Westie Writes
The Westie Writes app icon: a white West Highland terrier holding a pencil, on navy blue.

A writing app for iPhone, iPad and Mac

A calm place for everything you write.

Blog posts, notes, a whole book: keep them together, in the order you want, in a quiet editor that stays out of your way. Everything is saved as ordinary files in your own iCloud Drive, so your writing is always yours.

App Store badge goes here (link to add) Why you might like it
  • iPhone
  • iPad
  • Mac

Needs iOS 26, iPadOS 26 or macOS 26.

Placeholder for Kev: replace the dashed “App Store badge” button with Apple’s official badge (artwork and rules from Apple; do not redraw it) linking to the app’s store page once it exists. The site is written for after launch, so it says nothing about testing or “coming soon”. If the site might go live before the store page does, tell me and I’ll add a holding line.

Illustration of the app. Real screenshots are coming.

Why you might want it

For anyone who writes regularly: blogging, studying, researching, or working on something long.

  • Everything you write, in one place

    Blog drafts, research notes, a book with chapters: give each its own folder, pick a colour, and drag things into the order you want. Add #tags anywhere, and search across all of it.

    Start new pieces from a template, and set a word goal for a sheet or a whole book.

  • A quiet place to write

    Headings, bold and links look right as you type, with no clutter. When you want to focus, keep your line in the middle of the screen or dim everything except the paragraph you’re on.

    You don’t need to know Markdown: there are buttons and shortcuts for bold, headings and lists.

  • Your words are always yours

    Each piece is an ordinary file in your own iCloud Drive, or any folder you choose, named after the piece. Open them in Files, Finder or any other writing app. If you ever stop using Westie Writes, nothing is lost and nothing needs exporting.

  • Nobody is watching

    No account, no sign-in, no tracking, no ads. We don’t run servers, so we never see your writing. Syncing between your devices is Apple’s iCloud Drive, if you choose it.

    Read the privacy policy: it’s short.

And everything else you’d hope for

  • Pictures and PDFs inside your writing
  • Due dates and reminders
  • Share a page from Safari straight into your Inbox
  • Export as Markdown, HTML or PDF
  • Light, dark and sepia themes, three fonts
  • Deleted sheets wait in a Trash
  • Two versions of a sheet? You choose
  • Built with VoiceOver in mind

What “ordinary files” means

Open your Westie Writes folder in Files or Finder and you’ll see exactly what you’d expect: folders, and a file for each piece, named after it. They’re saved as Markdown, a simple way of writing headings and bold with plain text that every writing app understands.

Westie Writes never hides your writing in a database of its own, and opening or browsing never changes a file. The app only writes when you do.

Westie Writes/Inbox/Quick idea.mdBlog/Decision paralysis.mdassets/Book/00 Introduction.mdPart One/

A look inside

Placeholders for Kev: the pictures below are stand-ins. Real screenshots (iPhone, iPad, Mac; light and dark) come from the launch session’s demo library. Replace each image file, keep the alt text accurate, and delete this note.
  • Placeholder: the Westie Writes editor on iPhone showing a sheet in formatted view.
    iPhone: writing a sheet (placeholder)
  • Placeholder: the Westie Writes library on iPad with folders, the sheet list and an open sheet.
    iPad: folders and sheets (placeholder)
  • Placeholder: the Westie Writes window on a Mac with the sidebar, tags and an open sheet.
    Mac: the library window (placeholder)
The Westie Writes icon: a white West Highland terrier with a pencil.

A note from Kev

I write a lot: a blog, a newsletter, research notes and a book. I wanted one calm place for all of it, that wouldn’t hold my words hostage. So I made it.

Westie Writes is named after Beano, our West Highland terrier. He doesn’t write much, but he keeps me company while I do.

Kev O’Callaghan

Draft for Kev: this note is my wording from what your spec says about you and Beano. Rewrite it in your own voice, and swap the icon for a photo of Beano if you like (keep the alt text honest).

Price

DRAFT for Kev to approve: decided 2026-10-16: version 1.0 is free, with no in-app purchases, no tip jar and no ads. This must match the App Store listing exactly. If paid features are ever added, this is where we say plainly what happens to your files and the editor if you stop paying.

Westie Writes is free. There is nothing to buy in the app. DRAFT: Kev to approve this wording.

Questions?

The support page answers the common ones: where your files are, using a different folder, reminders, the Safari extension and keyboard shortcuts.