Tired of Cluttered Productivity Apps? This One’s Just a Text Document

wired.com Sep 19, 2026

Tired of Cluttered Productivity Apps? This One’s Just a Text Document

Curated by Shubham · TechCapsules · Sep 19, 2026

AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication

A new free Mac application called Tasks.txt, created by Ukrainian developer Yevhen Kharkivskyi, offers a minimalist alternative to feature‑heavy to‑do list apps. Built on the todo.txt format pioneered by Gina Trapani, the app stores tasks in plain‑text files and organizes them into three sections—Next, Backlog, and Done—allowing users to focus on daily priorities and archive completed items each night. Keyboard‑centric navigation lets users add, edit, and complete tasks without leaving the window, while mouse interaction remains intuitive. An Archive tab retains a searchable history of finished tasks, and a Scratchpad provides a simple note‑taking space. All data resides in editable text documents, ensuring transparency and easy migration to other tools.

💡 Why It Matters

· By stripping away complex UI layers, Tasks.txt revives the efficiency of plain‑text task management for users overwhelmed by modern app bloat.

Apps Capsules

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Indie App Spotlight: ‘GasPulse’ lets you keep an eye on gas price…

GasPulse, a free iOS app, delivers weekly gas price averages from the Energy Information Administration, offering state‑by‑state charts, up to five years of historical data, and forecast outlooks. Users can compare regional trends, set price alerts for up to six areas, and view updates via home‑screen and lock‑screen widgets or Siri. The app runs on iOS 18+, is ad‑free, and requires no subscription. It provides a comprehensive, data‑driven view of fuel costs without locating the cheapest station.

💡 By aggregating official data into an intuitive interface, GasPulse empowers drivers to anticipate price swings and plan fuel purchases, potentially saving money and reducing unnecessary trips.

9to5mac.com · Sep 19

Meta’s new Muse AI agent app overtakes ChatGPT as top iPhone app

Meta’s newly released Muse AI agent app has climbed to the top of the free iPhone charts in the U.S. App Store, surpassing OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Launched earlier this month, Muse has gained traction beyond its initial release, with recent installs driving it to number one. Meta extended Muse’s availability to Mac the day before, though the desktop version does not affect App Store rankings. The app’s agentic design mirrors SpaceXAI’s Grok Bot, offering a conversational interface with personified agents.

💡 The shift signals a competitive edge for Meta’s AI strategy, positioning Muse as a leading alternative to established chatbots. It underscores the growing importance of agentic AI experiences in consumer app ecosystems.

windowscentral.com · Sep 19

Microsoft fixes Excel’s copy-paste bug, but only for a small group of…

Microsoft has released a targeted update that resolves a long‑standing copy‑paste malfunction in Excel, which caused certain cells to lose formatting or data when transferred between worksheets. The fix, rolled out through the Office Insider program, is currently available only to a limited cohort of users participating in the early‑access channel, while the broader public will receive the patch in a later cumulative update. The issue, first reported in early 2023, affected power users and enterprises that rely on complex spreadsheet operations, prompting work‑arounds that slowed productivity. Microsoft’s engineering team confirmed the root cause was a regression in the clipboard handling code introduced in a recent build, and the interim fix includes a rollback of the offending component. Full deployment is slated for the next quarterly update cycle.

💡 By addressing the bug now for insiders, Microsoft demonstrates a commitment to restoring trust among heavy Excel users before the fix reaches the wider audience, preventing further workflow disruptions.

pcworld.com · Sep 18

This free Photoshop alternative runs right in your browser

Photopea, a free browser‑based image editor, offers a robust alternative to Adobe Photoshop for occasional users. The web app handles basic tasks such as cropping, resizing and touch‑ups, while also supporting advanced features including layers, masks, filters, smart objects, vector graphics and AI‑driven tools for background removal and object replacement. Crucially, Photopea can open and save native PSD files, allowing seamless collaboration with Photoshop users without requiring a paid license. Its interface mirrors Photoshop’s layout, with tools on the left, layers on the right and top menus, enabling quick adaptation for those familiar with the Adobe suite. The service runs entirely online, requires no installation and remains completely free to use.

💡 It gives cost‑conscious creators a professional‑grade toolkit without the subscription barrier, expanding access to high‑level image editing.

windowscentral.com · Sep 18

Microsoft Teams will soon support two people sharing screens at once

Microsoft Teams is adding a dual‑screen‑sharing capability that will let two participants broadcast their desktops or apps simultaneously during a meeting. The feature, slated for rollout to commercial and education tenants later this year, expands on the platform’s existing single‑share model and includes controls for presenters to toggle each feed on or off. Microsoft says the update will improve collaborative workflows such as code reviews, design critiques, and remote training by reducing the need to switch between presenters. The change arrives as Teams continues to integrate deeper AI‑driven tools and compete with rivals that already support multiple concurrent shares. Early testing indicates minimal impact on bandwidth and latency. Admins can enable the option via the Teams admin center without licensing.

💡 Allowing two screens at once cuts meeting friction, letting teams troubleshoot or co‑design in real time without the back‑and‑forth of single‑share handoffs.

9to5mac.com · Sep 18

WhatsApp starts rolling out new in-chat search button on iOS

WhatsApp has begun rolling out a new in‑chat search button for iPhone users after several weeks of beta testing. The button appears at the top of the screen when users scroll up in a conversation, channel, or group chat and disappears when they return to the bottom. It allows users to start a search directly within the chat without navigating to the chat info screen. The feature works the same as the existing search mode and is available across all chat types. WhatsApp’s rollout may take time to reach all users.

💡 By embedding search directly in the conversation flow, WhatsApp reduces friction for users seeking specific messages, improving daily usability and efficiency.