Writing apps are plentiful, but due to an abundance of functions, these often distract you from the main purpose of the app: writing good texts. iA Writer is a welcome exception, and is by far our favorite app for processing text.
Focus on work with iA Writer
Whether you use iA Writer on your Mac, iPhone or iPad, the app excels at showcasing an uncluttered, minimalist design. The app fills your screen 99 percent with a white sheet of paper and only presents the options and settings if you specifically ask for them. Do you especially have inspiration in the evenings? Then with the night mode you can dress the app in a dark theme, so that you are not blinded while writing your idea.
Hiding options may sound illogical, but this actually ensures that your head stays completely on the text. If you have trouble concentrating, iA Writer is the ultimate tool to find your focus again. Especially if you allow this app the full screen of your Mac. In addition, iA Writer has a special Focus Mode, which highlights only your current paragraph or line of text and subtly moves the rest of the text to the background.
The app contains some basic functions to format the text, but don’t expect too much from this. For example, you can make words italic and bold, add links and create subheadings. The fine font is also worth noting, which, like the rest of the app, is subtle and plain to see.
A godsend on Mac, iPhone and iPad
In addition, iA Writer also does its best to make writing as easy as possible for you. All your writing is stored in the cloud, so you can access it from anywhere, just like with Apple’s Notes app. This makes it easy to start a text on your iPad or iPhone, and then develop it further on your MacBook.
When you are satisfied with your concept, the Preview function allows you to read the article again at your leisure, without accidentally opening the keyboard or adjusting anything. If you are still satisfied with the end result after reading through your text, you can export it from iA Writer to plain text, html, pdf or word file. In practice, on the Mac, I usually just copy my texts directly from iA Writer to the correct destination, but on iOS this export function is a lot more functional.
Since iA Writer automatically places all your files in the Library, it can quickly grow into a large amount of files for avid writers. If you plan to find older articles, it is therefore smart to create directories. For example, I have folders for articles that I am still working on and I empty the folder with all the news items at the end of the week. After all, a cluttered library goes against the soothing look of this writing app.
Useful new functions
Recently iA Writer got a major update. What is new is that you can largely operate the app with the keyboard, and that makes more sense than you think. Above the keyboard you will find the so-called Quick Search bar, with which you can immediately find saved texts, but also perform actions such as ‘open’ and ‘export’.
Also handy: the folders you use most can now be placed at the top of the Library, so that they are faster and easier to find. You can also organize folders in a smarter way, saved texts are easier to move, rename or delete and you can use 3D Touch in the Library to get a preview of a text.
iA Writer is worth the price
iA Writer is a relatively pricey word processor app that at first glance looks like the Windows notepad. However, the strength of iA Writer lies in this simplicity, along with the handy cloud and options to process your text. Moreover, the app has everything you need from a writing app: a clear, non-distracting place to work out your digital texts.
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