We’ve got an OmniFocus 3 update for you. Most of you know our current work is centered around the upcoming OmniFocus 4, but we simply couldn’t wait to share a few new capabilities with OmniFocus users, especially automation fans.
Released today, OmniFocus 3.13 provides a wide range of improvements to Omni Automation—perhaps most notably adding support for Speech Synthesis, but also a number of other improvements as well.
OmniFocus 3.13 addresses a few maintenance issues, of course; but overall, it’s fair to say that OmniFocus 3.13 is a significant automation-focused release. It consolidates numerous advances in Omni Automation, introducing new scripting APIs for Speech Synthesis, System Notifications, Audio Alerts, Read/Write XML, Preferences, Plug-In Credentials, Bookmarks, URL Components, URL Fetch Requests/Responses with Crypto, and new Window class properties for controlling the display of panels.
With these automation enhancements, OmniFocus 3.13 can now take full advantage of the new Voice Control features offered the latest iOS, iPadOS and macOS releases, delivering an incredible level of voice-driven productivity.
If you’re new to Apple’s Voice Control feature, it empowers control of a Mac, iPhone and iPad entirely with one’s voice. It isn’t Siri; it’s control. Voice Control offers an enhanced command and dictation experience, giving full access to every major function of the operating system. For someone with motor limitations, Voice Control is transformative; but one doesn’t need to have motor limitations to have it enhance the experience of using OmniFocus.
Now using Omni Automation and the new scripting classes in OmniFocus 3.13, Voice Control can give you full access to every major function of OmniFocus, using your voice. Particularly useful on iPhone, it’s available on all devices – Mac, iPad and iPhone. You can do things like have it select the first inbox item, have it tell you all of your OmniFocus items due today, or you can tell it to defer an item.
What you do with OmniFocus using your fingers, you can automate to do using your voice. Check out this example on Mac:
And the same example, on iPhone:
These new “speakable” capabilities are fully documented with plentiful examples in the new Voice Control section of the popular Omni Automation website.
We believe it’s important to make OmniFocus available however and wherever you’d like to use it, whether that’s using a keyboard and mouse, a touch screen, a watch, a web browser—or just your voice. Or any combination of the above! We look forward to hearing your stories about how ubiquitous access to OmniFocus helps you get things done.
