App Store Apps

ABC revamps its iPhone, iPad and Apple TV apps, adds throwback shows

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 13, 2016

The American Broadcasting Company (ABC), a broadcast television network owned by the Disney–ABC Television Group, announced today that its Watch ABC app for the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Apple TV shall be known going forward as just ABC. In addition to rebranding, the new ABC app now packs in an overhauled user interface and more content, including exclusive digital series for users who download the app as well as 38 full seasons of “throwback” TV shows.

Disable Mac App Store password prompts for 15 minutes after a purchase

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated April 15, 2021

Have you ever went on an app downloading spree in the Mac App Store only to find that it was going to ask for your password every time you wanted to download a paid app on your Mac?

If you're the only user on your Mac, then you probably don't want to or need to be bothered with having to enter your password each and every time.

Instead, macOS includes a feature that lets you disable password prompts for additional purchases for up to 15 minutes following your first Mac App Store purchase in a succession. We'll show you how to configure this feature in this tutorial.

Developer casting call posted for Apple’s ‘Planet of the Apps’ TV show

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 11, 2018

Television production company Propagate on Tuesday posted an open casting call for its upcoming 'Planet of the Apps' TV show, which it is co-producing with Apple. Developers working on an iOS, macOS, tvOS or watchOS app can apply via the show's website through August 26.

As explained by SVP Eddy Cue back in March, Planet of the Apps will be a nonscripted series about app design and development exclusive to Apple's platforms. Also working on the show are musical artist Will.i.am, and noted TV executives Ben Silverman and Howard T. Owens.

First Pokémon GO update squashes bugs, no longer requires full Google Account access

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 12, 2016

Nearly a week following its official launch in the United States, New Zealand and Australia, Nintendo's incredibly successful Pokémon GO on Tuesday received its first update on the App Store. The freemium app was bumped to version 1.0.1, bringing out much-needed bug fixes whilst resolving an issue which caused the app to crash after attempting to catch any discovered pokémon. More importantly, full Google Account access is no longer needed for those who use this sign-in option.

Pokémon GO is a free download from the App Store.

Scrambled: a new fun anagram puzzle game for all ages

Anthony Bouchard ∙ July 12, 2016

If you’re looking for the next fun word game that you can play to challenge your intellect and pass the time, then you should really give a new App Store game dubbed Scrambled a try.

Scrambled includes three game modes, all of which allow people of all ages to sit back and relax, all while doing their best to recognize words out of a bunch of scrambled letters; these are better known as anagrams.

The runaway success of Pokémon GO highlights safety issues of augmented-reality gaming

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 11, 2016

The runaway success of Pokémon GO is undeniable. In a few short days since its debut last week, the freemium title has become the top free app on the US App Store and the most downloaded and highest-grossing app in the countries where it is available. It sent Nintendo shares up 25 percent, adding $7.5 billion to the company's market capitalization. Furthermore, the game is about to surpass Twitter among Android users in the United States in terms of daily active users.

But there's a darker side to its success as widespread media coverage combined with pent-up interest and the power of the Nintendo and Pokémon brands in some cases seem to be resulting in a string of thefts, burglaries and even car accidents and other injuries.

Nintendo shares post massive gains following Pokémon GO launch

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 2, 2017

Since releasing its augmented-reality game Pokémon GO five days ago on the App Store in the United States, New Zealand and Australia, Nintendo stock has jumped 25 percent, gaining a cool $7.5 billion and posting a record since it began trading in Tokyo in 1983, Reuters reported Monday.

What’s on your Home screen: Cody Lee

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 11, 2018

I’m a little late to the party, but I wanted to join the rest of my colleagues in sharing my iPhone Home screen. I love looking at others’ setups, and getting inspiration from their apps and wallpapers, so I’m happy to post mine in the same vein.

I’ll start off by saying that my Home screen changes fairly frequently. I’m always installing beta versions of iOS, jailbreaking, and doing other things to my iPhone that prompt complete restores, so I don’t get to enjoy any particular setup for very long. And that’s ok with me, as I like rebuilding my Home screen—it’s like rearranging furniture in a room to find a more optimal layout. It’s sort of cathartic.

My current setup I’ve had for a little over a month now. Knowing that the first iOS 10 beta was coming, I decided to get rid of my jailbreak and update to iOS 9.3.2. Not being jailbroken definitely affects how my Home screen looks—I use tweaks like Springtomize to customize the status bar, remove icon labels and make other small, but noticeable changes—but I don’t regret moving on to iOS 10. It’s been a joy to use thus far.

Buno, Folioscope, Instaread, and other apps to check out this weekend

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 11, 2018

It's the weekend again, and you know what that means: it's time for another edition of our Apps of the Week post. For those who aren't familiar with the column, this is where we put together a small list of apps and games that we think are worth checking out, and we think we've really made some awesome selections this week.

Facebook Messenger starts testing end-to-end encryption with Secret Conversations

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated September 12, 2016

The Guardian reported more than a month ago that Facebook would be rolling out end-to-end encryption for chats in Messenger. Friday, the social networking firm announced that it's begun testing the new feature, dubbed Secret Conversations.

An opt-in feature, the new option within the mobile Messenger app for iOS and Android was designed to better support conversations about sensitive topics with end-to-end encryption.

Apple should to do something about useless App Store “change logs”

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated August 23, 2017

The App Store is the best way to download and use apps on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, and every so often, you get an update for one of your apps that is supposed to fix problems or add new features.

Of course, what are you supposed to make of app updates that don’t really give you any information about what you’re downloading?

iOS 10 tidbit: warning message when launching apps that aren’t 64-bit compliant

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 7, 2016

In April 2015, Apple reminded developers that as of June 2015 all apps and app updates submitted to the App Store must include 64-bit support. After more than a year, some apps are still stuck on 32 bits and lack support for 64-bit devices. iOS 10 takes a naming and shaming approach by including a brand new warning message that appears when you open a 32-bit app on a 64-bit iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.