That service may be called thus, but it actually allows you to entirely configure the task as if you had typed the quick entry shortcut, and it’s all pre-populated with back links to the conversation and allowing you to file the task where it belongs. Additionally, direct links to tasks are available with a simple AppleScript. Drives me crazy that Spark – which has those links, dammit – does not expose them simply with a menu command. I can understand them not wanting to deal with a thousand task integrations, but at least, if that command existed, we could Keyboard Maestro our way with it.
Given that Spark reaches version 2.9, my secret hope is that a 3.0 is around the corner with those goodies. (But I might be hoping for a little too much.)
Funny you should mention this… I had just emailed Readdle about lack of DevonThink integration again (which I had done a year ago), and got back same generic “thanks for the suggestion” answer… I’m one of those looking at switching from long Evernote use back to DT.
I don’t email devs anymore. There seems to be a strange lot them that don’t really care what users think or they think that they know more than the users and are just going to do what they want to do. That is their right of course, but shortcomings in their apps should be pointed out. Whoever made the decision to remove the URL schemes costs them a few subs I am sure. I am a new DEVONThink user because of this.
There also seems to be a “good ole boy” syndrome among the upper echelon of podcasters and everyone plays nice instead of pointing out app deficiencies. The fact that hosts can discuss a text-driven app and not mention that it is missing TextExpander support drives me crazy. The ATP boys will at least call out Apple for shadiness and stupidity.
I email some devs and get quite varied responses. The person or persons behind Mimestream are fantastic. Very responsive, very communicative, very straight up.
I’ve had similar experiences with others in recent years. Sometimes you don’t get the answer you want but if it’s honest and forthright, that’s OK by me.
It’s the ones who go on the defensive (when I’ve taken great pains to be fair and non-judgemental in my feedback) who I never go back to.
I keep gravitating towards that app again and again.
I’m giving it an n-th chance: to be fair, it needs to be said that they seem to have finally fixed the bug with IMAP Send Later using aliases. At least all test emails I tried have been sent and it seems that the Big Sur redesign is more robust. Also, support via the in-app system seems extremely reactive.
I tried revisiting again, and am still using it on iOS, but the Mac version is unusable. I have a simple iCloud account (so nothing fancy) and it is NEVER in sync with iOS on iPad or iPhone, loses things in folders, and never seems to update no matter what settings I use. The only way I could get it to update was by forcing a cache reset. The same problem repeated for days on end. iOS however works well, so I will keep that going and just return to Apple Mail on Mac.
I recently heard a podcast host singing the praises of Airmail on the mac so I thought maybe they had cleaned up their act. After reading the reviews it is clear that they are engaging in anti-user practices like:
time bombing their releases so you are FORCED to upgrade.
spamming you with popups to pay the subscription even though you paid for the software.
spamming you with popups to pay the subscription even though you are ALREADY on the subscription.
I have to say there are some hosts that generate instant buys from me when they talk about apps they are using so I am glad I dodged this trainwreck.
You should not believe all that the reviews say. For all the time I was a subscriber, I NEVER had those issues.
But there are others, though. Send Later using aliases on an IMAP account still does not work, despite reporting the bug for over six months: worst of all, it fails silently.
What can I say about Airmail?
It has the best task app integration on the market, by far. It’s rock solid everywhere and THAT, it works perfectly.
Snooze is reliable.
Send Later is not.
Lots of power and automation features. You can really make Airmail yours.
However, I have forever lost faith in the fact that this app will ever show any kind of polish in anything new it releases. After months or maybe years, things do work, and they work for good. But the in-between period is infuriating.
I’m leaning more towards Spark because their Send Later (which I need) works flawlessly, but their task integration really does the minimum, especially on iOS. But at least, it works too. So it’s better for my needs.
Then, the first app to fix one or the other of their flaws will definitely win my business. At the moment, my money is on Spark (I would believe we’ll see a v3 soon).
I cannot remember if you were a Dispatch user but let me tell you the craziness I am engaged in now. Dispatch on the M1. As far as task integration goes, here is how I can process my mails from within Dispatch on the M1: devonthink, omnifocus, drafts, fantastical, messages, message as pdf, reminders, notability, export as PDF, etc… all of the iOS url schemes function perfectly.
unbelievably, it outdoes every other mac mail app (tho it is missing that snooze/send later features of airmail but I never have used those anyway). So if anyone purchased Dispatch for iOS, it can still be downloaded from your purchases in the Mac AppStore (under the iPhone/iPad header) and it works perfectly and easily replaces AirMail. Until Spark 3, I have decided this is my email app on the M1.
I finally ditched Airmail about a month ago and switched back to Mail. It’s ugly, but gets the job done more or less. As a very visual person I do miss the avatars and color coding in the list view.
I tried Mailbuttler with a throw-away account, but I don’t like that they as a plugin would have access to my mail. I also tried manually saving avatars in contacts of regular senders, but it’s tedious for newsletters, online-shops etc.
Yeah, rules exist and they can color the background of the mail in list view, but it didn’t work reliably at all.
Dispatch on the Mac!!! !
Oh, man, now that’s the dream. I would never have thought it would work. I absolutely agree how stellar that app is / was (I did use it, yeah) and it’s so sad it’s been abandoned. There’s definitely a place to take. It could be Airmail; it certainly does a lot of what Dispatch allows. If only it could work as advertised…
I hope Dispatch gets revived. I really do.
(I’ve also lodged a feature request with Sanebox for Send Later. They certainly could do it…)
I have been talking to the dev, it’s not coming back. But it really does not need to. Install it on your M1 and see what I mean. It’s fine. Easily better than Airmail until we see what Spark 3 looks like.
These were specific to the newest version and I went beyond the reviews and researched it on Reddit and it is so bad people are going into their time capsule to restore older versions only to find airmail calls home and time bombs itself with a message that the user needs to install the newest version. I have encountered shadiness when dealing with airmail devs in the past so I can believe these tales.
Well, I am not one to give an easy pass to the Airmail devs, but I tell you this has never occurred. We know how the Internet can be, up in arms and flames when something goes wrong and never forgetting a perceived slight, eh? They have made possibly the worst move to subscription in tech history, yes, they severely lack quality control and polish, yes, their communications skills are abysmal, yes, but in all the time I’ve subscribed, I have never been spammed for something I had paid for.
Curiosity got the better of me, so I installed airmail (that I paid full price for) and yes the nag screen not only pops up at startup but also at random times during my use of it. So at least that much is true and ensures that I won’t be using it.
The ATP boys will at least call out Apple for shadiness and stupidity.
