{"id":520,"date":"2020-10-02T05:27:36","date_gmt":"2020-10-01T23:57:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kunaldua.local\/blog\/?p=520"},"modified":"2025-11-10T09:51:47","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T08:51:47","slug":"setapp-iphone-ipad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kunaldua.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/02\/setapp-iphone-ipad\/","title":{"rendered":"On Mac App Subscription Service Setapp&#8217;s iPhone and iPad Debut"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Setapp, the subscription service that provides access to nearly 200 paid Mac apps for a flat monthly fee, recently announced its arrival on iOS (and iPadOS). While the move has undoubtedly been anticipated since Setapp&#8217;s launch in 2017, not many would&#8217;ve expected it would become a reality given the restrictions on Apple&#8217;s mobile platforms.<\/p>\n<p>Setapp <a href=\"https:\/\/setapp.com\/news\/setapp-arrives-on-iphone-and-ipad\">launched on iOS<\/a> (and iPadOS, argh, I hate doing this) in August with eight apps,\u00a0with two more seemingly added since.\u00a0Arguably the most high profile of these apps is Ulysses, the text editor that&#8217;s gained its fair share of fans \u2014 with <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/prawnay\/status\/1272965081798672389\">@prawnway<\/a> being the most dedicated user I know \u2014\u00a0since its launch a few years ago.<\/p>\n<p>I too have spent a fair amount of time using Ulysses \u2014\u00a0in fact I\u2019m typing this in <a href=\"https:\/\/ulysses.app\">Ulysses<\/a>, before I post this via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.red-sweater.com\/marsedit\/\">MarsEdit<\/a>, another longtime favourite Mac app available via Setapp \u2014 thanks at least in part to the fact that it was included as part of Setapp, a service I was already using. I have never completely embraced it thanks to its few quirks, not least of which is the way it handles links in Markdown.<\/p>\n<p>Before this becomes a post about Ulysses, let&#8217;s switch back to talking about <a href=\"https:\/\/setapp.sjv.io\/c\/6675458\/343321\/5114\">Setapp<\/a>. The new iOS offering also includes apps like <a href=\"https:\/\/ulysses.app\">2Do<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/pasteapp.io\">Paste<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sqlprostudio.com\">SQLPro Studio<\/a>, but what\u2019s more interesting than the selection of apps is how Setapp is getting around Apple&#8217;s restrictions to effectively \u201cunlock\u201d in-app purchases on iOS and iPadOS.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-525\" src=\"https:\/\/kunaldua.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/available-on-ios-apps-setapp.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"993\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kunaldua.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/available-on-ios-apps-setapp.png 1600w, https:\/\/kunaldua.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/available-on-ios-apps-setapp-600x372.png 600w, https:\/\/kunaldua.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/available-on-ios-apps-setapp-1200x745.png 1200w, https:\/\/kunaldua.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/available-on-ios-apps-setapp-768x477.png 768w, https:\/\/kunaldua.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/available-on-ios-apps-setapp-1536x953.png 1536w, https:\/\/kunaldua.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/available-on-ios-apps-setapp-1568x973.png 1568w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The Setapp app on macOS has a new section called Available on iOS, which lists apps available as part of the new offering. Open the listing page of any of these apps and you will see an \u2018iOS app\u2019 button. Tap on this button and you\u2019ll see two options \u2014 one to download the iOS app, if you don\u2019t have it already, and the other to unlock all features of the app.<\/p>\n<p>Both these things are done via QR codes. The idea is to first install the app via the App Store and then, in the second step, to scan a QR code that unlocks all features of the said app. The app then behaves exactly how it would have if you completed an in-app purchase via the App Store.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-527\" src=\"https:\/\/kunaldua.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/setapp-for-ios-gemini.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"993\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kunaldua.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/setapp-for-ios-gemini.png 1600w, https:\/\/kunaldua.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/setapp-for-ios-gemini-600x372.png 600w, https:\/\/kunaldua.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/setapp-for-ios-gemini-1200x745.png 1200w, https:\/\/kunaldua.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/setapp-for-ios-gemini-768x477.png 768w, https:\/\/kunaldua.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/setapp-for-ios-gemini-1536x953.png 1536w, https:\/\/kunaldua.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/setapp-for-ios-gemini-1568x973.png 1568w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Setapp has a <a href=\"https:\/\/setapp.com\/news\/setapp-for-ios-app-store-guidelines-compliance\">webpage<\/a> explaining how this setup doesn&#8217;t violate Apple&#8217;s policies, but one can\u2019t help but wonder if Apple will one day wake up and decide this kind of behaviour is no longer allowed. That fear aside, the most disappointing fact about Setapp for iOS (and iPadOS, sigh) is probably the limited number of apps on offer right now.<\/p>\n<p>As mentioned earlier, there are only ten iOS apps on offer, and all of them are \u201ccompanions\u201d to Mac apps that are already available via Setapp. That\u2019s a disappointingly low number, but it&#8217;s worth remembering that Setapp\u2019s entry to Mac was similar in terms of the relatively small set of apps on offer, and now the platform has grown to 198 apps (at the time of publishing this post).<\/p>\n<p>Given <a href=\"https:\/\/tidbits.com\/2020\/08\/12\/setapp-subscription-service-adds-ios-companion-apps\/\">App Store\u2019s terms of service<\/a>, it\u2019s unlikely that Setapp will be able to offer access to \u201cstandalone\u201d iOS\/ iPadOS apps (i.e. ones without a corresponding app on other platforms) anytime soon, but one hopes that at least some other high profile Setapp partners like <a href=\"https:\/\/edovia.com\">Screens<\/a> will include their iPhone and iPad apps as part of the service.<\/p>\n<p>This is especially important given some of the service\u2019s changes around policy and pricing. Even before the launch of Setapp on iOS, the likes of Ulysses were already offering Setapp users unrestricted access to their iPad and iOS apps. But with the introduction of Setapp for iOS, each iPhone or iPad added to a Setapp account counts towards your device quota.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-529\" src=\"https:\/\/kunaldua.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/setapp-account-unoccupied-device-full-details.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1772\" height=\"892\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kunaldua.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/setapp-account-unoccupied-device-full-details.png 1772w, https:\/\/kunaldua.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/setapp-account-unoccupied-device-full-details-600x302.png 600w, https:\/\/kunaldua.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/setapp-account-unoccupied-device-full-details-1200x604.png 1200w, https:\/\/kunaldua.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/setapp-account-unoccupied-device-full-details-768x387.png 768w, https:\/\/kunaldua.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/setapp-account-unoccupied-device-full-details-1536x773.png 1536w, https:\/\/kunaldua.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/setapp-account-unoccupied-device-full-details-1568x789.png 1568w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1772px) 100vw, 1772px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Those on the Setapp personal plan ($9.99 per month) are limited to using their apps on a single Mac, while if you have a Family plan ($19.99 per month) you can enjoy the same access across four different devices. Setapp now lets you add an iPad or iPhone to your account for $2.49 per month, which means if you are using, say, Ulysses across a Mac, iPhone, <em>and<\/em> iPad, you will end up paying more for that privilege.<\/p>\n<p>With that said, the advantage of using a service like Setapp is unlimited access to 198 fully-unlocked premium Mac apps, including the likes of iStat Menus, <a href=\"https:\/\/edovia.com\">Screens<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/macitbetter.com\">BetterZip<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/cleanshot.com\">CleanShot X<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/setapp.com\/apps\">many, many more<\/a>. If you are interested in just one or two specific premium apps, you\u2019ll undoubtedly be better served by signing up for those services directly.<\/p>\n<p>What I like about  <a href=\"https:\/\/setapp.sjv.io\/c\/6675458\/343321\/5114\">Setapp<\/a> is the fact I have discovered a handful of apps that otherwise may not have become part of my workflow. Every time I have a new requirement, the Setapp store is usually my first port of call, and invariably I end up finding something I can use (and at least tolerate, if not like).<\/p>\n<p>Late last year,  <a href=\"https:\/\/setapp.sjv.io\/c\/6675458\/343321\/5114\">Setapp<\/a> also extended its standard offering to business customers, in addition to offering custom plans that provide access to a subset of apps at an agreed per-user price. With a handful of popular developer tools and eduction apps in its portfolio, the company certainly has the potential to target a wide variety of companies. And if my work email inbox is any indication, Setapp certainly knows this too. PS &#8211; Sorry Tanya, I promise I will answer your email soon!<\/p>\n<p>You can <a href=\"https:\/\/setapp.sjv.io\/c\/6675458\/343321\/5114\">try Setapp free for 7 days<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Setapp, the subscription service that provides access to nearly 200 paid Mac apps for a flat monthly fee, recently announced its arrival on iOS (and iPadOS). While the move has undoubtedly been anticipated since Setapp&#8217;s launch in 2017, not many would&#8217;ve expected it would become a reality given the restrictions on Apple&#8217;s mobile platforms. Setapp<a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/kunaldua.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/02\/setapp-iphone-ipad\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">&#8220;On Mac App Subscription Service Setapp&#8217;s iPhone and iPad Debut&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-520","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-apple","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kunaldua.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/520","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kunaldua.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kunaldua.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kunaldua.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kunaldua.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=520"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/kunaldua.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/520\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":660,"href":"https:\/\/kunaldua.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/520\/revisions\/660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kunaldua.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kunaldua.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=520"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kunaldua.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}