Latest news with #Raycast
Indian Express
10-06-2025
- Indian Express
‘Sherlocked': The third-party apps, features made obsolete by Apple at WWDC 2025
Apple introduced a whole bunch of new features and functions for all its operating systems during the opening keynote that kicked off its five-day annual Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) 2025 on Monday, June 9. By introducing new built-in features and capabilities, Apple has yet again made some third-party apps redundant overnight in what has become a WWDC tradition known as 'sherlocking'. Here is the list of apps that have been affected this year: Simply put, sherlocking is when Apple introduces a new feature or app that offers the same functionalities as an existing third-party app on the App Store. Since the same features are now accessible on an Apple device such as the iPhone or iPad, there is no point for users to download a separate app from the App Store with the same features. The history behind the term 'sherlocking' is quite interesting. In the late 1990s, Apple had launched a desktop search tool called Sherlock named after the popular fictional British detective. But Sherlock could only look for files on the desktop and translate content, along with a few other basic functions. It wasn't long before a developer built Watson, a programme that made it possible to access information on the internet through Sherlock. Watson's popularity soared but it was short lived because Apple released an updated version of its in-built search tool that had all of the same capabilities. Hence, Watson became obsolete and was the first software programme to get sherlocked. Let's take a look at all the apps that have been sherlocked this year based on Apple's announcements during the WWDC keynote, as per a report by TechCrunch. – Raycast, Launchbar: These apps have been sherlocked by the upgraded version of the Spotlight app in macOS Tahoe. Spotlight basically helps find items on the new version of the search app offers more personalised results and lets users undertake 'hundreds of actions' simply by typing in a few characters such as 'sm' or 'ad'. – Flighty: This app is used to track flights and manage check-ins. As part of iOS 26, the updated Apple Wallet allows users to see and share the status of their flight via Live Activities. Apple Maps has also been updated to show users locations within an airport such as shops, restrooms, boarding gates, etc. – Truecaller: In a bid to tackle spam calls, iOS 26 will come with a new call screening feature that gathers information from an unknown caller and shows it to the user in order to help them decide whether they should answer the call. It also offers the same functionality in the Messages app to help users avoid spam SMSes. – Riverside: The new Local Capture feature in iPadOS 26 lets users record videos using any video calling app, and share the recordings with others. – Alex: It is an AI coding assistant specifically designed for Xcode, the suite of developer tools for building apps for Apple platforms. The Y-Combinator-backed app lets developers use an AI assistant to search codebases, rewrite inline code, run terminal commands, and fix issues. However, at WWDC 2025, Apple announced a new version of its app development environment, Xcode 26, with OpenAI's ChatGPT integrated as the default AI assistant. Though, developers can also integrate other AI models using API keys. – Notes for Apple Watch: With watchOS 26, Apple is bringing the Notes app to Apple Watch. Users will be able to create new notes using Siri, dictation, or the keyboard. They will also be able to pin and unlock notes as well as complete checklist items. – Package tracking apps: Apple Wallet in iOS 26 has been upgraded with a new Apple Intelligence-powered feature that automatically identifies and summarises order tracking details from emails sent from merchants and delivery carriers. The feature works even for orders not paid for using Apple Pay.
TechCrunch
10-06-2025
- Business
- TechCrunch
WWDC 2025: Everything that Apple ‘Sherlocked' this time
Apple announced a slew of major design and feature updates for all its operating systems at WWDC 2025, and just like every year, the company has again built in some features that were previously available through third-party apps. In the Apple world, this is called 'Sherlocking.' In the late '90s, Apple launched a search app named Sherlock for macOS 8 to let users search the web and files on local systems. Another company called Karelia Software had an existing $29 search app called Watson, with plug-ins for better internet search. In 2002, Apple released Sherlock 3, which had features similar to Watson, forcing Karelia to eventually shut its app down. Since then, tech folk have used the term 'Sherlocking' to allude to when Apple builds a new feature that does the same thing as an existing third-party app. Here are the new features that Sherlock what various apps have done in the past: The new Spotlight app on macOS Sherlocked apps: Raycast, Launchbar Yes, Raycast does much more than stringing shortcuts together, and it provides a developer platform too. But when Apple showed off the new Spotlight search for Mac during the keynote on Monday, you couldn't help thinking of Raycast. When you open Raycast, it shows you suggested apps and commands, which is exactly what the new Spotlight will let users do for files, apps, and shortcuts. The kicker, though, is Apple's 'Actions,' which let you do all sorts of stuff like putting an event on your calendar, making a GIF, or creating a folder, just like Raycast lets you do. Techcrunch event Save $200+ on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Save $200+ on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Boston, MA | REGISTER NOW Image Credits: Apple Spotlight now also lets you access items from the menus for any active windows. Plus, you can define a short string to perform specific actions — for example, you could set the string 'newr' to create a new reminder item. Spotlight is also getting support for the Intents API so developers can add actions from their own apps. Last year, Raycast expanded to Windows and iOS with a suite of AI-powered features. Flight tracking via Live Activities Sherlocked apps: Flighty Flightly, which lets you track your own or your friends' flights and manage check-ins, previously won an Apple Design Award. With iOS 26, Apple is updating Wallet to allow users to see and share flight status through Live Activities. Image Credits: Apple Maps is also getting the ability to let you navigate the airport with information like gates, security, shops, bag claims, food, and restrooms. Flighty also offers some of these features. AI model integration with XCode Sherlocked apps: Alex for Xcode Apple is now making ChatGPT the default assistant for the Xcode 26 coding tool, and is also allowing developers to hook up other AI models using API keys. Image Credits: Alex This takes on a Y-Combinator-backed app called Alex for Xcode, which is an assistant that lets developers perform web searches, fix issues, run terminal commands, search codebases, use local models, replace inline code, and more. Record podcasts locally Sherlocked apps: Riverside On the iPad, a new Local Capture feature now lets creators record videos using any video calling app, and share the recordings with others. Riverside has helped users do this for years, and also provides a full editing suite. It's not clear how useful or powerful Apple's editing tools will be for recording or editing podcasts. Notes for Apple Watch Sherlocked apps: Plenty of apps with similar functionality Apple finally brought the official Notes app to Apple Watch with the WatchOS 26 update. Image Credits: Apple This update Sherlocks several apps that make it easier for users to take notes on Apple Watch. Call screening Sherlocked apps: Robokiller, Truecaller Apple says iOS 26's new Call Assist feature can take calls from unknown numbers silently, note the caller's name and reason for calling, and show you these details, letting you choose to accept or reject the call. You can also type in a response to ask the caller more questions. Robokiller and Truecaller both offer this functionality, in addition to other features like SMS spam protection. Parcel tracking Sherlocked apps: Package tracking apps Wallet can now track orders, too, using Apple Intelligence to track and summarize order status by studying the emails sent by merchants or delivery services. This feature Sherlocks several apps on the market that let you track orders using tracking numbers. / What lies ahead Given Apple's history of building in features made popular by third-party apps, those that offer a narrow range of functionality might not last long. However, developers have found that Apple's implementation of certain features often results in users becoming aware of those capabilities, and many prefer to use third-party apps for a more customized experience. For example, previously Sherlocked apps, Bezel for iPhone Mirroring, and Unite for web apps on Mac, have released new versions with more features for specialized use cases.
The Verge
09-06-2025
- The Verge
Apple's Spotlight upgrades look like a power-user dream
This year's WWDC is shaping up to be surprisingly focused on power users. There are lots of new personalization ideas, plenty of new ways to move things around on your device, and some new ways to get things done. But Mac power users in particular are going to really fall for two things: the new Spotlight, and the new Shortcuts. In MacOS Tahoe, Spotlight, the universal search and launcher feature you open with CMD-Space, can now do more than just open stuff. It can do stuff. Apps can provide access for Spotlight to execute all kinds of actions, from playing music and podcasts to creating notes or adding to files. You can find actions with search or with short keyboard shortcuts — on stage at WWDC, Apple's Craig Federighi demonstrated using 'sm' to quickly send a message. Beyond that, it sounds a bit like Apple wants to make Spotlight the go-to way to access anything on your device. You'll be able to search through both the things on your device and the things in your cloud storage, with lots of filtering options; there's even a browsing view that looks a bit like the App Library on an iPhone or iPad. (Spotlight can also search all the apps on those devices, too, if you have mirroring set up.) If you're in an app, you can open Spotlight and use it to search through all the menu options in the app. True power users won't be blown away by these features, because they've been using them for years. Apps like Raycast and Alfred have been popular for years, and have long offered this kind of simple navigation and shortcut access. Once you get used to one of these tools, there's simply no going back. Now Apple's trying to ship a slightly more mainstream version to Mac users everywhere. (The folks behind Alfred and Raycast will, uh, not be thrilled by today's announcement.) Apple Intelligence is also potentially making Shortcuts better. With MacOS Tahoe, you'll be able to access various AI models through the app — including ChatGPT — to accomplish whatever you're trying to do automatically. More exciting: you can now set Shortcuts to run automatically on the Mac, either at a specific time of day or when you do something specific. (I'm already imagining the one I'll set up to turn on my lights, change sound settings, and close the blinds, every time I open my app for recording podcasts.) Shortcuts is still too complicated for many users, but it'll be able to do much more for those who do the work. In recent years it has often felt like longtime Mac users were being left behind, as Apple looked for ways to hook new users and integrate the glitzy new technology of the moment. It's nice to see Apple going deep on a feature its most dedicated users use all the time.
Digital Trends
30-05-2025
- Business
- Digital Trends
Apple needs to fix the basics for macOS 26, or let AI run the show
The Mac apps community is a wonderful place to find utilities that can supercharge your computing experience. Alfred, Raycast, AlDente, and Rectangle are some of the most highly recommended apps for macOS users these days. The open-source community has also produced a few utilities (and their forks) that I use on a daily basis. If you read between the lines, you'll notice that these apps fill a functional gap that Apple has yet to offer natively. On the other side of the computing ecosystem, Windows has served those perks for years. Will the next big software upgrade, macOS 26, finally give users an in-house fix? We'll only get the answer at WWDC 2025 in just over a week from now. Recommended Videos What if Apple is still reluctant? In that case, I hope macOS 26 delivers something even bolder, preferably with AI taking the lead and easing up mundane tasks. Apple doesn't have to weave some cosmic quantum-tier magic to achieve that. It just needs to look around and build a few tricks of its own. Imagine Copilot, but under the Apple Intelligence banner. Why should Apple even care? That's a pertinent question. I'll keep things tethered to the very fundamental levels of computing here. Remember clipboard history? Well, macOS still lacks a native clipboard. Why does the world's most consolidated computing OS lack something as basic as a clipboard? Only the Apple overlords know. What I do know is that an absent clipboard is deeply frustrating. For someone whose life revolves around words, copy-pasting terms such as CVE-2025-24126 and a half dozen variations of it, dealing with research citations, and more such repetitive chores, I am exhausted with the Cmd+C and Cmd+V cycle. I hate it. On Windows, the universal clipboard copies text as well as media assets. It's a huge relief, and anyone who works with tools such as Office and Workspace would vouch for that. Some users argue that a clipboard can save sensitive information. Well, first of all, you shouldn't be copy-pasting passwords. Second, you can selectively delete sensitive entries or set up an auto-delete protocol for the clipboard. Apple is known for its privacy-first approach, and it certainly has the world-class talent to work on an elegant solution that offers the best of both worlds. Until then, I'll keep recommending excellent third-party alternatives such as Maccy. The problems run deep Window management in Mac still feels extremely limited, especially if you are working on external screens. On the other hand, the resizing and tiling approach in Windows is far ahead. Once again, the developer community comes to the rescue. So far, Swift Shift has been my go-to app for window management in macOS. It's a free, open-source app that makes the process of tiling and resizing app windows far less frustrating than the vanilla macOS experience. Lately, I've also experimented with Loop and have fallen in love with its intuitive approach. It's surprising that Apple is yet to find a utilitarian side to the MacBook's notch. Free apps, such as the Boring Notch, have turned it into an activity hub that handles everything from music playback and calendar viewing to file sharing and camera preview. Apple hasn't paid any attention to the cluttered menu bar situation, and once again, it's third-party apps that help fix the mess. Apple has seemingly condemned even basic facilities like a scratch pad for macOS. I recently tried Antinote and realized just how much ground macOS still has left to cover. Also, when are screenshots going to appear on my clipboard, ye trillion-dollar company? It's pretty surprising, especially when you notice that Apple sees macOS and iPadOS as somewhat of a wannabe proxies that deliver their own unique flavor of computing. And yet, macOS is deprived of even the most basic iPadOS features. Native icon theming, lock screen customization, and deeper widget controls are a few features that should've appeared on macOS by now. Likewise, I could use the flexibility of setting different dock layouts for each desktop or work profile. Once again, a third-party app will let you do just that. And while at it, Apple should simply port over the control center adjustments from iPadOS to Mac, and go a step further by giving a similar treatment to the Menu bar. AI to the rescue? Alright, that's a long wishlist. In hindsight, given how basic those feature gaps are, if Apple hasn't addressed them so far, it's unlikely that WWDC 2025 will see a solution for them all. I am not holding my breath, either. So, what next? Well, macOS 26 is reportedly getting a design overhaul. Moreover, Apple is also rumored to make some big AI announcements. macOS desperately needs some of that. Now, I am not riding the AI hype train. But there are scenarios where it proves to be helpful almost on a daily basis. Deep Research is my favorite. A close second is NotebookLM. I regularly rely on Gemini to break down complex research papers and turn them into interactive podcasts for better knowledge gathering. MacOS could use some of that magic, but baked at a more fundamental level, and with some guardrails in place. Apple already has a partnership in place with OpenAI, one that has integrated ChatGPT within the Apple Intelligence stack. Apple needs to shift gears now and expand AI access within other apps, both in-house and third-party. Look no further than Gemini's integration within Workspace and Copilot fingerprints across the Windows 11 OS. I recently tried Windows Recall on a Copilot PC and couldn't stop dreaming about a similar system for macOS. Apple's M-series silicon definitely offers enough firepower to bring a 'memory bank for Macs' to life. Apple is reportedly in talks to extend its in-house models to developers, so I'm hopeful of some positive developments coming out of WWDC 2025. With the current state of macOS, Apple desperately needs to pay attention. It can either fill the existing gaps or develop breakthrough features, or piggyback on the AI race and redefine how we get work done in the age of AI. We are already at a point where AI agents like ChatGPT Operator, Project Astra, and Mariner are redefining how we interact with phones and get work done across the internet. macOS 26 needs that eureka moment. I'd be happier if Apple took the latter route and offered it with a privacy-first approach. Apple certainly can pull it off. It's just a matter of how and when that happens.
Geeky Gadgets
12-05-2025
- Geeky Gadgets
15 FREE iPhone Apps You'll Actually Use
Maximize your iPhone's potential with these 15 free apps that cater to productivity, creativity, and entertainment. While some offer optional premium upgrades, their free versions are robust enough to meet everyday needs. These iPhone apps featured in the video below from Stephen Robles are designed to simplify your life and enhance your digital experience, making your iPhone an even more powerful tool. Watch this video on YouTube. AI Tools to Boost Productivity Artificial intelligence is transforming how you manage tasks and access information. These AI-powered apps stand out for their efficiency and versatility: Raycast: A comprehensive productivity app that combines shortcuts, search functionality, and AI tools to streamline your workflow. From launching apps to automating repetitive tasks, Raycast helps you save time and stay organized. A comprehensive productivity app that combines shortcuts, search functionality, and AI tools to streamline your workflow. From launching apps to automating repetitive tasks, Raycast helps you save time and stay organized. ChatGPT: Powered by OpenAI, ChatGPT provides quick answers, generates content, and offers creative solutions. Whether you're brainstorming ideas or solving problems, this app is a reliable assistant on the go. Powered by OpenAI, ChatGPT provides quick answers, generates content, and offers creative solutions. Whether you're brainstorming ideas or solving problems, this app is a reliable assistant on the go. Perplexity: More than just an AI assistant, Perplexity integrates seamlessly with Apple Music, reminders, and other tools, offering a personalized and intuitive experience. Effortless Video Editing Creating professional-quality videos is now more accessible than ever. Edits is a user-friendly app tailored for vertical video creation, making it ideal for platforms like Instagram and TikTok. With features like captions, overlays, and music integration, you can produce polished and engaging content with minimal effort. Customizable Widgets for Quick Access Widgets can enhance your iPhone's functionality and aesthetic appeal. These apps make the most of this feature: Cheat Sheet: Keep essential notes, reminders, or lists accessible directly from your lock or home screen. This app is a simple yet effective way to stay organized and efficient. Keep essential notes, reminders, or lists accessible directly from your lock or home screen. This app is a simple yet effective way to stay organized and efficient. Pretty Progress: Track countdowns or progress toward goals with visually appealing widgets. Whether you're preparing for an event or working on a personal milestone, this app keeps you motivated and on track. Retro Gaming for Nostalgia Relive the charm of classic games with Delta Emulator. Supporting retro favorites like Smash Bros. and Pokémon, this app offers an intuitive interface and wide compatibility. It's a must-have for anyone looking to revisit childhood gaming memories or explore timeless classics. Seamless File Sharing Sharing large files has never been easier than with WeTransfer. This app allows you to send files effortlessly without relying on cloud storage. Whether you're sharing work documents or personal media, WeTransfer ensures a smooth and reliable transfer process. Streamlined Grocery and Meal Planning Simplify your meal prep and shopping with AnyList. This app organizes your grocery lists and integrates with Instacart for easy online ordering. It's a practical tool for anyone looking to save time and reduce stress in the kitchen. Custom Notifications and Automations Take control of your iPhone's notifications with Push Cuts. This app enables you to create custom alerts and automations using Apple's Shortcuts. Whether you need reminders, task triggers, or personalized notifications, Push Cuts helps you stay on top of your schedule. Efficient Link Management If you frequently share links, OneTap is an indispensable tool. Its third-party keyboard simplifies saving and sharing URLs, keeping your digital resources organized and easily accessible. Polished Screenshot Editing For those who regularly share screenshots, Share Shot is an invaluable app. It frames your screenshots neatly, making them more presentable for social media posts, professional use, or personal sharing. Media Organization for Entertainment Keep track of your favorite books, movies, and shows with Sofa. This media organization app allows you to catalog your entertainment choices, making sure you never lose track of what you want to watch, read, or revisit. Stylish Note-Taking For a clean and efficient note-taking experience, Bear is a top choice. Its minimalist interface and organizational features make it ideal for jotting down ideas, creating to-do lists, or writing detailed notes. High-Quality Podcast and Video Recording Whether you're a seasoned content creator or just starting out, Riverside is a powerful app for recording podcasts and videos. Optimized for remote interviews, it ensures high-quality recordings with minimal effort, making it a valuable tool for creators. Enhance Your iPhone Experience These 15 free iPhone apps cater to a variety of needs, from productivity and creativity to entertainment and organization. By incorporating these tools into your routine, you can simplify tasks, stay organized, and unlock your iPhone's full potential. Explore these apps to elevate your digital experience and make the most of your device. Explore further guides and articles from our vast library that you may find relevant to your interests in Free iPhone apps. Source & Image Credit: Stephen Robles Filed Under: Apple, Apple iPhone, Top News Latest Geeky Gadgets Deals Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy.
