Apple has been on a hot streak lately, announcing a ton of new features for a range of devices at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) earlier this week.
But many of these features were already available to some degree on Apple devices through third-party apps, so as in years past, we'll examine the ideas Apple has “Sherlocked” in this year's updates.
But what does it mean for Apple to “Sherlock-ify” something?
In the late 90s, Apple released a search app called Sherlock for macOS 8, which could be used to search the web and files on the local system. Today, a company called Karelia Software has already released a $29 search app called Watson, which has features such as plugins to improve Internet searches. In 2002, Apple released Sherlock 3, which had features similar to Watson, making the Karelia app unnecessary. Since then, people in the technology industry have used the term “Sherlocking” whenever they refer to a new Apple feature that has the same functionality as an existing third-party app.
Featured: New Password App
Sherlocked apps: 1Password, LastPass, BitWarden, Proton Pass
Apple is releasing a new standalone password manager for iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia, VisionOS, and Windows. While the password manager has been around for some time, it was housed in a submenu of the Settings app.
This new app essentially serves the same function as a third-party password manager, so it may attract fewer new users as some users may choose to use the built-in password manager. However, most third-party apps in this space also offer apps and integrations across Android, Windows, and Linux that let you store other information like addresses and credit cards.
Features: Call recording and transcription
Sherlocked Apps: TapeACall, Truecaller
Apple has finally introduced native call recording and transcription features within its Phone app. Apps like TapeACall and Turecaller have offered call recording for some time, but you had to call a different number to enable it, because Apple didn't allow third-party companies access to the call stack.
Function: Audio transcription
Sherlocked Apps: Otter, AudioPen, Voicenotes.com
Aside from transcribing phone calls, Apple will also offer voice transcription in apps like Notes in a future update, taking up the space previously occupied by apps like Otter, AudioPen, and Voicenotes.com.
Still, third-party apps offer a range of features — Otter is great for transcribing meetings and video calls, for example, while AudioPen and Voicenotes.com offer AI-powered summarization and formatting — so you'll need to choose how much functionality you want from a transcription service.
Featured Article: Mirror your iPhone on Mac
Sherlocked App: Bezel
Apple's new update adds the ability to mirror your iPhone to your Mac so you can control your phone remotely, and users will be able to receive iPhone notifications on their Mac devices and easily drag and drop files, photos, and videos between devices.
Image credit: Apple
Previously, you had to use Bezel to do this, which required connecting your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch using a cable to mirror your device, and the app's developers say they'll be looking into next steps with an Apple update on the way.
Including what's on the roadmap for the next few months. I'm not sure how to feel about Apple entering this space, but it's part of the game, it raises the bar, and it both excites me and saddens me.
— Matthijs Kadyk (@mac_cain13) June 10, 2024
Feature: Window tiling on Mac
Sherlocked App: Magnet, Rectangle
This isn't an entirely revolutionary feature, as Windows and Linux have been able to tile windows for years; on the Mac, you've had to use a third-party app like Magnet or Rectangle to easily arrange windows in different ways on the operating system.
Image courtesy of Apple
While Apple is finally planning to include the feature in the upcoming MacOS Sequoia, third-party apps could potentially retain users by offering better customization features, such as options for different window sizes, the ability to rearrange your workspace with a single shortcut, the ability to hide windows on the edges of the screen, and the ability to pin apps to the side.
Features: Custom emojis
Sherlocked App: Newji
Another upcoming feature is the ability to create new emojis using prompts and a new AI engine. You can enter a prompt, such as “DJ fox,” to create a new emoji. Previously, you could do the same thing using an app called Newji.
Features: Custom maps
Sherlocked App: Alltrails
Apple Maps will be updated as part of iOS 18 to let US-based users explore national park trails, create custom routes, and save them for offline use. Previously, you had to use Alltrails to do all of this, but the advantage of this app may be that it already has a community, plus it offers routes outside of national parks in other countries.
What happens next?
It's worth remembering that Apple has to strike a balance here: they have to keep up with the competition from Google and Microsoft, but at the same time, they make money from the App Store, so they can't add features that would completely eliminate third-party apps. That said, some of these Sherlocked apps might survive by offering customized or enterprise solutions, but some of the smaller indie apps will eventually lose users to Apple.
Image credit: Apple
The odd outlier this time is Apple's suite of writing tools, powered by the company's AI. The App Store is now filled with apps for email and note-taking that can change the tone of your writing, rewrite it, completely change the format, or summarize parts of text. Now that Apple also offers proofreading, Grammarly might count as a Sherlock app.