I use Arc as a diary app quite a bit. Arc’s really good search functionality makes it possible to find comments in the context of a time and location. But I’ve always wanted to use a normal keyboard to comfortably add more content.
I already have a multi-device bluetooth keyboard for switching between desktop, iPhone and iPad, but it’s not very convenient away from the office.
Finally, Apple has added the ability to mirror the iPhone screen to a Mac running Sequoia. (I’m using the public beta). This feature is really buggy but looks like it will ultimately solve my problem.
PS I typed most of this post using the mirrored phone feature, but had to finish using the bluetooth keyboard. The “iphone mirroring” app lost the connection.
To conclude, I’m asking that this feature needs to be supported. I.e. don’t do anything that would break it.
I’ve been really wanting to try this new macOS feature! I haven’t had the courage yet to install the macOS beta though. I need to still be able to ship Arc builds to the App Store, and sometimes when you install a macOS beta Apple will reject any builds you send, due to being built on pre-release software
My understanding of the new feature so far is that … it shouldn’t be possible for Arc to make it not work. It looks to me like all apps on the phone should just work normally, with no changes. But if you see anything different happen, definitely let me know!
Same! I was really excited for Apple’s Journal app, when that was announced. But was disappointed to see that it didn’t really have much integration with other apps or services, aside from some auto suggestions. Even though Arc’s notes feature is very barebones, I still find it more useful than Apple’s Journal app.
Being able to add notes (or even longish diary entries) to specific visits in the timeline, then being able to search for them later, has proven to be super useful for me personally. Which is why I’d love to extend the notes feature a lot in future.
At one point the planned next app was even Arc Journal, a new app built specifically for that purpose. But life pressures made it not happen in the end. Maybe I’ll get another chance at it someday. But in the meantime, I’d still like to do a lot more with the existing notes feature too!
One thing that Arc could support is some keyboard shortcuts, e.g. using the key for going back to previous screens. Swiping is possible in the iPhone mirroring app, but it’s not as efficient.
Pinch and zoom don’t seem to work in arc maps, but it does in Apple Maps. Double-click zoom-in and click-drag work as does two finger rotate.
Interesting! As soon as I get the macOS beta installed I’ll have a play with especially Arc Timeline Editor (the upcoming replacement for Arc Timeline app).
Arc Timeline Editor is built using Apple’s newest APIs, to get rid of the decade of accumulated code cruft in Arc Timeline app. That means that development goes faster, with less bugs or problems, but it also means that new OS features (like this mirroring feature) should work better, due to the newest APIs being better integrated.
So hopefully it’ll all just be smoother by default, in Arc Editor. I can’t wait to find out!
Oh this is a good one. I’ll note it down in the todos. It’s not something I’d considered previously, because Arc doesn’t have an iPad app. But with iPhone mirroring being a thing now, it has a much clearer use case.
