One in every of our trendy challenges is preserving monitor of the issues we really wish to spend our time on with the large quantity of digital content material that’s out there. Couch is a pointy iOS app that appears to resolve that downside with a easy, but customizable hub to prepare films, TV, music, books, podcasts, apps, video games, and extra to take a look at sooner or later. Together with a brand new Couch replace touchdown at the moment, we went hands-on with the free iOS app for a more in-depth look.
We’ve all in all probability tried preserving a fundamental be aware or reminder checklist on iPhone with issues we wish to watch, take heed to, learn, or check out sooner or later. Couch, created by Shawn Hickman, is constructed round the concept that method shortly turns into messy and inefficient, and a devoted app purpose-built for organizing content material provides a significantly better expertise.
In a brand new replace launched at the moment, Couch 2.13 gained the choice so as to add apps, audiobooks, and board video games. Different helpful additions are automated backups to iCloud Drive, new export/import choices, 11 new themes, and the choice to repeat deeplinks.
Fingers-on with Couch for iPhone and iPad
Couch makes use of a extremely clear and easy UI that’s constructed round a single dwelling web page. The highest options “The Pile,” which is a spot to shortly save issues or maintain them entrance of thoughts/set up later. Under that, you’ve bought a tile for “Exercise” and, subsequent to it, “Themes.”
Under the highest part, it’s proper into “My Lists.” The default checklist contains: Apps, Audiobooks, Board Video games, Books, Films, Music Albums, Podcasts, TV Exhibits, and Video Video games. You possibly can faucet the + icon within the center proper to shortly add a brand new checklist or begin organizing your lists into teams.
As proven above on the suitable, it’s additionally straightforward to edit an present checklist by tapping the … icon within the high proper nook. You possibly can change from grid to checklist view, change the sorting, edit the title, or delete the checklist.
One UI selection that makes the app tremendous handy to make use of is the floating + button that continues to be within the backside proper nook whether or not you’re on the principle display or in a listing.
Couch has constructed nice integration with providers like Apple Music and the App Retailer (in addition to others for books, films, and so forth.) to tug in photographs, particulars, and extra. One factor to bear in mind, you’ll must faucet “search” earlier than you see outcomes present up (no auto-suggestion in search).
It’s straightforward so as to add content material and decide which checklist you’d wish to put it on. There are even fast hyperlinks to open content material like apps and music within the App Retailer or to Pay attention in Apple Music.
In relation to managing content material as you examine issues out, you’ll be able to faucet the … icon subsequent to any merchandise in your lists to “Mark as Finished,” “Log and Hold,” “Transfer to…,” “Copy Deeplink,” or “Delete.”
Themes, widgets, and extra
Couch is a superbly designed free app, and it doesn’t use any advertisements. Shawn provides a bunch of themes to assist growth. There’s a neat mechanism to preview any of the 70+ themes for 30 seconds throughout the entire app earlier than it switches again.
You get a basic mild, darkish, and black theme with the free model with additional themes going between $0.99 and $1.99. You possibly can browse the vary of themes by creators, eras, locations, colours, and seasons.
Different considerate touches embrace a number of Couch app icons to select from, iOS 14 widgets that may be personalized to point out a selected checklist (in small, medium, massive), and automated Couch backups turned on (syncs to iCloud Drive).
Couch wrap-up
I’ve discovered Couch to be a delight to make use of. It’s bought a clear, considerate, and intuitive UI, enjoyable customization choices, and no advertisements. It’s an ideal expertise to prepare your private stock of media and extra you’d like to take a look at, in addition to maintaining a tally of what you’ve learn, watched, listened to, and so forth.
There’s no draw back to attempting out Couch because you’re getting the total characteristic set with the free model, and you’ll assist growth by selecting up a few of the customized themes for only a buck or two.
I extremely advocate downloading Couch for iPhone/iPad and giving it a spin.
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