Experimenting with reels for my Mac apps. Keep this style or try something else?
Martin Lexow
@martinlexow.com
I craft opinionated apps that are honest, functional and informed by German Sachlichkeit → https://appahead.studio (@appahead.studio)
App icons with the new Liquid Glass in macOS 27 appear flatter. Is there still hope of giving my app icon for Theine more visual depth without it looking stylistically out of place? 🧐 cc @matthewskiles.com
Apple’s Contacts app has gotten visually noisier with every release. So I built myself a version that isn’t. Anyone else want a calm contacts app?
This is what UI sounds like when you DIY it instead of hiring a pro like @joshmobley.com
Here’s how to take Voice Notes on your iPhone 🗣️ youtube.com/shorts/vEkhD...
How to take Voice Notes on your iPhone
YouTube video by App ahead
youtube.com
Liquid Glass made UI design louder. I still find joy in the most unobtrusive interactions. They don’t trigger a wow, often nothing articulable at all, but they instill a grounded sense of control and function.
Let’s say the last animation tool I used was #Macromedia Flash, and I’ve been out of the game for 20 years. What’s the modern equivalent I should be looking into in 2026?
First 500 users who use the code EARLYADOPTER can unlock the entire app for free, forever 🤫
Martin Lexow@martinlexow.com · 2mo agoJust added to Transcription Pro for Final Cut users: ITT export that drops straight into FCPX, and caption burn-in with custom fonts, sizes, and placement. All fully offline.
Just added to Transcription Pro for Final Cut users: ITT export that drops straight into FCPX, and caption burn-in with custom fonts, sizes, and placement. All fully offline.
Transcription Pro now lets you burn captions directly into any video file 🔥 youtu.be/v_we2tdOe9g
How to Burn Captions into Any Video on macOS with Transcription Pro
YouTube video by App ahead
youtu.be
New in Transcription Pro: Take voice notes and watch them transcribe live 🎙️ apps.apple.com/app/id674790...
Here’s a preview of my app that rethinks Apple Music through the lens of cognitive accessibility, stripping away complexity to create a focused experience. Designed to give older adults, people who are less familiar with tech, and individuals with cognitive disabilities greater independence.
Music for Seniors is backwards compatible all the way down to iOS 17. So if you’ve passed on your old iPhone to your parents or grandparents (as long as it’s from 2018 or later), the app will work just fine 🤍
Martin Lexow@martinlexow.com · 6mo agoMusic for Seniors. Launching March 2, 2026. Pre-order today. apps.apple.com/app/id675653...
I genuinely enjoyed using my app Music for Seniors over the past few weeks. Am I an old soul? Maybe. Either way, a slowed-down UI has clear advantages for a broad audience.
I built a music app for my mom. She’s over 70. The Liquid Glass design aesthetic overwhelms her. iOS’s Assistive Access mode is better, but it comes with heavy limitations. Preserving digital autonomy in old age is important. Now she can listen to music independently again.
Now available: Preview Markdown files with Folder Quick Look ✨
Kicking off the new year with an update for my very first app, Theine. It turns 11 this year. Its design has held up beautifully across all those macOS versions in between.
Signing off for a tiny year-end break. Never shipped as many products, updates, and new features as I did in 2025. Thank you for being part of my journey! One last shipment, though: stickers! 🙃 I’m sending them out for free. Just email me your address → martin@appahead.studio (while supplies last!)
My zero-friction, multi-source recorder for macOS just got better.
App ahead@appahead.studio · 8mo agoPolyCapture 1.12 is here — the most substantial update the app has ever received. It doesn’t introduce new features, but it brings massive under-the-hood improvements that make recording cameras, screens, and microphones smoother and more reliable than ever → apps.apple.com/app/id650419...
“The whole thing feels ridiculously polished” 🤍 youtu.be/Wvl_pUDc1lI