App Store Apps

Facebook getting ready to ape Snapchat with Messenger Day, a visual storytelling feature

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 18, 2016

If you live in Poland or Australia, you might have stumbled upon a brand new feature at the top of Facebook's Messenger app, called Messenger Day. As reported by Mashable on Tuesday, Facebook has begun expanding this new feature across the globe following launch of Instagram Stories last month. Available in the mobile Messenger app for iOS and Android, Messenger Day is about sharing what you're up to in the form of auto-dissapearing updates, stickers and sketches.

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I challenge you to try this iOS puzzle game

Anthony Bouchard ∙ October 17, 2016

I recently downloaded a puzzle game called Blackbox on my iPhone because I was bored one night, and I never thought I would get so enthralled in a mobile game.

This is probably one of the more unique games you’re ever going to play because it’s not like most of the games you play on your iOS devices. In fact, it’s not even close. 

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CallKit issues reportedly force Apple to put some call-directory extensions reviews and approvals on hold

Andrew O'Hara ∙ October 16, 2016

If you've tried any of the call blockers, or spam identifiers in iOS 10, you've surely been disappointed. I've tested out a number of them and they really haven't seemed to do anything at all. Most of the time not blocking, or even identifying calls. It appears we may now know why.

It looks to be an underlying issue with CallKit, Apple's new framework that powers these types of apps.

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Early App Store Search Ads adopters seeing $0.40 CPA and 49.4 percent conversion

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 14, 2016

Announced in June of this year, first ads started cropping up in search results on the App Store beginning October 5. Aside from a few launch hiccups, App Store search advertisements seem to be performing pretty well in their early days.

A new study by mobile data intelligence firm Mobile Action—based on a random and anonymous sampling of 77 Search Ads campaigns—has determined that the average Conversion Rate (CR) is 49.4 percent while Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) sits around $0.40.

Search Ads, the survey concludes, is “the biggest opportunity in app marketing right now.”

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Instagram now has an app for Windows 10 tablets, but still not for the iPad

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 17, 2018

Popular photo-sharing service Instagram yesterday catered to the 'Other' category of mobile users by releasing an app for Windows 10 tablets. So what the heck is going on here? Last time I checked, Apple was still king of the hill in terms of tablet shipments and iOS (26 percent) was second only to Android (65 percent) in terms of tablet operating system share, while Windows tablets captured the remaining nine percent share.

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Apple’s free app of the week: Shadow Bug

Cody Lee ∙ October 13, 2016

Apple on Thursday updated its App of the Week promotion with the game Shadow Bug. This means that for the next 7 days you can pick up the popular platformer for free on both iPhone and iPad—a handsome savings of $4.

In Shadow Bug, you play an underdog ninja hero that must save your home forest from the evil factory by taking out monsters. The game has been praised for its mesmerizing, parallax graphics and breathtaking soundtrack.

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You can now stream Facebook videos to your TV while browsing your News Feed

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 13, 2016

Facebook today announced that users of its mobile app for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch can take advantage of some newly expanded options that let them stream any native video from Facebook to their television through devices like the Apple TV or Google's Chromecast HDMI dongle.

Wait, haven't we always had the ability to stream any video from an iOS device to the Apple TV or an AirPlay-enabled device via Apple's AirPlay feature?

Yes, but this is different in that you can watch Facebook videos on the big screen while browsing the News Feed on the device you're streaming at the same time.

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Periscope update brings camera and sharing improvements & more

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 13, 2016

Periscope, Twitter's live video-streaming app, has been refreshed in the App Store this morning with a few new features related to in-app camera, sharing and more. For starters, you'll notice improved tap-to-focus while broadcasting live video, plus you can now follow a broadcaster from the viewers list with one tap. There are also improvements to Persicope's VIP Program and more.

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Google Photos for iOS gains new features that suggest rotations, resurface images & more

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 13, 2016

Google yesterday announced a pretty interesting update to its free of charge Photos application for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch which brings out four features driven by artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm.

The new version will be rolling out today in the App Store, making it easier to fix some of the pesky sideways photos in your library by suggesting rotations, resurface your forgotten photos for you and more.

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Snapchat launches Story Playlist, no longer automatically loads the next Story

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 11, 2016

Snapchat is removing the Auto Advance feature to give users control of their Story viewing experience once again. It was about goddam time, if I might add. Shortly after Auto Advance debuted in March of this year, folks began complaining that Auto Advance made it impossible to individually choose Stories to watch. The updated app has now replaced Auto Advance with an all-new feature they're calling Story Playlist.

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