iDB

iDB app v1.4: a new cache clearing feature and minor fixes under the hood

It's not because today is a holiday in the US that the hard working people of the App Review team are resting on their laurels. As a matter of fact, they were busy reviewing version 1.4 of the iDB app today, which they just approved following our submission a couple of days ago.

For those curious to find out what's new and what's been fixed, read on for the full changelog.

How we built the iDB app – part 2: from design to code

This is a guest post by Giulio Michelon, proud designer and CEO of Belka, the Italian studio that designed and developed the iDB app. We've asked Giulio to come here and share his experience developing the app, from the initial concept to the final product. Part 1 was published last week, and part 3 will be published next week.

In the previous part, we talked about the lo-fi design, which mostly iterates on the basic ideas and concepts. In this part I will talk about the high-fidelity design and the actual implementation of the product.

iDB app update brings our latest stories straight to your Apple Watch

If you've been staring at your wrist for the last four months hoping to one day be able to read iDB stories straight for your Apple Watch, then I have some good news for you.

The good news is of course that we have added support for Apple Watch, letting you browse our latest articles without even having to unlock your iPhone. Welcome to the 21st century!

How we built the iDB app – part 1: concept and design

This is a guest post by Giulio Michelon, proud designer and CEO of Belka, the Italian studio that designed and developed the iDB app. We've asked Giulio to come here and share his experience developing the app, from the initial concept to the final product. In part 1, Giulio will talk about concept and design. Part 2, and 3 will be published over the next couple of weeks.

iDownloadBlog’s app started with a concept from Sebastien: he asked us to build an app to discover the latest news for his blog in a fast and convenient way. He mentioned us some example of the result he wanted to see: something similar to Tinder, but for news.

Introducing the iDB app for iPhone

It took us several years to get here, but today we're pleased to announce that we have released an iDB app for iPhone, available now in the App Store. Before I go into the details behind the app's development, head over to the App Store to download it for free right now.

For the past several years, I’ve put off developing an app because, quite frankly, I didn’t feel there was a real need for one. Sure, a few loyal readers were asking for an iDB app, but in my mind, there was nothing substantial an App Store app could offer over the web-based version of the website that you can just visit in Safari.

Late last year, I began thinking about an app that would take a different approach from what every other blog has launched on the App Store. The core idea was that I definitely wanted to stay away from the vertically scrollable format used by most news apps or web apps. I also wanted a format that would give all content inside the app a chance to be seen, instead of accidentally skipped by a quick swipe up gesture. As a result, you’ll see the iDB app offers a different experience.

How to quickly search iDB using Launch Center Pro

My colleague Timothy Reavis shared a slick little Launch Center Pro action with me, and it was so good that I felt obliged to share it with you guys. Launch Center Pro is, of course, the long running app that brings all sorts of handy shortcuts to your iOS device.

With 3D Touch, Launch Center Pro is even more powerful, because you can quickly execute actions directly from the iOS Home screen. As such, it's possible to initiate a search of iDownloadBlog from anywhere on the Home screen of a 3D Touch-equipped iOS device.