App Store Apps

You’ll soon be able to apply for a job in Facebook’s mobile app and on the web

Facebook on Thursday announced it's rolling out a new Jobs section on the mobile app and via the web interface at facebook.com/jobs. This new feature will allow users to find and apply for hourly-paid job openings advertised on the service by small businesses in the United States and Canada.

Designed for lower-skilled workers and people who aren’t actively looking for a job, the new section is currently in limited testing in the US. Job posts will be accessible through News Feed via a dedicated Jobs tab and promoted on the business' Facebook Page.

Remember AppGratis? It shut down today.

After seven years and more than fifty million installs globally, the app discovery service AppGratis announced it's shutting down today. Founded in 2010 by French engineer Simon Dawlat, AppGratis curators found and recommended apps that were featured to download for free or at a significantly reduced price.

As some of you will recall, Apple in a controversial move nuked the app from orbit back in April 2013 over a violation of App Store rules regarding third-party app promotion and marketing. After it was dumped from App Store, AppGratis launched an Android version of the app.

The best weather apps for iPad

Legend has it that weather apps are about as old as the App Store itself. Their popularity has always sprung from the simple fact that some people like their weather forecast to be scientific and precise to a T. Some like it punchy and condensed, while again others might just want it to be a visual treat. On iPad, it's much more than a matter of taste though, because whatever Apple's rationale, an in-house application for weather is still notably absent.

As a result of this choice, a number of third-party apps have become household names as weather surrogates on Apple's tablet. Even in 2018, some of the old-timers remain too cogent to overlook, but newer arrivals are starting to give the traditional go-to apps a run for their money. Thusly on merits of capabilities and originality, here are some of the best weather apps for iPad you can choose from today.

Google Maps for iOS updated with shareable lists of your favorite places

Following its most recent update which brought out the ability to track how busy places are in real-time, Google today announced a new Lists feature on Google Maps for iOS that lets you keep track of your favorite places and easily share them with friends.

Beginning today, users are permitted to create custom lists of places, share their lists with others and follow the lists their friends and family share with them, all without leaving the Google Maps app.

Encode, ChitChat, Stabl and other apps to check out this weekend

Ready to settle in for the weekend? iDB is here to help with a new edition of our Apps of the Week roundup. This week's selections include a new app that helps you learn how to code, a new group messaging app, and an app that helps you discover new podcasts. And as usual, we've picked two great new games for you to check out.

You can now check detailed weather forecast on Facebook

You can now safely delete those weather apps on your iPhone as Facebook just launched a brand new weather forecast section in its iPhone and iPad app and on the web, powered by Weather.com.

An updated version of its earlier weather greetings in News Feed, this latest feature addition indicates that the social networking behemoth continues to seek out new ways to increase user engagement and boost the stickiness of its platform.

Premium entertainment network Epix launches Apple TV app with free trial

Premium entertainment network Epix today announced its new app for the fourth-generation Apple TV is now available for download on App Store. Similar in terms of features and appearance to their iPhone and iPad app, the Apple TV app permits owners of Apple's media-streaming box to watch live television, browse movie trailers, add videos to a queue, watch thousands of movies on demand and more.

Flibpoard 4.0 brings personalized Smart Magazines & more streamlined experience

Remember Flipboard, an iPhone and iPad app originally conceived as a news reader before it got rebranded as your social news magazine? If you still care about the app, you'll be pleased to learn they just announced a major new version with a more streamlined experience and personalized Smart Magazines tailored to your interest. Flibpoard users have created more than 30 million magazines since the app's inception in 2010.

The mobile Flipboard app currently includes news content and articles from thousands of publishers scattered across tens of thousands of different topics.

Valentine’s Day event for trainers in Pokémon GO is kicking off today through next week

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, developer Niantic Labs today announced that a special Valentine's Day-themed event is available in Pokémon GO beginning today, February 8 at 11am PT / 2pm ET and running through February 15.

During this special  in-game promotion, players will be treated to double the amount of candy every time they catch, hatch and transfer Pokémon. Plus, their Buddy Pokémon will find candy twice as fast.

Facebook Messenger testing iOS 10 Messages-like chat interface redesign

Facebook is testing a redesign of the chat interface in Messenger for iPhone, which in some aspects resembles Apple's overhauled iOS 10 Messages app. The enhanced chat UI is currently being tested with a small subset of Messenger's user base, but there's no telling when, or if it might launch for everyone. I spotted Messenger's upcoming chat UI refresh on a friend's device. At the time of this writing, the Messenger app on App Store had version 103.0.

The best flight tracker apps for iPhone

To many of us, the airplane has become as normal a means of transportation as the train or bus. By extension, when a family member or close friend is up in the air these days, tracking their journey on our smartphones has turned into a popular way to vicariously keep an eye on them. Ultimately, regardless of who is boarding the plane, the perks of having information about a flight in the palm of your hand have been recognized by countless travelers, which has given rise to an almost indefinite number of flight trackers.

Giving all of these a fair shot is difficult, however a lot can be achieved just by compartmentalizing the vast array in what’s current versus what’s stuck in the past, or which apps offer additional value beyond the very rudimentary basics. In applying these filters, a large number of flight trackers already fall flat and surprisingly few worthy candidates remain standing.

We have weeded through that list to single out the best flight tracking apps available as of today. The four winners picked operate on notably different value propositions, proving that not all flight trackers are completely interchangeable. Find out below which one is the best pick for you.

Codex, Findr, Hutch and other apps to check out this weekend

This week's edition of our Apps of the Week roundup includes some great selections such as a beautiful scanning app, an app for finding out what kind of personal info about you is on the web, and an app that helps you redecorate. And as always, we have some great new games for you to check out.