Quadro is a super-charged Touch Bar that runs on iOS devices

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Quadro
Quadro does more than the Touch Bar, and works with Windows, too.
Photo: Quadro

You don’t have to break the bank on a new MacBook Pro to get Touch Bar functionality. Thanks to an app called Quadro, you can add a super-powered Touch Bar with even more features than the real thing to any Mac or Windows PC.

Lots of apps turn your iOS device into an extension of your computer, either as a secondary control interface or an additional monitor. But Quadro is focused on making everything you do a whole lot easier.

Like the Touch Bar, it offers handy shortcuts inside your favorite apps. For instance, you’ll see a search button, the option to open a new tab, buttons for quickly switching between tabs, and more inside Safari. What’s more, Quadro lets you customize the look of each of those buttons.

But it’s more than just a fancy function strip. Unlike the Touch Bar, Quadro also offers automation. It doesn’t just launch apps, but also custom sequences that you can compose yourself from a plethora of options. It’s like an IFTTT for desktop apps.

Quadro with Safari
Quadro alongside Safari.
Photo: Quadro

So, you can create a button that opens Mail and then creates a new email to a specified contact. You can have another button that opens Photoshop and automatically hides all the other windows you have open. Another button could open iTunes and automatically start a certain playlist.

And yes, Quadro can also display formatting shortcuts and emoji characters while you’re typing.

Quadro doesn’t do everything the Touch Bar does, but it does a lot of things the Touch Bar can’t. It’s also already being used to control more than 596 macOS and Windows apps. Perhaps the best part about it, however, is the price.

The basic version of Quadro, which lets you create 50+ templates to control your most-used apps, is completely free — and always will be, according to its creators. And if you want the ability create infinite templates and customize their look, it’s just $9.99 a year.

Go download Quadro now to get started.

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