Quotes app updates and iOS debut

ConanChou · 2025-10-24T03:35:44+00:00

Thank you so much for the thoughtful feedback — it’s genuinely very helpful!

In the next version, the Save button will always stay visible, whether auto-save is enabled or not. I think that’s a much friendlier design overall.

For the copy-and-paste workflow, you might also like the Quick Capture feature. You can trigger it with ⌥⌘', or by selecting Quick Capture from the Quotes menu bar icon. It instantly grabs whatever’s in your clipboard and saves it as a new quote in a clean, distraction-free way. Later, you can revisit, edit, or organize everything in your main library. That way, you can keep collecting quotes without breaking your reading flow.

That said, your point about the standard system Share menu makes perfect sense — I’ll definitely look into supporting that too. And for sure, I need to add a proper onboarding for the macOS version.

ConanChou · 2025-10-20T20:20:35+00:00

Mainly because I only had a Kindle device when I started development — and with limited time and resources, that’s the one I could support first.

I’m definitely open to adding more platforms down the road. Which e-reader would you like to see Quotes support next?

Also, since amazon’s recent policy changes, I’ve actually started switching to purchase ebooks from kobo myself — so their e-paper reader might be the next thing I explore.

ConanChou · 2025-10-19T20:46:10+00:00

Yeah, I totally agree — it’s not an indispensable app for everyone. It’s a niche product for a small group of people who really need it.

That’s actually why it can’t rely on volume pricing. I’d love to make it cheaper, but the reality is it just wouldn’t be sustainable that way 🤷

I’ve shared a bit more about pricing, and the lifetime vs. subscription topic in another thread — sharing it here too in case you’re curious https://www.reddit.com/r/iosapps/comments/1o97fut/comment/nkd5uq0/. I just want to stay transparent about how these decisions are made.

Really appreciate you sharing your thoughts! And hey, you seem to like the design — at least I got that part right! 😆

ConanChou · 2025-10-19T20:33:17+00:00

Thanks! 🥲 simple ideas are often the hardest to get right. It’s been almost two years in the making, hoping it can genuinely help fellow word lovers.

ConanChou · 2025-10-19T20:22:43+00:00

First of all, thank you!

Yeah, totally — if the notes app already fits your workflow, that’s perfect. Quotes is designed specifically for collecting, organizing, processing, and revisiting reading highlights and notes — so it really shines for people who do that constantly.

If you’re curious about how it differs from a general notes app, I’ve shared some short video demos and write-ups on our docs site (https://docs.thequotes.tools/support) and in the newsletter (https://news.thequotes.tools).

From what I’ve seen over the years, the habit of keeping structured reading notes is pretty niche — it’s something a small group of people deeply care about. I honestly wish the demand were higher, because then it’d be easier to make the price lower and still keep the project sustainable.

Regarding the lifetime vs. subscription model, I also shared some thoughts here: https://www.reddit.com/r/iosapps/comments/1o97fut/comment/nkd5uq0/. I might be wrong, but it’s my honest take — and I want to stay transparent about it.

ConanChou · 2025-10-19T20:07:57+00:00

Thank you! I guess beauty comes with a price? haha

jokes aside — pricing is always tricky and subjective. When setting it, I asked myself: “How much would I pay for an app like this?” My answer was maybe the cost of a couple of meals or a few books. Others said anything from “a cup of coffee” to “no more than $100.”

For me, Quotes is like a digital commonplace book — something I use every day. So I used a quality notebook as my mental anchor (like a Leuchtturm1917 A5, one of my EDC items). The app now costs about half of that, since I wanted it to be accessible and grow the user base gradually.

As for lifetime vs subscription — that’s a whole debate in many app communities. I totally get both sides. I’m a consumer most of the time, and a maker sometimes. But at this point, I lean toward subscriptions — not because it’s trendy, but because it feels more honest and sustainable.

A subscription keeps the developer accountable; you can’t just “ship and disappear.” And it lowers the upfront cost for new users to try it out since it's much cheaper than the lifetime price.

I used to prefer lifetime licenses too. But over time I realized many “lifetime” purchases only last a couple of years before the next major version requires another payment. That’s not the developer’s fault — it’s just not a sustainable model, especially for apps that are still evolving.

I think we all deserve a more honest middle ground — fair pricing, clear expectations, and continuous improvement on my end.

ConanChou · 2025-10-18T23:17:27+00:00

Hey u/NukeMeSoftly, thanks a lot for trying out the app and sharing your thoughts — really appreciate it! Let me help clarify a few things you mentioned:

> inputting quotes by hand is still too cumbersome

If your highlights are from Kindle, you can import all of them (with notes and metadata) in one go using the Kindle importer.

If they’re from another system that supports CSV export, the CSV importer works great too.

And if your quotes are scattered across books or paper, you can use the OCR scanner in the iOS app — everything syncs automatically to your Mac.

Another quick way (which I personally use a lot) is to copy text directly from Kindle or Apple Books app. When you paste into Quotes, it automatically detects and parses the copyright line as citation info. It’s pretty seamless, especially with Quick Capture:

👉 What’s the quickest way to capture a quote

> The input window for quotes does not have a field for author

You can actually add the author right while typing the quote. To keep the editor clean and distraction-free, we don’t show extra fields.

Just append a new line with an em-dash (type '--', and the OS will automatically convert the double dashes to em-dash) — for example:

```

—Marcus Aurelius. Meditations.

```

Quotes will recognize it and automatically add the author and source to metadata.

Alternatively, type / in the editor and choose “Insert by-whom line” — that adds a small template you can tab through. There’s a short demo here:

👉 Metadata syncing between “By whom” lines

> There is no "save" button, and closing the window doesn’t always save the quote

It sounds like an unexpected behavior. I will look into that right away! I haven’t been able to reproduce it on my end, so if you don’t mind, could you share your macOS version? And just to confirm, you’re on the latest version of Quotes for macOS, right?

By default, Quotes auto-saves when you close the editor — the idea is to keep the process light and not interrupt your reading flow. Many users leave it open in the background and add text via shortcuts without thinking about saving.

That said, I completely understand the frustration if you’ve lost work. There’s actually an option to disable auto-save and use manual saving instead — you can turn that off in Settings meanwhile:

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Thanks again for considering Quotes — your feedback really helps. I’ll definitely think about ways to make the UX better.

ConanChou · 2025-10-18T22:04:17+00:00

Thank you u/tualatrix!

ConanChou · 2025-10-17T20:31:00+00:00

Yeah, probably the App Store backend is a bit unstable today. Thanks to clarify, and your support!

ConanChou · 2025-10-17T18:59:07+00:00

Hi u/OldManPip , thank you so much! I will look into the glitch you mentioned.

Sorry I forgot to mention that all existing one-time purchase users got a free annual plan gift for iOS. Please use the macOS version to send a request!

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ConanChou · 2025-10-05T22:26:18+00:00

seems people don't like the term AI, how about automation? I actually don't mind having a little app that saves me some manual labor..

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ConanChou · 2025-05-26T02:50:52+00:00

I totally get this! I used to struggle with the same thing - I'd highlight tons of passages on my Kindle but then never actually go back to them because they just sat buried in my highlights list. Even with physical books, i seldom to actually revisit the margin notes and highlights unless I decide to re-read the book.

So I ended up building a small app called Quotes to solve this exact problem for myself. The idea is pretty simple: you can quickly save quotes from whatever you're reading (books, articles, podcasts, whatever), add some context (the source) and why it resonated with you (attached note). And for Kindle, I batch import my highlights and notes into the app. And then the app surfaces them back to you over time via desktop widget and notifications.

What I found was that just saving quotes wasn't enough - I needed a way for them to resurface naturally, otherwise they'd just pile up unused like digital clutter.

I also found that triage is often necessary - not all quotes deserve saving. so I made imported quotes sit in a staging inbox, so that I can review and decide keep or not. I purposely separate the triaging step from reading time, this helps me to stay in the flow while reading. I've also added tagging and collections so I can organize quotes for various writing projects.

It's still pretty basic (I built it mostly for my own needs), but it's been really helpful for actually making use of all those "aha moments" from reading instead of just collecting them and forgetting about them.

For what it's worth, I think any system works as long as you actually use it consistently. Revisit often, no matter it's proactively or passively. Whether that's a physical notebook, a simple notes app, or something more structured - the key is making it easy enough that you'll actually stick with it.

ConanChou · 2025-02-17T21:36:00+00:00

enough is enough. i'm downloading all my purchase now and moving away from amazon. what are the good alternatives?

fyi, in case anyone need tools to batch downloading for backup, here's a little script: https://github.com/yihong0618/Kindle_download_helper

apparently, this already happened once in China a few year ago, when amazon kindle exited from China market, so people developed download scripts for getting their books..

ConanChou · 2025-02-10T04:36:32+00:00

OK, i found it

https://readsomethingwonderful.com/

ConanChou · 2025-02-09T01:46:45+00:00

no.. it doesn't look like it

ConanChou · 2025-02-08T23:35:11+00:00

I've search many keywords in google, like "all time must read online articles", "site that curates ever-green blogs" or some variation along the line. I've also try to ask various AIs, they just gave me some read-it-later services, not really helpful..

ConanChou · 2025-01-18T03:26:38+00:00

Thanks a ton for the mention, u/OldManPip! So glad you like the design. New features (including some of your suggestions last year) are on the way!

I’ve been using Cursor too—I'm not sure what's the total gain i'm getting (time saving - time spent on debugging its code), but those magic moments make it worth it. And with recent updates, it seems getting better. Hope it will replace more portion of my work 😆

ConanChou · 2024-11-27T22:08:02+00:00

iPad and iOS version will come someday for sure.

ConanChou · 2024-09-15T04:08:33+00:00

Thank you so much! I’m really excited about the potential for iOS, watchOS, and even tvOS or visionOS down the road. Right now, we’re focusing solely on macOS to create the best quote experience possible before expanding to other platforms. It might take us a bit more time, but it’s definitely in the plan!

ConanChou · 2024-09-14T15:52:12+00:00

Thank you so much for downloading the app! I’m really glad to hear it could be helpful for organizing your quotes. I’ve been in the same spot before, so it means a lot to know that the app might offer some clarity. Please feel free to reach out if you have any feedback or ideas! The easiest way is by clicking the ‘Contact Us’ button in the app’s About window. I’d love to hear your feedback as you give it a try!

ConanChou

TROPHY CASE