Welcome, beta tester

New here? Here's Log in 20 seconds — what it does, and every way to capture.

Prefer it narrated? Same clip, with sound.

You need: iOS/iPadOS 18+, macOS 15+, or watchOS 11+, signed in to iCloud on each device (Log syncs through your iCloud — there's no account to create).

iPhone & iPad

Install TestFlight from the App Store, open your invitation link, tap Install. Open Log once and tap the "Set up capture" row — enabling the microphone, transcripts, and location in that one calm moment means capture never stalls on a permission prompt later.

Recommended: set the Action Button (Settings → Action Button → Shortcut → Log), add Quick Log to Control Center, and a Log widget to your lock screen.

Apple Watch

After the iPhone install: open the Watch app → Available Apps → Install next to Log. Keep the watch on its charger near the phone; it can take a few quiet minutes. If Log doesn't appear, or an install spins forever: restart the iPhone (not the watch), then try once more.

Mac

Install TestFlight from the Mac App Store, open the same invitation link, Install. Try ⌥⌘L from inside any app — that's the whole pitch. If a feature seems to do nothing on the Mac, look for a permission dialog hiding behind your windows before assuming it's broken.

Two ways to capture — and you can lean on either.

1 · Buttons — the surest way, no Siri needed: the Action Button, Control Center, a Log widget, or the capture bar (type, hold the mic, camera, photo library). 2 · Siri — “Hey Siri, Log a new entry”, and the other phrases below. New this build: tap the ? at the top of the timeline for “What Log can do” — every way to capture, always one tap away. One note: say “Log current location” (not “Log my location”, which we retired — Siri could mishear the older phrase).

Watch this first — 45 seconds. Capture with Siri, the heart of the app.

Learning the app: tap the ? at the top of the timeline for “What Log can do” — every way to capture and everything you can say, any time. (“Hey Siri, Log help” does the same by voice, but only while Log is already open.) The surest ways to capture don't need Siri at all — see the buttons below.

Capture, fastest to fast:

🗣 "Hey Siri, Log a new entry" → dictate · "Log a note with my location" · "Log a voice note" · "Log current location" · "Log my last photo" / "…video" · "Show my Log".

Tip: if a phrase ever routes to the wrong app, just lead with “Log” and keep it short — “Log a new entry”, “Log a voice note”, “Log current location”. If Siri asks to turn on Log shortcuts, tap Turn On.

📱 Action Button, Control Center, lock-screen widget, or the capture bar: text, mic (hold to record), camera, photo library.

⌚️ Raise wrist, double-tap (or tap ＋) → dictate.

💻 ⌥⌘L from anywhere, the menu-bar ＋, or drag files straight onto the timeline. Share to Log from any app on any device.

Voice notes and transcripts — 30 seconds. Speak it, then find it again by what you said.

Finding things: search covers typed text and voice-note transcripts (transcription happens on your device). Filter by kind or With Location. On the Mac, Actions → Show Locations on Map (⌘⇧M) pins every located entry with its time.

Safety nets: deleted entries wait 30 days in Recently Deleted. Export (Mac toolbar) gives you everything as plain files, any time.

The ask: carry Log for a week and log real things — parking spots, ideas, the plumber's quote. The bugs that matter are the ones that make you stop trusting the capture reflex. Report every one, however small.

Especially: every capture path above, on every device you have · entries appearing on your other devices (text should feel near-instant; watch → iPhone within seconds; photos arrive in two stages) · anything that duplicates and stays duplicated · search finding your spoken words · a location pin that isn't where you were standing.

Reporting — the built-in way is the best way: take a screenshot in the app, tap its preview → Share Beta Feedback. Or TestFlight → Log → Send Beta Feedback. Device and build details attach automatically. If Log ever crashes, please send the crash report when TestFlight offers — that alone is gold.

The perfect report is three lines: what you did (exact words if Siri was involved) · what you expected · what happened. Email works too: log@bobobrien.net.

Known rough edges (no need to report): first-ever Siri use shows an easy-to-miss one-time permission · widgets may need a device restart to appear in the gallery · watch installs are slow and occasionally need the iPhone-restart trick · the capture bar crowds at the very largest accessibility text sizes.

Check What to Test in TestFlight for each build's specifics. Thank you — genuinely. Every report makes the 1.0 better.