App Store Apps

Swype keyboard is temporarily free in the App Store

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 30, 2018

I have a love/hate relationship with third-party keyboards. On the one hand, they theoretically provide a better way to input text on your iOS device. On the other, I've found them to actually make me waste more time than I would using the stock keyboard. But I'm not giving up yet on keyboards, especially on Swype, which has been my favorite one so far.

Normally priced at $0.99, Swype is currently available for free as Apple's App of the Week in the App Store for a limited time. If you aren't familiar with Swype, check out Lory's first look at the third-party keyboard. Since she published it, the app has also been updated with support for more languages and improved iPad layout, making it an even more solid option.

Slated keyboard for iOS 8 translates text in real time

Cody Lee ∙ November 6, 2014

The folks at Gist have added a new third party iOS 8 keyboard for your consideration, called Slated. Admittedly, this area is starting to become crowded, but unlike the other offerings that aim to add colors or new input methods to your keyboard, it has a more serious task.

Slated has the ability to translate what you type into more than 80 languages, in real time. Simply pick a language, start typing, and watch the evolving translation appear below the text entry field. It also translates backwards, so you can participate in complete conversations.

Google Maps with OpenTable reservations, Uber integration and Material Design now rolling out

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 6, 2014

Announced yesterday, a much-improved Google Maps for the iPhone and iPad featuring Material Design appearance, OpenTable reservations, Uber integration and more is now rolling out in App Stores worldwide.

Featuring engaging animations, shadows and depth — courtesy of Google's newly-found design language for desktop, mobile and the web — Google Maps 4.0 promises to be the funnest version of the app to date.

The search giant says the layers and buttons “come to life so you know just where to touch to get directions, recommendations and imagery.”

Download the app now, give it a whirl and tell us how you liked it in comments.

Google Maps 4.0 is free in the App Store.

Word, Excel and PowerPoint hit iPhone: Dropbox support, new features, basic editing now free

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 6, 2014

Thursday, software maker Microsoft announced immediate availability of Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps for the iPhone following the release of Office for iPad applications back in March 2014.

Moreover, the company has refreshed the entire iOS Office suite with Dropbox integration and adding other new features to “ensure a consistently beautiful and productive Office experience on every device”.

In addition to the new Office for iPhone and update iPad apps, Word, Excel and PowerPoint are coming to Android tablets with the start of Microsoft's Office for Android tablet Preview program. Finally, brand new, touch-optimized Office apps for Windows 10 are in the works and “we’ll have more to share soon”.

Universal Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps are free in the App Store.

Runtastic’s new iPhone app improves your sleep habits

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 6, 2014

Runtastic on Thursday released an interesting new iPhone application in the App Store which focuses on improving your sleep habits without using a wearable device, bedside sensor or any kind of special hardware.

The new Sleep Better software is fully integrated with Apple's HealthKit platform so it can optionally upload your sleep data to Apple's Health app on iOS 8, allowing you to access and view all of your health and fitness data on one comprehensive dashboard.

Tapping the iPhone's many sensors and supporting Airplane mode, Sleep Better not only tracks your sleep patterns such as Cycles, Duration and Efficiency, it also tracks moon phases and offers Smart Alarm and Wake-Up Window features and more.

Sleep Better is available free in the App Store, with advanced features locked behind a one-time In-App Purchase.

Opera Mini 9 adds Video Boost, promises less buffering and data usage

Cody Lee ∙ Updated August 30, 2023

Opera has released an update for its iOS web browser, Opera Mini, bringing the app to version 9.0. There isn't much of a change log, but there is a significant new video compression feature Opera is calling Video Boost.

Built on Skyfire's video optimization tech, Video Boost aims to lessen both buffering and data usage while streaming video content. It accomplishes this by quickly shrinking down video data before it lands on your device.

Mooncast adds the current moon phase to Notification Center

Lory Gil ∙ November 6, 2014

In general, most of us take the moon for granted. It’s always there. All we have to do is look up at night to see it (depending on the time of the night and the moon’s phase). Some people claim that it has an effect on how we act.

Mooncast is a simple app that displays an image of the moon in its current phase with a few additional bits of information about its status in the night’s sky. The app recently received a major update that adds the moon’s phase to your Notification Center’s Today view.

Reeder 2 update brings support for iPhone 6 and share extensions

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Popular RSS feed reader Reeder 2 has received a significant update this evening, bringing the app to version 2.6. The update includes a handful of highly-requested new features, such as support for the larger displays of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus and Landscape mode (iOS 8 only).

Additionally, 2.6 brings about support for iOS 8's share extensions, adding the now-familiar "More" option to Reeder's share sheet. This will allow users to share articles and other content they come across in Reeder to other services outside of the app's default sharing options.

Foursquare now lets you save, like and follow from iOS 8’s Interactive Notifications

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 5, 2014

Taking advantage of iOS 8's new Interactive Notifications, Foursquare, the popular local search and discovery service, on Wednesday refreshed its main iPhone client with the ability to ‘save,’ ‘like,’ and ‘follow’ from the notifications you get from the service.

As before, the new Foursquare 8.2 has native display support for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus resolutions and now comes with 1Password integration.

1Password integration allows fans of the popular password-management app to use their saved credentials when logging in to Foursquare, without having to paste the password manually.

A month ago, Foursquare's check-in app called Swarm received a similar update permitting users to check in to locations from the Lock screen or within iOS 8's Notification Center via a new Today widget.

Download Foursquare free in the App Store.

WhatsApp now indicates if your message has been read

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 5, 2014

As we patiently await an update to make WhatsApp support native display sizes of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, the tremendously popular Facebook-owned messaging service on Wednesday enabled a new check mark in the chat UI indicating that the recipient has read your message.

Now when you're chatting with someone, pay attention to read receipts in the form of blue check marks, as discovered by designer, Dutch translator at Twitter and jailbreak developer Timon Olsthoorn (and many others on Twitter).

This is an over-the-air update so those with WhatsApp installed on their iPhone can start using this feature immediately, without the need to update the app manually.

WhatsApp, which has more than 600 million active users, is free in the App Store.

Expedia is now ready for iOS 8 and new iPhone 6 screen sizes

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

After redesigning its iPad app with combined flight and hotel search in early September, Expedia on Wednesday gave its iOS app some more love by issuing an update which makes the software compatible with iOS 8 and the latest iPhones.

Expedia now supports the new 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch screen sizes of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, respectively, so you'll see more content and scroll less.

Expedia Hotels & Flights is available at no cost in the App Store.

Google Maps for iOS revamped with Android’s Material Design UI

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 5, 2014

Keen on deploying Android Lollipop’s Material Design across its mobile apps on all platforms, Google on Wednesday announced a new version of Google Maps for the iPhone and iPad featuring engaging animations, shadows and depth.

The fresh new design is all about creating surfaces and shadows that echo the real world, the search firm said.

With Google Maps’ new material feel, layers and buttons “come to life so you know just where to touch to get directions, recommendations and imagery”. The update will be rolling out over the next few days.

Google Maps is available free in the App Store.