iOS Today 777: Apps for Parents
Hosts: Micah Sargent & Rosemary Orchard
Release Date: November 6, 2025
Episode Overview
In this “Apps for Parents” episode, Micah and Rosemary dive into a practical, hands-on showcase of iOS apps tailored to simplify and organize family life. They discuss a range of tools—from safety and location tracking, to family chores, organizing meals and inventory, and decluttering your digital life. The conversation combines demonstrations, personal anecdotes, and privacy discussions, all delivered in their friendly, energetic style.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Life360: Safety and Location Tracking
(02:53 – 09:41)
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Purpose: Life360 is a robust third-party app that helps parents/guardians keep track of their family members (and even pets) far beyond Apple’s built-in Find My.
- Provides real-time location tracking
- Notifies on arrival/departure from set locations (geofencing)
- Shows device battery status
- Can remotely access the device’s camera in emergencies
- Offers pet tracking via GPS tags and integrates with Tile trackers
- Reports driving behavior, including speeding, hard braking, and possible texting while driving
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Privacy Concerns:
- Micah urges parents and guardians to read and truly understand the privacy policy given how much sensitive data Life360 collects.
- It’s feature-rich, but with more permissions come more responsibilities for data security and family trust.
“This is an app that has so much information... it is worth making sure that you are comfortable with this app having all of that information.”
— Micah Sargent, (06:59)
- Find My Alternative:
- For those cautious about third-party data, Apple’s default tools still provide basic, private location sharing with robust privacy.
2. Sweepy: Family Chore Management
(09:42 – 15:12)
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App Purpose: A chore tracker that makes household maintenance more approachable for families.
- Assigns and visualizes tasks per room/individual
- Gamifies cleaning (e.g., leaderboard, levels of cleanliness)
- Suggests relevant tasks for each room
- Offers themed challenges (pre-party clean, moving out, decluttering, etc.)
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Family Pricing: Free for one, $16.99/year for entire household with extra features.
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Customization:
- Rooms/chores are editable; age-appropriate tasks for kids can be added.
- Challenges are seasonally relevant and practical.
“So there are a few other things that you can do as well with Sweepy … I just really like Sweepy. And you can divide up the chores by adding multiple people to the app … so there’s no longer the excuse of, ‘But I didn’t know that you wanted me to…’”
— Rosemary Orchard, (14:28)
- Memorable Exchange:
- Quick aside about UK “Bonfire Night” and Guy Fawkes (15:12 – 15:47), infusing personality and cross-cultural anecdotes.
3. Maple Family Organizer: The Digital Family Hub
(16:13 – 19:30)
- Features:
- Integrated calendar, to-do lists, meal and project planning
- Option to set up a family email address via subscription
- Built-in templates for recurring family tasks (e.g., cleaning, appointments)
- Food organizer and recipe storage
“What’s super cool is if you pay for the in-app subscription, you can also get a family email address that…is the family’s email address. So you can imagine when a child is young, that could be the email address that you use when it comes to group events…”
— Micah Sargent, (16:44)
- Privacy Note:
- Email feature is handy, but locking family communication into a third-party platform is worth considering before committing.
4. Under My Roof: Home Inventory & Organization
(19:30 – 21:47)
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Use Case:
- Catalog household possessions for insurance, moves, repairs, and warranty tracking.
- Add receipts, photos, barcodes, set up moving boxes, and more.
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Practical Perk:
- Assigns tasks and maintenance reminders for appliances/furniture.
- Great for families managing moves or large households.
5. Fridge Buddy Pantry Inventory
(21:48 – 25:52)
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Purpose:
- Keeps track of fridge/freezer/pantry inventory to reduce waste and keep essentials stocked.
- Useful for remote/freezer storage, infrequent-use staples (e.g., baking ingredients).
- Barcode scanning makes item entry easy.
- Tracks expiration dates and quantities, can add to shopping list as needed.
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Pricing: Free basic use; premium unlocks multiple locations and more advanced features ($2.99/week, $29.99/year, or $34.99 lifetime).
“With these things, less is more. Keep track of the things that you use less often, but when you need them, they need to be there.”
— Rosemary Orchard, (25:32)
6. iOS/iPadOS Rumors: Pro Apps to iPad
(29:55 – 31:16)
- Rumor: Apple may soon bring additional professional apps to iPad—Pixelmator Pro, Compressor, Motion, and MainStage—based on uncovered App Store IDs.
- Why It Matters: The 13" iPad Air/Pro has the screen real estate to handle these pro-level tools, opening up new possibilities for creative users.
- Timing: Although the usual feature announcement venue was postponed to Spring 2026, these hints are tantalizing for power users.
7. Shortcuts Corner: Removing AssistiveTouch Floating Button
(33:13 – 37:36)
- User’s Issue: Steve asks how to remove a persistent “floating button” that appears after running a shortcut.
- Solution:
- The button is Apple’s AssistiveTouch feature.
- Navigate: Settings > Accessibility > Touch > AssistiveTouch, then toggle off.
“...turn this off. OK, so if this is green, you’re going to want to turn that back to gray.”
— Rosemary Orchard, (33:45)
- Power Tip:
- Consider using back-tap gestures or Control Center integration to trigger shortcuts instead, for less screen clutter and more efficient workflows.
8. App Cap Segment: Decluttering Your Photos
Clean My Phone (Micah, 39:54 – 43:54)
- Finds large videos, duplicates, screenshots, and old live photos.
- Compress videos or convert live photos to stills to save space.
- Built-in device health and organizational features.
- Pricing: Free with in-app purchases to unlock full functionality.
“You could end up saving a lot of space if you want or need to. But it’s also got built into it an iPhone health feature...”
— Micah Sargent, (42:37)
Slider Photos (Rosemary, 43:54 – 45:39)
- Free, no in-app purchases, swipe interface for quick photo review/deletion.
- Gamified with storage saved counters.
- Ideal for rapid, frictionless deleting without pop-ups or confirmations.
“If you open the Photos app, you decide, okay, I want to delete this photo... I quite like the swipe. Yes, no, yes, no, and then go from there.”
— Rosemary Orchard, (44:41)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
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Micah on Life360’s power and privacy:
“That last one may kind of tweak your mind—you’re going, wait, texting while driving? How would it know that?... just be aware of that as you give it a shot.” (08:34)
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Rosemary on drunk cleaning confessions:
“I have checked off my Sweepy tasks. However, my kitchen is telling me to get down to work...” (10:09)
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Micah on integrating tools:
“Just the idea of having one spot where your email is for a family is a really good idea.” (18:51)
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Rosemary on inventory:
“If you can look when you’re in the grocery store and be like, ah, I have baking powder, it’s expired—you can go buy some more... your cakes not rising...” (24:57)
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Rosemary’s Home Button Anecdote:
“There was a thing for a while where...people were worried about the home button on an iPhone breaking...so they would configure it in store...to use assistive touch.” (35:10)
Timestamps
- Life360 deep dive: 02:53 – 09:41
- Sweepy demo & family chores: 09:42 – 15:12
- Bonfire Night exchange: 15:12 – 15:47
- Maple Family Organizer & Under My Roof: 16:13 – 21:47
- Fridge Buddy Pantry Inventory: 21:48 – 25:52
- Pro apps rumored for iPad: 29:55 – 31:16
- Shortcuts Corner/AssistiveTouch: 33:13 – 37:36
- App Cap: Clean My Phone: 39:54 – 43:54
- App Cap: Slider Photos: 43:54 – 45:39
Resources & Links
- Apps Discussed:
- Life360 (Free w/ In-App Purchases)
- Sweepy (Free/Family Plan $16.99/yr)
- Maple Family Organizer (Free w/ Subscription)
- Under My Roof (Free w/ In-App Purchase)
- Fridge Buddy Pantry Inventory (Free/Premium Options)
- Clean My Phone (Macpaw, Free w/ IAP)
- Slider Photos (Free, No IAP)
- Host Links:
- rosemaryorchard.com for Rosemary’s apps, podcasts, and social links
- chihuahuacoffee.com for Micah
Tone & Takeaways
The episode is practical, gently humorous, and positive. Both hosts share personal and cultural context, as well as genuinely useful, hands-on app demos designed to empower parents and guardians with technology. They emphasize mindful privacy choices, organizational sanity, and making tech accessible for all family members.
Ideal for: Any parent, guardian, or tech-loving household manager seeking actionable advice and vetted app recommendations.