In this week's App Recap, we've highlighted productivity app "Do," productivity app "Flow," and lifestyle app "North Star" as three apps that are worth checking out.
Apps to Check Out
Do: Simple Notes & To Do Lists (iOS, One-Time Purchase) - Do features a simple interface that provides an easy way to keep track of notes and to-do lists. Users can organize notes into sub-lists as well as create reminders with alerts and badges. Do can also be customized in one of nine color themes. The app is free to download, and users have the option to purchase Do's $4.99 one-time upgrade to be able to add more than 30 items, use a passcode as well as Touch ID/Face ID to lock items, and to back up data to iCloud.
Flow - Focus & Pomodoro Timer (Mac, Subscription) - Flow can help users reduce distractions and maintain focus by dividing work into sections using a timer that lives in the menu bar. The app's timer can be customized with predefined values, and users are able to block apps from being used while the flow timer is running. After completing a block of work, users can start the break timer to take a break before taking on another section of work. Users can subscribe to Flow's pro version, which is available in a subscription priced at $0.99 per month and $7.99 per year, to set custom durations for flow and break intervals, access advanced controls, and more.
North Star - Your Goals (iOS, Subscription) - North Star is an app that can be used to easily work toward goals through habits to track frequent activities, milestones to break up a goal into smaller steps, measures to track results over time, and the planner to create to-do lists and reminders. In addition, customizable icons and colors can be utilized to help differentiate items. Although free to download, North Star's basic version only allows users to track one goal. The app's paid version, which features the creation of an unlimited number of goals, is available in both monthly and yearly subscription options as well as a lifetime purchase priced at $4.99, $28.49, and $49.99 respectively.
Are you using a great new app we've missed? Let us know in the comments and we'll check it out for next week's App Recap. Are you a developer of a unique app you'd like us to consider? Send us a message through our tip line at the top of the page and we'll check it out.
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle.
Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
Apple's restrained artificial intelligence strategy may pay off in 2026 amid the arrival of a revamped Siri and concerns around the AI market "bubble" bursting, The Information argues.
The speculative report notes that Apple has taken a restrained approach with AI innovations compared with peers such as OpenAI, Google, and Meta, which are investing hundreds of billions of dollars in data...
Tuesday December 30, 2025 2:11 pm PST by Juli Clover
The Apple Fitness+ Instagram account today teased that the service has "big plans" for 2026. In a video, several Apple Fitness+ trainers are shown holding up newspapers with headlines related to Apple Fitness+.
What's Apple Fitness+ Planning for the New Year?
Something Big is Coming to Apple Fitness+
The Countdown Begins. Apple Fitness+ 2026 is Almost Here
2026 Plans Still Under ...
Tuesday December 30, 2025 10:39 am PST by Juli Clover
iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max owners are having trouble with the speakers of their devices, and have complained about a static or hissing noise that occurs when the iPhone is charging.
There are multiple discussions about the issue on Reddit, the MacRumors forums, and Apple's Support Community, where affected users say there is a noticeable static noise "like an old radio." Some people report...
Monday December 29, 2025 10:55 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple is rumored to be introducing a foldable iPhone in September 2026, and since it will bring the biggest form factor change since the iPhone was introduced in 2007, curiosity about the design is high. A 3D designer created an iPhone Fold design based on rumors, and we printed it out to see how it compares to Apple's current iPhones.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
Monday December 22, 2025 11:30 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple hasn't updated the Apple TV 4K since 2022, and 2025 was supposed to be the year that we got a refresh. There were rumors suggesting Apple would release the new Apple TV before the end of 2025, but it looks like that's not going to happen now.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said several times across 2024 and 2025 that Apple would...
Wednesday December 31, 2025 9:59 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple hasn't updated the Mac Pro since 2023, and according to recent rumors, there's no update coming in the near future. In fact, Apple might be finished with the Mac Pro.
Bloomberg recently said that the Mac Pro is "on the back burner" and has been "largely written off" by Apple. Apple apparently views the more compact Mac Studio as the ideal high-end pro-level desktop, and it has almost...
Wednesday December 31, 2025 8:39 am PST by Eric Slivka
Apple today added the final 13-inch MacBook Air powered by Intel processors, the Apple Watch Series 5, and additional products to its vintage products list. The iPhone 11 Pro was also added to the list after the iPhone 11 Pro Max was added back in September.
The full list of products added to Apple's vintage and obsolete list today:
MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)
iPhone 8 Plus 128GB ...
I’m avoiding all third party apps that are sub based and don’t offer a lifetime purchase. Or if I can move them over to a built-in solution.
I just phased out 1Password after years of using it, switched to Keychain / iCloud. I now only pay for DownDog, AirMail (against myself, but there is no good alternative), Spotify and Netflix.
As a developer, I don’t believe in “keep paying to keep it working”.
Sorry, but all of these are stupid. Be an adult and manage your time effectively. Or use Siri to execute tasks, reminders, etc, and put your phone down when you’re working. ?
Nice to see you respecting other people’s life choices.
Can you try to be a little less demeaning? I don’t use any of these apps, however I fully respect anyone who not only uses them but finds them helpful.
You could levy the same criticism at me - I use Evernote, Notability, Fantastical and day one.
Each could technically be changed to use Notes and Calendar, but I’d not be nearly as happy, or productive.
LOL at all these subscriptions. Looks like customers are now supposed to buy everybody a cup of coffee or a cake every month to use software.
I am tired of all these subs.
Came here to say this. I understand the need for subs when there's an ongoing cost, like cloud storage (although even that should now be consolidated through iCloud or Dropbox).
But a monthly cost for a piece of software that is largely unchanging doesn't make sense (I'm looking at you notes apps). Also the pricing is a bit insane. I don't understand how an app that used to cost $30 is now $5 a month. If you consider that software gets a major update on average every 3 years (which gives me a choice to upgrade or not if I need the new features), that's $180 total cost of ownership. That's why I bought Scrivener, and did not subscribe to Ulysses for example.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not taking sides and I think developers should charge as much as they can get away with. They deserve to make as much money as the market can handle. I'm just sharing the point of view of a user who will not pay an ongoing cost for a fixed piece of software (bug fixes don't count because the assumption is that the software is bug free, or at least to the extent that it's functional).
