App Store Apps

Instead of a much-wanted Dislike button, Facebook adds six reactions to its Like button

Facebook on Wednesday announced a move that has been long in the making: the company is extending the functionality of its ubiquitous Like button with six different reactions that help describe users' mood and express how something they see in the News Feed makes them feel.

Available to all users globally across all mobile and desktop platforms, the six new reactions—Like, Love, Haha, Wow, Sad or Angry—can be applied by holding down the Like button on mobile or hovering over the Like button on desktop.

Quiver 3: a digital notebook built for developers

Without fail, anytime I settle down to work on a programming project, a large chunk of my time is devoted to searching Google and StackOverflow for the best ways to tackle a given coding issue. Even if I haven't run into a problem per se, looking for the most efficient approach to a function or finding a snippet of code that carries out a specific purpose are just a couple reasons why I'm continuously researching whatever language with which I'm working. That's why Quiver is such a huge help to me.

Major MacID software update now available for iOS and OS X

Popular for letting users unlock their Mac with the Touch ID sensor on their iPhones and/or iPads, MacID comes with a slew of other useful features as well that take advantage of a Bluetooth connection between these devices.

A massive update to the $3.99 MacID app for iOS devices and the free software for Macs is now available that provides a slew of improvements and new features for users. 

Viber gains more 3D Touch goodies, Split View and Slide Over multitasking on iPad Pro and other perks

Viber, the popular instant messaging application, has received an update in the App Store. Bumped to version 5.8, the app now works side-by-side with other apps in iOS 9's new Split View and Slide Over multitasking on the iPad Pro.

On the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, your most recent chats are now available right from the app's 3D Touch shortcut menu on the Home screen.

This edition of Viber also packs in some other improvements related to 'read' and 'liked' icons in group chats and an all-new media browser for chats.

YouTube picks up native resolution support on iPad Pro

Google on Tuesday issued a small update to its YouTube client in the App Store, adding support for the iPad Pro's 12.9-inch 2,732-by-2,048 pixel resolution screen, bringing the app's version number to 11.0.6.

Unfortunately, advanced iPad-only features provided by iOS 9 are not yet supported in YouTube for iOS, namely the new Slide Over and Split View multitasking modes.

This edition of YouTube also fixed a bug that caused the keyboard to freeze while commenting and another one which caused the app to crash after adding a Google or YouTube account on iOS 7.

Skype is shutting down Qik

Microsoft has confirmed that it it will be shutting down Qik, its ephemeral mobile video messaging app which debuted on mobile in October of 2014. Marketed under the Skype brand, the app promised to make video conversations “more spontaneous and fun so you don’t have to wait until your next call to connect with your favorite people.”

Following a few updates, the app has introduced support for the iPhone 6/6s screen sizes and added some new languages and video effects, but not much in way of new features.

Rayman Classic, Sunshine and more apps to check out this weekend

We've put together an awesome list of apps and games for you to checkout this weekend, including a new weather app that's beautifully designed and offers some interesting features, and not one but two classic games that have been brought back to life for the mobile era. So without further ado, here are the Apps of the Week.

Liven up your tweets and direct messages on Twitter with animated GIFs

The next time you tweet out an update or message someone on Twitter, try adding a little flair to your tweets or direct messages in the form of animated GIFs.

Earlier in the week, the micro-blogging startup announced it's integrating a dedicated GIF search button in its mobile apps and on twitter.com to help you add that viral kitten GIF to your posts without leaving the compose window.

Twitter's partnered with Giphy and Riffsy to help you find the right GIF animation to express your mood. You can search GIFs by keyword, or browse categories of different reactions like Happy Dance, Mic Drop, YOLO and more.

Apple names ‘Warhammer 40K: Deathwatch: Tyranid Invasion’ its free App of the Week

Apple on Thursday added "Warhammer 40,000: Deathwatch: Tyranid Invasion" to its App of the Week promotion. This means that for the next 7 days, you'll be able to download the popular turn-based strategy game for both iPhone and iPad for free, a solid savings of $2.

Deathwatch: Tyranid Invasion is a popular entry in the Warhammer franchise, hailed for its beautiful graphics and strong gameplay. In it, players must make their way through 40 missions while building up an extensive roster of weapons, gear and band of marine soldiers.

How to enable ‘Show me the best tweets first’ on Twitter

Twitter recently unveiled a new feature that lets you elect to have the service surface new and interesting content at the top of your timeline since your last visit.

Called “Show me the best tweets first,” it's a staggered release so not everyone may have it at the same time although the majority of Twitter's user base should now see this option in their settings.

This post will take you through the steps you need to take in order to enable this feature in Twitter's mobile apps and in the desktop interface, so that you never miss important updates from people you follow.

Skype group video calling starts rolling out with support for up to 25 participants

As promised, Microsoft has begun rolling out free group video calling in Skype's mobile apps for iOS and Android devices, Engadget reported this morning.

According to Microsoft, this feature will allow Skype users to video chat with up to 24 other people at once in crisp 1080p resolution, and each participant can flip between the front and back camera mid-call.

Group video calling in mobile Skype apps is going to be available to users in North America and Western Europe. “We plan to be fully available worldwide in March,” said Skype.