Track the evolution of alto.index
Version 4.0 (September 2026)
- Choose what syncs: tick the folders and notes from Apple Notes, the mailboxes from Mail, the lists from Reminders, the calendars from Calendar, and the same for Messages, Bear, Contacts, Voice Memos, bookmarks, Books, Podcasts, Kindle and Screen Time. Anything new exports on its own unless you untick it.
- Organize Apple Notes by folder, by tag or by smart folder, and Contacts in one folder, by group or by company. Notes and Bear export as Markdown or HTML.
- Full resync removes only the files alto.index wrote, and every source card works the same way, with a sync bar that never moves the layout.
- Contacts and Calendar now read straight from their folder on your Mac, the way every other source already did. Contact notes come across for the first time, and repeating events still export every time they happen. Each asks you to pick its folder once, and everything you already exported stays where it is.
- Notes and Messages export in a richer format, the same one as our notes exporter app. A note is named by its title, carries whether it is pinned or shared, and links to the notes it mentions. A conversation shows replies, every earlier version of an edited message, and links each person to their contact file, which in turn lists their conversations. Every file is rewritten once, on the first sync.
- Setting up a source takes you through it one step at a time, and a folder that does not hold that source's data is turned away on the spot, with the name of what it was looking for.
- alto.index now speaks seventeen languages: Arabic, Czech, German, Spanish, French, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese and Simplified Chinese, alongside English.
- Apple Books and Screen Time open their folder in the right place, and Apple Mail and Phone Calls reconnect on their own when the app starts.
- Every screen is translated, and so are the macOS permission prompts.
Version 3.2 (September 8, 2026)
- Your exports go back where they belong. Since May, alto.index wrote each source straight into the folder you picked, so anyone who picked Documents got nineteen folders loose in it. Files land in alto-index inside that folder again, and the folders left loose are moved back in for you, once. Nothing is deleted or overwritten.
- alto.index speaks German, Spanish, French, Japanese, Korean and Simplified Chinese. Every screen, and the macOS permission prompts too.
- A first run that tells you where you are: pick a folder, connect a source, sync. One button at a time, and it says which step you are on.
- An About page of its own, on the heart in the toolbar and in the alto.index menu. What is new, who made it, how to send an issue or an idea, and the newsletter.
- The heart in the bottom bar carries a dot when there is something new to read, and the card behind it now has the release notes it was always meant to show.
- Help opens with the way to reach us instead of burying it under the explainers, and the alto.index Help menu goes there rather than nowhere.
Version 3.1 (September 1, 2026)
- Menu bar mode: keep syncing with the window closed. Status for every source lives in the menu bar, and you turn it on in settings.
- Fair local prices in 57 countries, and the app now shows prices straight from the App Store in your own currency.
- Send feedback without leaving the app: report an issue, request a feature or ask a question right from the Help tab.
- Connected sources now sort to the top of the list.
- A new icon, cleaner typography, hover-only scrollbars, and Screen Time finally wears its real icon.
Version 3.0 (August 2026)
- Four new connections: Bear (your notes and tags), Chrome bookmarks (every profile), Podcasts (shows and episodes you follow) and Screen Time (daily app, web and notification usage)
- Apple Mail is real: every message exports as Markdown, one folder per year, with a link back into Mail
- Your export folder explains itself: every sync writes a README and Claude Code skills for each connection. Contacts get a people page that links their messages, calls and events
- A connection that fails once is retried on the next sync, a stuck source no longer stalls the others, and disconnect stays disconnected after a restart
- Full Resync really re-exports everything, and your Mac can sleep normally while alto.index is open
- The MCP server speaks streamable HTTP, listens only on your own machine and rejects requests from web pages. If you connected Claude Desktop before, reinstall the extension
- Free exports give you your most recent conversations and the calendar events nearest today
Version 2.1 (May 2026)
- Fixed voice memos creating duplicate audio files on every sync
- Fixed connections not staying disconnected after app restart
- Fixed background sync stopping when switching to another app
- Active connections sort to the top of the list
- Auto-start option for the MCP server in Settings
- Cleaned up connection card UI
Version 2.0 (March 2026)
- Every connection is free to try with an item limit; pay once only to unlock full history
- Screenshots connection with OCR text extraction
- Phone Calls connection
- Open any connection folder in Claude Code, Zed or Codex from Settings › Tools
- MCP server for AI assistants
- Item counters instead of lock icons
Version 1.27 (March 2026)
- New Granola format support
- Fixed group chats in Messages
- Screenshots, first version
Version 1.26 (March 2026)
- Apple Notes metadata carries the note's Core Data id
- Messages no longer merges the wrong chats
Version 1.24 (February 2026)
- New bundle: unlock any three connections
Version 1.23 (February 2026)
- MCP connection moved to the footer and the main screen
Version 1.22 (February 2026)
- Phone Calls export
Version 1.21 (February 2026)
- Kindle: Export your Kindle books with highlights and notes
- Apple Books: Export your books with annotations and highlights
Version 1.20 (February 2026)
- New logo
- Reminders: Fully redone with support for URLs and attachments
Version 1.19 (January 2026)
- Granola: Export your meeting notes and transcripts to markdown
Version 1.18 (January 2026)
- UI Refresh: A cleaner, more native look
Version 1.17 (November 2025)
- Fix issue with MCP server location
- MCP server always shows green when running
Version 1.15 (September 2025)
- Add troubleshoot functionality for Apple Notes connection
Version 1.14 (August 2025)
- Small update to Messages date format
Version 1.13 (August 2025)
- First version of MCP server and Claude Desktop Extension
Version 1.12 (August 2025)
- Incremental sync now also supports Notes deletion
Version 1.11 (August 2025)
- Proper incremental sync for Notes and Messages
- Background sync is live now
Version 1.10 (July 2025)
- Making code more robust for edge cases
Version 1.9 (July 2025)
- Improve design for configuration cards
- Improve how incremental syncs work
Version 1.8 (July 2025)
- If Contacts connection is enabled Messages export will use contact names
Version 1.7 (July 2025)
- Add Settings tab with ability to select terminal app
Version 1.6 (July 2025)
- New "Today" tab to show latest resources
Version 1.5 (July 2025)
- Support for Voice Memos export
Version 1.4 (July 2025)
- Add support for converting browsing history and bookmarks into markdown files
Version 1.3 (July 2025)
- Fix Messages sync issue
Version 1.2 (June 2025)
- Add support for Calendar: export all calendar events as markdown files
Version 1.1 (June 2025)
- Add support for Reminders export
Version 1.0 (June 2025)
- Initial release
- Apple Notes: Export all your notes with attachments and formatting
- Messages: Transform iMessage conversations into markdown