Vision Pro’s New Guest User Mode

One last link post today, I promise. My effort to write more about the Vision Pro continues, this time with an article at MacStories detailing the changes to Guest User mode in visionOS 2.4. Guest User has been a significant pain point for me personally and for the Vision Pro user base as a whole since the device’s launch, so it’s refreshing to see the feature improved so much in this update. I wouldn’t say it’s perfect, but it’s certainly come a long way, making the Vision Pro much more sharable in the process.

Writing this article was a reminder to me of how different it is covering visionOS than any other operating system. Testing Guest User required me to recruit Katherine as an assistant – at least, until I figured out how to trick Optic ID by squinting my eyes. Also, the screenshot you see at the top of the article took way more effort than you might think. It involved an Xcode update, changing out the physical strap on my Vision Pro, and trying to hold my head just right to catch the window level and straight on. It made me appreciate the ease of screenshots on my other devices, for sure.

I’ll just consider this article a warmup for my summer coverage of visionOS 3, which by all indications seems like it’s going to be a big update.

Vision Pros Appearance

Tim Chaten was kind enough to have me back on the most recent episode of Vision Pros to talk about visionOS 2.4 and changes to my Vision Pro setup. It’s always a pleasure to chat with Tim, especailly regarding a platform we’re both so enthused about. If you’re interested in what’s happening with the Vision Pro, his podcast is a great place to start. You can listen to our conversation in your podcast player or on YouTube.

One Year with My Life Timeline Journal

In the latest Club MacStories Monthly Log, I got a chance to reflect on my expanded journaling practice one year on. The original story I wrote about my approach to journaling was my first contribution to the Monthly Log a year ago, so it was cool having the opportunity to revisit that and share how it’s going. I’m to a point now where I can look back on my timeline from last year in Everlog’s On This Day section, and I’m already seeing some of the benefits. I can only imagine they’ll grow with time.

You can read the full story on Club MacStories.

Watch History Journal 2.2

Recently, a reader named Chen kindly pointed out a bug in Watch History Journal that prevented the shortcut from downloading movie posters from Trakt. Version 2.2 is available now to address this issue for Trakt users.

My apologies for the trouble. I wish it were easier to both issue and install updates to shortcuts, but for now, you can install this update over your current copy of Watch History Journal and re-enter your API key to continue using the shortcut.

As always, I want to thank everyone who uses Watch History Journal. It means so much to me that others are getting value out of it. If you have any questions about it or suggestions for a future version, I’d love to hear them. Feel free to reach out to me anytime.

On Keeping Around Old Apps

Most of the apps I use are in active development and regularly receive new features. I like it that way because it keeps things fresh and fun. But there are some staples in my setup that haven’t been updated in years, including one of my most important tools: my budgeting app.

In the Club MacStories Monthly Log, I wrote about the considerations that go into the decision whether to stick with an aging app or replace it. It’s a question I ponder often but have never formally thought through until now. If you’re like me and wrestle with this issue sometimes, I invite you to check out the column.