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Automatic app profiles: a deck that follows your Mac

TouchDeck knows which app is in front on your Mac. When you switch to an app that has its own deck, your iPhone or iPad switches to it within a moment. When you leave, it goes back to Global, your everyday keys.

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How it works

  1. TouchDeck for Mac notices when a different app comes to the front.
  2. It tells your paired iPhone and iPad which app that is.
  3. If that app has a profile set to Automatic, the deck switches to it; otherwise it shows Global.

Quick app switches are ignored for a moment, so the deck doesn't flicker while you Command-Tab past apps.

A video editor deck on iPhone that opened automatically when the editor came to the front

Stay in control

  • Pick a profile yourself and it stays until you choose Automatic again (shown as Manual)
  • Turn automatic switching off for a device in Settings › Profiles
  • Each device chooses for itself: your iPhone can follow your apps while your iPad stays on Global
  • The Mac's Profiles pane shows which apps switch automatically

Making a profile for an app

Choose From a Mac app and pick the app: TouchDeck reads the keyboard shortcuts from its menus and builds a deck, one page per menu, already set to switch automatically (see automatic shortcut discovery). Or start from a blank page or Everyday Mac and assign the app yourself.

The Global deck on iPhone, shown whenever the app in front has no profile of its own

Questions

Which apps can have a profile?

Any Mac app. A profile can match one or more apps by their identifier, and decks built from an app's menus are matched to it automatically.

What shows when the app in front has no profile?

Global, your everyday deck with volume, media, brightness and the apps you use most.

Can my iPhone and iPad switch differently?

Yes. Each device keeps its own decks and its own switching setting, so one can follow your apps while the other stays put.

Does switching need the internet?

No. The Mac tells your devices directly over your Wi-Fi.

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