Apps

Welcome to Indie App Spotlight. This is a weekly 9to5Mac series where we showcase the latest apps in the indie app world. If you’re a developer and would like your app featured, get in contact.

Due Tomorrow is a students ultimate homework companion. It helps you manage your assignments, keep track of everything with reminders and calendar integration, and includes a neat little AI chatbot that provides pointers for your assignments.

Gentler Streak, one of the most popular fitness and wellness apps for Apple devices, has just been updated again. This time, the latest version of the app adds multiple new widgets with different health metrics, so that users can get an overview of their health right from their Home Screen.

My colleague Zac Hall yesterday shared the Mac apps he currently uses, and it got me thinking about the Mac apps and utilities I couldn’t live without.

Some are major apps, like Final Cut Pro, but there are a bunch of utilities I use on a regular basis that I’d really miss if I didn’t have them …

It was discovered last year that location data for US military and intelligence personnel serving overseas was being sold by a Florida-based data broker, but the source of that sensitive data was unclear at the time.

It’s now been revealed that the data was captured by a variety of mobile apps with revenue-sharing agreements with a Lithuanian ad-tech company, and then resold by an American company …

Here’s a straightforward list, in no certain order, of Mac apps that I’m currently using.

A new accessibility program based on an app for deaf and hard of hearing users is being tested on the New York MTA system. It will provide riders with instant access to a live sign language interpreter when engaging with staff.

The approach means that any member of Metropolitan Transit Authority will be able to help with directions and other queries without the need for any ASL skills themselves …

Welcome to Indie App Spotlight. This is a weekly 9to5Mac series where we showcase the latest apps in the indie app world. If you’re a developer and would like your app featured, get in contact.

Bento|Craft is a great tool for easily making Apple-style bento box graphics in a matter of seconds. It provides dozens of templates and mockups, allows you to customize layouts, and export very quickly. It’s a high quality and simple-to-use design tool.

Mistral, a French company specializing in AI tools, has just launched a native app for its chatbot “Le Chat” for iOS. While previously the tool was only available through the web, iPhone and iPad users can now download the app for a better experience.

Apple’s Messages app has a lot of great features, including the recent iOS 18 additions and Genmoji. But one thing that’s sorely missing: good tools for tracking your unanswered messages. The new Mac app RPLY seeks to solve that problem with AI.

CardioBot is a health companion app for iPhone and Apple Watch that shows users how they can live a healthier life. The app has now been updated with new features, including “Activity Coaching” and fully interactive graphics. Read on as we detail everything that’s new with the update.

The Iconfactory, makers of the now-discontinued Twitterrific app, have today launched the spiritual successor to their Twitter client. Tapestry pulls together feeds from Bluesky, Mastodon, RSS, YouTube, and more into a single timeline.

A Grubhub security breach has exposed personal data for both customers and drivers, says the company, after an “incident” involving a third-party contractor.

The company has not revealed the exact scale of the security fail, but has admitted that the personal data includes names, email addresses, phone numbers, and partial credit card numbers …

Welcome to Indie App Spotlight. This is a weekly 9to5Mac series where we showcase the latest apps in the indie app world. If you’re a developer and would like your app featured, get in contact.

Wheels aims to be your all-in-one digital skate journal, allowing you (presuming you’re a skater) to track all things skating. It helps track your rides, your skateboards, and offers a clean interface to manage it all.

TikTok has bounced back from its time offline according to traffic logs, but creators are worried about the uncertain future of the app.

Some are assuming the worst, and preparing for the platform to shut down, while others feel TikTok has a unique role and it would be difficult to replicate their success on other platforms …

Bookshop.org launched five years ago as an online store with a mission of supporting local book shops. Now, that same philosophy is fueling a new ebook app for iPhone and iPad, which enables you to enjoy ebooks while sending your funds to local, independent bookstores.

Digital collectible card game Marvel Snap is back in the App Store, after the game’s developer seemingly severed connections with TikTok parent ByteDance.

Trump has suggested that Microsoft is negotiating to buy TikTok, despite the company’s CEO having previously described the suggestion as “the strangest thing” …

Despite the fact that you can still use the service, TikTok is still very much so banned in the United States. President Trump promised to not fine TikTok and its service providers for continuing to run the services, but that’s just a promise. He also signed an executive order officially suspending the ban, but there’s great odds that that executive order doesn’t actually hold up legally.

For one reason or another, Apple (and Google) have both decided that they don’t want to take the risk. If a court later decides that Trumps promises don’t hold up legally, Apple could be on the hook for up to $850 billion in fines. It just isn’t worth it for them.

Welcome to Indie App Spotlight. This is a weekly 9to5Mac series where we showcase the latest apps in the indie app world. If you’re a developer and would like your app featured, get in contact.

Inscreen taps into Apple’s Screen Time API, and aims to help users be more mindful about the time they’re spending on their devices. Rather than forcefully blocking app access, Inscreen takes a different approach, and keeps you aware of how much time you’re spending on each app.