Building Run Ri Run: Crafting a Custom Workout App for the Apple Watch
Sometimes the best ideas come from those closest to you. For me, inspiration struck when my wife began preparing for the Seven Hills Run in Nijmegen. As she trained, I noticed how cumbersome it was to create custom running workouts using the native Workout app on her Apple Watch. She needed something intuitive, flexible, and powerful to help her train effectively. That’s how Run Ri Run was born. Leveraging Apple’s new WorkoutKit SDK, I dove into development. Seven weeks later, the app was live on the App Store—just in time for the big race. Here’s how I turned this idea […]
New widgets in Rigelian to support iOS 18
With the release of iOS 18 only days away, the home-screen widget that has been part of Rigelian since forever will become obsolete: support for these kind of widget ends. WidgetKit is the alternative Apple is offering since iOS 15, and in iOS 17 interactivity has been added. While there are limitations to what these widgets can do, they also offer new possibilities: they can be used in more places, like on any home screen as well as on the lock screen. In addition there are more layout options available. The next version of Rigelian will include an attractive widget […]
Replacement of libmpclient completed
Rigelian, the popular music player app, has made a significant update by replacing libmpdclient with a new Swift-based library, SwiftMPD. This change promises to enhance the app’s stability and performance. SwiftMPD, designed specifically for Rigelian, integrates more seamlessly with the Swift language, reducing potential compatibility issues and bugs. Users can expect a smoother, more reliable experience with faster response times and fewer crashes. This upgrade underscores Rigelian’s commitment to providing a high-quality, robust music streaming experience, leveraging the latest in programming advancements to stay ahead in the digital music landscape.