App Store Apps

You can now preview stickers in Facebook’s latest Messenger update

The social networking giant Facebook on Wednesday pushed a small update to its Messenger client for the iPhone and iPad which lets you preview sticker animations.

Facebook Messenger 12.0 (what's up with version numbers, Facebook?) allows you to press and hold down on a sticker to expand it and view any animations before sending it.

The app is available free in the App Store.

Taco Bell’s new iOS app makes fast food… faster

Many social media users were intrigued when Taco Bell's social media accounts went dark on Tuesday, fearing the worst. Luckily, it was just Taco Bell announcing a major overhaul to its iOS app that allows customers to order and pay for food on their smartphones before even setting foot in the fast food chain.

Amazon App and Path updated with iPhone 6 support so you can see more content

iPhone 6 related updates for your favorite apps continue to roll in more than a month following the release of Apple's bigger handsets.

Following Plex's iPhone 6 update earlier this morning, both Amazon and Path have now refreshed their respective iOS applications with native display support for the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus models.

If you're an early iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus adopter, you know why these updates matter: not only do optimized apps look crisp as anyone would expect, but also take advantage of greater pixel count to display more content, thereby requiring fewer taps and less scrolling.

Black Tower Enigma cuts role-play gaming down to just the puzzles

For years, role-playing adventure games have captured the hearts and minds of gamers around the world. Whether you were catchin’ them all with Pokemon, helping Link rescue Zelda, or bringing back light to the world of Final Fantasy, the games all shared a deep storyline and epic adventure.

Black Tower Enigma has the same deep story development, but instead of traveling across dangerous lands to rescue the damsel in distress, players face riddles and puzzles in a tower of never-ending floors. Solve the puzzle to reveal the stairs to the next level. Eventually you will find your damsel.

Nike+ Running now integrates with iOS 8 Health, adds elevation tracking and more

Apple CEO Tim Cook has had a seat on the Nike board for quite some time now and the sports equipment giant was first out of the gate with an app that showcased the iPhone 5s's low-powered M7 motion coprocessor. But despite close Apple ties, Nike's been suspiciously mum regarding integrating its many iOS apps with iOS 8's Health database.

That changed Tuesday as a new version of Nike+ Running got released with support for NikeFuel data sync with iOS 8's Health application. The refreshed app brings out a few other nice-to-haves, such as tracking your elevation on latest devices and more.

Nike's other iOS apps will hopefully pick up Health integration in due time. Nike+ Running is a free download in the App Store.

OneNote gains Touch ID, iOS 8 Storage extension and more

Microsoft on Tuesday updated OneNote for iOS and OS X with useful new features, including fingerprint based Touch ID authentication to unlock password protected sections of your notebooks.

There's also a new Storage Provider extension in iOS 8 which let you easily add files to your notebooks from your favorite cloud storage service like, say, Dropbox.

On the iPhone, OneNote finally allows you to move and rearrange your notes anywhere you like. Moreover, the note-taking app has now gained ability to open notebooks stored on SharePoint Servers.

OneNote for the iPhone, iPad and Mac apps are free downloads.

Time Warner Cable’s new app lets you use their home phone service on iPhone at no additional cost

Your Home Phone service from Time Warner Cable is no longer limited by physical location as the nation's second largest cable company behind Comcast revealed a new iPhone application Tuesday.

Dubbed Phone 2 Go and available as a free download from the App Store, the software allows existing TWC Home Phone subscribers to use text, voice and video calling for no additional fees.

In addition, you can decide whether you'd like to use your Home Phone service to receive voice and video calls and text messages on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad anywhere there's Wi-Fi or cellular coverage, including overseas.

Gameloft pushes action-packed, Halloween-themed Asphalt 8 update

Halloween is coming, and in Asphalt 8, “the monsters of speed are ready”, said French games maker Gameloft in the most recent update Tuesday to its gravity-defying Asphalt 8: Airborne racer.

Featuring an all-new Halloween Special multiplayer event with the Infected Mode, a pair of new daily time-limited events and the free Koenigsegg One:1, the fastest car in the game, this update to the award-winning free-to-play game should not be missed.

And if you're a fan of Twitch, broadcasting functionality has now been restored in the latest build. Grab Asphalt 8 for free in the App Store.

Plex updated with iPhone 6 support, Chromecast improvements and more

Plex, the popular cross-platform media player and my go-to home theater solution, on Tuesday issued a nice refresh to its iPhone and iPad application containing support for the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus screens.

Plex 3.5.2, now compatible with iOS 8, has also been updated with improved support for Google's $35 Chromecast HDMI dongle and contains additional bug fixes.

The universal app will run you $4.99.

Shazam updated for iOS 8 with Today widget for tagged music and more

Shazam, a song-matching service that recently passed 100 million active users, on Tuesday released a major update to its free iPhone and iPad application.

Available free of charge in the App Store, the refreshed Shazam 8.0 has been optimized for iOS 8 and introduces a handy Today widget that lists tagged music recognized through the background-listening Auto Shazam feature.

A new Charts page in News Feed lists collates popular tracks other Shazam users have tagged and track lists now have a nicer looking layout.

Feedly app updated with support for iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, tagging and more

Popular RSS service Feedly has posted an update for its iOS app, bringing the client to version 24.0. The update brings about support for the higher resolution displays of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, as well as the ability to tag articles in-app.

Both of these changes are welcomed improvements, considering the larger iPhones have been out for more than a month now, and Feedly users have long been requesting that the team add the ability to organize content in the app via tags.

Facebook app update makes it easier to share multiple photos

Facebook announced a new update for its mobile clients today, bringing the iOS app to version 16.1. The update brings about a new workflow that will make it easier for users to post multiple photos to the popular social network from their smartphones and tablets.

Using the Facebook app, you can now choose the exact order of photos when uploading them via iPhone or Android. Once you've selected the images, you'll see a preview of how the "story" (interesting that Facebook calls it that) will appear after its been posted.