App Recap: Decibel, Liftin' Workout Tracker, Taskheat and Major App Updates

[MacRumors]

In this week's App Recap, we've highlighted utilities app "Decibel," health and fitness app "Liftin' Workout Tracker," and productivity app "Taskheat" as three apps that are worth checking out. We've also compiled a list of apps that received major updates this week.

Apps to Check Out

• Decibel: dB Sound Level Meter (iOS, Subscription) - Coupled with a simplistic and easy-to-navigate interface, Decibel features several unique features that make it a great way to monitor audio levels. Users have the ability to save and share noise measurements with location data and access a hearing test, noise dosimeter, spectrogram, and more. The app's hearing test, which is conducted using an audiogram, informs users about the condition of their hearing. Decibel is free to download and offers access to basic features like the dB meter, noise dosimeter, audio spectrum analyzer, and hearing testing. Users can access Decibel's full capabilities through either a subscription priced at $7.99 per month and $29.99 per year or a one-time purchase of $49.99.
• Liftin' Workout Tracker (iOS, Subscription) - Liftin', an app that lets users easily track workouts, features graphs and statistics that make it easy to visualize progress. Data from the app can be backed up to iCloud and shared with the iPhone's native Health app. Liftin' is free to download, but users are only able to track five workouts per month. To track an unlimited number of workouts, users can subscribe to Liftin' Unlimited, which is priced at $4.99 for the first year and then $14.99 per year thereafter. Due to the ongoing global health crisis, the app's developer is offering a free one year trial to new users for the rest of this month.
• Taskheat (iOS & Mac, One-Time Purchase) - Taskheat lets users visually manage tasks through a convenient flowchart or list. In addition to the ability to view tasks in an organized manner, users can color code tasks for use cases such as item groupings or priority level labels. The app will also conveniently send notifications when tasks are due in the near future. Taskheat is free to download, but a one-time purchase of $9.99 is required to access the app after the 14 day trial period. Taskheat takes advantage of Apple's universal purchases feature, so buying the app once will allow users to access it across all supported devices.

App Updates

• ActivityTracker Pedometer - ActivityTracker, an app that tracks steps, active calories, distance, and more, received an update this week with several new features. In addition to a fresh user interface, the app now has a Trends view that displays averages. The new Details view shows activity statistics over certain time periods. The update also introduces a new Today widget, a new Main and Settings view, an updated Apple Watch app, and more.
• Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides - Google this week announced several new features coming to its slew of productivity apps. Google will be bringing Smart Compose, a feature that helps users write documents faster and reduce the chance of spelling and grammatical errors, to mobile in the coming months. Additionally, Google is improving the user interface for comments and action items in the apps. All three apps will also be gaining a Dark Mode variant on iOS in the coming months.
• WhatsApp - WhatsApp this week announced it will be rolling out a new way for users to fact-check forwarded messages for misinformation. Messages that have been forwarded through a chain of five or more people will display a magnifying glass button alongside them in the chat thread, and tapping on the bottom will prompt users to select if they'd like to search the web to try and find a news result or other sources of information to support the received content.

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.

Article Link: App Recap: Decibel, Liftin' Workout Tracker, Taskheat and Major App Updates

 

[steve09090]

I'm really sick of subscription apps (Liftin' Workout Tracker). If an app keeps getting better, more people will buy it. For a $15 subscription fee per year, it should do more than just recommend heavier weights as their point of difference!

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Great updates as always!!!

 

[riverfreak]

In this week's App Recap, we've highlighted utilities app "Decibel," health and fitness app "Liftin' Workout Tracker," and productivity app "Taskheat" as three apps that are worth checking out. We've also compiled a list of apps that received major updates this week.

Apps to Check Out

• Decibel: dB Sound Level Meter (iOS, Free) - Coupled with a simplistic and easy-to-navigate interface, Decibel features several unique features that make it a great way to monitor audio levels. Users have the ability to save and share noise measurements with location data and access a hearing test, noise dosimeter, spectrogram, and more. The app's hearing test, which is conducted using an audiogram, informs users about the condition of their hearing. Decibel is free to download and offers access to basic features like the dB meter, noise dosimeter, audio spectrum analyzer, and hearing testing. Users can access Decibel's full capabilities through either a subscription priced at $7.99 per month and $29.99 per year or a one-time purchase of $49.99.
• Liftin' Workout Tracker (iOS, Free) - Liftin', an app that lets users easily track workouts, features graphs and statistics that make it easy to visualize progress. Data from the app can be backed up to iCloud and shared with the iPhone's native Health app. Liftin' is free to download, but users are only able to track five workouts per month. To track an unlimited number of workouts, users can subscribe to Liftin' Unlimited, which is priced at $4.99 for the first year and then $14.99 per year thereafter. Due to the ongoing global health crisis, the app's developer is offering a free one year trial to new users for the rest of this month.
• Taskheat (iOS & Mac, Free) - Taskheat lets users visually manage tasks through a convenient flowchart or list. In addition to the ability to view tasks in an organized manner, users can color code tasks for use cases such as item groupings or priority level labels. The app will also conveniently send notifications when tasks are due in the near future. Taskheat is free to download, but a one-time purchase of $9.99 is required to access the app after the 14 day trial period. Taskheat takes advantage of Apple's universal purchases feature, so buying the app once will allow users to access it across all supported devices.

App Updates

• ActivityTracker Pedometer - ActivityTracker, an app that tracks steps, active calories, distance, and more, received an update this week with several new features. In addition to a fresh user interface, the app now has a Trends view that displays averages. The new Details view shows activity statistics over certain time periods. The update also introduces a new Today widget, a new Main and Settings view, an updated Apple Watch app, and more.
• Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides - Google this week announced several new features coming to its slew of productivity apps. Google will be bringing Smart Compose, a feature that helps users write documents faster and reduce the chance of spelling and grammatical errors, to mobile in the coming months. Additionally, Google is improving the user interface for comments and action items in the apps. All three apps will also be gaining a Dark Mode variant on iOS in the coming months.
  WhatsApp - WhatsApp this week announced it will be rolling out a new way for users to fact-check forwarded messages for misinformation. Messages that have been forwarded through a chain of five or more people will display a magnifying glass button alongside them in the chat thread, and tapping on the bottom will prompt users to select if they'd like to search the web to try and find a news result or other sources of information to support the received content.

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.

Article Link: App Recap: Decibel, Liftin' Workout Tracker, Taskheat and Major App Updates

LOL. Messages forwarded through five or more people will have a magnifying glass icon that links to search engine results? That took about three minutes to implement. And does NOTHING to stop the manipulation that pulls in billions of dollars a year.

Facebook/Whatsapp/Instagram : scourge.

 

[Bandaman]

I'm really sick of subscription apps (Liftin' Workout Tracker). If an app keeps getting better, more people will buy it. For a $15 subscription fee per year, it should do more than just recommend heavier weights as their point of difference!

Yeah, that business model is hot garbage.

 

[4jasontv]

I'm really sick of subscription apps (Liftin' Workout Tracker). If an app keeps getting better, more people will buy it. For a $15 subscription fee per year, it should do more than just recommend heavier weights as their point of difference!

I’d be happy if we could get MR to not list them as free.

 

[CarlJ]

Apps to Check Out

• Decibel: dB Sound Level Meter (iOS, Free) - [...]
• Liftin' Workout Tracker (iOS, Free) - [...]
• Taskheat (iOS & Mac, Free) - [...]

I understand that these show up as “Free” in the App Store, and yet I think MacRumors would be doing better by its readers if you got in the habit of saying “Free to download”, in that initial text, given that some of these have outright purchase prices as high as $50. I know that the details of their cost is given in the ensuing explanations. But that “Free” at the start sets a false expectation.

 

[CarlJ]

I'm really sick of subscription apps (Liftin' Workout Tracker). If an app keeps getting better, more people will buy it. For a $15 subscription fee per year, it should do more than just recommend heavier weights as their point of difference!

You know who really likes subscription models? Venture capitalists who fund software startups. So much so that I hear stories that they’ll tell prospective startups, “well, your app idea looks very promising, but we’d like to see you work in a subscription angle, before we invest.”

 

[joelisfar]

I'm really sick of subscription apps (Liftin' Workout Tracker). If an app keeps getting better, more people will buy it. For a $15 subscription fee per year, it should do more than just recommend heavier weights as their point of difference!

I definitely understand subscription fatigue but if you haven’t checked out Liftin’ (and you’re looking for a weightlifting app) I’d highly recommend giving it a try. I found it a couple of months ago and have really enjoyed it. It’s the most “Apple-y” app I’ve found, and I don’t just mean in the workout space. The Apple Watch integration is *very* nice.

Instead of going with the $15/yr option I went ahead and bought the $50 lifetime subscription. It’s not the most affordable but cheaper than anything else I bought for my home gym. And it was made by an independent developer so I wanted to support his work.

 

[macduke]

I know I’ve said this before but I really need to get into iOS development. Especially if I can charge monthly subscriptions now that everyone seems to love doing that. I’m solid on the design side but need to learn a lot on the development side.

 

[Bandaman]

I understand that these show up as “Free” in the App Store, and yet I think MacRumors would be doing better by its readers if you got in the habit of saying “Free to download”, in that initial text, given that some of these have outright purchase prices as high as $50. I know that the details of their cost is given in the ensuing explanations. But that “Free” at the start sets a false expectation.

Yeah, this is getting kind of old. Free is free. Trials or features behind paywalls are not free.
[automerge]1597058524[/automerge]

I know I’ve said this before but I really need to get into iOS development. Especially if I can charge monthly subscriptions now that everyone seems to love doing that. I’m solid on the design side but need to learn a lot on the development side.

I’ll 100 percent not pay for your subscription model.

 

[Murkrage]

I understand the subscription fatigue, but the subscription model is great for both developers and consumers alike. It allows developers to continually update software with a constant cash flow and users to get new updates for as long as they are subscribed. Some companies even go with yearly subscriptions where you'll get updates for that year and can then continue using the product, just not get the latest updates.

 

[Bandaman]

I understand the subscription fatigue, but the subscription model is great for both developers and consumers alike. It allows developers to continually update software with a constant cash flow and users to get new updates for as long as they are subscribed. Some companies even go with yearly subscriptions where you'll get updates for that year and can then continue using the product, just not get the latest updates.

No.

 

[Murkrage]

No.

Let me ask you this then, when buying software, any type of software, how long after buying it do you expect to get updates for it?

 

[Airstrip1Guy]

Simple ≠ simplistic

 

[nylonsteel]

decibel sounded interesting untill i read it was subscription based
the name taskheat sounds more like a cpu temp monito app

 

[jcmc]

Last month I had a shot with Taskheat as a possible solution for a more visual-based task manager and planner. Disappointing. For a start there's very little in-built help and a lot of simple actions are not intuitive to work out. I consulted with tec support and they were initially helpful, then I got an action which was just performing totally different from how it was meant to. They asked me for a screen recording of the problem, I supplied it and never heard from them again.

Deleted from my iPad soon after.

 

[jetrois]

Most of these apps seem like they’re not even worth itAn app has to bring more value to me for a subscription if it is not providing or value it does not require subscription I purchase my software I own software the company should be planning to support the software for at least a year new features or upgrades should be paid for but bug fixes no.

 

[spinedoc77]

I'm really sick of subscription apps (Liftin' Workout Tracker). If an app keeps getting better, more people will buy it. For a $15 subscription fee per year, it should do more than just recommend heavier weights as their point of difference!

Check out HeavySet, no sub and it's really great for tracking workouts although it's more geared towards weight lifting. If an app has a sub I say no thanks and just move along.