Significant Pushcut Updates


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Automators take note. Pushcut has received several updates over the past few months, improving the ability to trigger automation on iOS in creative ways. The original idea behind the app was to give folks the ability to trigger iOS automation beyond those limits Apple provides with Siri Shortcuts. With Pushcut, you can use things like webhooks and iBeacon devices as automation triggers. This is pretty impressive. We interviewed Pushcut’s developer, Simon Leeb, on the Automators a few months ago.

Since that time, Pushcut has got even more interesting with the ability to set up an iOS device as a server, and most recently, integration with IFTTT. This could allow you to trigger a shortcut from Alexa or set a HomeKit scene from Google home.

I love how third-party developers keep pushing the iOS automation envelope by giving Shortcuts even more external tools. I’ll be updating the Shortcuts Field Guide with some video examples of Pushcut, but in the meantime, I encourage you to check it out.

Online WWDC Starts on June 22


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Apple announced today the online WWDC will start on June 22.

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“On June 22, WWDC20 takes off. Get ready for the first global, all-online WWDC by downloading the Apple Developer app to stay notified on all the latest news, with updates for events and sessions. And there’s a lot more to come — starting with the first-ever Swift Student Challenge.”

One of my big questions revolves around the scope of changes to the Apple operating systems this year. I suspect this will be a year focused more on bug fixes than ambitious new features. I admittedly usually lean too heavily on the side of new features but given the global pandemic and the fact that most likely all of the engineers are working from home while also taking care of their kids and pets and dealing with all of this, I expect this be a Snow Leopard-type year.

The New 13″ MacBook Pro with 100% Less Butterflies


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Today Apple announced the release of the latest iteration of the 13″ MacBook Pro. The new version doesn’t grow the screen to 14“, as the rumor mill predicted. It does, however, get a processor bump on the higher-end models. Perhaps most importantly, it adds the same scissor-switch keyboard we now have on the 16” MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and iPad Magic Keyboard. The butterfly keyboard is no longer for sale on new Apple laptops. While I didn’t have a particular problem with the feel of the butterfly keyboard, I had a big problem with its reliability. The part of this story that I can’t get over is how long it took to replace the butterfly keyboard once it became clear it was a dud. The really feels like Apple’s own second arrow.

Mac Power Users 534: The Business of Emoji, with Jeremy Burge



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Emojipedia founder Jeremy Burge joins us on this week’s episode of Mac Power Users to talk about emoji, how they’re made, and why they’ve found such huge success. Also, he lives on a boat, so that comes up.

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • TextExpander from Smile: Get 20% off with this link and type more with less effort! Expand short abbreviations into longer bits of text, even fill-ins, with TextExpander from Smile.

  • Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code MPU at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.

Automatic Closing

I was sad to get an email today announcing that Automatic Labs is shutting down. Automatic made a device that plugs into your car’s diagnostic port and send all sorts of data to your iPhone. It was a way to make your not-so-smart car just a bit smarter. I received a complimentary unit when they sponsored Mac Power Users ages ago and then I bought two more for my wife and daughter’s car because I liked it so much. We’ve continued to use those devices in the intervening years and I’m sorry to see them shutting down. They are offering rebates to some customers.

Improve Your Writing with Ulysses (Sponsor)



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This week MacSparky is sponsored by Ulysses, The app where I do so much writing on Mac, iPad, and iPhone. In the last year, my usage of Ulysses has only increased more. It has become for me, “the place for words”. Not only do I keep a repository of text, I call it the “text bank” that I use in my law practice in Ulysses, it has also become the place I keep notes, work on drafts, outline screencasts, plan podcasts, and write just about all the other words I make in one context or another. I love the clean design and the way it syncs everything everywhere.

The Ulysses team just keeps making the app better. Just this week, they released a new update for iOS and iPad that adds a ton of power features, including mouse and trackpad support, external folder support, and several more new features. Writing is hard. Ulysses helps you out by removing distractions and letting you focus on moving that cursor from left to right. Moreover, with seamless integration between all of my Apple devices, I can add and edit my words on everything from my 27” iMac to my iPhone in my pocket. Best of all, if you sign up with the links in this blog post, you’ll get three months of Ulysses for free. 

Keyboard Maestro Script to Automate Adding Text to a Google Doc

I frequently receive email from Mac Power Users listeners with feedback on some topic we discussed during the show. If the email is something that I may want to mention on the future feedback show, I copy that email into a running Google document that we then use when planning the feedback shows.

I’ve been doing this for years manually which, for a guy who likes to brag about his automation prowess, is kind of bananas. So today I took 10 minutes and wrote a quick Keyboard Maestro script to automate this process going forward and I thought I would share it. I’m adding this to the Keyboard Maestro Field Guide but also wanted to put it out on the web for anybody else that may need something similar.

CleanMyMac X On the Mac App Store

I’ve been using CleanMyMac at least since the days of Macworld. I like the interface and the app has just got more powerful over the years. If you’re interested but prefer to buy software from the Mac App Store, you’re now in luck. After 12 years CleanMyMac X is launching on the Mac App Store. MacPaw has done a good job of getting numerous customer options for their software. You can subscribe through SetApp, buy directly through MacPaw, or through the Mac App Store. I’d love to see for other follow with so many purchase options.