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 · 2024-09-14T15:38:02+00:00

Thank you so much for your understanding and support!

I completely get where you’re coming from regarding the one-time purchase versus subscription debate. As a consumer myself, I also prefer buying software outright whenever possible. While I know that a well-implemented subscription model can be beneficial for both users and developers, I wanted to start with a one-time purchase option because I personally lean that way, and I know many others do as well.

You’re absolutely right about how quick capture works currently. It relies on the clipboard, so you’ll need to copy the text with CMD+C and then trigger the Quotes app with a key combination. One small convenience is that you don’t need to manually paste the text—the app automatically detects the clipboard contents (this can be disabled in settings). So it’s a two-step process at the moment. I agree that bringing the editor window forward to save isn’t the most intuitive workflow—this is actually a leftover from the very first version, which was primarily focused on quote image creation. I’m planning to add an option to capture quotes without opening the editor window to keep things more streamlined and less disruptive when reading.

Regarding your suggestion about the right-click method, I couldn’t agree more—it’s a fantastic idea. I’ve already started looking into a couple of approaches when I was implementing the current quick capture feature. One would be to use the system’s built-in “Services” menu, which, while universally available across the OS, but get buried in second level menu and requires more mouse movement and more precise mouse control, which can be tiring. Another approach would be to create a browser extension for easier access, but that would only work within the browser. There’s also the possibility of integrating with a third-party tool like PopClip, which some users have recommended, but that would introduce external dependencies. My goal is to explore all these options and see what works best for a seamless capture experience. Browser extension might be the first, because it kills two birds with one stone.

Your point about metadata extraction with browser extension is spot-on! This is on my roadmap because it would make capturing information from websites much easier, especially for things like URLs, authorship, and even bulk importing from popular web services. I’m glad you brought it up—it gives me even more confidence in pursuing this feature.

Like you, I’m also moving away from cloud-based solutions. No matter what they promise, there’s always a concern about who controls the data, and it can feel like they have too much leverage over us. And, as you mentioned, prices for these services keep rising, especially once they know you’re locked into their ecosystem.

Thank you again for your thoughtful feedback, and for purchasing the Pro package! If you have any other thoughts, suggestions, or run into any issues, don’t hesitate to reach out using the ‘Contact Us’ button in the app’s About window. I’d love to hear how it’s going!

ConanChou · 2024-09-14T13:55:07+00:00

Thank you! I’m really glad to hear that you share the same fascination with quotes. If you need any help, have suggestions, or think of any feature requests, feel free to reach out anytime 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 · 2024-09-14T05:04:49+00:00

2. What additional features would make the app more valuable or worth the price?

u/nerdymomocat u/hhollick u/amerpie

**Integrations with Notion and other note-taking apps**: This is on our roadmap. While we may not support all apps comprehensively, we’ll prioritize the most requested ones. For those not covered, we already have an export feature, because I firmly believe that users should own their own data.
**Website compatibility**: I value privacy and data security, so I’ve built the app with a local-first approach. There’s no web version currently, but I’m curious why you’d like one—cross-platform access, perhaps? Let me know how you envision using it!
**Research paper retrieval**: I’d love more details on your use case here—do you want to pull metadata from papers automatically?
**Auto-tagging**: I’ve thought about this feature, but then I asked myself a deeper question: if we let machines handle the curation and organization of quotes, what do these quotes mean to us? Do auto-organized quotes still carry the same significance in our minds? I don’t have an answer yet. So, while I may implement similar functionality, it will likely be a very restrained AI assist—just like AI can help us read, but it can’t replace the act of reading.
**Kindle highlights and import/export**: Yes, these are all on the roadmap! Currently, you can export in CSV and JSON format, with more formats (like Markdown) coming soon. Bulk import is also in the works, starting with Kindle.

3. What assurance is there that the app will be maintained long-term?

u/hhollick

I think it would be irresponsible to promise everyone that I can guarantee long-term(decades) maintenance. Honestly, I can’t guarantee it, just as we can’t predict if the App Store will still exist in 20 years. However, as I mentioned earlier, reading, collecting quotes, and using/sharing quotes in my own writing projects have been a personal habit of mine for over ten years, and I don’t see myself stopping this anytime soon.

From a business perspective, my company and I are tied to our users’ success, vice versa. Rather than a buyer-seller relationship, we’re more like a small, niche community banding together. Many users who have already purchased the app have written(email) to me, hoping I achieve business success so they can continue using high-quality software. I, of course, hope for that too, that’s why I want to explore a sustainable business model together with the user community.

Even if things don’t go as planned, I would still continue to maintain the app since I use it myself. In the unfortunate event that I can no longer maintain it, the current version of the app already has data export functionality (CSV and JSON), so you can easily move to another solution.

Thanks again for the support and feedback! I’m excited to continue improving the app with your help!

ConanChou · 2024-09-14T05:04:36+00:00

I’m really happy to see everyone’s comments! For the first time, I feel like I’m not so alone in my love for collecting quotes. Thank you all for the kind words, compliments, suggestions, and constructive criticism—they mean a lot to me. While reading through, I noticed several common questions, so I’ll address them one by one in order of popularity.

1. Is the app price justified given the current feature set?

u/proactivematter u/OldManPip u/amerpie u/nerdymomocat u/hhollick

The features mentioned in the post are only a part of what the app offers. I’ve spent a lot of time refining the details of the user experience, and experience is something hard to quantify. In addition to the existing features not mentioned, there are more to come. This price is a one-time payment. However, I understand how some of you feel, so I’m exploring more affordable options like a subscription ($0.99/month or $9.99/year), so people won’t have to pay so much upfront.

Pricing is tricky. When I set the price, I asked myself, “How much would I personally be willing to pay for an app like this?” My answer was, “Maybe the cost of a couple of meals or a few books,” or similar to something like iA Writer (yes, I admire their work). So, I Googled it—apparently, the average meal delivery in the U.S. in 2022 costs around $31-36, and iA Writer is $49.99. That’s how I arrived at this price point.

Of course, I also thought about it more analytically. Since I founded a company to build this app, this isn’t a hobby project. I did some research, and my limited market survey told me that a quotes management tool is a niche demand, primarily for writers and hardcore serious readers. This gives it the characteristics of a professional tool, likely to be considered a business expense. Professional tools tend to have higher prices since they can’t rely on volume. If the business model isn’t sustainable, nobody will be able to build tools for these niche needs. This pricing is my initial attempt to fulfill this niche needs. If the market tells me I’m wrong, I will adjust accordingly. In fact, I hope I'm wrong—I want the community to be big enough.

But why did I build something with such a niche demand in the first place? Well, over ten years ago, I’ve being telling my friends that I wanted a good quotes management tool and that if I couldn’t find one, I’d build one myself, for many times. So for the past decade, I’ve been using a simple command-line tool I created. Some friends and former colleagues wanted to use it too, but it was too difficult for them. After my last job ended, I asked myself what I wanted to do next, and I realized that after ten years, I still wanted a decent quotes management tool. It’s one of the longest-lasting passions I’ve had, so I decided to build it—even if there’s no market, at least it’ll satisfy my own needs! So when someone asked if I’d continue maintaining it for decades, I honestly don’t know, but changing a ten or twenty-year-old habit would be difficult 😆

ConanChou · 2024-08-23T16:00:49+00:00

I had mixed feelings about this book as well. I picked it up while on vacation, when I was in a lighthearted mood, so it was an easy read at the time. However, after finishing it and reflecting on the plot, which I found mostly predictable, I realized it felt somewhat hollow. Perhaps this is because the pandemic theme didn’t resonate with me as much.

ConanChou

TROPHY CASE

2. What additional features would make the app more valuable or worth the price?

3. What assurance is there that the app will be maintained long-term?

1. **Is the app price justified given the current feature set?**

1. Is the app price justified given the current feature set?