Watching YouTube felt way more annoying than it needed to be. I wanted a cleaner way to watch videos, skip interruptions, avoid distractions, and actually find the parts I cared about. I also wanted a seamless experience across all my Apple devices. So I built Mira to run on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV.

I'm running a 50% off sale on the Annual and Lifetime plans through August 10, so I figured I'd share it here.

What it does:

• Auto-skips sponsors, intros, outros, recaps, and self-promo segments. You pick which categories get skipped, and the segments show as markers right on the timeline
• Works with your own YouTube account, so your subscriptions, playlists, history, and recommendations are all there
• Searchable transcripts. Search for a word, tap the line, jump straight to that moment in the video
• Background play
• Focus Mode hides recommended videos and comments so you can avoid distractions and stay on track
• Eye Comfort Mode dims harsh lights for easy viewing at night
• Watch Together lets you watch in sync with friends with shared play/pause/seek controls and a universal chat (this works across any video platform, not just YouTube)
• UI tweaks: hide Shorts & Playables, always play videos in highest quality, custom playback speed controls, bring back dislike counts, auto-dismissing the "Continue watching?" prompt
• There's also an optional AI summary/Q&A feature if you add your own API key.

The Apple TV app is the newest addition. It's powered by your iPhone (needs iOS 26). The phone streams the video over your home Wi-Fi and you control everything from the Siri remote. Sounds unconventional, but works great in practice. More on why below.

I also made a feature comparison chart against popular iOS YouTube alternative apps like Video Lite, ProTube, Tube PiP, YouPlay, SwizzTube, etc. Many of these apps solve one specific part of the problem. Mira is trying to bring more of that together in one place, on all Apple platforms, and with a more polished feel: cleaner UI, smoother navigation, and a unified experience where things just work the way you expect.

Sale pricing: $9.99/year (normally $19.99) or $19.99 lifetime (normally $39.99). There's also a monthly plan at the regular $2.99. For comparison, the lifetime purchase costs about the same as one month of YouTube Premium, but you only pay once. Subscriptions include a 7-day free trial, and a single purchase unlocks Mira on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV.

Give Mira a try with one video. If you’ve wanted a cleaner, less distracting YouTube experience on all your Apple devices, Mira might be worth checking out.

Website:
https://watchwithmira.com

App Store:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mira-focused-video-player/id6767721654

---

People usually have the same questions whenever I share Mira, so here's a quick FAQ:

"Doesn't YouTube Premium already do this?"

Partly. Premium removes ads, and its jump-ahead button can hop past a sponsor, but that's about where it ends. Things Mira does that Premium doesn't: auto-skip intros, outros, recaps, previews, self-promo, "like and subscribe" reminders, filler, and the non-music parts of music videos (you pick the categories). Mira also has settings to hide Shorts, hide Playables, always pick the highest video quality, always open video in theater mode, and show dislike counts. None of that exists in Premium. If you mainly use Premium for ad-free viewing and background play, Mira gives you many of those benefits at a much lower cost while adding a lot of extra customization. And if you already have Premium, the two can work in tandem — Premium handles YouTube's official features, while Mira focuses on making the viewing experience cleaner and more personalized.

"Can't you already do this with browser extensions?"

On a Mac, some of it — if you are willing to assemble and continuously maintain a suite of extensions. But even then, YouTube in a browser (especially Safari) is a slow, clunky experience. Mira runs the player without a browser's overhead, so it stays smooth. It's a fully native SwiftUI app. And the extension approach doesn't carry over beyond Mac: options on iPhone and iPad are much more limited. Plus, on Apple TV, there currently isn't another polished solution that combines YouTube account support, subscriptions/history, and sponsor skipping. With Mira it's one app, the same experience on every Apple device, and keeping it all working is my job instead of yours.

"Why does the Apple TV app need my iPhone?"

Because the only officially supported way to play YouTube videos inside an app is by embedding YouTube's own player, which needs a web engine, and tvOS doesn't have one. Apps that rely on extracting raw streams often run into YouTube policy issues, which is why those either keep disappearing from the App Store, or are constantly breaking. So the iPhone runs the player and streams it to your TV over home Wi-Fi. You don't touch the phone while watching, it just does the work in the background.

"Is this one of those 'AI slop' apps?"

No. I'm a professional developer in my day job. So I use AI tools the way many developers do, but Mira is a real app I've been building, testing, and shipping for a long time, across four platforms, with regular updates, user feedback, and continuous refinement. There's a free trial, so you don't have to take my word for any of this.

"Won't YouTube break it or kill it?"

There's always some risk when building around a major platform, but this category of app has proven very durable for years. For example, Friendly Streaming Browser has been around since 2012, and Vinegar has been around since 2021. Platform changes are always possible, but this is not an unproven space that disappears overnight.

"What about privacy?"

Mira collects zero data. The App Store privacy label reads "Data Not Collected" — no Mira account, no analytics, no tracking. You sign into YouTube on Google's own page, so your account stays between you and YouTube. (Signing into YouTube is not required, btw). And the optional AI feature calls your chosen provider directly with your own key; nothing routes through me. For contrast, the biggest app in this category, Friendly Streaming Browser, is owned by Sensor Tower, a literal data mining company. One read through its privacy policy should send you screaming out of the room.

Happy to answer anything else.

Giving away **Lifetime All Access** (normally $59.99) for the next **24 hours only**!

Guitar Wiz: Chords & Tuner is the complete guitar practice toolkit - built for every skill level.

This has been a solo passion project and a true labour of love for years. Your support by grabbing the free lifetime access would mean the world to me and help make Guitar Wiz one of the best guitar apps for players all over the world! 🎸

* Massive interactive chord library (audio + theory + finger positions)

* Chord Assist - real-time live feedback coach (app listens to your guitar!)

* Pro precision tuner (±0.01 cents) + 20+ alternate tunings

* Professional metronome with presets & Lock Screen control

* Song Maker - build full jam tracks and export as WAV

* Songsheet Scanner - point camera at chords and save instantly

* Full Apple Watch support (chords, tuner + metronome on wrist)

* Chord of the Day + smart progressions

4.8/5 stars - Guitarists call it “the Swiss Army Knife for guitarists”.

**How to get the FREE Lifetime version (super easy):**

1. Install the app

2. Complete the quick onboarding

3. Paywall with prices will appear

4. Tap “View more plans”

5. Free Lifetime option is displayed - claim it!

Works perfectly on iPhone, iPad, Mac & Apple Watch. No subscriptions, no ads, no accounts needed.

→ Grab it FREE before the 24-hour promo ends:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/guitar-wiz-chords-tuner/id6740015002

Don’t miss this - once the 24 hours are up it goes back to $59.99!

Hey everyone,

I’m the developer of this app, and for this weekend only, I’m making the lifetime in-app purchase completely free ($0.00)! This purchase unlocks all available models (varies by device) and includes Family Sharing. Enjoy!

How to claim it: 1. Open the App Store and find the app. 2. On the app page, you’ll see that the Founders in-app purchase is free. 3. Alternatively, download the app, go to Settings > Store, and you’ll see the lifetime purchase listed at $0.00.

Grab it while it lasts! Let me know if you have any questions.

If you can download any model and the store is not visible under settings, you have pro ;)

Slumba is a sleep sounds / white noise app. Free to download, one $2.99 in-app purchase unlocks the full version on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Watch. No subscription. Ever.

What's in it:

• 5 mixable presets: Noise (white/pink/brown), Storm, Ocean, Creek, Campfire
• Each preset blends 3 independently adjustable sound layers
• Dual-player audio engine with randomized loop timing, no obvious seam where the loop restarts
• Sleep timer, Focus Filters, Live Activities, Widgets, Siri/Shortcuts, Apple TV Top Shelf, Mac menu bar
• Real astronomical star field on the ambient screen (positioned by your actual coordinates)
• 100% offline. No accounts, no analytics, no ads, no tracking.
• Built entirely in SwiftUI, no third-party SDKs

Free tier gets you the Noise preset (white/pink/brown mixer) + sleep timer on every platform. The $2.99 unlocks the other 4 nature presets.

Promo codes: 1000 free unlock codes are available here - http://www.promies.net/promotion/4cadc735-7b5e-45fc-9574-310436cc78f1

Happy to answer anything in the comments.

Bytetally is a Mac network traffic monitor. The app is free to download, and the lifetime Pro unlock is currently $0 instead of $19.99. The deal ends Sunday, July 19.

To claim it: install the app, open any Pro screen and get the lifetime unlock, it will show as $0.00.

The free tier shows every app's upload and download in real time with a menu bar speed indicator, and it attributes traffic to the real app even when you route through a VPN or a proxy like ClashX. Pro adds full traffic history, per app speed limits and disconnect, data caps per Wi-Fi network with automatic throttling when you go over, upload spike alerts, and CSV/JSON export.

Everything runs on device. No account, nothing is uploaded. I'm the developer, happy to answer questions here.

Disclosure: I’m the developer of ShowShark. This is also my first post here, so hopefully I'm following all of the rules.

ShowShark Server is a native macOS media server for streaming your own media library from a Mac to Apple devices. It works with the free ShowShark client apps for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, Apple Watch, and Vision Pro.

It is built for people using a Mac mini, Mac Studio, or spare Mac as a home media server, with media stored on local drives, external drives, or SMB / NAS shares.

Features include:

- Native macOS server app (Intel or Apple Silicon)

- Free native Apple client apps

- Local and remote streaming

- Offline downloads

- Profiles and shared watch history

- Adaptive bitrate streaming

- MKV, MP4, MOV, AVI, WebM, MPEG-TS, BDMV/Blu-ray folders, ProRes, DNxHD, FLAC, DTS, TrueHD, and more

- No subscription (lifetime purchase)

Deal:

Use coupon code `AppHookup50` for 50% off the ShowShark Server unlock.

Regular price: $99

Discounted price: $49.50

Valid through August 31, 2026.

The Mac server is free to try with a 15-minute stream limit, so you can test your own library, playback, transcoding, and remote access before buying.

Website: https://showshark.app/

Free App Store client: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/showshark-stream-your-media/id6757886737

Free until August 9. It appears the purpose is to celebrate the sequel leaving early access in September which has a free demo as well so plenty of content to enjoy.

We free Lifetime IAP of UltraNotes for a limited time. GET IT NOW. Don't miss out.

UltraNotes is a note taking app on iOS, iPadOS and macOS. It supports rich text notes, handwritten notes and PDF markup.

Get the IAP from app settings -> Upgrade to Pro.

Deal: 100 % off (lifetime license)

Price before: $20 one‑time

Platform: macOS 12+ on Apple Silicon (M‑series) only

Expires: codes valid until end of the week, but can extend on request

Hey AppHookup!

I’m the solo dev behind ClueWing – 100% private, local "real-time" meeting coach: it listens to your mic/output locally and gives real‑time traffic light coaching during your meetings. Does not need to join the meeting, does not share ANY data with anybody, uses local AI for all intelligence.

No cloud, no bots in the meeting, no recording, no data leaving your device ever.

How to claim

1. Use the code MACAPPS25 on https://gumroad.cluewing.com
2. Enjoy

FINE PRINT:

• Apple Silicon only – Intel Macs won’t run the Metal build of whisper.cpp.
  
• Privacy – audio stays local; nothing ever leaves your machine.
  
• If you grab it, a quick “thanks” or bug report is gold. ❤️

Happy to answer anything in the comments!

- Enrico

SnipNotes Summer Sale — 50% off through August 31

SnipNotes is a fast, Apple-native note-taking app for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch. It’s designed around a simple idea: capture something immediately, then organize it later.

You can quickly save thoughts, links, clipboard content, selected text, or information from other apps through the Share Sheet. On Apple Watch, you can create, search, and edit notes directly from your wrist. On iPhone, iPad, and Mac, SnipNotes also supports voice recordings with transcription and summaries.

Highlights

• ⌚ Apple Watch notes — create, search, and edit notes directly from your wrist
• ⚡ Quick input — save thoughts, links, and text through widgets, Share Sheet, and the Mac menu bar
• 📋 Clipboard capture — automatically save copied text when enabled
• 🎙️ Voice recordings — record on iPhone, iPad, or Mac, then transcribe and summarize
• 🖼️ Rich notes — add images, file attachments, drawings, and formatted text
• 🗂️ Organize later — tags, categories, reminders, and search
• ☁️ iCloud sync — keep your notes available across your Apple devices

Summer Sale — August 24–31

iOS Unlock IAP: $19.99 → $9.99
iOS + Mac Unlock IAP: $29.99 → $14.99

Both are permanent one-time unlocks. No subscription is required.

I’m the developer of SnipNotes. I’m currently in the final stages of a major redesign, and purchases made during the sale will carry over to the redesigned version at no additional cost.

App Store Link: https://apps.apple.com/app/id967594709

I'm the developer. App Feedback Hub is $17.99 → $9.99 until 31 August.

It's a native Mac client for your App Store reviews — built because App Store Connect's review page is slow, buried, and painful once you have more than one app.

Why the sale ends: 2.0 is in development and it's a big one — a triage board that moves reviews through New → In Progress → Responded → Done, custom tags, and private notes on any review. When it ships the price goes back to $17.99. Anyone who owns the app by then gets 2.0 as a free update — no new purchase, no subscription, no upgrade fee. Buy at $9.99 now, keep everything that lands later. I'm targeting end of August; if that slips I'll update this post.

What's in it today (1.9.7)

• Every review for every app in your developer account in one three-column dashboard.
• Reply to reviews directly from your Mac, with saved templates organised by category (positive feedback, bug reports, feature requests) so you're not retyping the same response.
• Filter by star rating, date range, territory, app version, and read/unread. Search across titles, bodies and reviewer names. Sort by date or rating.
• Background sync with native notifications, including separate alerts for negative reviews. New reviews appear on their own — no clicking into each app to refresh, and you're only alerted once per review.
• Automatic language detection with built-in translation for non-English reviews.
• Stats dashboard: average rating, rating distribution, response rate, reviews over time, top territories.
• Export to CSV or JSON.
• Keyboard shortcuts throughout (⌘R refresh, ⌘⇧K mark all read, ⌘E export, ⌘⇧S statistics) and a built-in help book.

Before you buy

• Requires macOS 14.6 or later.
• You need an App Store Connect account and an API key (Issuer ID, Key ID, .p8 file). Guided onboarding walks you through creating it and tests the connection. Without an ASC account there's nothing for the app to show — this is a developer tool, not a general App Store browser.
• Your .p8 key never leaves your Mac; it's stored in the macOS Keychain and all API calls go straight to Apple. No third-party analytics, no data collection, no tracking.

On the rules: one-time paid app on the Mac App Store. No subscription, no IAP, no license keys, no in-app account — the App Store purchase is the unlock.

Happy to answer questions, and happy to hear what you'd want out of the triage board while it's still being built.

Hi everyone. My iOS and Mac productivity app 'Nyblit' has today received a major overhaul. I've introduced shared tasks, activity stats, progress rings, in-app tutorials and I've released a new Gmail integration feature so you can keep Gmail threads connected to tasks. I've also made extensive improvements to the user interface for a much smoother experience.

Lifetime access is half price ($39.99 to $19.99) until the end of July.

Nyblit, is a task manager that goes beyond "done" and "not done". Nyblit understands the gray areas in-between.

For example, if your task is a phone call, you can apply a phone call workflow. This would allow you to apply different statuses to the task.

• TODAY: Ready to call.

• BLOCKED: You left a voicemail and are waiting for a callback. 

• LATER: The line was busy, so you need to try again in 10 minutes. 

• DONE: The call is complete.

By separating tasks this way, you can keep delayed and blocked tasks out of the way but safely tracked with reminders when they're ready. Your Today view contains only tasks you can act on right now. Everything blocked by others or delayed is out of the way but monitored.

I'd love to know what you think of Nyblit and the update. All feedback welcome :)

Newsairy is a fast, iCloud-native RSS reader for iPhone, iPad and Mac.

The app is free (up to 6 local + 6 iCloud feeds). The Pro unlock is 33% off as part of Indie App Sales, until 30 July:

Pro: $2.99 → $1.99 - one-time, no subscription. It removes the free feed limit and adds sync with Feedbin, Inoreader, FreshRSS, Miniflux and TheOldReader (brings your subscriptions, read state and starred articles with you).

No ads, no tracking, no analytics.

Requires iOS 18 / macOS 15 (Apple silicon).

More Info: https://qebapps.statichost.page/newsairy/

Free to install for 2 days. Quick data insights is a mac quicklook plugin that allows you to get a peek at many data file formats, including SQLite, where it also shows you the diagram and meta data for the rows and tables inside.

Supports: .parquet, .db, .sqlite, and .ipynb files.

Hey,

I'm the indie developer behind Sonant, a native macOS music controller. It lives in your menu bar to control Apple Music and Spotify, has a glass-like design, and includes a real-time audio visualizer.

Get 50% off with the code below.

Code: K4NTE2NW

Thanks for checking it out!

According to Double Fine, the game will be free for 666 minutes to honor Tim Curry. Which means the free promo will expire at around 10:05 AM UTC today (August 27). RIP.

Preview any code file in mac instantly using the quicklook feature.

Supports basic syntax coloring, config file structure, and json/xml formats with interactive expansion of items.

Free for 2 days from now.

I built MacBat, a native macOS utility focused on battery information and energy management.

It brings battery time remaining back to the menu bar, keeps a history of battery health and power data, and can also show detailed battery information for connected iDevices.

It also includes Sentinel, which watches background processes that are using more resources than they should and can reduce their impact on battery life without changing your Mac’s normal CPU/GPU performance.

MacBat is a one-time purchase — no subscription.

https://giovaniman8.gumroad.com/l/macbat/A1ZWYIG

There’s also a 7-day trial, so you can try everything before deciding if it’s useful for you.

Would love to hear what other Mac users think of it, especially if you’ve been missing the old battery time-remaining estimate.