engagement on this app or for it to be designed very well.
Both of these things ended up being untrue! While the user base is still small, the people on this app are active and passionate. And the app is a pleasure to use, not much different from the other social media apps most of us have on our phones.
In essence, Humit is Reddit for music. That’s where the name comes from: Hum + Reddit.
You join communities for sub-genres and fans of music. In these communities, people share and discuss artists, albums, and tracks that they’re into. It’s a great way to discover new music as well as promote smaller artists that you’re into.
If you read my best iOS apps and best macOS apps lists regularly, then you know that I’m a pretty big music fan. I just bought and reviewed the AirPods Max (read here!). So I’m always excited to bring you great music apps, and Humit fits the bill.
The one drawback of this app is that it currently only links to Spotify. But that’s not too big of a deal since you can listen to Spotify music for free with ads. Hopefully, though, support will be added for Apple Music soon!
Until then, download this app and find something new to listen to.
Before we get into the best macOS apps, there’s one more item on our list of the best iOS apps. That app is Epylogue, a download that is as creative as it is beautiful.
I found this app by chance on a Reddit forum and found the idea to be super innovative. Put simply, Epylogue is the personal journal made effortless. If you’ve ever had a hard time keeping up with your journal, this is the app for you.
At 9 am, 3 pm, and 9 pm, Epylogue will ask you a few questions about your day and mood. It’ll then automatically log this info in your journal and piece this info together into sentences for you. It does this using open-source AI writing services.
This allows you to quickly answer a few questions throughout the day and end up with a finished journal entry. You never have to sit down and write a full entry yourself, but you end up with a solid idea of how each day went for you.
Like any journal, this will allow you to relive your days and see how your time and life developed over time. It’s also pretty futuristic, which adds an extra layer of coolness to it.
Again, if you’re someone who struggles to keep up with a journal, I would seriously give Epylogue a try.
The best macOS apps of July 2021
1. TinyPNG: Easily compress images from your Mac without losing image quality
The first suggestion on our list of the best macOS apps is, admittedly, not a true macOS app. It’s just a website. However, it’s one I use all the time, and I figured it was about time I brought it to your attention.
For those that don’t know, TinyPNG is a website that will automatically compress your photos for you. Just drag and drop your pictures onto the site (up to twenty at a time) and TinyPNG will shrink them down for you.
Your photos are compressed using a super-smart algorithm. This algorithm will reduce the file size of your photos substantially without removing a noticeable amount of quality. If you’re uploading your photos online or just trying to save some space on your computer, TinyPNG can be a lifesaver.
There are some drawbacks to TinyPNG. For one thing, you can only compress 20 image files at once. After that, you’ll have to refresh the page.
The other drawback is that photos can’t be bigger than 5MB in size. Most photos aren’t that big, but it’s still a little lame. You can overcome this by paying for TinyPNG Pro, though, or by using the sixth Automator routine from this article I wrote recently.
Those two points are never really a problem for me, though. I’ve used this website nearly every day for two years and love it. It’s secure, safe, and fast. Bookmark it!
2. OpenIn: Automatically open links in your browser of choice
The second item on our list of the best macOS apps is OpenIn.
I’ll be honest, this isn’t an app I find myself too interested in, since I exclusively use Safari on all of my devices. However, if you switch between Chrome, Opera, Firefox, Tor, and/or Safari regularly, this app is for you.
All OpenIn does is ask you which browser you would like to use after you click a link. This way, you don’t have to right-click before opening a link. And you won’t be bothered by links constantly opening your default browser.
You can also use this app to decide which email client you want to open whenever you click a mailto link. Pretty handy if you’re not sold on the built-in Mail app!
There isn’t much else to this app. It’s $4.99, which is pretty low considering this is meant to be an everyday kind of app. If this is a problem you need to be solved, here is your solution.
3. Remotion: Collaborate with your remote team instantly
If you work remotely, then this could be ones of the best macOS apps you ever download.
Remotion is a pretty unique app, and as such, it’s a little hard to cover exactly how it works.
In essence, Remotion adds a second Dock to your Mac that shows coworkers instead of apps. It sits on the right side of your colleagues’ and your desktop and shows little profile pics for each of your teammates.
Whenever you click on the profile pics for each of your teammates, you can instantly start interacting with them. Just click their picture and start talking to them.
Think of it as tapping your workmates on the shoulder to share something with them. You can also share things like emojis, songs, and casual conversations. So it doubles as a collaborative and social space.
Remotion is free for Mac users, so there’s no reason not to use it if you manage or are a part of a remote team. Suggest it to your manager or send it out to your staff!
4. AppSwitcher: An uncluttered way to switch between apps
Last up on our July list of the best iOS apps and macOS apps is AppSwitcher. This last recommendation may be the simplest app on this month’s list. Even with that simplicity, though, this one can be a massive improvement depending on the way you use your Mac.
The only thing AppSwitcher does is switch between apps on your Desktop while only showing you one at a time.
For example, go to your desktop and click on some of the apps in your Dock that aren’t in fullscreen mode right now. You’ll notice that each one appears as a separate window, like so:
Pretty cluttered, right? What if, instead, each app disappeared whenever you clicked a new one? So that whenever you open Calculator, Finder disappears. And whenever you click Preview, Calculator disappears. This way, you only ever see one app open on your Desktop at once.
This is exactly what AppSwitcher does for you. It makes your Desktop feel more open, shows off your wallpaper, and gives you a visual break while working. If you’re someone who uses Mac apps in window form often (as opposed to fullscreen form) check this one out!
Check out more of the best iOS apps and the best macOS apps on AppleToolBox
And that’s it! Those are my recommendations for the best iOS apps and the best macOS apps for July 2021. I hope you found at least one that will change the way you work or navigate your daily routine.
If you want more suggestions for the best apps on Mac and iPhone, be sure to check out my June post. And if you want to stay tuned for my upcoming August app recommendations, subscribe to the AppleToolBox newsletter.
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